Denver Preview of 2016 Bourbon County Variants

Early November is a confusing time of year. The weather is unpredictable leaving you perpetually under/overdressed. Thanks to daylight savings, it’s probably dark when you leave the office. Then there are elections to worry about. When somebody offers a clear win like drinking 13%+ ABV beers on a Thursday night, you just say yes.

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Discussing Chicago’s Beer Culture & FoBAB with Werk Force Brewing

Chicago’s brewing culture is as diverse as its population, but one genre of brewing resonates strongly with Windy City beer enthusiasts — barrel-aged brewing. In 1993, Greg Hall at Goose Island experimented with beer in bourbon barrels and, as they say, the rest is history (see this movie about that story). The legacy of his idea manifests itself every November with Goose Island’s Black Friday Bourbon County release and numerous barrel-aged beer festivals, notably the Festival of Barrel Aged Brewing (FoBAB). Brandon Wright, of Chicago Brew Werks/Werk Force Brewing, shares his unique perspective on Chicago’s love of barrel-aged beer.

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2016 Goose Island Proprietor’s Day: 2016 BCBS Release

If it’s Black Friday, it’s time for Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout (BCBS). However, Chicagoans are allowed an opportunity to get their hands BCBS a tad bit earlier; Proprietor’s Day arrives Sunday, November 20 and is Goose Island’s way of saying “thank you” to their hometown fans. But, if you find yourself in Chicago, don’t just show up at Goose Island’s front door – read on.

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Goose Island Offers More Refunds for Off Flavors in BCBS & Prop

Off flavor issues that led Goose Island to offer refunds for Coffee and Barleywine Bourbon County Brand Stout have now now been discovered in 2015 Original BCBS and Proprietor’s as well.

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Gillian | Goose Island Beer Company

ABV 9.5 %

The sun shined brightly on a Sunday afternoon as my girlfriend and I cruised lazily the back streets of Chicago. Through some force of nature, we happened upon the Goose Island Fulton Taproom. Suddenly, those same forces guided us to a parking spot. As we opened the door, we were greeted by kind, soft and welcoming faces. Looking around inside, our DIY intuitions were stirred by the hand-made, Chicago-themed woodwork covering the walls. My eyes were drawn to a wooden barrel repurposed into a water dispenser. What a brilliant idea!

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Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

The Bruery launches distribution to Kentucky, Goose Island identifies their infection problem, and AB InBev may be in trouble for hurting craft sales. You want the beer news, we’ve got the best stories of the week. Keep reading to catch all of the details in this edition of the Weekly Growler Fill.

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Ultimate 6er | Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

Photo Courtesy of CNN.

There are some television shows, for whatever reason, I only watch while enjoying a beer or two. It’s as if the quality of the program is somehow diminished if I’m not cradling one of my favorite brewery-branded snifters, nursing a beer for the entirety of the episode, really drinking in the experience – pardon the pun. Call it tradition. Call it habit. Call it whatever you want, but there’s just some intrinsic link between the two – an association that immediately transports me to a happy place few other combinations have the power to do.

Sure, ask those closest to me, my wife or good friends, and they’ll tell you Anthony Bourdain is my spirit guide, and his CNN travel show Parts Unknown, now in its seventh season, is just the program I eluded to in the opening passage. When I sit down to stream the newest episode, a beer is almost always in-hand. Read More

Event Recap | Goose Island Stout Fest

As the weather in Chicago turns towards Spring, Goose Island Clybourn’s Stout Fest is looked at as the unofficial end to stout season. Craft beer lovers descended upon the Clybourn brew pub for Stout Fest on March 13th and were treated to a seemingly never-ending array of stouts from some very well-known breweries.

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Ultimate 6er | Social Media Networks

Are there two things bigger right now than social media and craft beer? Just about everyone is on social media in some way or another and the craft beer industry is seeing a new brewery open up seemingly every week. For this week’s Ultimate 6er I paired six of the most popular social media networks with a beer that I think it best represents.

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2016 Goose Island Stout Fest Pour List

Tickets for Goose Island Clybourn’s Stout Fest went on sale on February 15th at noon, and if you blinked you most likely missed out on tickets for the event. The event sold out in under three minutes on their website.

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14 Valentine’s Day Beers To Try This FeBREWary

Valentines Day sneaks up on everyone. You’ve just finished recovering from the holiday season and now you’re scrambling to find a gift for your Valentine. There are the standard gifts that are often bought: last minute flowers and a cheesy chocolate box from a CVS. To avoid getting that eye roll from your craft beer-lovin’ special someone, check out our 14 Valentine’s Day Beers To Try This FeBREWary. Read More

Weekly Growler Fill | National Beer News Roundup

Firestone Walker releases Nitro Merlin Milk Stout, PicoBrew catches the attention of beer nerds at CES, and Jester King announces plan to start farming. Keep reading to catch the details of all these stories and more in this edition of the Weekly Growler Fill.

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*UPDATE* Goose Island Issuing Refunds for Two 2015 BCBS Variants

Click for the latest update

After weeks of speculation on craft beer message boards and across social media, Goose Island released a letter from Brewmaster Jared Jankoski explaining that the flavors that have developed in 2015 BCBS coffee and barleywine are not consistent with Goose Island expectations. Refunds are being issued for customers that say their beer tastes off-profile.

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Goose Island Beer Co. | Sofie

ABV: 6.5% | IBU: 20

Every time I log in to Facebook it seems I’m greeted with an ad from Goose Island stating that Sofie “is the only bubbly you need this season,” and I couldn’t agree more. Read More

Editor’s Picks | My Favorite Chicago Beers from 2015

As 2015 comes to an end I wanted to look back at all the great beers I drank that came out of Chicago this year. The Windy City has become a booming craft beer city up there with Denver and Portland. With so many craft breweries popping up, there is no shortage of fantastic beer to try here.

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Goose Island | Winter Ale

ABV: 5.3% | IBU: 25

Goose Island’s Bourbon County line is generating a great deal of buzz for the brewery — but their classic Winter Ale should not be … Read More

The Eight Beers of Chanukah

Put on your yarmulke, it’s time for Chanukah. If you need some ideas for what beers to drink during the holiday we’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of the Eight Beers of Chanukah. Now, whether you drink all eight on the first night or have one each night of Chanukah, make sure you try them all.

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Goose Island Beer Co. | Bourbon County Brand Stout (2014)

Style: Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels ABV: 14.4% | IBU: 60

Goose Island’s Black Friday release has come and gone, for many Americans that signifies standing in line at stores … Read More

Your Guide to Finding Goose Island BCBS in Colorado

*UPDATED 11/25 at 12:20 pm MST*

This is NOT a drill, folks. Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout will hit Colorado shelves and bars in less than a week! … Read More

Event Recap | Goose Island Rare Day

Beer fans from all over the country converged in Chicago on Friday, November 13th as Goose Island released 2015 Bourbon County Brand Stout Rare at a special ticket-only event. While the Rare will be released to the general public on Black Friday, the Rare Day event allowed a select number of people to get the beer a couple of weeks early.
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