“Heaven Hill Distillery is proud to continue a partnership with Goose Island built on the shared ideals of quality and innovation,” says Conor O’Driscoll, Master Distiller, Heaven Hill Distillery. “Each year we look forward to tasting the creative, complex Bourbon County Stout variants that showcase how Bourbon and beer can make a special pairing. This year’s use of Heaven Hill Distillery barrels is no exception.”

Learn more from Goose Island below about this year’s variations featuring Heaven Hill Distillery, set to go on sale this Black Friday, November 27, 2020.

Bourbon County Stout

The Original Bourbon Barrel aged Imperial Stout. Our primary focus every year is to make this beer the best that it’s ever been, with the best ingredients, which includes the finest of bourbon whiskey barrels. This year’s Bourbon County Stout is aged in a mix of bourbon barrels from whiskey distilleries like Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hill Distillery and Wild Turkey. Barrel-aged for a year to develop the complexity that only time can provide, Bourbon County Stout boasts a unique blend of flavors such as fudge, vanilla and caramel — topped off with a rich, complex mouthfeel.

Tasting Notes: Cocoa, fudge, vanilla, caramel, almond, plus leather and tobacco

Bourbon County Caramella Ale

Caramella or ‘candy’ in Italian is a wheatwine aged in Larceny Wheated Bourbon barrels with apple, cinnamon, and natural caramel flavor added after aging. Just like last year, the sweet smoothness from the Larceny Wheated Bourbon barrels adds a lingering warmth that complements the added flavor nuance. Its nostalgia-inducing flavors are reminiscent of a caramel apple. Our Lab Tech, Joey Tidei, created this variant as a tribute to his love of seasonal flavors. This luscious embodiment of caramel perfectly paired with a slightly-tart apple flavor will transport you to a crisp autumn day.

Tasting Notes: Creamy caramel, red apple, cinnamon, funnel cake

“Caramella is a recipe I have been dialing into the past three years at Goose Island. Inspired by my Aunt Jean’s insanely delicious Apple Crisp dessert, I decided to make it my own with BCS by adding a lick of caramel to support the sweet and toffee-like Wheatwine base. The aroma leans heavily into sweet caramel and cinnamon spice, while the taste comes in to show off the bourbon-soaked Larceny casks and red apple notes, reminiscent of a bold apple brandy. I’m truly honored to be able to continue the legacy that is Bourbon County Stout and release Caramella in this year’s BCS lineup. From my family to yours, cheers.” – Joey Tidei, Goose Island Lab Tech and Caramella Ale creator, Goose Island Beer Co.