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BREWEREY FEATURE//ALE SYNDICATE
Walking west on Diversey Avenue toward the Green
Exchange, it is difficult not to notice the sleek new building, standing
out conspicuously among other industrial constructs on the corridor.
Entering through the front door is forbidden. Access requires a
detour to the side of the facility, which is marked with glossy insignia.
Once inside, a rudimentary outfit contrasts starkly with the polished
exterior. Well-circulated air reeks with the must of fermentation and
white noise from engines powering five massive fermenters belays
the ears—without even a fully functional bathroom, it’s incredibly
minimal, but a more practiced eye could imagine the tasty fruits
born of such industrial labor. This is the new home of Ale Syndicate.
Opening a brewery in Illinois, a state renowned for its over 83
craft breweries, is ambitious work, but brothers Jesse Edwin Evans
and Samuel Evans are up to the challenge and making their mark
in Chicago’s craft brewing community. The Evans brothers pride
themselves on producing fresh, original takes on traditional beers,
with a homespun Chicago feel.
As their beer very much reflects, Jesse and Samuel are
Chicagoans to the core, but they got their unlikely start in brewing in
another of America’s beer meccas, California. Chasing his dreams
out west, Jesse, then 23, landed in Sonoma where he got involved
with the wine industry. Jesse readily admits he initially aspired to
make wine, “Winemakers that I started befriending when I got out
there really made me feel like I wanted to be a winemaker when I
grew up, but they were the ones who introduced me to craft beer.” In
a region that lives and bleeds wine, the locals need a little something
extra to help them kick off their shoes at the end of the day. “When
they get off work, they’re popping open west coast double IPAs.
Craft beer is the thing that they relax with.” After their
introduction to craft beer, it was love at first sip for the Evans brothers
and their obsession took swift hold. They began volunteering at local
breweries and seeking out mentorship in the creative, technical and
business aspects of the beer industry. Their hard work paid off in
2006 with the launch of Lucky Hand Brewing, a backyard brewing
operation-turned contract company. Born out of a partnership with
colleagues they met in the wine industry, Lucky Hand produced
regionally and historically authentic beers, particularly lagers. “We
were making an unfiltered, unpasteurized beer [in California] that
was very much what would have been drunk in the saloons if you
had been around there prospecting for gold,” Jesse said. The Cali
Common lager to which Jesse referred, was a steam beer that went
on to win the prestigious bronze medal in the 2012 American Beer
Cup. Bolstered by success and fueled by proceeds from the buyout
of Lucky Hand, Jesse and Sam then headed home to pursue their
dream of opening a bigger, more successful brewery with a distinct
Chicago feel.
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CUSP MAGAZINE WINTER ’14 ISSUE
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