Our founder, John Hall, was always inspired by the beers that he drank when he travelled to Europe and the UK. In the 80's, he finally decided that enough was enough, and that the US deserved some damn fine beer too! And thus, Goose Island was born in 1988 at Clybourn Ave. There's a little manmade island that lies on the bend in the Chicago river. Legend has it that locals called this spot Goose Island as flocks of geese used to stop over on this island during their migration flights. Another version of the legend mentioned that early settlers on the island used to keep a flock of geese. No matter what the story, Goose Island is such a part of Chicago, that it is the perfect name for one of the city's earliest craft beer companies!