Pair Bourbon County Stout with delicious food at this tasting event

For most people, Black Friday is a day for relaxing after a feasting on Thanksgiving or taking advantage of sales while doing some early holiday shopping. But for Chicago beer aficionados, the day after Thanksgiving is the best time to acquire (and taste) the latest bottles of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, a dark beer that's aged in Bourbon barrels and released in limited quantities each year.

You may spot folks lined up in front of liquor and grocery stores on Friday morning, waiting to get their hands on all eight varieties of the sought-after beer. And if you don't feel like queuing up or purchasing an entire bottle of Bourbon County Stout, you may be interested in Time Out Market Chicago's special tasting event on Friday, November 26, where five of Goose Island's latest brews will be paired with dishes from the likes of Soul & Smoke, Cleo's Southern Cuisine, Polombia and Shawn Michelle's Homemade Ice Cream.

All attendees will receive a commemorative tasting glass and a pour of the original Bourbon County Stout upon arrival, before embarking on their tasting experience. Guests will stop at four stations, where they'll receive a taste of a Bourbon County Stout variant that has been paired with a dish prepared by a Time Out Market Chicago chef. Here's a look at the tasting menu:

• Goose Island Bourbon County Cherry Wood Stout (red fruit, ripe cherry, and light toffee) paired with Soul & Smoke's BBQ brisket cigar bites
• Goose Island Bourbon County Classic Cola Stout (lime and orange juice with coriander, cassia bark, nutmeg, brown sugar and vanilla) paired with Polombia's mini kiełbasa perro
• Goose Island Bourbon County Fourteen Stout (cassia bark, cocoa nibs, panela sugar and coconut water) paired with Cleo’s Southern Cuisine's fried chicken and Belgian waffles
• Goose Island Proprietor’s Stout (strawberries, vanilla and coconut) paired with Shawn Michelle’s One Night in Madagascar Vanilla ice cream float

VIP ticketholders will be able to arrive an hour early (at 1pm) and meet a Goose Island brewer, who will explain the process behind this year's crop of Bourbon County Stout variants and answer questions. VIP attendees will also be able to purchase vintage Goose Island Bourbon County Stout bottles—any remaining bottle will be available for regular ticketholders.

Tickets are currently on sale for the Goose Island Bourbon County Stout Release Day Tasting Experience at Time Out Market Chicago, with VIP access beginning at 1pm and general admission beginning at 2pm.