More than three decades into a celebrated run of barrel-aged beer, Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout manages to keep things more than interesting and plenty flavorful, as the just-announced 2025 lineup assuredly attests.
First brewed and released in 1992 to celebrate 1,000 batches of Goose Island beer, the innovative Chicago brewery continues to find new ways to put its already-stellar Imperial Stout through the ultimate test: Aging in hardy wooden barrels sourced from the bourbon trail. Billed as the original barrel-aged stout, Goose Island’s hotly anticipated series continues to take place of pride among the best new microbrews, at least if its annual enthusiastic reception is to be believed.
Six intensely flavorful releases deliver variety and originality to the Bourbon County Stout family, led by Bourbon County Brand Original Stout. The OG Stout starts with Goose Island’s original recipe and is further aged in an impressive combination of freshly emptied Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Wild Turkey and Four Roses bourbon barrels for an average of 12 months. With a decadent mouthfeel and what the brewery calls flavors ranging from caramelized sugar to vanilla, the 2025 take on a time-tested favorite should prove a toasty fall and winter sipper.
The distinct barrel aging process behind each beer, the original included, reflects the famed brewer’s commitment to innovation, the company said. “The Bourbon County Brand Stout family tells a story of metamorphosis—where barrels, time, and innovation evolve a true original,” Goose Island noted.
Just as impressive and covetable is 2025’s Bourbon County Brand Double Barrel Stout, which spends time in Heaven Hill bottled-in-bond bourbon barrels. Every decision, including ingredient selection and barrel selection “reveals a new facet of Original Stout,” Goose Island said, calling out the “nuanced complexity” of the whiskey that graced the barrels before Goose Island stout beer. “The rich sweetness of the stout pairs beautifully with subtle rye whiskey influences from the 10-year-old barrels,” said Connor O’Driscoll, Heaven Hill’s master distiller.
It was far from the only distinct barrel aging choice used by Goose Island: Parker’s Heritage 10-year 17th edition rye whiskey barrels were used to age the 2025 Bourbon County Brand Reserve Stout, delivering rye spice, plus flavors including marzipan and dried fruits. Just as engaging and sumptuous is Bourbon County Brand Cherries Jubilee within the 2025 lineup, delivering subtle baking spice and “the essence of cognac-soaked cherries” after time spent in freshly dumped bourbon barrels, Goose Island notes.
The lineup takes further aim at rich dessert beers with 2025’s Chocolate Praline Stout, as the brewery says, “Goose Island’s imperial stout undergoes an incredible transformation within the barrel,” absorbing the character of the wood itself and developing notes of toffee, fudge and marzipan in the process.
Proprietor’s Stout, meanwhile, is finished with some unlikely yet utterly delicious ingredients: Pistachios, cassia bark, walnuts and honey add intense depth of flavor and a deep caramelized body for “comforting warmth, … and a subtly sweet finish,” thanks to the inspiration of brewer Colby Magratten, who likened the beer to flavors of homemade baklava and the beehives of her aunt’s Rhode Island home. The lineup certainly delivers plenty of rich character and decadent quality ahead of the brisk fall and winter months.
In a further twist, the lineup’s Original Stout is now available in 10oz. bottles for the first time, while other selections are offered in 16.9oz. bottles and on draft. To add any one of the richly crafted, limited-edition Goose Island Bourbon County Stout releases to your own beer cellar, visit Goose Island for purchasing information and availability.