Bourbon County Brand Macaroon Stout
 

Review Date 1/21/2026 By John Staradumsky

  Style: Imperial Stout   Brewery: Goose Island   Country: USA   State: Illinois   $ Per OZ: $1.48  (B)  

ABV: 14.6%

Do you like coconut? I like coconut. Do you love coconut? I love coconut. Imagine, then, my sheer delight last year when I heard that Goose Island was releasing Bourbon County Brand Macaroon Stout as part of their 2024 lineup. I knew I wouldn’t find it in stores here in Georgia, since it was over the 14% cap for beers to be sold here. I did, though, make sure to get a bottle from Half Time Beverage in New York.

Then, of course, I let it sit for a while. I prefer to allow these beers to age, after all, and that’s what I did with my bottle of Bourbon County Brand Macaroon Stout. I bought it just after Thanksgiving 2024, received it in early December, and drank it on January 18^th of 2026 as a celebratory treat after my New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 28-13 to advance to the AFC Championship game.

Goose Island says:

There is nothing quite like the comforting aroma that fills the home when baking with family. Inspired by late nights in the kitchen with Mom, Goose Island employee Paul Spiller sought to capture that sweet moment in this year’s newest member of the Bourbon County Brand Stout family.

2024 Bourbon County Brand Macaroon Stout is an imperial stout aged for a full year in bourbon barrels before adding rich cocoa nibs, sweet candied ginger and toasted coconut. This decadent stout is an homage to the flavors of homemade coconut macaroons with a twist of nostalgia.

They aged it a year, I aged it a year. Nice how that works out, no?

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Macaroon Stout has an alcohol content of 14.6% by volume and I paid $27.99 for my half liter bottle from Half Time. Total Wine claims they have it in stock as I type at their Tallahassee, Florida store for $24.99 a bottle. My bottle says I should drink it by 05SEP29, which I obviously did.

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Macaroon Stout pours to a jet-black color with a light filmy head and a nose of dark chocolate, bourbon and coconut. Taking a sip, the beer is full in body, luxuriant as it flows over the tongue. Like a macaroon, the beer is rich and full with fresh shredded, toasted coconut flavor. There’s milk chocolate, vanilla, and boozy bourbon, and the latter intensifies into the finish. A bit of wood shows up too. Finishes warm with booze and a final kiss of coconut.

How to style it? The barrel aging, roasty imperial stout, and fruity coconut notes are all well represented, so you could call it a fruit beer or an imperial stout, but I do think the latter is the best way to classify this one.

A boozy coconut bomb, and what’s not to like about that? It is pricey for sure but this is a special treat of a beer and I sipped it over an extended period and feel I got my money’s worth from it. I would certainly buy it again because, you know, I do love coconut after all.

 Glad I tried it?  T

Would I rebuy it??