(November 22, 2016) HOUSTON – Beer enthusiasts may want to forgo the mall this Black Friday, November 25, and head to select local retailers for a different kind of exciting shopping experience: a chance to purchase some of the most sought-after beers this holiday season, including Goose Island Beer Company’s Bourbon County Stout.
Sold in custom 16.9 oz single bottles and released only once a year, this year’s varieties available in Houston/San Antonio will include: Bourbon County Stout, Bourbon County Barleywine Stout, Bourbon County Coffee Stout and Rare Bourbon County Stout.
The original Bourbon County Stout is aged annually in bourbon barrels at the original Goose Island Clybourn brewpub and this year marks the 1000th batch brewed of the dark and dense liquid. The nose is an intense mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke. Both the 2015 vintage and 2016 release will be available in limited quantities on Black Friday.
Bourbon County Barleywine is a traditional English-style barleywine aged in second-use barrels that were once home to Kentucky bourbon. Notes of oak and charcoal, hints of tobacco and vanilla, and that signature bourbon heat – this stouts flavor can only come from a barrel that’s gone through many seasons of ritualistic care.
Each year Bourbon County Coffee Stout is made with a different bean variety, chosen in collaboration with Bourbon County brewers and Intelligentsia’s coffee experts, making each release truly unique from the previous years. This year, Goose Island went on an origin trip to Costa Rica with Intelligentsia and chose Flecha Roja, a roast that blends flavors of fruit and cherry, chocolate and nuttiness, and a sublime aroma.
Rare Bourbon County Stout is made using American white oak barrels that previously aged bourbon for more than 30 years. The barrels were then filled with Bourbon County Stout and stored away to age for an additional two years.
The Goose Island Bourbon County Stout varieties will be available at select grocery, liquor stores, and local bars for a very limited time beginning this Friday, November 25.
About Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout
First crafted in 1992, Goose Island’s Bourbon County Stout has paved the way for the art of aging beer in bourbon barrels, and is widely considered the standard of excellence for this specialty craft beer category. This is the seventh year Goose Island is releasing varieties of Bourbon County on Black Friday.