The key to building interest in craft beer, Hall decided, was to allow consumers to watch the brewing process – while providing them with the then-novel experience of enjoying a wide variety of distinctive beers that had been produced on-site. Hall wanted to not only cater to his customers’ tastes, but to challenge them as well. Goose Island’s brewers set to work crafting a diverse selection of unique beers – and on Friday, May 13, 1988 Goose Island Brewpub was born.

It turned out that John was right; Chicagoans palates evolved rapidly once Goose Island Brewpub opened its doors, thus introducing the city to distinctive craft beer. In fact, by 1995, the brewpub had become so popular that John Hall and his son Greg, who had by then become Goose Island’s brewmaster, decided to open a larger brewery and bottling plant to keep up with demand. Finding still more room for growth, in 1999 the father-son team opened a second Goose Island Brewpub just a stone’s throw away from historic Wrigley Field.

Today, Goose Island continues to brew an innovative selection of over 50 craft beers at the brewpub, the best of which are then bottled at their Fulton Street brewery. Goose Island is also involved in the production of a small selection of craft sodas. The company currently ships its beers to 15 states and the U.K.

"We believe the more great beer consumers drink, the more they'll come to appreciate quality taste and after a while, they will demand it."
- John Hall,
Founder of the Goose Island Brewery

"One of America's 20 Best Breweries." Food & Wine

"Beverage of Choice."
Rolling Stone magazine

"The only Midwestern microbrewer to grow into a regional producer in its first calendar year in business."
David Edgar, Institute for Brewing Studies.

"Fastest brewery start-up in craft beer history"
Institute for Brewery Studies 1996

John Hall—President,
Goose Island Beer Company
After traveling extensively in his career in the packaging industry, John Hall was always amazed at how few beer choices Americans had. "When I traveled in Europe, everywhere I went there would always be a local beer… but not in the U.S."
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Greg Hall—Brewmaster,
Goose Island Beer Company
Greg Hall began his brewing career in 1988, as assistant brewer at the Goose Island Brewpub on Clybourn Avenue – a job that earned only minimum wage. "The people answering the phones made more than I did," Greg laughs. "My dad didn’t play favorites." Son of Goose Island president John Hall, Greg was a natural in the beer business. Fascinated by his new work, Greg immersed himself in learning more about brewing.
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