Archive record · Brewery
Goose Island Beer Co.
Chicago, Illinois, Illinois, USA
- Founded
- 1988
- Archive ID
- TB-7NJKNX7Q
- Last checked
- 2026-08-05
Who owns this brewery?
The direct owner is recorded. No company is held above it.
- Goose Island Beer Co.This brewery
- Anheuser-Busch InBevConglomerate
From the record
Summary
The acquisition that started the modern craft buyout wave when AB InBev purchased them in 2011. Still produces the legendary Bourbon County Stout.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
The monumental 2011 acquisition that sparked the modern craft buyout wave, still famous for their Bourbon County Stout.
Ownership & corporate history
- Acquired by Anheuser-Busch, IncorporatedMarch 2011
What the sources say
Researched 2026-09-13 (Wikidata parent lead); no held claim preceded it. USD 22.5m for the founders' and investors' 58% of Fulton Street Brewery LLC, USD 16.3m for Craft Brewers Alliance's 42%; USD 38.8m in all. Direct acquirer is the A-B InBev US subsidiary.
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
Where it is
41.88716, -87.67250
Supplied by the research pass; method not recorded
Open on a mapEvents
- Goose Island begins in Chicago.1988
Opening
- Anheuser-Busch agrees to acquire Goose Island.2011
The Museum
Timeline
- 1988Founded
Goose Island Beer Co. begins brewing in Chicago, Illinois.
- 2011Acquired
The acquisition that started the modern craft buyout wave when AB InBev purchased them in 2011.
The People
Behind the beer
Chicago craft institution that pioneered bourbon barrel-aged stout.
The Beer Library
Beers
Bourbon County Brand Stout
LimitedBarrel-Aged Imperial Stout
First brewed in 1992 for the brewery's thousandth batch, aged in Jim Beam barrels. It effectively invented American barrel-aged stout — a category that now has its own release-day queues.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Bourbon County Brand Vanilla Rye Stout
LimitedBarrel-Aged Imperial Stout
Rye whiskey barrels and whole Madagascar vanilla. Bourbon County variants are now a bigger event than most breweries' entire year, from a brewery AB InBev bought in 2011.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →2025 Bourbon County Brand Proprietor's Stout
LimitedWood- and Barrel-Aged Dessert or Pastry Beer
2026 World Beer Cup gold confirms exact edition. (Limited) [Illinois Pass 03]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Kick Back
American Light Lager
2026 World Beer Cup bronze. (UNKNOWN) [Illinois Pass 03]
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Travel Guide
Plan a visit
On the record
Awards
- 2026
Gold — Wood- and Barrel-Aged Dessert or Pastry Beer
World Beer Cup
- 2026
Bronze — American Light Lager
World Beer Cup
Only awards we could attribute to a named body and year appear here. An empty section means unresearched, not unawarded.
Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1988Founded
- 2011Acquired
The acquisition that started the modern craft buyout wave when AB InBev purchased them in 2011.
Today the chain tops out at Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Goose Island Beer Co. is controlled by Founder / family.
Anheuser-Busch InBev — SEC filing · U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · 2026-02
PrimaryHigh reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-05Claim last checked 2026-08-05
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Goose Island Beer Co.
- Who owns Goose Island Beer Co.?
- Goose Island Beer Co. is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev. Goose Island Beer Co. is based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
- Is Goose Island Beer Co. still independent?
- No. Goose Island Beer Co. is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev and is no longer independent.
- When was Goose Island Beer Co. acquired?
- 2011. The acquisition that started the modern craft buyout wave when AB InBev purchased them in 2011.
- When was Goose Island Beer Co. founded?
- Goose Island Beer Co. was founded in 1988 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
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