Goose Island · Chicago

Buy Bourbon County Stout

If there's one beer where it all started, it's this one. In 1992 Goose Island brewed an imperial stout for the 1000th batch at their brewpub on Clybourn Avenue and put it in empty bourbon barrels. Nobody had done that before. Today Bourbon County Stout is the benchmark for every barrel aged stout in the world.

In the collection you'll find vintages from 2016 onwards and plenty of variants: Coffee, Vanilla, the Reserve series with single-barrel bourbons, Double Barrel and the anniversary editions. You'll find them all below.

Bourbon County 2026

Goose Island releases Bourbon County every year around Black Friday, at the end of November. In Chicago people queue for it overnight. We try to bring a number of bottles to the Netherlands each year, but how many and when, we only know once they are really on their way.

Want to be the first to know? Join the release list. You'll get an email as soon as the 2026 bottles arrive, before they go online.

Which Bourbon County should you pick?

  • New to Bourbon County? Start with the regular Bourbon County Stout. It's the base every variant builds on.
  • Love coffee? The Coffee versions are made with beans from Intelligentsia, the coffee roaster next door to the brewery.
  • Want to really taste the wood? Pick a Reserve or Double Barrel. They age in older, sought-after bourbon barrels such as Elijah Craig and Knob Creek.
  • A collector? The anniversary editions (Anniversary, 30th Anniversary Reserve) and King Henry 2 are the rarest.

Can you age Bourbon County?

Yes, and that's the beauty of it. Stored upright, cool and dark, Bourbon County gets softer and rounder over the years; the alcohol fades and the caramel and fruit notes come forward. Read more in how to store and serve imperial stout.