279 – The Coveted Bourbon County Brand Stout with Bill Savage of Goose Island


While the rest of society is busting down the doors on Black Friday for TVs, the beer lovers are hitting up every liquor store to grab the most iconic barrel aged stouts on the market coming from Goose Island. Every year, Bourbon County Stout has beer lovers drooling to see what variants will be released. We’re joined by Bill Savage, a lead brewer for the barrel aging program at Goose Island, to get an inside look into one of my favorite beers of all time. We talk about the time that goes into this yearly release and what happens when yeast goes wild.

Show Notes:

  • Kroger’s Ultimate Bourbon Auction: https://one.bidpal.net/zero/welcome
  • This week’s Above the Char with Fred Minnick talks about bourbons to pair with Thanksgiving.
  • How old is the oldest pair of shoes in your closet?
  • How long have you been with Goose Island?
  • How did you end up working in the Goose Island Barrel Program?
  • Tell us about the process.
  • How many barrels are going into the release?
  • How long do you age it in the barrel?
  • Do you test each barrel?
  • Can you over age a barrel?
  • Do you reuse barrels?
  • What’s the rationale for the high ABV?
  • How do you pick your variants?
  • What’s the thought process behind the collaborations with distilleries?
  • Are you exploring aging other styles?

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