Goose Island 2026 Bourbon County Brand Stout Review: Six Beers Worth Celebrating

Goose Island Bourbon County 2026

Introduction: Goose Island delivers another impressive Bourbon County lineup

Goose Island was kind enough to send over its 2026 Bourbon County Brand Stout collection, and getting six barrel-aged beers together ahead of the annual Black Friday release is still one of my favorite parts of covering craft beer. This year’s collection includes the familiar Original Stout, several ambitious dessert-inspired variations, a rye whiskey barrel experiment and a Triple Oak Barleywine that gives the entire lineup another dimension.

First, a big thank you to everyone at Goose Island for sending the Bourbon County tasting pack and including me in the October 27 Goose Island tasting event hosted by Mike Siegel, Todd Ahsmann, John Zadlo & Daryl Hoedtke. Having the opportunity to explore the new releases, learn more about the barrel selections and spend time with the beers and the Goose Island team before their official release makes this annual tradition even better.

What a collection.

The Goose Island Bourbon County 2026 Brand family focuses heavily on the barrel itself, exploring how different oak treatments, bourbon barrels, rye whiskey barrels and finishing casks influence the finished beer.

Six releases. Plenty to discuss.

And I particularly love the return of the 10-ounce bottles of Bourbon County Brand Original Stout. It’s a welcome packaging for a rich, 14.2% ABV imperial stout, especially when you want a smaller serving without opening a traditional large-format bottle.

Goose Island Bourbon County 2026 Brand Stout quick facts

The announced release date is Black Friday, November 27, 2026. Availability and individual retail allocations may vary.

Goose Island Bourbon County 2026 Brand Original Stout review

Original Bourbon County remains the beer I look forward to revisiting every year.

For 2026, Goose Island aged its 14.2% ABV imperial stout in a blend of freshly emptied Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses and Wild Turkey bourbon barrels, with an average aging period of 13 months.

The announced flavor profile includes vanilla, cherry, cocoa, toasted almond and caramelized sugar, backed by the familiar fudge-like richness associated with Bourbon County.

This is exactly the sort of barrel-aged imperial stout that established the reputation of the series. The bourbon barrel character matters, but so does the underlying beer, and I appreciate that Goose Island continues putting considerable attention into its flagship release rather than treating Original as an afterthought.

Those 10-ounce bottles deserve another mention.

I really like this format. A four-pack of smaller bottles makes the Original Stout more convenient to enjoy across multiple occasions, and it provides an appealing alternative to committing to a full 16.9-ounce bottle.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout review

Tiramisu Cask Finish might have one of the most appealing concepts in the entire 2026 Bourbon County collection. (15.1%-AbV)

Goose Island starts with its bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, finishes it in rum barrels and incorporates espresso, cocoa nibs and vanilla.

The combination brings together several flavors that already work beautifully in barrel-aged stout, with the rum finish introducing another source of sweetness and warmth.

Its announced tasting profile includes fudge, delicate pastry and rich espresso.

What makes Tiramisu Cask Finish particularly interesting is that Goose Island isn’t relying entirely on dessert ingredients. The rum barrels are an important part of the recipe, contributing their own character to the finished stout.

For anyone who enjoys coffee-forward imperial stouts, this is an especially attractive addition to the 2026 Bourbon County family.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Apple Crisp Stout review

Apple Crisp Stout takes the Bourbon County series in a direction that feels perfectly suited to a late-November release.

Goose Island combines its bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout with apples, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, oats and panela sugar.

The resulting concept draws directly from homemade apple crisp, bringing together baked fruit, toasted oats, warming spices and caramelized sweetness.

I particularly like the decision to include oats and panela sugar. Those ingredients help distinguish Apple Crisp from a straightforward apple-and-cinnamon stout, giving the recipe a stronger connection to the actual dessert.

The announced tasting notes include fresh-baked oat crumble, caramel and crisp apple.

Apple Crisp also provides a welcome contrast to Tiramisu, demonstrating how the same bourbon barrel-aged foundation can support two very different dessert-inspired recipes. The beer is brewed with Apple Puree and apple concentrate and two types of cinnamon (Vietnamese Cassia Bark & a floral cinnamon) are used in the beer,as well as baking spices, panella sugar and oats).

2026 Bourbon County Brand Toasted Barrel Rye Stout review

Toasted Barrel Rye Stout puts the barrel front and center.

Goose Island uses Elijah Craig rye whiskey barrels before transferring the beer into toasted barrels, allowing the rye character and secondary oak treatment to contribute different elements.

The brewery describes crème brûlée, toasted hazelnut and sweet oak among its primary tasting characteristics.

This is one of the releases that interests me most from a brewing standpoint because the emphasis isn’t on adding several specialty ingredients. Instead, Goose Island is exploring how rye whiskey barrels and toasted wood influence the finished stout.

The combination of rye spice, vanilla, roasted character and caramelized sweetness makes Toasted Barrel Rye a particularly interesting addition for drinkers who appreciate whiskey barrel-aged beers. (No smoked-malt is used in this beer)

2026 Bourbon County Brand Triple Oak Barleywine review

Triple Oak Barleywine provides a welcome change from the imperial stouts. (16.2%-ABV)

Goose Island begins with an English-style barleywine aged in Kentucky Straight bourbon barrels before transferring it into barrels previously used to finish Angel’s Envy Triple Oak Bourbon.

Those finishing barrels incorporate French oak, Chinkapin oak and Hungarian oak, giving the beer several different wood influences.

Its announced flavor profile includes burnt caramel, delicate baking spice and stone fruit.

I appreciate having a barleywine included in the Bourbon County collection. Its caramelized malt character provides a different foundation for barrel aging, and the combination of three oak varieties makes this release especially interesting.

Triple Oak also demonstrates that Goose Island’s barrel-aging program can explore considerably more than variations of imperial stout.

2026 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Stout review

The 2026 Proprietor’s Stout takes inspiration from pineapple upside-down cake, giving Chicago another distinctive entry in its exclusive Bourbon County series.

Goose Island uses bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout finished with pineapple, Montmorency cherries and panela sugar.

The intended flavor profile combines vanilla-soaked cake, caramelized fruit and toasted oak, with pineapple introducing a brighter fruit component and cherries adding another layer of character.

It’s an appealing concept, particularly because the fruit additions offer something different from the coffee, chocolate and baking-spice combinations elsewhere in the collection.

Proprietor’s has always been an interesting part of the Bourbon County tradition, and the pineapple upside-down cake interpretation continues that approach.

Chicago gets this one….

Goose Island Bourbon County 2026 Black Friday release details

The annual Goose Island Bourbon County 2026 Black Friday release is scheduled for November 27, 2026.

Original Stout, Tiramisu Cask Finish, Apple Crisp, Toasted Barrel Rye and Triple Oak Barleywine are designated for national markets, while Proprietor’s Stout is planned for the Chicago market.

The Original Stout will be offered in four-packs of 10-ounce bottles and on draft. The other announced bottle formats are 16.9 ounces, with draft availability also listed for Tiramisu, Apple Crisp and Proprietor’s.

Check individual retailers for allocations and release-day availability.

Related Goose Island Bourbon County 2026 articles on MyBeerBuzz

Related news from mybeerbuzz.com:
We’ve been anticipating the 2026 Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout collection throughout the year here at MyBeerBuzz, beginning with our complete announcement of the 2026 Bourbon County Brand family. Readers can also explore our first look at the 2026 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout in new 10-ounce bottles, the dessert-inspired Tiramisu Cask Finish Stout and Apple Crisp Stout. We’ve also covered the Toasted Barrel Rye Stout and Triple Oak Barleywine alongside the announcement of 2026 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Stout, providing additional background on this year’s six releases and their individual barrel-aging approaches.

Final thoughts: Goose Island Bourbon County 2026

Goose Island has assembled another compelling Bourbon County collection for 2026, with six beers that approach barrel aging from different directions.

I particularly appreciate the emphasis on individual barrel characteristics, the inclusion of Triple Oak Barleywine and the creative dessert combinations featured in Tiramisu, Apple Crisp and Proprietor’s.

And those smaller Original Stout bottles? Absolutely a welcome addition.

Thanks again to Goose Island for the generous tasting pack and for including me in the October 27 tasting event. I’m looking forward to exploring these beers together with friends and celebrating another Bourbon County Black Friday release in Nov.

Join the discussion: Which 2026 Goose Island Bourbon County Brand release are you most excited about? Are you planning to grab the new 10-ounce Original Stout bottles, or is one of the specialty variants at the top of your Black Friday shopping list?

Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Frequently asked questions about Bourbon County Brand Stout 2026

When is the 2026 Bourbon County Brand Stout release date?

The annual Black Friday release is scheduled for November 27, 2026.

How many beers are included in the 2026 Bourbon County collection?

Six releases: Original Stout, Tiramisu Cask Finish, Apple Crisp, Toasted Barrel Rye, Triple Oak Barleywine and Proprietor’s Stout.

What is the ABV of 2026 Bourbon County Original Stout?

The 2026 Original Stout contains 14.2% alcohol by volume.

What size bottles will Original Stout use in 2026?

Goose Island is introducing four-packs of 10-ounce bottles for the 2026 Original Stout.

Which Bourbon County release is exclusive to Chicago?

The 2026 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Stout, inspired by pineapple upside-down cake, is designated for the Chicago market.

What makes Tiramisu Cask Finish different?

It begins with bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, receives additional finishing time in rum barrels and incorporates espresso, cocoa nibs and vanilla.

What is special about Triple Oak Barleywine?

The barleywine is aged in bourbon barrels before finishing in barrels associated with three oak varieties: French, Chinkapin and Hungarian.

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