Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Birthday Stout 16.9OZ

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Birthday Stout 16.9OZ is a limited-release 14.1% ABV barrel-aged imperial stout sold in a 16.9 oz (500 ml) bottle. Released in 2020 and no longer in production, this variant stands apart from the standard Bourbon County lineup by aging exclusively in Old Forester Birthday Bourbon barrels — a detail that earned it a 4.54 out of 5 average on BeerAdvocate and a 4.6 out of 5 on Untappd from over 9,400 ratings.

Quick Facts: ABV: 14.1%  |  Origin: Illinois, USA  |  Style: Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout  |  Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co.

Production & Heritage

Goose Island Beer Co., founded in 1988 in Chicago, Illinois, introduced the original Bourbon County Brand Stout in 1992 — widely credited as the first bourbon barrel-aged beer ever commercially released. The Birthday variant uses the same base malt bill of 2-Row, Black Malt, Caramel, Chocolate, Munich 10, and Roasted Barley, hopped with Millennium hops to approximately 60 IBU. What distinguishes this expression is its aging vessel: Old Forester Birthday Bourbon barrels, sourced from hand-selected 11-year-old casks chosen from a single day of production. Because Old Forester Birthday Bourbon itself changes character year to year, the barrel influence on this stout is inherently unrepeatable.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Rich bourbon and toasted oak greet the nose first, followed by roasted malt, dark chocolate, and raisins. As the beer warms, subtle char, leather, light brown sugar, and a faint licorice note emerge.

Taste: The entry is dominated by sweet toffee and caramel, layered with brown sugar-like sweetness. At mid-palate, assertive bourbon character pushes forward alongside vanilla and dark fruit — berry and raisin notes in particular. Chocolate and roasted malt provide a dense backbone, while maple-like sweetness from the Birthday Bourbon barrels threads throughout.

Finish: Long and warming, with persistent oak, bourbon heat, and lingering chocolate-covered dark fruit. A touch of char and leather dries the close, keeping the sweetness in check despite the considerable malt density.

How to Drink Birthday Stout

Serve at cellar temperature, around 50–55°F, in a snifter or tulip glass to concentrate the complex aromatics. This is a sipping beer — its 14.1% ABV and layered barrel character reward patience. A small pour of 6–8 ounces is more than sufficient for a full session. While not a traditional cocktail ingredient, Birthday Stout works in beer-forward mixed drinks: a Stout Float with vanilla bean ice cream amplifies the bourbon-vanilla interplay; a Black Velvet variation, blending it with dry sparkling wine, provides a dramatic contrast of effervescence and weight; and a Beer Old Fashioned — reducing the stout into a syrup base — captures its barrel-aged complexity in a spirit-forward format.

Best For

• Collecting as a sought-after limited release no longer in production
• Gifting a craft beer enthusiast who values rare barrel-aged stouts
• Vertical tastings alongside other Bourbon County vintage releases
• Pairing with a dessert course at an intimate dinner

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Birthday Stout taste like? Birthday Stout delivers bold toffee, caramel, and brown sugar sweetness up front, followed by pronounced bourbon, vanilla, dark fruit, and chocolate notes, finishing with oak and leather. The Old Forester Birthday Bourbon barrels add a distinctive maple and berry quality not found in the original Bourbon County Stout.

How does Birthday Stout compare to Founders KBS? Both are bourbon barrel-aged imperial stouts with devoted followings, but Birthday Stout is notably higher in ABV at 14.1% compared to KBS at roughly 12%, and its use of specific Old Forester Birthday Bourbon barrels creates a more pronounced vanilla-forward, dark-fruit-laden barrel character. KBS incorporates coffee and chocolate additions in its recipe, giving it a more roasty, espresso-driven profile versus Birthday Stout's barrel-dominant sweetness.

Is Birthday Stout good for sipping neat? Absolutely — this stout was designed for slow, contemplative drinking at cellar temperature. Its thick body, layered aromatics, and warming ABV make it one of the more rewarding neat-sipping beers in the barrel-aged category.

Where is Birthday Stout made? Birthday Stout is brewed by Goose Island Beer Co. in Chicago, Illinois. The brewery, founded in 1988, has produced its Bourbon County Brand Stout program since 1992, aging each variant on-site in sourced bourbon barrels.

What foods pair well with Birthday Stout? Dark chocolate truffles mirror the beer's cocoa and vanilla notes. A well-aged Gouda or Gruyère stands up to the malt intensity. Smoked brisket complements the barrel char and leather undertones. Pecan pie echoes the caramel and brown sugar sweetness. Crème brûlée works particularly well, matching the custard-like richness and burnt sugar character.

What sizes does Birthday Stout come in? Birthday Stout was released in the 16.9 oz (500 ml) bottle format, the standard size for Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout lineup.

Is Birthday Stout worth the price? As a discontinued 2020 limited release, Birthday Stout occupies the collector tier of barrel-aged stouts, and secondary-market demand reflects its scarcity. For drinkers who value rare barrel provenance and unrepeatable flavor profiles, it represents a genuinely unique expression within an already elite program.

Why Birthday Stout?

The defining detail here is the barrel. Old Forester Birthday Bourbon is itself a limited annual release chosen from a single day's production of 11-year-old casks, meaning the flavor imprint on this stout cannot be duplicated even by Goose Island in future years. That barrel specificity, layered onto a malt bill and brewing process refined over nearly three decades of Bourbon County production, gives Birthday Stout a depth and singularity that few barrel-aged beers can claim. With a 4.54 BeerAdvocate average and the distinction of being permanently retired from the lineup, this is a benchmark expression from one of American craft brewing's most iconic programs.