Goose Island reveals 2026 Bourbon County Stout Lineup
It will be another 4 long months before Goose Island Brewing releases their 2026 collection of the famed Bourbon County Brand Stout, but we already have the details on this years lineup of variants. Despite Goose Island’s ownership by mega beer behemoth Anheuser-Busch, many beer geeks still anxiously await Bourbon County Stout’s release every year on Black Friday. The Brewers do have an impressive track record of coming out with new and unusual, but complementary, themes and flavor combos to keep things interesting. This year’s variants capture the essence of desserts like apple crisp, and tiramisu, and one is not even a stout style but a Barleywine instead.
More from a press release:
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.
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.
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