Who is Goose Island Beer Company?
Goose Island began in the late 80s as a small brewery in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago. In the craft beer world, that makes Goose Island among the pioneers of the industry.
After producing beer in Chicagoland for over two decades, Goose Island was sold to mega-corporation A-B InBev. While craft beer snobs are quick to turn up their nose at any beer produced by a multinational beer company (an argument for another day), you can’t argue that wider distribution & increased revenues have their benefits.
Goose Island has enjoyed tons of success since the AB InBev acquisition in 2011 and continues to be sold & consumed widely across the US.
Where is Goose Island Beer Company?
Goose Island has been a Chicago staple for decades and operates a few facilities within the city limits. The brewery itself is named after the nearby Goose Island formed by a fork in the Chicago River.
In Chicago, Goose Island owns a brewhouse, a tap room, and a barrel room that can be rented out for special occasions (like wedding receptions).
In addition to the Chicago spaces, Goose Island also operates brewpubs in far-flung destinations around the world like Seoul, São Paulo, and London.
What’s so special about Goose Island’s Bourbon County Brand Stouts?
Every year on Black Friday, Goose Island Beer Company releases a new batch of bourbon barrel-aged stouts. For 2020, Goose Island released 7 unique BCBS variants:
- Bourbon County Brand Stout: imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels for one year
- Bourbon County Brand Kentucky Fog Stout: Earl Gray tea-infused version
- Bourbon County Brand Special #4 Stout: oatmeal stout variant infused with Intelligentsia Coffee
- Bourbon County Brand Caramella Ale: wheatwine aged in Larceny Wheated Bourbon barrels
- Proprietor’s Bourbon County Brand Stout: spumoni-inspired variant
- Birthday Bourbon County Brand Stout: aged in Old Forester Birthday Bourbon barrels
- Anniversary Bourbon County Brand Stout: aged in Weller 12 Year Bourbon Barrels
Fans near Goose Island’s home of Chicago had a chance to get their hands on all of the variations, while beer lovers in other markets found that the more unique offerings were geographically limited.
How does Goose Island’s Bourbon County Brand Stout taste?
This imperial stout pours a midnight black with a medium-plus body.
The aroma is filled with fudge & vanilla while still allowing the bourbon essence through. Your first taste will be more balanced than you might initially expect; some bourbon barrel-aged beers can be very spirit-forward, but Goose Island pulls off a wonderfully complex profile with this year’s Bourbon County Stout.
This beer’s carbonation is on the lighter side, and the bit of roastiness you get on the tongue is matched by the smoothness of each sip. “Decadent” is a word that I would use to describe this imperial stout. No one flavor dominates, and the beer instead presents a very harmonious profile.
Final Thoughts
Dark beer lovers, rejoice. If this 2020 version of the original BCBS is any indication, all of the 2020 drops must live up to the hype.
I have to admit that Goose Island isn’t always my first choice when it comes to craft beer, but I will absolutely make an exception for their Bourbon County Brand Stout releases.What has been your favorite Bourbon County Brand Stout release? Let us know on Instagram by tagging us in a pic!
