By: Living a Stout Life<\/a><\/p>\n American Craft Beer Week takes place May 10–16, 2021. This annual nationwide event celebrates small and independent craft breweries throughout the U.S. Malteurop (MMC) has joined forces with a few of these phenomenal breweries, highlighting their stories of strength and camaraderie during a time when struggles are common, but support and community continuously shine through.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sketchbook Brewing Company was born out of a love for science, art and community. We had to learn more. Chatting with Cesar Marron, Managing Partner and Head Brewer, not only did we learn more, we were inspired more. This is Sketchbook’s story.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Started from a group of avid homebrewers, Sketchbook Brewing Company opened its location in Evanston, Illinois, just outside of Chicago in 2014. With the two managing partners, Cesar and Shawn Decker both working full-time jobs in addition to opening Sketchbook, their struggles for time and money were typical for many new brewery owners. Combine those with Evanston’s rich history of the Temperance Movement (a social movement against alcohol), it was a daunting task just to get a liquor license.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With perseverance, though, they opened up a 1600 square foot space in a nondescript alley for two-ounce tasters and growler fills only, almost prohibition-like. You’d have to find the alley, find the door, and then find the brewery in a shared space with three other tenants. Unique, yes, but it was time for something bigger.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cesar started working full time at the brewery at the end of 2015 and hasn’t looked back since. In fact, that’s when they began expansion plans with hopes of opening up a second location. They didn’t just want to be another brewery in Chicago, so they found a space in the village of Skokie, a few miles from Evanston.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Planning and expansion take time. And in January of 2020, they were finally ready. We all know what happened shortly after that.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cesar’s response to the unknown was simple. “There’s no turning back. In some ways the COVID situation made me accelerate to get things done as efficiently and as fast as possible because we didn’t know what was going to happen at that time. We broke ground here late January of 2020 and brewed the first batch in June 2020.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n From day one of planning for their 2014 opening to today, Cesar and his team are voracious DIY’ers, artisans and crafters. “We are always walking around with sketches of what we planned to do. Still do.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Welcome to Sketchbook Brewing Company where beer is art, science and community.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cesar’s background growing up in Brazil and working in his parents’ business has influenced him both in his flavors for beer, but more importantly, in his passion for independence and learning. His parents were always doing everything for their business DIY style. That independence of learning and creating things as a child followed him to adulthood. If there was a problem, his solution was effortless, “We’re just going to learn it.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It’s the same for him with brewing. He loves the science behind the process, the details, the numbers, the creation of something that brews community.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For Cesar, he thinks there may not be a lot of change in the near future with craft beer and breweries, with the exception of breweries becoming more localized. COVID caused quite a scare to so many that people are seeking out places that focus more on community and safety. He believes that people are hopeful for the future, but will remain cautious as life heads back to normal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Relationships are going to come back and be more important than they were before. As we’ve seen so many people stepping forward and helping out when needed. It’s going to become incredibly important. In Chicagoland we’ve been pretty tight already, and this is just going to strengthen it even more.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sketchbook is known for its quality beers as well as being a community supported brewery (CSB). In the beginning, when there was no taproom, people could purchase a membership for one to two growler fills a month allowing them to be a part of a community when there was no taproom space. That collective still continues today in and out of the taproom. Starting with 150 people, the CSB has grown to over 600.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Continuing that nod to their small taproom roots, Sketchbook is also known for several of its foundational beers. The first being Orange Door Double Dry Hopped IPA which was named after the orange door in the alley of the original brewery. Back Alley Abbey Belgian Dubbel and No Parking Citra Pale Ale are a few others that are also reminiscent of their origins. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sketchbook is also known for Cesar’s Grätzer, a light Polish smoked wheat beer with historical roots. Customers know there’s going to be something new every week, and they look forward to the consistency along with the variety of new brews.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sketchbook’s biggest selling beer is their New England IPA, Insufficient Clearance, which was named one of the 20 best IPAs in the country in 2017 by Draft Magazine.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cesar loves historic beers. In fact, the Grätzer, a historical beer from Poland, that he brewed in 2013 as a homebrewer actually kickstarted his brewing career. He won the 2013 Samuel Adams Longshot American Homebrew Contest with this recipe, giving Sketchbook Brewing a name from the start.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Being rewarded for great beer is an achievement to be celebrated. Then there was COVID, making maneuvering through a pandemic quite the accomplishment in itself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before COVID, the biggest challenge for Cesar and the team at Sketchbook was growing pains. But then COVID came along and by far that has been the biggest challenge this past year. Dealing with the unknowns of it has been new terrain. Like almost every other brewery, they did their best to keep their employees employed and working. Just that was an undertaking.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “It was like three or four times more work for getting three or four times less back. The ever-changing of, ‘Are we doing this right or wrong?’ There were a lot of questions. ‘Should we stay open? Do we not stay open? Do we continue brewing with our employees or do we send them home?’ It was a balancing act that was kind of incredible to navigate.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But navigate they did, and quite successfully.<\/p>\n Cesar mentioned that if they hadn’t already signed the lease and received the equipment, the second opening would have been delayed. But they were already trenched in it, so with determination and a bit of fear, they expanded during a pandemic.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “It was kind of a scary thing, like driving in a foggy night. You don’t know what’s in front of you and you just hope for the best.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But what helped them immensely was the support of the Village of Skokie and the entire community. They weren’t going to let them fail.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Did COVID take them in different directions? Of course. And like many breweries, they turned to canning and more distribution than they were originally planning. Ironically, it was the opening of their second location that allowed them to do this, giving them that additional space that they wouldn’t have had if they were only in the Evanston location. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Their growler program came back into full swing during the pandemic. “People would come in and buy ten to twelve growlers at a time and then go home and hand them out to their neighbors. It was one of those things that brought people together. They want to be a part of the local community”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Because of COVID, laws in regards to shipping beer were relaxed, giving Sketchbook another avenue to get their product into consumers’ hands. They were also able to utilize the adjacent outdoor space for increased seating. This became the very first beer garden in Evanston! Because of the pandemic, there’s been a bit of loosening up with antiquated alcohol laws.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The support from their vendors is the same as from their community.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “We started working with MMC when we started in Skokie and it’s been great. One of the big things is because they’re so local. I can talk to them today and my shipment will be there tomorrow. When I saw how serious MMC was about their malt – from the products to the customer relationships – there was no question about it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “We’ve seen the same with so many other vendors, from our can and label suppliers and more, the support throughout the pandemic has been wonderful.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With more restaurants opening back up and more customers starting to come in, Sketchbook is playing a bit of catch-up, so they’ve got a lot of brewing going on. Some of those brews are a Schwarzbier, a double hazy, a couple of sours and a few Belgians.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There’s also a collaboration in the works with LanzaTech. This innovative company specializes in fermentation processes and has worked with Sketchbook in the past. They’re teaming up again to create a New Zealand Saison and more in the future.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While Cesar isn’t quite sure yet what will be brewing for American Craft Beer Week, he knows something will. With the uncertainty of festivals still, it’s hard to tell what kind of celebration they will have if any. But he’s quite certain people are still excited about beer, so whether he brews up something special or not, whatever he brews will still be special.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We love chatting beer with anyone, and it’s especially interesting to hear brewers talking about their favorite beers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cesar’s favorite style was an immediate response of Belgian beers. This style also fits his personality quite nicely. If he were a beer, he’d be a Belgian. “I’d be different with the weather. I’d be different in the summer than the winter. My fermentation profile would lend different characteristics. I could be funky or spicy. I’d be cuddly and warm in the winter. I’d be a big quad.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I’d say he just described himself to a tee. Cesar: funky, spicy, and cuddly. Everything you want in a brewer!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The team at Sketchbook Brewing Company spends as much time at hardware stores as they do in the brewery. Why? Because they handcraft everything they do. From their beers, of course, to fixing ceilings to building taprooms out of recycled wood to finding the local art that hangs on their walls, they have created a space that celebrates community.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Their love of art, science and community is evidenced in all that they do. Cesar states it best. “The best bread is in your local bakery. The best meat is at your local butcher shop. And the best beer is at your local breweries.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sketchbook Brewing Company<\/p>\n 821 Chicago Ave.<\/p>\n Evanston, IL 60202<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 4901 Main St.<\/p>\n Skokie, IL 60077<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sketchbook Brewing Company<\/a><\/p>\n Facebook<\/a><\/p>\nAbout Sketchbook Brewing Company<\/h2>\n
A Passion for Brewing<\/h2>\n
The Future of Craft Beer<\/h2>\n
Beers That Brew Community<\/h2>\n
Accomplishments and Achievements at Sketchbook Brewing<\/h2>\n
COVID-19 Challenges Faced Head On<\/h2>\n
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Moving Forward with Support<\/h2>\n
The Latest and Greatest Beers Brewing<\/h2>\n
Brewing for American Craft Beer Week<\/h2>\n
Getting Personal with Beer<\/h2>\n
Thank You!<\/h2>\n
Connect with Sketchbook Brewing Company<\/h2>\n