Goose Island forced to close its first brewery location after lease expires
Goose Island Beer Co. will close its brewpub after negotiations with the landlord failed to bring about a new lease deal.
Goose Island’s Wrigleyville location, 3535 N. Clark St., will remain open.
“The lease came due and we couldn’t come to an agreement on a lease renewal,” says Charles Malk, president of Deerfield-based CRM Properties Group Ltd., which owns the Clybourn building. “It’s that simple.”
“It’s an extremely sad day for me,” says John Hall, founder and CEO of Goose Island. “It’s where we started and where we developed our reputation and beers.”
Hall says Goose Island is looking at other nearby locations but has not reached an agreement to open another brewpub. The 174,600-square-foot Clybourn building, built in 1928, was a former manufacturing center that was converted into retail space in the late 1980s.
Hall says his company brewed more than 2,100 batches of beer, in 200 styles, at the Clybourn location.
Goose Island also operates Fulton Street Brewery, 1800 W. Fulton St. Overall, the company brewed more than 90,000 barrels last year, a number Mr. Hall says could increase by up to 30% this year.