Craft beer enthusiasts queue up for Goose Island's annual Bourbon County release

CHICAGO - Craft beer fans are anticipating an annual Chicago tradition this Friday as Goose Island releases its 2023 Bourbon County Stouts.

For more than three decades, Chicago's biggest craft brewer has been pushing beer's boundaries with the heavy, high-alcohol barrel-aged stout.

"It's a labor of love. It really is. It's a lot of work, but the beers speak for themselves. And we're really proud of them," said Mike Siegel, Goose Island's Senior Innovation Manager.

Like proud parents, Goose Island will send their beer babies off into the world — or at least store shelves across the country.

While many associate the day after Thanksgiving with holiday shopping, craft beer lovers know it as Bourbon County release day, forming long, early-morning lines outside liquor stores or attending tasting parties to sample the annual beer batch.

"Yeah, it's a holiday for us. We celebrate it like a holiday. Black Friday. The release every year," said Siegel.

Each year, Goose Island mixes it up a bit. This year they are offering five variants of flavors in addition to the Bourbon County original stout. 

"Every year, we get a lot of excitement of what the lineup is going to be," said Todd Ashmann, president of Goose Island Beer Company. "But then the exciting part for us is when everybody gets to sit down and try it."

Bourbon County Stout was first brewed in 1992 by former head brewer Greg Hall, who, after meeting with the master distiller of Jim Beam, decided to see what would happen if he aged some high-octane stout in a used bourbon barrel.

"One of the famous stories is at the Great American Beer Fest, the beer was brought there, entered and it was immediately disqualified because it just didn't fit any existing category," said Daryl Hoedtke, Goose Island's senior brewmaster. 

While the beers now travel all over the world, Goose Island still makes one variety called Proprietor's that is sold only here in the Chicago area as a thank-you to fans who got it all started.