Something old, something new best describes the 2022 Goose Island Bourbon County Stout lineup announced Monday by the Chicago brewing company.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Bourbon County Stout — “the world’s first bourbon barrel-aged beer” — Goose Island will be releasing seven varieties this year, showcasing a selection of traditional and new quirky flavor profiles:
- Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
- Goose Island Bourbon County Two-Year Barleywine Reserve
- Goose Island Bourbon County 30th Anniversary Reserve Stout
- Goose Island Bourbon County Biscotti Stout
- Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout
- Goose Island Bourbon County Sir Isaac’s Stout
- Goose Island Bourbon County Proprietor’s Stout
Six of the varieties — five stouts and one barleywine — will be available for purchase the day after Thanksgiving at all Chicago and national retail outlets (with the exception of the Proprietor’s Stout, which will only be available in the Chicago area). In addition, they will all be available on draft only at Goose Island’s Fulton Street Brewery & Taproom and its Clybourn Brewpub.
Here’s a closer look at the offerings as described by Goose Island:
Goose Island Bourbon County Two-Year Barleywine Reserve: “It evokes the rich intricacies from that of Old Fitzgerald’s Bottled-In-Bond Series for a velvety taste of rich malt, entwined with notes of toffee, cherry, vanilla, fig and almond.”
Goose Island Bourbon County 30th Anniversary Reserve Stout: “The stout is aged from a blend of Jim Beam barrels from their Small Batch Bourbon Collection. ... Expect notes of dark chocolate, vanilla, cherry and almond.”
Goose Island Bourbon County Biscotti Stout: “Inspired by the Italian desserts of her childhood, Jill Cerone, People Manager at Goose Island, dreamed up this variant after grabbing a box of chocolate-dipped biscotti from her cabinet. Working with the brewing team, Jill brought the flavor to life with notes of anise, marzipan, cocoa and buttered toffee.”
Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout: “We brought back a coffee variant this year in partnership with our friends and neighbors Intelligentsia Coffee. The result of this ‘togetherness’ is another exceptional coffee variant featuring rich chocolate, coffee and caramel flavors.”
Goose Island Bourbon County Sir Isaac’s Stout: “... Members of the Goose Island E-commerce team, Melissa Alleguez and Ryan Hubona, crafted a recipe inspired by Melissa’s childhood memories of stealing fig cookies out of her grandma’s cookie jar during her summers on Lake Michigan. The fig cookie and graham cracker-inspired stout was created... using Black Mission figs resulting in characteristics of dried fruit, honey, molasses and citrus.”
Goose Island Bourbon County Proprietor’s Stout: “This recipe was dreamed up after two of our brewers, Jason Krasowski and Paul Cade, spent a night out on the town trying some of the best cocktails the city has to offer. The result is a brewer’s take on a jungle bird cocktail that combines banana, coconut, lime, and a new ingredient for the Bourbon County Stout family — pineapple.”
