WHEN IT COMES TO SERVING THE COMMUNITY, SKETCHBOOK BREWING COMPANY IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE ONE POUR AT A TIME
BELOW: Co-founder Alice George and managing partner Shawn Decker
ASK ANYONE IN THE BEER INDUSTRY and they’ll tell you that there are a multitude of defining hallmarks for a good craft brewery. While some might say that having great beer on tap ranks paramount, others will insist that it’s the brewery’s dedication to the community. Mindful breweries that aim to become change-leaders are also creating new personal hallmarks along the way — with sustainability stewardship, highlighting of critical social issues, and the provision of an equitable workplace representing just a few.
But can one brewery do it all? As it turns out, yes… and then some. In Evanston and Skokie, that place is Sketchbook Brewing Company. Throughout the North Shore, you’ll find patrons and businesses alike enthusiastically citing Sketchbook’s dedication to the local community, offering up any number from a barrel of reasons that they continue to fill the plentiful seats in both the Evanston (1821 Chicago Ave.) and Skokie (4901 Main St.) taprooms.
Since their early beginnings in 2014, the Sketchbook owners have eagerly sought to make the community and the world a better place through the work that they do. Their everyday mission, in the words of the four-member team, is “doing right by our employees, customers, and the planet.”
Over the past nine years, the dynamic leadership team has lovingly tended to their well-oiled brewing operation. Passionate about brewing since receiving an all-grain brewing kit from his wife (co-founder Amy Wilkinson), managing partner and head brewer Cesar Marron has won a dozen awards for his mastery in the brewing arena. He takes great joy in talking to folks about everything involved in brewing beer (“Ask me!” he says). Amy has a long-time involvement in politics and community activism that keeps Sketchbook humming, while co-founder Alice George is a teacher and visual artist who has fun getting creative with the breweries’ gardens and art displays while also managing the brand’s public relations. As an award-winning media artist and musician, managing partner Shawn Decker (husband to Alice) steers the company’s finances and manages the taprooms with Alice and is thoroughly engaged in driving Sketchbook’s ever-evolving music program.
Through it all, the team has been solidly intentional about keeping community at the core of the Sketchbook brand. And it’s not simply the community spirit they routinely demonstrate that resonates most with patrons — it’s their investment. With present-day breweries living or dying through community support, Sketchbook is both thoughtful and genuine when it comes to working with fellow organizations seeking to uplift the community. Sabrina Ehmke, founder of the Skokie Swifters Run/Walk Club, easily selected the brewery as the group’s weekly meet-up location for this reason. “Sketchbook aligns with our values,” she says, “and I believe supporting our local community is one of the most important things we can do as an organization.”
With Sketchbook’s investment in the community comes a commitment to employing green practices and adopting every sustainability measure possible to decrease their carbon footprint. Cesar, who is involved in multiple environmental sustainability groups, consistently leads the entire team in the implementation of new waste-reduction measures. As it currently stands, 97% of the brewery’s end waste product is diverted from the landfill through a variety of practices they have put in place over the years. One such practice is the weekly delivery (in Sketchbook’s upgraded truck with attached dump trailer) of six tons of spent grain to help feed the livestock at a family farm. The trip takes Cesar over two hours, but he believes that when it comes to the health of the earth it is important to lead by example.
The sustainability measures don’t end with the spent grains. From the beginning, Sketchbook has enrolled members in their Community Supported Brewery (CSB). Members of the CSB program can prepay for their growlers and howlers (64- and 32-ounce reusable glass jugs) to be refilled at a discounted rate, amongst other perks. Over 600 people are members of the program, which not only speaks to Sketchbook’s stance on sustainability but has also helped transform their business into a hub of connection and community.
In addition to mindfully engaging in sustainable brewing practices, Sketchbook embraces an equally strong stance when it comes to equity. The brewery has hosted multiple fundraisers for local organizations and frequently makes cash donations to both local and national causes — from support of the Wild Onion Market food co-op in Rogers Park to earthquake relief in Turkey.
It’s no secret that a big piece of Sketchbook’s brand image is the interpretation of historic styles of beer through adventurous added flavor twists. In that vein, they have created more than a handful of unique beers tied to a specific social plight. Last year, the brewery collaborated with Evanston Development Co-Op and Wild Onion Market to help launch SumACTION, a beer created with all Midwest ingredients. This hazy pale ale represents the partnering organizations’ commitment to a sustainable economy that puts people before profit. To commemorate Juneteenth and the end of slavery in the confederate states, Sketchbook also brewed up Freedomish Saison, a farmhouse ale. One hundred percent of the 2022 profits from the sale of this beer were donated to Skokie United and the Evanston Reparations Fund.
It’s perhaps the 2021 Things We Don’t Say initiative that resonated most with Sketchbook staff members and customers alike. The hazy IPA borne from this initiative was brewed in conjunction with 140-plus breweries to raise awareness of mental health. Sketchbook then donated 30% of the sale proceeds to Hope for the Day, a non-profit that empowers conversations about mental health education and suicide prevention. Sketchbook also created several public art bulletin boards in both taprooms where patrons could openly release their emotions during this time.
“Covid was putting so much pressure on all of us,” says Alice. “We all found strength through the communal outpouring of grief and support.” From their wide assortment of outstanding beers, welcoming owners and staff, and devotion to the community, Evanstonian and patron Anne Coulter emphatically shares that there isn’t anything not to love about Sketchbook. “They offer so many opportunities for the community to gather, connect and raise awareness,” she says. “It also matters to me they choose organizations that support people who are underrepresented and need to be heard.”
With so many new beers being created and brewed in tandem with the hosting of larger-scale events, the Sketchbook team realized prior to the pandemic that they were outgrowing their production facility in Evanston. They committed to a dramatic expansion plan with the opening of the Skokie taproom, where the bulk of the brewing would ultimately take place. The new location opened its doors in July of 2020 — mask mandate and disinfection practices still very firmly in place — and has since served Sketchbook’s needs well, especially given the large outdoor garden space frequently utilized throughout the pandemic. “Meeting our new customers this way wasn’t ideal,” says Shawn, “but it allowed people who didn’t feel comfortable drinking anywhere else to drink with us.”
Today you’ll find Sketchbook’s robust monthly calendar stacked with events that bring the community together (keep in mind that the Skokie location also proudly boasts a large dog-friendly patio). The team makes it a point to have a little something for everyone, with both taprooms allowing BYO (bring your own) food along with the option to purchase snacks or meals from local vendors serving pop-ups during the weekends. Beer enthusiasts can enjoy flight tastings from any of the dozen beers on tap, and beertenders like Sile Malone (site manager of the Evanston taproom) are always at the ready to change people’s notions about brews they wouldn’t ordinarily try. Non-alcoholic beverage options like kombucha, lemonade, and soda are also readily available, as is gluten-free cider.
In addition to Sketchbook’s uber-popular beertenders, many other behind-the-scenes employees and associates make up the hard-working team. “We are truly like an extended family,” says managing partner Shawn. And Sketchbook treats this extended family well, providing a wide range of employee benefits not typical of small breweries — including health, dental, and vision insurance, a 401K savings program with contribution matching, long- and short-term disability, annual performance bonuses, and a new profit-sharing program.
Beesy Malone, a beertender at Sketchbook’s Evanston taproom (who you’ll often find dancing behind the bar), affirms Shawn’s sentiment about the familial bonds that exist between Sketchbook team members. “I have learned so much and been able to find such an incredible community during my five years here,” says Beesy, who often works alongside sister Sile. “The owners care deeply about our clients and staff and always have our backs.”
The Sketchbook team also relishes working alongside other businesses as much as they enjoy working with each other. Co-founder Amy particularly loves Sketchbook’s recent collaboration with Sauna Club, a mobile sauna experience founded by Evanstonian Ryan Cohler. “Ryan parks his sauna at the Skokie taproom every Tuesday,” says Amy. “It really adds an entire dimension of experience for our patrons, especially because Ryan works so tirelessly to connect with his community.”
Val Kahan, founder and owner of Art Maker’s Outpost, is another Evanston business owner who collaborates regularly with Sketchbook through AMO’s new After Dark Salon Series. As part of this sponsorship, Sketchbook offers complimentary beer during the After Dark concerts to of-age guests. “Through this cross-promotion, we are able to highlight both of Sketchbook’s incredible spaces, their incredible beer, and their dedication to sustainability and community,” says Val. “In turn, they are helping us grow more awareness about all we do at Art Maker’s Outpost. Partnering with them has been a dream come true.”
Energized by the unwavering support of their Evanston and Skokie patrons and fellow businesses that hold them in such high regard and the sky as the limit, there is no telling where Sketchbook is headed next. As the brewery continues to expand their reach locally, Cesar says they will remain hyperfocused on the community.
Regardless of what the future holds, showing respect to anyone who walks through their doors will always remain at the heart of the beloved brewery operation. “Spaces where beer flows should be welcoming environments that value difference,” says the Sketchbook crew. “So say we all.”