Sketchbook Brewing Company, Evanston

Up until recently, Evanston's Sketchbook Brewing has only sold beer to members of its community sponsored brewery (CSB, like a CSA weekly farm box). But now that they are selling to the pubilc, I feel like calling attention to this cool little place in my neighborhood.

It isnt a tap room, you have to buy the beer to go; there is a small "free tasting" bar located inside the brewery so you can sample before you buy and talk to the brewers. You can also get some of their beers at Evanston restaurants like Boltwood, Prairie Moon, Union and Bangers and Lace.

One of the brewers won the last Samuel Adams homebrew contest with a smoked wheat beer, which is really good. They make a bunch of other styles too. I'm a fan of the Kedzie Street India Red Ale, the Et Tu Belgian Saison and the Frogtown "Pail" Ale. Nothing is super amazing, there are hits and misses in their rotating list of styles. They have a half dozen or so beers on tap at any given time. They've brewed a couple ciders too. They've got some stuff aging in FEW whiskey barrels for future release.

Their entrance is off the alley that is next to the Lucky Platter, north about a quarter block. They dont have a street entrance, kind of like FEW Spirits which is roughly kittycorner from them at the Chicago-Main intersection.

More details at the website: http://www.sketchbookbrewing.com/

Correction, Sketchbook is SOUTH of the Lucky Platter. It is south of Main, north of Kedzie in the alley that runs parallel east of Chicago Avenue. They have an orange door which helps to find them.

825 Chicago Ave. (alley entrance)
Evanston, IL 60202
(847) 859-9051
http://www.sketchbookbrewing.com/

One of my favorite places. Walk down the alley, go through the unmarked orange door, walk around the hall, and you'll find the tasting room.



Some, if not most, of the owners are veterans of the Evanston Homebrewers Club, who, like so many other home brewers, couldn't resist the urge to go pro.

The room, once you find it, offers basically unlimited free 3 - 4 oz samples of anything they have available, but they're hoping you'll buy a 64 oz. growler (or a howler, which seems to be the new name for a one quart bottle). They will fill growlers from other breweries.

I especially like the Frogtown ESB, and the Snowy Owl Rye Ale. I wish their beers' name were more creative, though.

champs2005 wrote: Up until recently, Evanston's Sketchbook Brewing has only sold beer to members of its community sponsored brewery (CSB, like a CSA weekly farm box). But now that they are selling to the public, I feel like calling attention to this cool little place in my neighborhood.
It isn't a tap room. You have to buy the beer to go; there is a small "free tasting" bar located inside the brewery so you can sample before you buy and talk to the brewers. You can also get some of their beers at Evanston restaurants like Boltwood, Prairie Moon, Union, and Bangers and Lace.
One of the brewers won the last Samuel Adams homebrew contest with a smoked wheat beer, which is really good. They make a bunch of other styles too. I'm a fan of the Kedzie Street India Red Ale, the Et Tu Belgian Saison, and the Frogtown "Pail" Ale. Nothing is super amazing; there are hits and misses in their rotating list of styles. They have a half dozen or so beers on tap at any given time. They've brewed a couple ciders too. They've got some stuff aging in FEW whiskey barrels for future release.
Their entrance is off the alley that is next to the Lucky Platter, south about a quarter block. They don't have a street entrance, kind of like FEW Spirits which is roughly kittycorner from them at the Chicago-Main intersection.
More details at its website.

The homebrewer in interest is Cesar Marron. He won the Samuel Adams Longshot competition for a Graetzer; a smoked wheat style which I loathe {the style, that is}.
Here are photographs from that award ceremony at Marlowe's in Denver in 2013: