This is GBH Out Loud, and I’m Ashley Rodriguez. Today you’ll hear Michael Kiser read “Goodbye to Goose Island's Clybourn Pub for a Season, and Forever,” published on GoodBeerHunting.com on January 9, 2017.
Stories about bars and pubs usually focus on the patrons—the folks who rely on their regular spots for connection, a sense of place, or simply as a go-to destination where they can grab a drink with friends. But this article is different. It’s a snapshot of the last moments of Goose Island’s Clybourn Brew Pub in Chicago, and its biggest mourners—the folks who work there and have called this space their home for years.
The closing of Clybourn Pub—not forever but for renovations—was a moment that inspired GBH’s founder Michael to write a tribute. The Clybourn Pub was symbolic of many things for Michael. Sure, it would open again, but as a changed entity: looking new, different, perhaps more modern. Beyond that, its closing and renovation meant something more. It’s not quite clear what, and, as Michael states, he needed a moment to figure it all out.
This is Michael Kiser reading his article, “Goodbye to Goose Island’s Clybourn Pub for a Season, and Forever.” Listen in.