Greg Hall
Brewmaster
Goose Island Beer Company

Greg Hall began his brewing career in 1988, as assistant brewer at the Goose Island Brewpub on Clybourn Avenue – a job that earned only minimum wage. “The people answering the phones made more than I did,” Greg laughs. “My dad didn’t play favorites.” Son of Goose Island president John Hall, Greg was a natural in the beer business. Fascinated by his new work, Greg immersed himself in learning more about brewing.

After graduating from the Siebel Institute in 1989, Greg began an aggressive independent study of brewing techniques – touring craft breweries throughout the United States and traveling to Europe to study Old World methods. In the subsequent years, Hall made over a dozen trips to Europe – touring the best breweries of England, Belgium, Germany, and the Czech Republic and developing lasting relationships with the people who brewed there. By the time the company’s bottling operation began in 1995, Greg Hall had become brewmaster of Goose Island Beer Company.

Through Hall’s direction, Goose Island’s brewery flourishes, expanding its repertoire of both draft and bottled beers. Hall maintains a host of award-winning beers – including Honker’s Ale, India Pale Ale, Nut Brown Ale, and Oatmeal Stout. Hall has also spearheaded Goose Island’s line of Reserve beers, which have been widely lauded in craft beer circles, receiving a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival for Matilda and a gold medal at the World Beer Cup for Bourbon County Stout.

“I had high expectations for Greg as a brewer,” says father John Hall. “But it turns out he’s even better than I thought. He’s great at what he does, and it’s a joy for me to watch him grow and succeed at something he loves. A father couldn’t ask for anything more than that.”

Greg Hall and Goose Island support a number of local organizations – including Slow Food Chicago, the Alliance for the Great Lakes, Chicago’s Green City Market, and Friends of the River. Greg is a strong supporter of the City of Chicago and strives to “make the city a better place to live and drink beer.” Greg Hall lives in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood with his two children – Sofia and Henry.