Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout: The OG

Here it is. The OG. The trendsetter. The one that started it all. Bourbon Barrel Aged Stouts may seem commonplace these days but in the early 90’s they simply didn’t exist. We can thank Goose Island for starting it all. The roots that started Bourbon County Brand Stout’s epic journey can be traced back to a Beer, Bourbon, and Cigar dinner that took place at the LaSalle Grill in South Bend, Indiana. Greg Hall, Goose Island’s Brewmaster at the time, was there to represent the beer piece of the evening. Booker Noe, former Master Distiller at Jim Beam, sixth generation of the Beam family to make bourbon, and namesake of Booker’s Bourbon, you know, THAT Booker Noe, spoke about bourbon. After listening to Booker speak about the nuances that charred oak barrels added to the finished bourbon, he became inspired. What would happen to a beer that was aged in used bourbon barrels? Would the beer pick up notes of caramel and vanilla? Would the bourbon flavor over power the beer or compliment it beautifully? Booker agreed to provide Greg with freshly emptied Jim Beam barrels to try out a new project and the rest is history. We continue to line up every year on Black Friday, not for the lowest price on a new TV, but rather for the black as night, thick as motor oil, perfectly balanced beautiful monster that is Bourbon County Brand Stout and its strangely familiar yet completely unique variants. So, thanks BCBS. Thanks for inspiring so many of our favorites, because you are the OG and we tip our hat to you.

Jessica Masterson
Liquor Barn – Party Mart
Buyer- Beer, Food, & Specialty