(Courtesy Goose Island)

Although many beer fans dismiss Goose Island (now owned by AB InBev) as no longer being ‘craft beer,’ their annual Bourbon County Brand release still generates a great deal of buzz.

And now comes word that in addition to 2020’s announced variations, the Chicago-based brewery snuck some secret single cask versions into the marketplace, which has beer fans and collectors going crazy.

The vast majority of Bourbon County Stouts are a blend of beers aged in a mix of Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill or Wild Turkey barrels. But this year’s three ‘Easter egg” variations, which were released to be found like (you’ve got it) Easter eggs.

(Courtesy Goose Island)

These uber-collectable single-distillery versions, come with “BT,” “HH” or “WT” at the end of the date code designation in the fine print on the bottles’ back labels.

“Goose Island President Todd Ashmann has acknowledged that declining interest in Bourbon County Stout was a problem to solve, reports the Chicago Tribune. “One approach has been to make less Bourbon County Stout, and more of the variants.

But these secret small batch variations speak to a new strategy to potentially revitalize the Goose Island Bourbon County Stout franchise and spike consumer interest…

“This year, our brewers and ops team decided to take on the big task of developing a limited batch of singular distillery variants as Easter eggs for our most die-hard fans,” Ashmann noted in an emailed statement.

“We always like to keep our fans on their toes and this year we wanted to celebrate the great distillery partnerships we’ve formed over the years,” Goose Island brewmaster Keith Gabbett added…

“We can’t wait for you to taste the different flavor nuances and we know people will be excited but we encourage fans to follow social distancing guidelines at their local stores and be courteous to employees as we continue to try and keep things safe and fun for all.”

Want more on the Bourbon County Stout phenomenon?

DOES GOOSE ISLAND’S BOURBON COUNTY STOUT RELEASE STILL MATTER?

THE GOOSE ISLAND PROPRIETOR’S BOURBON COUNTY STOUT LOTTERY

GOOSE ISLAND AUCTIONS OFF LAST 12 BOTTLES OF BOURBON COUNTY STOUT IN AUSTRALIA