Evanston’s Sketchbook Brewing Company Opens for Business

From homebrewer, to Sam Adams "Longshot" winner, to professional brewer, Cesar Marron and his co-founder and business partner Shawn Decker will celebrate the Grand Opening of Sketchbook Brewing Company tonight – Friday, November 21, from 4p.m. to 8 p.m. Evanston’s first nanobrewery, Sketchbook is located in the Main and Chicago Business District, behind the orange door in the alley of 825 Chicago Avenue.

Below is a list of their current offerings for this weekend's event:

Snowy Owl Rye Amber, American Amber Al
Primo, Session IPA
Bud's Corvus, Dry Stout
Cheerio!, Oat and Wheat Porter
Smokey Jack, Pumpkin Saison
Sparta Tarta, Cherry Cider

The first 50 customers TONIGHT will receive a free growler with a beer fill purchase.

 

















Sketchbook Brewing Company
825 Chicago Ave (Alley entrance)
Evanston, IL
Hours: Fri 4-8pm, Sat 12-6pm, Sun 12-4pm
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Goddess Thanksgiving with Revolution Brewing and Chef Stephanie Izard

By guest contributor MC Johnsen

On Wednesday, November 12th, at Goddess and Grocer’s newly renovated Damen location, I had the pleasure of attending “Goddess Thanksgiving” dinner with beer pairings featuring the culinary talents of well-accoladed Chicago chef Stephanie Izard and the beers of local favorite, Revolution Brewing. Izard is also a local favorite – she was the first female to win Bravo TV’s Top Chef (2008) and is the Executive Chef of well-loved local restaurants, Girl and the Goat and Little Goat. Izard comedically narrated four demos of her cooking process to a lively crowd of fifty, which showcased her new line of three sauces and three rubs branded “The Flavor.”

Chef Stephanie Izard demos recipes featuring her product line, "The Flavor."

Throughout the course of the evening, we enjoyed Chef Izard’s dishes which were each thoughtfully paired with a Revolution beer. Stephanie only pressed pause to sip these delicious (and generous) three ounce pours, and to turn the floor over to Revolution Head Brewer, Jim Cibak, for some off-the-cuff beer schooling. Cibak explained the impetus behind each paired beer, and aptly reminded us all that brewing and cooking share a common key ingredient: balance.

Welcome Beer: Oktoberfest Marzen Style beer
We were each greeted with a pour of Revolution’s Oktoberfest, a well-balanced, bready beauty made from malt sourced entirely from Germany. Über-authentic and easy-drinking, this was a perfect gateway into the rich abundance of flavors we were about to experience.

1st Course: Fist City American Pale Ale, Holiday Brussels Sprouts + The Saute
After Cibak enumerated the aromatic qualities of this hoppy american pale ale – powerfully floral and citrusy in aroma, a creamy head of white foam, clear as a bell and golden orange in color with a citrusy hop bite – Stephanie regaled us (all while preparing the Brussels sprouts) with her own personal experience surrounding the uses of commercial hop pellets: “Don’t ever throw a hop pellet into your mouth.” The crowd roared.

Our Brussels sprouts arrived charred, quartered, and gleaming in butter, piled on the plate with purple radicchio leaves and crunchy Marcona almonds. “The Saute’s” fish flavors really came through as a fatty, quenching, umami sensation, which contrasted delightfully with the Fist City APA. Its citrusy floral elements were highlighted beautifully by the saltiness of the dish, and even some spicy herbal notes came forward to compliment the subtle, building heat from The Saute sauce.

2nd Course: Red Skull Imperial Red Ale, Butternut Squash Kimchee + The Chee
Next came butternut squash “quick kimchee.” Stephanie used The Chee sauce to speedily impart a fermented soybean flavor to paper-thin squash shavings. Half-moon slices of fennel bulb and basil chiffonade completed this richly flavorful dish, which was expertly paired with an equally rich beer.

A ruby red color, Red Skull’s sweet aroma contrasted perfectly with the spicy, pickled scent coming off the bright orange plate of salty squash. The sweet malt of the boozy beer stood up strongly next to the powerful kimchee flavors, tasting similarly spicy and herbal in comparison.

3rd Course: Eugene Porter, Peking Style Roasted Turkey + The Marinade,  
Croissant Turkey Gravy, + Rub #1, Spiced Apple Sausage Stuffing + Rub #2
My favorite pairing of the night came third. Nothing could have prepared my taste buds for the utter salivation and joy they experienced when Izard plopped the tray of just-prepared spiced apple and sausage stuffing with peking-style roasted turkey, smothered in croissant turkey gravy onto the table I serendipitously chose as mine. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. Yes, I gobbled more than I should have. No, I did not care – it was #goddessthanksgiving, dammit.

This particularly decadent dish was paired with Revolution’s Eugene Porter, a dark black beer with garnet highlights, this opaque brew was smooth and barely bitter with hints of coffee and caramel and a slightly fruity, roasted chocolate finish. When paired with the dish, the beer’s fruity sweetness was really brought to the forefront, its roasted malt finish effortlessly melding with the flavors of the roasted meat and the sliced apples. Absolutely delightful… and I’m drooling just thinking about it.

4th Course: Gravedigger Billy Barrel Aged Scotch Ale, Pecan Not Pie + The Marinade
Chef Stephanie left us with a scoop of sweet vanilla gelato topped with warmed pecan pieces smothered in browned butter, sugar, and cream. The decadent dessert was paired with Gravedigger Billy, a 10.4% ABV Scotch ale aged in Old Forrester Woodford Reserve barrels for 6 months. This boozy, sweet, strong beer was a caramel brown hue that tasted like a maraschino cherry dipped in bourbon. This beer, quite literally, was the liquid cherry on top of a mound of gooey pecan goodness, its candied flavors in perfect harmony with the sweet, creamy treat. 

Jim Cibak, MC Johnsen, Stephanie Izard

Stephanie Izard truly put on a cooking clinic, giving us all a delicious taste of what it’s like to observe someone in their element, doing what they’re meant to do on this planet earth. Goddess and Grocer was the most gracious hostess, and the Revolution beers were the icing on the cake (or the topping on the not-pie). Cheers to all, and thanks for a night my taste buds and tummy won’t soon forget. 


MC Johnsen is a professional graphic designer and illustrator based in Chicago, IL. She is also the artist and author behind beer blog Worth a Thousand Beers. In her spare time MC enjoys homebrewing, taking on DIY projects, CrossFit, and binge-watching TV shows on Netflix. Her favorite coffee beverage is an Americano, and she shares a home with her husband Matt and their dog Dallas in Lombard, IL. You can find her on Twitter @worth1000beers.

A Barrel-Aged Beer-Filled Week In Chicago

This weekend marks the Annual Festival of Barrel Aged Beers (FoBAB), here in Chicago, drawing breweries from around the nation to our fine city with kegs of delicious, wood-aged beer. If you did not get tickets to the sold out fest, have no fear, as Chicago's craft beer bars are filled with opportunities to get your lips on some of these award-winning beers throughout the week, and meet the brewers behind them.

Upland Brewing Co., Tour de Sour - Five events held over four nights, each featuring super rare (and surprise) sour and barrel aged beer that rarely make it to Chicago.

Nov. 12th - Bangers & Lace (1670 W. DIVISION ST), 6PM
Nov. 13th - Logan Arcade (2532 W. FULLERTON AVE), 7PM
Nov. 14th - Old Town Social (455 W. NORTH AVE)
Nov. 15th - Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar (960 W. 31ST ST), 7PM
Nov. 15th - Moxee Kitchen & Madmouse Brewery (724 W. MAXWELL ST.)

Goose Island Clybourn Brewpub - 

Nov. 10-16th – "3rd Base," Oak Aged Belgian Triple, aged in oak barrels with Brettanomyces (11.2%)
Nov. 14th (Friday only) – 2013 Bourbon County Brand Stout on draft all day and bottles of 2013 BCBS Backyard Rye (dine-in only).   

Nov. 14-15th – "Cran-Bruin," Flemish Style Sour Brown Ale with Cranberries, aged in oak barrels with Lactobacillus and Brettanomyces (5.2 %).

Surly Beer Dinner and Tap Takeover - Surly's return to Chicago: 1 Year Anniversary Dinner featuring 5 courses and 9 Super rare beers, 20 seats only. Tickets. Nov. 12th, 6pm

Local Option, Jonny Coffman's Bottle Rockets' Autumn Bottle Share - Epic bottle share, keg of Metropolitan Brewing Magnetron, as well as an ever-impressive tap list of stouts and barrel-aged beers. Nov. 12th, 7:30pm

Thanksgiving Dinner with Stephanie Izard and Revolution Brewing - Chef Stephanie Izard will be preparing recipes featuring products from her line of sauces and spices. Each course will be thoughtfully paired with a beer from Revolution Brewing, including their barrel-aged Scotch ale, Gravedigger Billy. Tickets and more info here. Goddess & Grocer Bucktown location. 

Nov. 12th, 6:30pm 

Hopleaf, Tri-Coastal Beer Dinner - Join the chefs of Hopleaf in collaboration with The Bruery's Jonas Nemura, Allagash, and Penrose for a 6-course beer pairing dinner. Tickets and more info here. Nov. 12th, 7pm 

4 Hands FoBAB Pre-Party, Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar - 

Featuring barrel-aged drafts including Cuvee Diable and Late Harvest Saison plus Ca$h Mony, Passion Fruit Prussia and 2013 Bana Fide. Food by Won Kim – Gochujang chorizo chili, fingerling potatoes, beer cheese, leeks and sweet onions that pairs nicely with the featured beers. Nov. 12th, 7pm

SmallBar Division, THE WRAP PARTY - After 10 years, SmallBar Division is set to close after one last night of the very best beer. Brewers on hand with tappings from Allagash, Avery, Firestone Walker, Goose Island, Half Acre, New Belgium, Three Floyds, Perennial and more! Nov. 13th, noon - close

The Village Tap, Second Annual “Couldn’t get a Ticket to FOBAB Barrel Aged Beer Event” - featuring 20+ barrel-aged beers from breweries such as Allagash, Central Waters, Deschutes, Firestone Walker, Goose Island, Revolution, Surly and more!

Nov. 13th, 5pm through Nov. 16th (while supplies last) 

Against The Grain Brewery/Takeshi Brew/Marz collaboration release, Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar - Tapping of "Umami," Barrel-aged Imperial Stout with 80's Youtube Karaoke!

Nov. 13th, 8pm 

Northdown, Baller Barrel-Aged Beer Bash - Meet the brewers and enjoy draft rarities from: Jolly Pumpkin Brewery, Perennial Artisan Ales, Off Color Brewing, Side Project Brewing. Nov. 13th, 6pm

Whole Foods Kingsbury, Red Star Bar - Stone's Arrogant Birthday - Join Stone Brewing Company's Steve Gonzales for some barrel-aged beers and Q&A to celebrate Stone's Arrogant Birthday.

Nov. 13th, 5pm 
 
The Beer Temple, Abraxas Day - Perennial has chosen The Beer Temple for their annual Abraxas Day release. Abraxas, an Imperial Stout brewed with Ancho chili peppers, cacao nibs, vanilla beans, and cinnamon sticks, is one of America's most delicious stouts and a highlight of Perennial's many offerings. Nov. 14th, 2-5pm

• Bottle sales begin at 3:00PM
• First 100 people will get a chance to win other Perennial beers, store discounts, glassware, clothing and more!
• A small bottle share will take place the hour before from 2:00 - 3:00 at the back entrance of the shop.
• Small Bar Logan will be serving Abraxas 2013, Abraxas 2014 and Coffee Abraxas in coordination with our event.

Upland Brewing Presents a Winter Warmer, Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar - Featuring their Bourbon Barrel-Aged Warmer, Dragonfly IPA and Dantalion Wild Dark Ale. To compliment these specialty brews, Chef Won Kim will be cooking in our outdoor patio grill a complimentary menu consisting of platters of barbecue chicken, potato salad, grilled vegetables and hot links.

Nov. 15th, 7pm 

Other exceptional spots to keep an eye to the taplist this week:

Jerry's (Wicker Park and Andersonville), Fountainhead, The Map Room, Half Acre Taproom, Revolution Taproom, Binny's South Loop and Lincoln Park Tasting Rooms.

Looking for something different...

Kaiser Tiger's Lagerfest - Drink your way through lager history with their "Evolution of the Pilsner flight" featuring 8 lagers on tap including Pilsner Urquell and Weihenstephaner.

Nov. 14th, 7pm

Paddy Long's Barrel-Aged Malort and Cheap Beer Festival -  featuring 12 Cheap Beers from around the country $3 each, Regular and Barrel-Aged Malort shots.

Nov. 15th, 8pm

Don't forget about the upcoming #GooseIslandBlackFriday release of the 2014 Bourbon County Brand Stout variants. Events hit Chicago on Wednesday, Nov. 26th. For more information visit the event website.

Penguin Hops Release Party at Shedd Aquarium

By guest contributor MC Johnsen

On Thursday, October 30th, the Shedd Aquarium and Revolution Brewing hosted a release party at the aquarium for their annual collaboration beer, "Penguin Hops." For the last three years, the Shedd Aquarium has partnered with Revolution to brew this beer with the organically grown hops from the grounds of the aquarium itself. This beer is not to be missed because for each pint sold, $1 will be donated back to the aquarium to support their conservation efforts.

The event kicked off at 5pm with a keg-tapping of "Penguin Hops". The beer, an American Pale Ale, was remarkably clear with juicy grapefruit notes and a creamy, smooth finish. A sessionable beer, this nicely hoppy, but not-at-all-bitter, beverage clocked in at 5.5% ABV and 30 IBUs. Most notably though, it was a beautiful amber-orange color with reddish highlights – both delicious and pleasing to look at. 

Each year, the beer recipe has actually included a combination of the unknown variety of the whole hops gathered from the Shedd, some others harvested from Wil Turner’s home-grown hop garden (the vines of which are rumored to cover his entire house), and some commercially-produced hop pellets. Hops were added mainly for flavor and aroma, and the known varieties included Warrior, Crystal, and Centennial. This year, because of its past success, Revolution actually brewed a double batch (about 60 kegs) of Penguin Hops, which is great news for beer lovers and supporters of the Shedd Aquarium alike. 

After some mingling and tasting, the crowd filed into the aquarium’s 4D-Experience theater for a presentation dubbed “Science Pub.” Revolution Head Brewer, Wil Turner, gave a thorough description of how the brewing collaboration came to be. He recounted how the Shedd had been renovating a portion of their building and had decided that they needed to cover the unsightly construction with a fast-growing vine. Shedd Horticulturist, Christine Nye, choose to plant hops – known for their voracious ability to climb quickly. When the hop cones eventually matured and began sprouting a few years later, it became apparent that the they needed to be harvested. As the Shedd is always focused on sustainability, they looked for a local solution to this (what I would call convenient) problem and decided to reach out to Revolution. A partnership was immediately born, as was a delicious pale ale that highlighted the Shedd’s accidental crop.

Science Pub continued with a slideshow presentation by Lana Vanagasem, the Shedd’s resident penguin expert, highlighting her time spent at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB). Lana worked there with a team of other penguin specialists to rehabilitate injured birds and worked toward releasing them back into the wild. The star of the slideshow was the rockhopper penguin, the type of penguin after which Penguin Hops was named. Rockhopper penguins are diminutive in size only; they have a spiky mohawk of black and yellow feathers which matches their spunky attitudes. Their blood-red eyes and orange beak were a perfect compliment to the color of the beer we were all imbibing in honor of her species.

Photos of Christine Nye and the Rockhopper Penguin courtesy of The Shedd Aquarium.

Following Science Pub, the visitors returned to the Penguin Hops tap or dispersed to visit the other bars that were placed throughout the aquarium. Wil Turner had brought along a couple of small containers of some whole Centennial hop cones for show, giving visitors the opportunity to smell and touch actual hops. I asked Wil what his best guess was as to the kind of hops the Shedd had planted, and he told me that because of their aroma and resulting flavor profile he initially thought they were Centennial, however this year’s hop cones were so huge that he’s no longer sure what they really are.
 
The party came to a close with a spirited performance from American Idol winner Caleb Johnson, to whom attending Shedd members had been given the chance to say hello during a VIP meet-and-greet session earlier in the evening. 

All in all, the Penguin Hops Release Party was a lively, family-friendly celebration that I would happily attend again. It not only provided a unique opportunity to explore the aquarium after hours and to learn about their specific penguin-related conservation efforts, but also gave party-goers a chance to learn about brewing by talking to the actual brewer regarding the creation of a truly one-of-a-kind beer.

The Penguin Hops official tap list will be released sometime during this first week of November, so keep your eyes peeled for your chance to sip on a very drinkable, pleasantly hoppy beverage brewed in the name of sustainability. In the meantime, you can find the beer on tap at Revolution’s Logan Square brewpub (2323 N. Milwaukee Ave.), at their Avondale taproom (3340 N. Kedzie Ave.), or you can enjoy a taste of this beer this coming Wednesday, November 5th at Whole Foods Market Chicago in Lincoln Park (1550 N. Kingsbury St.) starting at 5:30pm. 


MC Johnsen is a professional graphic designer and illustrator based in Chicago, IL. She is also the artist and author behind beer blog Worth a Thousand Beers. In her spare time MC enjoys homebrewing, taking on DIY projects, CrossFit, and binge-watching TV shows on Netflix. Her favorite coffee beverage is an Americano, and she shares a home with her husband Matt and their dog Dallas in Lombard, IL. You can find her on Twitter @worth1000beers.

Hail To The Ale on Etsy

If you follow us it is no secret that our passion revolves around art + beer. We've launched an Etsy store to showcase some of our favorite design work and apparel.

Our latest addition is a series of 3-dimensional "slide cards", which are assembled from three pieces, allowing the "beer foam" layer to pull up, revealing an area to write your own message. They are a custom design that we have created using various high quality paper, card stock, and embellishments, featuring a variety of beer glassware. All card designs are created and assembled by hand and are not mass produced.

For more information and to see the full spectrum of designs please visit our store.