Goose Island Bourbon County - 2024 (Chicagoland)

I don’t have an IG log in. Is this $30 for a six pack of 12 oz bottles, sample pours like they do with the variants on Black Friday, or $30 for single 16.9 oz “Easter egg” bottles?

For that price, only a 12 oz bottle of each (six total for $30) would interest me, as I near universally like the blended over any Easter Egg single barrel I’ve tried. I’ll just wait to get my $5 blended regular BCBS bottles at Woodman’s during the annual shelf turd sales event, and pass on the variants unless also marked down substantially. Paid $5 each for boxes of variants in 2019 at the now shuttered Damen/Milwaukee/North Walgreens.

I’m speculating here, but guessing “The Rare” this year was part/most/all of the batch they were able to salvage that was not ready and withheld during the variant announcement this Summer. If they saved say half, and doubled the price as a “rare” variant, then they cover most/full retail price. Well played by the marketing team, but hard pass on my end.

Stopped trying to try/rate all versions five years ago, after they jacked up price for IIRC some 2019 double barrel version they jacked up to $3-$5 per ounce on draft at their taprooms. Haven’t really liked more than a couple of variants/prop I have come across since (mostly the variants without added flavor aged for longer than the standard BCBS).

 

To be clear, this morning's announcement was the realization of last year's leak of the label for single barrel Bourbon County. 16.9oz bottles of Bourbon County that appear to be a single barrel aged for x amount of time. So for ex. Four Roses for 16 months. I don't suspect each one of these is one single barrel but I also don't think they are blended. So let's say they had 5 Weller barrels they probably bottled what was in a single barrel. So my single barrel Weller bottle may be different than your single barrel Weller bottle.

If I had to take a wild guess about the release strategy I wonder if we will be able to add one (or more?) of these on to our package at Rare Day. With the rest being sold at Goose even potentially being part of the Black Friday tasting.

 

So your conspiracy theory is that GI is lying to the public about Rare and the barrels it was aged in just so they can scam people?

 

Appreciate the confirmation. They should have a captive audience to sell off these limited “Easter Egg” $30 versions at their upcoming Rare Day and Black Friday taproom/brewpub events.

 

I wouldn’t necessarily call it a scam. Just saying not all barrel aged batches turn out as planned, and this is a clever way to salvage planned revenue if they lost significant volume.

Not sure if these barrels were always planned to be sold as “rare”, just saying they have gone to that branding/marketing for amounts which haven’t turned out as “rare” as initially speculated in the past (2015).

It’s interesting none of this was part of their Summer release announcement (the variant or the Prop Day replacement “Rare Day” event). Hence my speculation.

 

Looks like Rare Day might've just got more expensive...

 

They don't make a lot of King of Kentucky, in 2023 only 3,800 bottles were produced, even less in 2022, so yeah I could see these barrels being worthy of the Rare identifier.

 

So what you're saying is I need to literally buy every single bottle to keep my full collection going? I hope my HELOC gets approved before Black Friday!

 

That's what my thought was. That's how DBBCBS was in 2019 at Prop Day. I believe they pulled a surprise at an earlier event too.

 

Anyone happen to have an extra ticket for the Rare Day's PM session that they'd be willing to transfer for cost (or something reasonable)? Or know anyone?

 

I heard lines have already formed for the inevitable half-off sale

 

They dumped a lot of info but nothing specific about Black Friday Rare bottles? Anyone have any info or maybe I missed something?

 

That sounds like a collab between GI and The Bruery…

 

If by Black Friday you mean distribution, the website says taproom and Salt Shed only.

https://www.gooseisland.com/beers/2024-bourbon-county-brand-rare-stout

 

Thanks, this answers that.

 

Looks like you can purchase full lineups from Oznr this weekend to pick up at the tap rooms

https://www.instagram.com/p/DCHf70Ig0P3/?igsh=MWszNTFpbG4zMTVzcA==

 

Nice that these include Rare but no wonder retailers sold their packages so early.