Goose Island Announces 2026 Bourbon County Brand Family: Full Details

The 2026 Goose Island Bourbon County Brand family includes:

• 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 Toasted Barrel Rye Stout 
• 2026 Bourbon County Brand Triple Oak Barleywine  
• 2026 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Stout

Before making its way out into the world on Black Friday, Bourbon County Brand Stout takes a patient journey — one defined by balance, complexity, and a quality worthy of its name. Goose Island designed Bourbon County Stout  to age, and it’s inside the highest quality barrels that its true character is revealed: the depth, the layered nuance, the quiet magic that no other process can replicate.

The 2026 Bourbon County Brand Stout family celebrates the relationship between the beer and the barrel. Spanning seven unique barrel types and six distinct expressions, each asks the same question in a different way — what does a barrel, and the spirit it once held, bring to the final stout? Not simply as a vessel, but as the defining force behind a style of beer that didn’t exist until Goose Island made it. This year’s family celebrates the oak, the char, and the craft of the barrel itself.

Todd Ahsmann, President, Goose Island Beer Co.:

“As the creators of bourbon barrel-aged stouts, our commitment to quality and innovation has never wavered. From the beginning, in the early ’90s, we recognized that the barrel acts as an essential ingredient, just like water, malt, hops, and yeast. We also realized that no two barrels are ever quite the same. That’s the fun of barrel aging: every barrel adds its own character, giving each beer a personality all its own. 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. This year we are showcasing the barrels, highlighting for beer lovers exactly what a barrel and its characteristics add to our beer, in every single bottle, across the entire lineup.”

Each expression tells its own story of what a barrel can do — the flavors it lends, the character it deepens, and the possibilities it unlocks when paired with the right ingredients and the right amount of time.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout, finished in rum barrels, bridges the warmth of aged spirits with the rich, coffee-forward indulgence of the dessert it evokes. 2026 Bourbon County Brand Apple Crisp Stout leans into cinnamon and clove — spices that echo and elevate the barrel’s own toasted character, turning familiar baking notes into something deeply complex.

This year also explores the barrel as a primary ingredient in its own right. 2026 Bourbon County Brand Toasted Barrel Rye Stout draws its identity directly from the char and grain influence of rye barrels, and the caramelized sweetness that comes from toasting. 2026 Bourbon County Brand Triple Oak Barleywine ventures beyond stout entirely — marrying the sweet, dried fruit character of barleywine across three robust oak expressions.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Stout rounds out the family with a caramelized depth that mirrors what happens inside a barrel when fire meets wood — a profile that doesn’t just complement the aging process, but becomes the defining feature. 

Together, the 2026 lineup is the fullest expression yet of a truth Goose Island has always known: that the barrel itself is an ingredient.

GOOSE ISLAND 2026 BCS LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT FACT SHEET:

THE 2026 LINEUP

The 2026 Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Family includes: 

1. 2026 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout
2. 2026 Bourbon County Brand Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout
3. 2026 Bourbon County Brand Apple Crisp Stout
4. 2026 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Stout
5. 2026 Bourbon County Brand Triple Oak Barleywine
6. 2026 Bourbon County Brand Toasted Barrel Rye Stout

2026 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout  

ABV: 14.2% 

Availability: National Markets 

Format: 4-pack 10-oz bottle & draft

Tasting Notes: Vanilla, cherry, cocoa, toasted almond & caramelized sugar 

Style: Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels

After crafting the very first bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, Goose Island understands that great beer begins with the best ingredients– which is why the brewery continues to source only the freshest and finest from trusted partners along the bourbon trail.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout was aged in a blend of freshly emptied barrels from Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses, and Wild Turkey. With an average aging time of 13 months, this stout delivers deeply developed flavors of fudge, vanilla, and caramelized sugar—all wrapped in a rich, decadent mouthfeel.

Additional Notes/Facts: 

• Bourbon County Brand Original Stout is the original bourbon barrel-aged stout created. 
• Bourbon County Brand Stout was brewed to celebrate Goose Island’s 1,000th batch of beer in 1992.  
• Bourbon County Brand Stout was disqualified from the Great American Beer Fest when first submitted because at the time, there was not a category for bourbon barrel-aged imperial stouts. 

2026 Bourbon County Brand Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout 

ABV: Coming Soon

Availability: National Markets 

Format: 16.9oz bottle & draft 

Tasting Notes: Fudge, delicate pastry & rich espresso

Style: Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels, then finished in rum barrels with espresso, cocoa nibs & vanilla 

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.

It was in the many layers of tiramisu that Goose Island found inspiration for this variant. Coffee, chocolate, and vanilla have long been natural companions to Bourbon County Stout, drawing its signature expressions forward — and here, they find their fullest expression yet.

Bourbon County Brand Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout begins where every Bourbon County story does: inside the finest bourbon barrels, where time and oak do their quiet work. But its journey didn’t end there. For the first time, Goose Island finished its Original bourbon barrel-aged stout in rum casks — barrels that carry their own storied past — layering a warm sugarcane richness over the cocoa nibs, espresso, and vanilla woven into the beer.

The finished stout moves the way a great dessert does: taking the finest ingredients and bringing them together with thoughtful balance and patient craft.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Apple Crisp Stout 

ABV: Coming Soon

Availability: National Markets 

Format: 16.9oz bottle & draft

Tasting Notes: Fresh baked oat crumble, caramel & crisp apple

Style: Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with apple, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, oats & panela sugar

Few things are more familiar or more comforting than the warmth and aroma of a homemade apple crisp baking in the oven.

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. The apples offer a gentle brightness, while toasted oats soften the body into something plush and inviting. Panela sugar, raw and deeply caramelized, draws out the same toasted sweetness found in the barrel’s own char,rounding into the rich, decadent finish that defines Goose Island’s barrel-aged stout.

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

ABV: Coming Soon 

Availability: Chicago Market

Format: 16.9oz bottle & draft

Tasting Notes: Vanilla soaked cake with caramelized fruit & toasted oak

Style: Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels finished with pineapple, Montmorency cherry & panela sugar

Every year, Goose Island releases a beer in the Bourbon County family called Proprietor’s that belongs to Chicago alone—inspired by the city that 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. Panela sugar ties it together, delivering the same rich, molasses-kissed caramelization that bourbon barrels have been imparting to our beer as it ages.  

Indulgent, layered, and unmistakably Chicago’s—this year’s Proprietor’s Stout feels like home. 

2026 Bourbon County Brand Triple Oak Barleywine

ABV: Coming Soon 

Availability: National Markets 

Format: 16.9oz bottle 

Tasting Notes: Burnt caramel, delicate baking spice & stonefruit

Style: Barleywine aged in Kentucky Straight bourbon barrels and finished in a blend of Chinkapin, French & Hungarian oak casks

For the 2026 Bourbon County Brand Triple Oak Barleywine, Goose Island brewers explored the layered complexity of Angel’s Envy Triple Oak Bourbon through the lens of barleywine. Our English-style barleywine is the perfect complement as the more caramelized malts soften the structured tannin of the oak, while not overshadowing the unique character of each oak. 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. 

After its time in that first set of bourbon barrels, 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 

ABV: Coming Soon 

Availability: National Markets 

Format: 16.9oz bottle

Tasting Notes: Creme brûlée, toasted hazelnut & sweet oak 

Style: Rye stout aged in Elijah Craig Kentucky Straight rye whiskey barrel and finished in toasted barrel 

Every barrel tells its story in layers — the oak itself, the spirit it once held, and the way the wood has been treated all shape what it will offer to the beer that follows. 

For this release, Goose Island explored that story through a rye stout aged in Elijah Craig Toasted Rye barrels. 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, where the oak reveals a different character entirely. Gentle toasting coaxes sweetness from the wood while softening the sharper edges of tannin, bringing forward notes of vanilla and giving shape to a fuller, rounder body. 

A celebration of the barrel in all its forms: a rye stout with rye front and center, meeting the rounded warmth of toasted oak — an expression of Bourbon County shaped by the evolving character of the wood itself. 

About Goose Island Beer Co:

Goose Island Beer Co. is one of the most influential craft breweries in the United States, recognized globally for its innovation, barrel aging expertise and its role in shaping modern American beer culture. Founded in 1988 in Chicago, Illinois, Goose Island began with a simple mission to bring world class brewing to the Midwest. Over the decades, the brewery has grown from a neighborhood brewpub into an internationally respected leader known for pushing boundaries, elevating craftsmanship and redefining what beer can be.

Goose Island is best known for creating Bourbon County Brand Stout, the beer that introduced bourbon barrel aging to the craft beer world and forever changed the landscape of American stout. First brewed in the early 1990s, Bourbon County Brand Stout set a new standard for depth, complexity and barrel character. Its annual Black Friday release has become one of the most anticipated beer events in the country, drawing collectors, enthusiasts and fans who appreciate the artistry behind long term barrel aging. Each year’s lineup showcases the brewery’s mastery of oak, char, spirit influence and time, making Bourbon County Brand Stout a benchmark for barrel aged beer.

Beyond its iconic stout program, Goose Island produces a wide range of beers that highlight creativity and technical skill. The brewery’s portfolio includes IPAs, lagers, sours, wild ales, barrel aged barleywines and experimental releases that demonstrate its commitment to innovation. Goose Island’s Barrel House in Chicago serves as the heart of its aging program, housing thousands of barrels sourced from top distilleries and used to develop new expressions of flavor, aroma and texture.

Community engagement is central to Goose Island’s identity. The brewery supports local organizations, hosts festivals and collaborates with chefs, musicians and artists to create experiences that celebrate Chicago’s culture. Goose Island’s taprooms offer immersive spaces where visitors can explore new beers, learn about barrel aging and enjoy the hospitality that has defined the brewery for more than three decades.

Today, Goose Island continues to lead the craft beer industry with a dedication to quality, creativity and the belief that beer is a craft shaped by passion, patience and the pursuit of excellence. The brewery’s legacy is built on innovation, and its future remains focused on exploring what beer can become.

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