Sketchbook Brewing Company Has Best Patio In Skokie, Readers Say

SKOKIE, IL — We asked Skokie Patch readers last week to share their picks for the top patios and beer gardens in the area. The results are in, and a clear favorite has emerged.

Sketchbook Brewing Company, the community-supported microbrewery at 4901 Main St., was the top pick among respondents to our unscientific reader survey.

Sketchbook's beer garden has expanded in time for the loosening of state-mandated capacity restrictions associated with the coronavirus.

Expanded with the help of the village, the outdoor patio now includes 16 vintage German beer hall-style tables, as well as patio tables with umbrellas. It seats 150 people.

What makes it the best in town?

"New big patio and food trucks and the beer is always amazing," one reader said.

"Beautiful large patio with friendly faces," said another.

The brewery also hosts pop-up events with local food trucks and restaurants, and it's beginning to host more live music performances.

On the evenings of July 2 and July 3, Sketchbook is hosting a weekend of Cajun music and food. The following weekend, Evanston Space is co-presenting a trio of live music performances with food trucks at the brewery.

Sketchbook was founded in 2014 in neighboring Evanston and expanded to Skokie last summer. Earlier this year, it received a $150,000 tax increment financing, or TIF, grant from the village to reimburse it for cost overruns incurred while converting the industrial space into a brewery and taproom.

The brewery has more than 550 members who are able to secure discounted rates on growler fills and other purchases. New members are enrolled quarterly, with the next term starting in July.

Some of the Sketchbook brews recommended by Skokie Patch readers include:

• Cumulus, Hefeweizen
• St. Bridgid's, a barley wine
• Orange Door, an American IPA

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As local businesses continue to find their way forward amid the coronavirus, Patch readers are asked to continue supporting their favorite locally owned businesses. Want to highlight your favorite patio in town or another exceptional local business? Sound off with a neighbor post on Skokie Patch.