“The bottle is out of the six pack. Guinness has tapped the West Loop to be the home of its second U.S. brewery.
“Guinness Chicago Taproom is expected to open in Fulton Market in early 2023, and more specifically — and hopefully — by St. Patrick’s Day, the iconic Irish brewer announced Tuesday.
“Jay Sethi, chief marketing officer of Diageo Beer Company, USA — a branch of Guinness’ parent company, London-based Diageo — called Chicago a ‘natural choice’ from a historical and business standpoint.
“‘The history of Chicago, in general, fits our values, beyond just the Irish history,’ said Sethi, who was born in the city and attended the University of Chicago. With Guinness, ‘you see a lot of a lot of resilience in our history. Chicago has seen a lot and there’s a lot of resilience in its history.’
“Sethi said Guinness picked the trendy West Loop for its accessibility for both city and suburban residents and its architecture. In fact, the selling point for Sethi was the site: the former Pennsylvania Railroad Terminal, 375 N. Morgan St., which he called an ‘X factor.’
“‘I remember seeing it, being like, ‘Yep, this is it.’ Because it’s this awesome, A-line, old building that just felt like I was walking into a little bit of what a building would have in Dublin. You know, that was old, but we could make it beautiful again — something I think we do really well in Guinness,’ Sethi said.
“Guinness recently signed a multi-year lease of the 15,000 square-foot venue, and hopes to start work on it this fall. The graffiti-plastered building is owned by Chicago developer Fred Latsko, who reportedly hopes to develop a 33-story office building on the vacant western edge of the property. Latsko declined to comment Tuesday, deferring to Guinness officials.
“The new pub and brewery will offer revolving menus of food and brews — including some beers available only in Chicago and others imported from various Guinness locations. However, Guinness also will continue to import its famous stout from its original brewing location in Dublin.
“Guinness Chicago Taproom hopes to pay homage to the different flavors from the city’s 200 neighborhoods with its rotating menus, Sethi said.
“Chicago, the nation’s third-most-populous city, is also the second biggest U.S. market for Guinness, according to Sethi, making it an ideal candidate to host the next Irish beer spot in North America.
“‘Overall, it’s diverse. It represents so many different communities that we want to reach,’ Sethi said. ‘… Chicago is very much just a huge Guinness city.'” (Kenney, Chicago Sun-Times, 9/21/21)