My goodness, my Guinness: With just a few precious weeks left of Chicago’s prized patio season, the long-awaited Guinness Open Gate Brewery has officially opened in the West Loop, just in time for Oktoberfest and the crisp weather that beer lovers dream about.
Located at 901 W. Kinzie St., the brewpub combines more than 260 years of Guinness brewing experience in a 15,000-square-foot former rail depot that has long been vacant. The Studio K Creative- and Whitney Architects-designed space artfully melds Chicago’s unique spirit with the product at hand, as seen in the neutral color palette, beer bubble-shaped lighting fixtures and mural of Chicago quotes by Guinness Brewery Ambassador Ryan Wagner. Not to mention, the impressive 7,700-pound metal harp that dangles over the bar.
As guests walk through the metaphoric gates of brewery heaven, they should know they are entering an epic package. The state-of-the-art brewery and taproom includes a patio, a bakery producing freshly-baked brown bread, a café area serving Intelligentsia coffee and assorted treats from Aya Pastry and even an all-day restaurant where beef stew, Caribbean shrimp fried rice and “Chicago Caviar” are some of the offerings. And yes, the presence of beer in some of the dishes may be used for flavoring purposes.
Chicago also happens to be home to one of the largest populations of Irish immigrants, making the city an ideal destination for a brewery of this scale to land. The Guinness Draught Stout straight from Dublin and additional experimental draughts will be brewed-on site, exclusive to the Chicago taproom. As part of the initial line-up, visitors can expect a Corn Maize Cream Ale made with corn from Illinois’ Iroquois County, Kinzie Street Pale Ale and Mango Chile Ale, brewed by the Chicago brewing team led by Megan Schwarz.
As the Irish say, sláinte!
Photography by: Courtesy of SV Images and Kendall McCaugherty
