Goose Island Bourbon County Backyard Stout 2023
12.9% ABV | 16.9oz / 500mL bottle | Aged 1+ year in bourbon barrels | 2023 vintage | Chicago, IL — the berry bomb of the 2023 Bourbon County lineup: Goose Island Bourbon County Backyard Stout takes the brewery's legendary barrel-aged imperial stout — aged at least a full year in bourbon barrels — and finishes it with three berries: mulberries (sourced from Turkey, hand-picked by senior innovation manager Mike Siegel near the Goose Island Barrel House), boysenberries, and marionberries. A nod to 2013's beloved Backyard Rye, reimagined a decade later.
Bourbon County Brand Stout is the beer that invented the barrel-aged stout category, released every Black Friday to lines around the block — and the Backyard variant is its fruit-forward alter ego. Each berry pulls its weight: sweetness, acidity, and complexity layered over the base beer's chocolate, vanilla, and bourbon warmth. Reviewers found a deep maroon hue, aromas of graham cracker, cocoa, blackberry and raspberry, and a palate of blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, grape, plum, cherry, and prunes with a flicker of acidity. At 12.9%, it's a sipper built for the cellar or the fire pit — and 2023 bottles only get rarer. Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
Tasting notes
Per Goose Island's official description: fresh fruit, vanilla, chocolate. Per reviewers: deep maroon pour; nose of graham cracker, ginger, cocoa, blackberry, raspberry; palate of blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, grape, plum, cherry, prunes; light acidity, bourbon and molasses underneath.
Why buy it from Del Mesa Liquor
- 2023 vintage — Bourbon County variants appreciate with age; the 2023s are drying up
- Triple-berry finish — Turkish mulberries, boysenberries, marionberries over a year in bourbon barrels
- 12.9% ABV — the fruit-forward, most approachable face of the BCS family
- From Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago — the original barrel-aged imperial stout (est. 1992)
- Available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor
How to serve it
Cellar temperature (50–55°F) in a snifter — cold mutes the berry and bourbon layers. Let it warm in the glass; it evolves for an hour. Built to age: 2023 bottles will keep developing for years.
Frequently asked questions
What is Bourbon County Backyard Stout?
Goose Island's berry variant of its famous barrel-aged imperial stout — the base BCS aged 1+ years in bourbon barrels, then finished with mulberries, boysenberries, and marionberries. 2023 is this vintage.
What is the ABV?
12.9% ABV. (A couple of retailers list 14.1% or 17% — those are data errors; 12.9% is the label figure.)
Can I age it?
Yes — Bourbon County Stout is famously cellarable, and the fruit character will evolve. Store cool and dark, upright.