One of the biggest releases of the year is almost here: Goose Island’s 2014 Bourbon County Brand Stout line-up! Check out this year’s descriptions below. You won’t be able to get Proprietor’s in NYC (only Chicago), but we’ve listed it for you just to make you drool even more (sorry)! The big highlight is obviously the return of vanilla to the Bourbon County line-up, but this time aged in Rye Whiskey barrels. I was lucky enough to try a taste of the 2010 Vanilla at Top Hop’s Migration Week event a few months ago, and I’m very excited to see what this new variation has to offer. We’ll follow up this post with reviews soon!

THE EVENTS

We’ll be at One Mile House (10 Delancey Street) on Wednesday, November 26, where they’ll have almost a dozen Goose Island taps, including several 2014 Bourbon County stouts and some of the Goose Island wild ales. Click here for the details.

After you’ve stuffed yourself with turkey (and more beer, of course) on Thanksgiving, come on out early the next day, Friday, November 28, to Top Hops‘ (94 Orchard Street) Black Friday event. There will be doughnuts and coffee for people waiting in line starting at 7 a.m., along with some special Bourbon County gifts for those who show up earliest. Click here for details (more coming soon).

THE BEERS

• Bourbon County Brand Stout: The Original, a liquid as dark and dense as a black hole. The nose is an intense mix of charred oak, chocolate, vanilla, caramel and smoke. One sip has more flavor than an average case of beer. Available nationally in four and 24-packs in 12-ounce bottles.

• Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout: Everyday Goose Island smells the wonderful coffee roasting next to the brewery at Chicago’s Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea. This world class roaster puts the same passion and skill into their coffee as Goose Island does with its beer. This excellent stout is made with a different coffee from the friends next door each year. With the change in coffee comes a change in the flavor profile, making each release truly unique from the previous years. The 2014 incarnation features Rwandan coffee. Available in four and 24-packs 12-ounce bottles nationally.

• Bourbon County Brand Barleywine: Aged in the third-use barrels that were once home to Kentucky bourbon and then the renowned Bourbon County Stout, this traditional English-style barleywine possess the subtlety of flavor that only comes from a barrel that’s gone through many seasons of ritual care. The intricacies of the previous barrel denizens – oak, charcoal, hints of tobacco and vanilla, and that signature bourbon heat – are all present in this beer. Hearty and complex, Bourbon County Brand Barleywine is a titan and a timeline; a bold, flavorful journey through the craft of barrel aging. Available in four and 24-packs of 12-ounce bottles.

• Vanilla Rye Bourbon County Brand Stout: First brewed for the legendary festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer in Chicago, drinkers enjoyed this Bourbon County variant so much Goose Island bottled it the next year (2010). People flocked to stores to get their hands on a bottle and have this one of a kind barrel aged stout. Over the years that followed fans express their love for this version so Goose Island is extremely proud to bring it back in 2014. This year’s version features twist of aging the stout in Rye Whiskey barrels instead of bourbon hand-picked from four different distilleries. Each rye barrel features a two pound mix of Mexican and Madagascar vanilla beans. This limited Vanilla Rye will be available nationwide in 22-ounce bottles.

• Proprietor’s Bourbon County Brand Stout: The second annual release of Proprietor’s is aged in Rye Whiskey barrels and features panela sugar, made into syrup with coconut water, Cassia bark and cocoa nibs. This variant is meant to show Goose Island’s immense gratitude to their neighbors in Chicago – the loyal and adventurous fans whose support helped bring Bourbon County Brand Stout to towering new heights. Each year this release will differ from the previous year; a special variant created for Chicago and unique to the year it was released. Available only in Chicago, in 22-ounce bottles.