Goose Island Bourbon Reserve County Brand 30th Anniversary stout 500ml

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand 30th Anniversary is a barrel-aged imperial stout brewed by Goose Island to mark three decades of the Bourbon County Brand line, one of the beers that helped establish barrel-aged stout as its own category. It's aged in bourbon barrels for an extended stretch before bottling, which pulls vanilla, oak and a whiskey-adjacent warmth into the beer alongside the base stout's dark malt. The nose runs toward dark chocolate and bourbon, the palate is thick with roasted malt and vanilla, and the finish carries real heat from the barrel time. This is a sipping beer for someone who already likes barrel-aged stouts, best poured slowly rather than session-drunk.

How to drink Goose Island Bourbon County Brand 30th Anniversary

Pour it into a snifter or tulip glass rather than a pint glass, and let it warm slightly in the glass — the bourbon and vanilla open up as the temperature climbs. Treat it like a nightcap, not a first round.

Bourbon