GOOD WORD, YOUR NEW HOME FOR ENGLISH AND EUROPEAN FOOTBALL

Football, or soccer as it’s known in the US and some other countries, is the most popular sport in the world. An estimated 4 billion people regularly watch football worldwide, with around 250 million registered players competing at various levels across more than 200 countries. The world loves it, and so do we!

You’ll have figured out by now that we also love all things English and European. The pub, its beers, and even some of the food take inspiration from the other side of the pond, with our Dark Mild, Analog Life, even being nominated as one of the 250 best beers in the world. We take SO MUCH inspiration from our European friends.

“I would love to say I’m a soccer fanatic, and it’s a big part of my life, but that’s not true.” says Todd, owner and brewer here at GWB. “That said, one of our primary missions for Good Word was to be a public house, in the truest sense. It’s been a natural evolution as we originally insisted on having no televisions, later adding them, giving them a bit more intention. This component of GWB is an echo to Brick Store, and has more to do with Dave’s love of the sport than anything else. And I’m glad to have it be part of our DNA.”

While we’re not a sports bar, we are a pub that strives to create a community and connection amongst our visitors and, much like pubs across the UK, football is central to that. “Where I grew up, Saturdays and Sundays were all about football. If you were headed to a game, you’d head to the pub first for a few beers before kick-off, and depending on the result, you were most likely back there after the game to either celebrate or commiserate. If you weren’t going to the match, you’d stay at the pub right through the afternoon. They’d be packed, shoulder to shoulder, and carnage would ensue when your team scored. I’d be washing my beer-drenched clothes the minute I got home!” says Matt, our resident Englishman. 

Our sister pub, The Brick Store Pub in Decatur, has been showing football for some time. Unlike Todd, though, owner Dave has a big soft spot for the beautiful game. “I am a huge fan of the beautiful game and love this extremely cozy English pub vibe we have created (at Brick Store) to share with anyone who is a fan of English football and/or Cask ale”.

Much like GWB, the evolution to creating the perfect traditional English pub vibe took some time. “The Brick Store veered from its ‘NO T.V.’ policy back in 2006 when the FIFA WORLD CUP was hosted in Germany” Dave explains. “As a traditional pub, we felt this tournament would qualify as an event where TVs could make sense. We proceeded to do the same in the next 4 World Cups to a growing amount of enthusiasm.”

In 2020, the pandemic offered another opportunity at the Brick Store. The small loft area at the top of the stairs was in desperate need of a renovation. Having dabbled with Cask over the years, to great reception, Dave decided to make it a prominent focus. A small bar and seating area were built to accommodate four beer engines, which would be poured from the bar, with the casks stored in our beer cellar at 50° – the perfect temperature for Cask ale. 

“Since we were driving this English component to the Pub, adding a TV to show English matches and many other prominent European matches seemed to make perfect sense to round out the space. It becomes an even better spot when we are able to pour the astonishingly good English beers from Good Word Brewing and Public House.

With football ingrained in so many of our owners, employees, and customers’ lives, we wanted to bring that excitement, atmosphere, and sense of community to our little slice of heaven here in Duluth. Focusing on English Premiership and Championship football, as well as the UEFA Champions League, we’ll be showing a selection of games each week on our screens. Alongside that, we’ll be offering you $5 pints of English, cask, and lager beers all the time games are showing. Whether your team is playing or not, we’d love to see you down here in your jerseys, soaking up the atmosphere of match day and enjoying some incredible beers inspired by the game itself.

We’ll be announcing which games will be shown week by week, and you’ll be able to see these on our website under the ‘Cask Ales & Football Matches’ page, on our socials and through our newsletter. If you’re not signed up to our newsletter, you can do so by heading to the main page of the ‘News’ section and filling out the form.

Cheers!