Goose Island Opens Its First Chicago Brewpub

In 1988, John Hall opened the Goose Island Brewpub on Clybourn Avenue in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood. Inspired by the variety of beer he had encountered while traveling in Europe, Hall wanted to establish a local brewery in a city then dominated by nationally distributed beer brands. Honker’s Ale, an English-style ale, was the first beer brewed at the Clybourn brewpub. At the time, only about 200 breweries operated across the United States. Goose Island subsequently became one of the most influential names in American craft brewing, particularly through Bourbon County Brand Stout and its experiments with aging imperial stout in used bourbon barrels. The brewery developed Bourbon County into an annual family of barrel-aged beers, including numerous specialty variants. These releases became closely associated with Black Friday, when each year’s Bourbon County lineup traditionally reaches retailers.