5 Rabbit Cerveceria Hires Former Goose Island Head Brewer John J. Hall

By Staff in Food on Aug 15, 2012 3:20PM

Chicago’s Latin craft brewery 5 Rabbit Cerveceria adds another big name to its already impressive roster by bringing aboard John J. Hall, the brewer responsible for many of Goose Island’s winning formulations for the last 15 years. While Hall will now be in charge of a smaller brewery, he will take on more responsibilities including all brewhouse, cellar, packaging, and quality control operations for 5 Rabbits. We can also expect Hall to be a big part of 5 Rabbit’s expansion to their soon-to-open Bedford Park brewery and tasting room.

5 Rabbit has been a collaborative effort from the start, and finding the right person to join partners Isaac Showaski, Andrés Araya, and Randy Mosher was of the utmost importance. "Making the best beer is the most important thing for us. We were looking for an extraordinary brewer, a highly creative person and passionate beer enthusiast. From the moment we first met John, we knew he was the perfect person for the job. With John’s addition to the team, we can confidently say that we have one of the strongest brewing teams in the Midwest," said Showaki.

Since their opening in May of 2011, the beers from 5 Rabbit have pushed the limits of what we expect from a craft brewery, using Latin-inspired flavors of passion fruit, chiles, and sage into their recipes. Alongside their four year-round beers (5 Rabbit, 5 Lizard, 5 Vulture, and 5 Grass) and three seasonal specialties, they plan to expand into some limited-edition brews and additional seasonals. We hope Hall can bring more focus to these unique beers and grow their consistency along with their capacity.

By Lorna Juett