Goose Island Opening New Tasting Room, Hosting Brewery Tours
By Ben Kramer in Food on Mar 10, 2015 3:00PM
Photo courtesy of Goose Island
The times, they are a-changing. No, really. The clocks have moved forward, Brandon Marshall will be shipped to New York and Goose Island is unveiling a new tasting room and and offering tours in their Fulton Street brewery. Both are set to open at the end of the month.
The tasting room, an area that used to be general storage prior to its conversion, has a look that’s urban but polished. It has exposed brick walls, bare light bulbs over the bar and uses reclaimed wood for its tables and counter tops. The space is on the small side, giving it a cozy feel perfect for relaxing in or for reading and drinking.
Eight beers will be on tap, most being core Goose Island brands such as 312, Matilda, Sophie and IPA, but will also offer cask conditioned beer as well as brews from their Fulton and Wood series. (Brews from the F & W series are produced only for the Chicago market and are limited releases.) Lovers of Bourbon County Stout can be treated to a different version of the beer on “Black Friday” which will be the third Friday of every month. Lovers of sour beers can look forward to “Sour Saturday” which, as the name suggests will offer a limited release sour beer. A growler station will be on site so you can take home some of those limited release beers.
The tasting room will be open Thursdays through Saturdays, with hours of operation 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
Tours of the brewery will be offered to the general public. Starting in the tasting room, guests can look forward to checking out the “Tap Deck,” where they can watch Goose Island employees in action, followed by trips to packaging areas, the fermentation cellar, the Pilot Brewery (a two-barrel brewers playground where they can go to experiment), the Brett Room (named after Brettanomyces, the yeast in Matilda) and the Barrel Staging area.
Samples of beer will be given along the way and the show should last around 45 minutes. Tours will cost $12 per person and everyone gets a custom designed pint glass at the end. People who register online get first dibs while walk-ins will be put on a wait list based on availability. Tours are scheduled for Thursday and Friday at 2 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. while Saturday tours are at 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Goose Island’s Fulton Street Brewery is located at 1800 W. Fulton St. and can be accessed via the CTA Green/Pink line Ashland stop or the Ashland bus.