Goose Island Beer Company

Today, Goose Island produces over 60 unique beers a year and has grown its webbed footprint to include several locations across the Chicagoland area. Chicago craft brewers Goose Island Beer Company have been a long-standing figure in the city’s beer scene, lasting from an era when they were the only active brewery in town to today (ChiTown now boasts close to a hundred). Over the years, Goose Island has relied on their innovative spirit and uncompromising focus on product excellence to stay at the top of the brew chain in an ever-growing market.

The company’s founder John Hall jumped into the craft beer game with virtually no experience in the food and beverage industry after an eye-opening tour drinking and dining across Europe. Learning from the European model of experimentation and diversification, he endeavored to share this with his home town of Chicago. In 1988, after securing investors and learning much about the ancient art of brewing, John Hall opened his first location at 1800 N. Clyborn. Named for the island in the middle of the Chicago river, Goose Island quickly became a sensation.

Today, Goose Island produces over 60 unique beers a year and has grown its webbed footprint to include several locations across the Chicagoland area.

One of the city’s best-known and most-beloved brewers, Goose Island has become a staple in bars, restaurants, and liquor stores around Chicago and around the country. Their success is largely attributable to the values Goose Island has included in every batch produced in the past 28 years: dedicate yourself to an extraordinary product, source and experiment with the best ingredients, and embody the city that you call home.

In our final “12 for 12” for the season, we’re so happy to share the story of a company typifying all that makes for a great brand. So, pour your favorite Goose Island brew, cozy up, and dive in as we explore our last business of the year: Goose Island.