Tap Handle #63: Goose Island - Honker's Ale

There are several varieties of this tap, which are distinguished by color such as platinum, black, and gold.

Click through to read more about Goose Island Brewing and their Honker's Ale...


Goose Island Brewery was founded in 1988 in Chicago, Illinois, by John Hall.  In his travels across Europe, Hall had enjoyed a distinctive local brew in each region he visited, and was convinced that Midwesterners could produce beers as good or better than those he’d tasted in his travels. The brewery began as a single brewpub known as Clybourn. By 1995, the brewpub had become so popular that Hall decided to open a larger brewery and bottling plant to keep up with demand. Finding still more room for growth, in 1999 Hall opened a second brewpub, Wrigleyville, in 1999.

In 2006, a deal with Widmer Brewing allowed Goose Island to tap into the vast network of independent wholesalers that distribute Anheuser-Busch products. In exchange for the access, Widmer Brewing received an undisclosed minority stake in Goose Island. Hall said the agreement resolved two business issues - how to grow the company and how to replace original investors looking to cash out. In 2011, Goose Island sold its remaining 58% stake to A-B, and since A-B also purchased Widmer's 42% stake, Goose Island became a wholly-owned subsidiary of A-B. Hall stepped down after the sale. The sale did not include the two brewpubs, which are operated independently. Currently Goose Island brews over 50 craft beers at the brewpub, and are distributed to 36 states and Europe. Some production is outsourced, such as Honker's Ale and IPA, which are brewed under contract in New Hampshire.

Honker's Ale is an English-style Bitter that balances hops and malt. It won a bronze medal in the 2006 World Beer Cup and a gold medal in the 1997 Great American Beer Festival. Recommended food pairings are burgers, fish and chips, and English cheddar cheese. Weighted average on ratebeer.com is 3.26 out of 5.

Goose Island's Official Website