Goose Island Is Bringing Back One of the Most Hyped Beers of All Time

Another year, another Bourbon County Brand Stout (BCBS) lineup. Since 1992, Goose Island has brewed its famous barrel-aged stout, which it now releases in a handful of variants every Black Friday.

For the 2024 roster, Goose Island will shrink the number of bottles from six to five (it has been as numerous as eight in previous years), but any tinges of disappointment in the tighter edit will be short-lived among the BCBS faithful.

That’s because for one of the upcoming bottles, the brewer will revisit one of its most celebrated formulas, unseen for years: vanilla and rye.

Vanilla Rye is back

A new Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Rye Stout follows in the footsteps of Goose Island’s famous 2014 Vanilla Rye release, highly sought-after at the time of its launch.

Goose Island Beer Co.

In fact, demand for the beer was so immense that it became the barometer to measure the trade value of beers on the secondhand market.

BeerAdvocate gave it a perfect score, while on Untappd, the vintage carries an average 4.74/5 rating after more than 28,000 reviews, making it the 13th highest rated beer. Ever.

The 2024 version starts as an imperial rye stout. Then, it’s aged in freshly emptied rye whiskey barrels and finished with Madagascar vanilla.

Beyond vanilla, tasting notes will include toasted almond and a “lingering spice finish,” according to Goose Island. The brewery has yet disclose the ABV, which will be unveiled closer to launch.

The full 2024 lineup

Joining the 2024 Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Rye Stout are four other bottles, three of which will receive national distribution like the Vanilla Rye Stout.

• 2024 Bourbon County Brand Original Stout
• 2024 Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Rye Stout
• 2024 Bourbon County Brand Macaroon Stout
• 2024 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Barleywine 
• 2024 Bourbon County Brand Bardstown Cask Finish Stout

There’s the OG, of course, as well as one aged with cocoa nibs, candied ginger and toasted coconut; Goose Island calls it a “Macaroon Stout.”

For whiskey lovers, one of the variants had help from Bardstown Bourbon Co., which provided rye and “hybrid” barrels, made with oak and cherry.

Goose Island Beer Co.

“It’s incredible to see how stout can be transformed,” said Dan Callaway, the vice president of product development at Bardstown Bourbon Co. According to him, the barrels add notes of chocolate and cherries to the beer.

“[Our] rye is a beautiful balance between herbal spice and cherry sweetness,” Callaway said. “We age in American Oak for six years, then transfer to cherry wood.”

Goose Island Beer Co.

The rarest bottle in the 2024 lineup will be the 2024 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor’s Barleywine Ale, exclusive to the Chicago market, where Goose Island is headquartered.

Inspired by Mexican candy, the beer combines tamarind, lime, Guajillo chiles and piloncillo — unprocessed cane sugar sometimes called “Mexican brown sugar” for its color and taste.

Availability and pricing

All five variants of the Bourbon County Brand Stout will drop on Black Friday (November 29, 2024) in 16.9-ounce bottles.

Goose Island Beer Co.

Though recent years have seen some of the bottles sit on store shelves for months after the fact, variants like Vanilla Rye Stout may move quickly. Good luck goose hunting.

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