Goose Island Reveals Its 2025 Bourbon County Stout Lineup

Every fall, craft beer lovers anxiously await one of the most anticipated beer drops of the year, the limited release bottlings from the Goose Island Beer Co. under its Bourbon County Stout Brand. What started in 1992 as a bold experiment aging an imperial stout in bourbon barrels, something unheard of at the time, has become a full-blown cultural moment. Seriously, people stand in lines, undergo lotteries, and chase the limited allocations of bottles coast to coast.

This year’s lineup should only keep the hype alive. What began as one beer has grown into a family of brews, each with its own unique story and aging journey. At its heart remains the Original Stout, the base beer that launched a genre. But surrounding it are five additional expressions, each drawing from new inspirations, ingredient combinations, and barrel-aging partnerships.

Perhaps the biggest news this year is that, for the first time ever, Original Stout will be offered in a four-pack of 10-ounce bottles nationwide. It’s a smart move by Goose Island, designed to give fans more flexibility with a brew known for its potent ABV. “This new bottle of our Original Stout has been years in the making, and it’s breaking down barriers for beer lovers to enjoy this beer during more occasions,” said Todd Ahsmann, President of Goose Island Beer Co. It’s a subtle shift, but an important one, reflecting how craft beer drinking has evolved. Drinkers are looking for more tasting flights, more shared pours, and more casual access. By downsizing its flagship beer, it’s delivering that to its fans.

As always, the Original sets the tone. Aged for approximately 12 months in a blend of freshly emptied barrels from Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill, Four Roses, and Wild Turkey, it boasts deep flavors of fudge, vanilla, cherry, and toasted almond, all wrapped in a rich, viscous body. There’s a reason it remains one of the benchmarks for bourbon barrel-aged beer.

But from there, the rest of its lineup gets imaginative. Each of the following limited-release brews is available nationwide and comes in both 16.9 oz bottles and on tap, except for the Proprietor’s Stout. It is only being offered in Goose Island’s home market of Chicago.

The 2025 Bourbon County Brand Cherries Jubilee Stout is a flambéed dessert in a bottle. Aged in bourbon barrels, then finished in cognac casks, this stout is blended with Montmorency cherries, citrus, and panela sugar, layering cocoa and dark fruit over a silky finish. It’s an elegant beer, channeling the same dessert-inspired energy Goose Island often taps into with finesse.

The Chocolate Praline Stout doubles down on decadence. Aged in freshly emptied bourbon barrels and dosed with cocoa nibs, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, and dates, it transforms the base stout into a candy shop tour of rich fudge and chewy toffee with subtle nutty undertones.

Each year, the brewery’s hometown gift ventures into interesting territory, and this year’s Proprietor’s Stout shouldn’t disappoint. Brewer Colby Magratten drew inspiration from her aunt’s beehives and homemade baklava for a release featuring walnuts, pistachios, cassia bark, and honey. The result is warm and spiced, evoking the flavors of toasted nuts, caramelized honeycomb, and comforting baking spices.

Goose Island also continues to spotlight their most crucial collaborator in all of this: the barrel. Nowhere is that clearer than in the Double Barrel Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond Stout. This variant takes the Original through two consecutive rounds of aging in Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond barrels. The result is a bold brew with tastes of vanilla, toasted marshmallow, and a pronounced oak finish that amplifies the bourbon experience. It’s a love letter to American whiskey, and the 1897 law helped define what bourbon would become: the Bottled-in-Bond Act.

Then there’s the Parker’s Heritage Reserve Stout, perhaps the most nuanced and contemplative beer in the lineup. Aged for a full two years in barrels that previously held Parker’s Heritage Collection 17th Edition 10-Year Rye, this release is as much about patience as it is about collaboration. The extended time in rye barrels teases out layers of dried fruit, marzipan, cocoa, and complex rye spice. It’s a slow sipper, designed for reflection, and honors the legacy of the late master distiller Parker Beam.

“This year’s Bourbon Country Brand Stout lineup showcases how Goose Island, and our barrel aging program, is constantly evolving,” says John Zadlo, Senior Brand Manager at Goose Island. “Each release in this family of stouts highlights and elevates the signature expressions that emerge as our Original Stout ages. The beauty of barrel aging lies in its variations and uniqueness, something only achieved through a combination of experience, exceptional ingredients, outstanding barrels, and time.”

As the bourbon barrel-aged stout space continues to evolve, Goose Island remains its compass point. The 2025 lineup reinforces their foundational role in the category, while offering new formats and flavors to keep things fresh. Whether you’re a collector eyeing the Reserve, a dessert stout lover chasing Chocolate Praline, or someone just excited to share a 10-ounce Original fireside, this year’s releases should have something for you.

While the actual release date for the 2025 Bourbon County Brand Stouts it normally falls around Prohibition Repeal Day, which falls on December 5. So, if you’re a lover of big, bold, brews circle the date and make a plan, because if there’s one thing history tells us, these bottles won’t sit on shelves for long.

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