Goose Island Beer Co.
Goose Island Beer Co. is a brewery from Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1988 by John Hall. They make everything from IPA to barrel aged stout, but Bourbon County Stout is their best-known beer: in 1995 the first imperial stout on bourbon barrels. Since 2011 Goose Island has belonged to Anheuser-Busch.
- LocationChicago, IL
- Founded1988
- TypeLarge brewery
- Untappd 3.63 · 3.3M ratings
- At Hoptimaal1 in stock · 17 in total
In stock now 1
Previously at Hoptimaal 16
Sold out. If a new batch is coming, you can ask for a heads-up on the product page.
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
Sold out
From a European beer trip to Chicago
Goose Island started in 1988. Founder John Hall first travelled through Europe, tasted the beer styles of each region and decided America deserved beer like that too. Back in his hometown of Chicago, he started brewing. He let visitors watch the brewing process, and according to the brewery itself, that sparked a new interest in craft beer.
In 1995 Hall opened a bigger brewery with a bottling plant to keep up with demand. In 1999 an extra brewpub followed. In 2011 Goose Island announced it was being acquired by Anheuser-Busch, and the brewery is now part of Anheuser-Busch InBev. Production stayed in Chicago.
Their beer and style
The brewery's flagship beers are hoppy: Goose Island IPA is dry-hopped with Cascade, and they also brew Midway Session IPA and Today's Haze. Those hops come partly from their own land: Elk Mountain Farm in Idaho, where they say they control the whole process from seed to glass.
What you find at Hoptimaal is the other extreme: Bourbon County Stout. According to an article by WTTW, Goose Island released the first imperial stout on bourbon barrels in 1995. For maturation they have their own storage space and a barrel warehouse of 143,000 square feet. The brewery has a 5-vessel, 50-barrel brewing system, 32 fermenters and more than 15 different yeasts.
Goose Island Beer Co. at Hoptimaal
With us it's all about the stouts, and especially the Bourbon County series. The range runs from 13.2 to 17.4% alcohol and comes mostly in 50 cl bottles, with a few smaller sizes of 35.5 and 29.5 cl as well. On Untappd, Goose Island Reserve Bourbon County Brand Stout (2018), the Bourbon County Brand 30th Anniversary Reserve Stout (2022) and the Angel's Envy 2-Year Cask Finish Stout (2023) are among the highly rated ones.
Take your time with these beers and don't drink them ice cold. Take the bottle out of the fridge a quarter of an hour before opening, and the barrels and the dark malt come through better. At a strength of 13 to 17%, a 50 cl bottle is easy to share. If a vintage is no longer available, look at another variant from the same series.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Goose Island come from?
Goose Island Beer Co. comes from Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. John Hall founded the brewery in 1988. Since 2011 Anheuser-Busch has been the owner.
What kind of beer does Goose Island make?
Goose Island makes Goose Island IPA, Midway Session IPA and Today's Haze, among others. Best known is Bourbon County Stout, a stout matured on bourbon barrels. At Hoptimaal you mainly find those stouts.
How do you best drink Bourbon County Stout?
Take the bottle out of the fridge a quarter of an hour before opening, so the beer isn't too cold. The beers in our range are between 13.2 and 17.4% alcohol, so a small glass and taking your time works best.
