Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Caramella Wheatwine 16.9OZ

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Caramella Wheatwine 16.9OZ is a 14.6% ABV wheatwine aged in Larceny Wheated Bourbon barrels with apple, cinnamon, and natural caramel flavor. Scoring a 94 on BeerAdvocate across nearly 300 ratings, this limited annual release replaced the longstanding Barleywine entry in the Bourbon County lineup and quickly established itself as one of the most sought-after variants in the series.

Quick Facts: ABV: 14.6%  |  Origin: Chicago, Illinois  |  Style: Barrel-Aged Wheatwine  |  Brewery: Goose Island Beer Co.

Production & Heritage

Goose Island Beer Co., founded in 1988 in Chicago, launched the original Bourbon County Brand Stout in 1992 — widely credited as the first bourbon barrel-aged beer ever commercially released. Caramella Wheatwine was created by Goose Island Lab Tech Joey Tidei as a tribute to his love of seasonal flavors, specifically the nostalgia of biting into a caramel apple. The base wheatwine is brewed with 2-row and white wheat malts, hopped with Millennium, then aged in Larceny Wheated Bourbon barrels before apple, cinnamon, and natural caramel flavoring are added post-aging. This marks the first non-Imperial Stout addition to the Bourbon County lineup since the Barleywine variant debuted back in 2013.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Warm caramel and baked apple dominate the nose immediately, followed by layers of cinnamon, graham cracker, and a faint vanilla-oak character from the Larceny barrels. There is a subtle bakery sweetness reminiscent of funnel cake that rounds out the aromatics.

Taste: The entry is rich and creamy with thick caramel coating the palate, giving way to a mid-palate of apple crumb cake and cinnamon spice. At its peak, candy apple flavor and oaky vanillins from the wheated bourbon barrels converge into something genuinely dessert-like. The mouthfeel is full-bodied, thick, and velvety — approaching syrupy territory without tipping over.

Finish: A long, warming finish carries marshmallow-like bourbon sweetness and lingering cinnamon. The wheat backbone keeps the landing soft rather than boozy, despite the 14.6% ABV.

How to Drink Caramella Wheatwine

Serve this wheatwine at cellar temperature, around 50–55°F, in a snifter or tulip glass to concentrate the complex aromatics. Drinking it neat is the primary recommendation — the layered barrel character and adjunct flavors reward slow, deliberate sipping. For those inclined toward beer cocktails, Caramella works well in a Beer Flip (with a whole egg and simple syrup) because its caramel richness amplifies the custard-like texture; a Boilermaker paired alongside a pour of Larceny bourbon creates a thematic echo of the barrel aging; and a Brown Betty (mixed with apple brandy) leans into the apple-cinnamon profile already present in the beer.

Best For

• Annual Bourbon County release day celebrations and vertical tastings
• Gifting a craft beer collector who values limited barrel-aged releases
• Dessert course pairing at a curated beer dinner
• Side-by-side comparison tastings with other Bourbon County variants

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Caramella Wheatwine taste like? It delivers thick caramel, baked apple, and cinnamon spice over a full-bodied, velvety wheatwine base with oaky bourbon vanillins on the finish. The overall impression is reminiscent of a warm caramel apple wrapped in graham cracker crust.

How does Caramella Wheatwine compare to Bourbon County Barleywine? Caramella replaced the Barleywine as the non-stout entry in the Bourbon County lineup, swapping the barley-forward, hop-tinged character of the Barleywine for a softer wheat backbone loaded with apple, cinnamon, and caramel adjuncts. The Barleywine leaned drier and more bittersweet, while Caramella leans decidedly into dessert territory.

Is Caramella Wheatwine good for sipping neat? Absolutely — its complex layering of barrel character, fruit, and spice is best appreciated neat at cellar temperature in a tulip or snifter glass. The 14.6% ABV is well-integrated and does not overwhelm the flavor profile.

Where is Caramella Wheatwine made? It is brewed by Goose Island Beer Co. in Chicago, Illinois. Goose Island has produced the Bourbon County Brand series at its Chicago facilities since the lineup's inception in 1992.

What foods pair well with Caramella Wheatwine? Apple tarte tatin mirrors the beer's baked apple and cinnamon core. Aged cheddar provides a sharp, savory counterpoint to the caramel sweetness. Crème brûlée echoes the vanilla-bourbon barrel notes. Pork belly with an apple glaze bridges the savory-sweet gap. Pecan pie amplifies the nutty, toasted grain qualities of the wheat base.

What sizes does Caramella Wheatwine come in? Caramella Wheatwine is released in the standard Bourbon County format of 16.9 oz (500 ml) bottles, consistent with the rest of the annual lineup.

Is Caramella Wheatwine worth the price? It positions as a premium limited-release barrel-aged beer within the Bourbon County series, which commands higher pricing due to annual scarcity, bourbon barrel aging, and strong critical reception — a 94 on BeerAdvocate supports its standing among top-tier barrel-aged offerings.

Why Caramella Wheatwine?

Caramella Wheatwine represents the first new stylistic direction in the Bourbon County non-stout slot in nearly a decade, replacing the Barleywine that had been a fixture since 2013. The choice of Larceny Wheated Bourbon barrels is deliberate — their softer, sweeter profile complements the wheat-heavy grain bill rather than fighting it. Joey Tidei's recipe threads a narrow line between dessert beer and barrel-aged complexity, landing squarely on a caramel apple flavor that feels intentional rather than gimmicky. With a 94 on BeerAdvocate and over 28,000 ratings on Untappd at 4.3 out of 5, it has earned rapid credibility as a worthy addition to one of American craft beer's most storied annual releases.