(Courtesy Goose Island Beer Company)

Signaling summer’s eventual departure and the onset of the fall, Goose Island Beer has announced this year’s Bourbon County lineup.

And although many in the craft beer community 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.

According to the Chicago-based brewery renowned for championing America’s first barrel-aged stout, Goose Island will be releasing five different variations of the barrel-aged brand along with its Original in 2026…

And here’s what will become available on Black Friday 2025….

• 2026 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout
• 2026 Bourbon County Brand Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout
• 2026 Bourbon County Brand Apple Crisp Stout
• 2026 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Stout
• 2026 Bourbon County Brand Triple Oak Barleywine
• 2026 Bourbon County Brand Toasted Barrel Rye Stout

Here are Goose Island’s descriptions of this year’s lineup which as usual will become available nationally on Black Friday, with the exception of its Proprietor’s Bourbon County Stout which as a gift to its hometown fans is always a Chicagoland exclusive.

(Courtesy Goose Island Beer Company)

2025 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout

Bourbon County Original Stout is aged in a mix of freshly emptied bourbon barrels from Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses and Wild Turkey distilleries.⁠ Barrel aged for an average of 12 months, Original boasts deeply developed flavors of fudge, vanilla, and caramelized sugar with a rich, decadent mouthfeel.

And now, Original is available in four-packs of 10-ounce bottles, offering fans more ways to enjoy this classic.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout

Coffee, chocolate, and vanilla have long been natural companions to Bourbon County Stout, and it was in the many layers of tiramisu that Goose Island found inspiration for this variant. The finished stout moves the way a great dessert does: taking the finest ingredients and bringing them together with thoughtful balance and patient craft.

There is something to be said for the tried and true — iconic flavors, ingredients, and desserts that stand the test of time because they simply work.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Apple Crisp Stout

Few things are more familiar or more comforting than the warmth and aroma of a homemade apple crisp baking in the oven. And Goose Island’s Chase Craig leaned into that exact feeling for this year’s Bourbon County Stout, building around his favorite parts of the classic dessert: the caramelized edges, the toasted spices, and that unmistakable crumble top.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Apple Crisp Stout embraces the warming expressions bourbon barrels carry naturally. The cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg layered throughout don’t fight the oak, but let it shine and the apples offer a gentle brightness.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Stout (Pineapple Upside Down Cake)

Every year, Goose Island releases a beer in the Bourbon County family called Proprietor’s that hat is only available in Chicago, the city, the brewery calls home. When it came time to craft his own concept, Goose Island barrel team member Chase Craig turned to a dessert as iconic in its own right as the stout it inspired: the pineapple upside down cake.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Stout leans into the cake itself—the caramelized base, the sticky-sweet crown, the way vanilla and browned sugar transform simple ingredients into something more than the sum of its parts. Pineapple lends a bright, tropical lift, while Montmorency cherries add a depth that echoes the maraschino’s role in the original dessert.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Triple Oak Barleywine

For the 2026 Bourbon County Brand Triple Oak Barleywine, Goose Island explored the layered complexity of Angel’s Envy Triple Oak Bourbon barrels through the lens of an English-style barleywine. The beer itself was first aged in freshly emptied bourbon barrels, building a foundation of caramelized malt, dark sugar, and vanilla before beginning its second journey.

The beer was then transferred into barrels that finished Angel’s Envy Triple Oak Bourbon, each a different species of oak: French oak, Chinkapin oak, and Hungarian oak. Each wood type lends its own voice; French oak bringing refined spice, Chinkapin oak contributing subtle sweetness, and Hungarian oak adding elegant tannin and baking spice.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Toasted Barrel Rye Stout

Every barrel tells its story in layers.  The 2026 Bourbon County Brand Toasted Barrel Stout began its life in rye whiskey barrels, where the stout drew out the grain’s signature spice alongside notes of crème brûlée, hazelnut, and a lingering oak finish. .

It was then transferred to Elijah Craig’s toasted barrels, which softened and sweetened the beer’s profile. A celebration of the barrel in all its forms: a rye stout with rye front and center, meeting the rounded warmth of toasted oak, shaped by the nuanced character of the wood itself.

“As the creators of bourbon barrel-aged stouts, our commitment to quality and innovation has never wavered, said Todd Ahsmann, President, Goose Island Beer Co.” From the beginning, in the early ’90s, we recognized that the barrel acts as an essential ingredient, just like water, malt, hops, and yeast. In 2026, we’re continuing to push ourselves with this lineup, embracing where we started while ever evolving to push the boundaries of what barrel-aged beer can be.

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