Brewers, Bars, Fans Band Together To Help Skeleton Key Brewery

WOODRIDGE, IL — After a tornado damaged Skeleton Key Brewery in Woodridge Sunday, regular customers and members of the local brewing community banded together by donating their space, time and funds to help the beloved brewery. In the days immediately following the tornado, local brewers and bar and taproom owners bought out Skeleton Key Brewery's remaining beer, stored their raw materials, scheduled fundraisers, shared their facilities and offered food, hugs and moral support.

Emily Slayton, who co-owns Skeleton Key Brewery with her husband, Paul and brother, John Szopa, told Patch it's hard to put into words "how grateful we are for the support we’ve received" since their world was turned upside down by Sunday's tornado.

A "Dream Destroyed"

The five-year-old brewery had just expanded their taproom to add a lounge and event space. The 2,500 square foot lounge debuted less than three months before Sunday's EF-3 tornado. "We were doing great," Slayton said. “We had doubled our staff. Everything was up and up.”

Slayton's voice quavered as she told Patch about the moment she learned Skeleton Key Brewery had been hit. She had been listening to the police scanner until 3 a.m. Monday and heard a report of “severe structural damage at 8102 Lemont Rd., Skeleton Key Brewery.”

“I still can’t say it without getting choked up," Slayton said.

Slayton's brother, John, got to the brewery first after firefighters let him through barricades that had been set up due to downed power lines, gas leaks, a fire and other damage nearby. Walls were "actively collapsing" as fire crews escorted John through as much of the brewery as possible, Slayton told Patch.

She said John started "shaking so hard" that fire crews escorted him out. When Slayton and her husband got to the scene, John broke down in tears.

“It’s gone man, it’s gone, it’s all gone,” he told them.

Unable to sleep, Slayton returned to the brewery Monday to find her "dream just destroyed." The tornado had demolished the space, tearing off the roof, shattering glass and collapsing walls throughout the brewery.

Doors had been blown in, water, debris and loose wires were everywhere, walls from neighboring businesses had blown into their lounge space.

It "looked like a box that had been picked up and shaken," Slayton told Patch.

Related: 11 Dogs Saved From Woodridge Boarding Facility After Tornado

"Such a Supportive Industry”

The day before the tornado hit, Skeleton Key Brewery had canned 250 cases of beer. They had raw materials ready to begin brewing Monday, Slayton told Patch.

The tornado cut power to the building, which means the brewery was forced to dispose of the beer in their tanks.

Skeleton Key Brewery would have had to sacrifice their remaining beer cans and kegs, along with their brewing materials, if it weren't for local breweries coming to the rescue.

Darien's Miskatonic Brewing Company immediately put Skeleton Key's raw brewing materials in storage. Since, as Slayton said, yeast is "highly perishable," local breweries are also going to put those brewing materials to use.

Skeleton Key has set up brew dates at Miskatonnic, Plainfield's Werk Force Brewing Co. and Westmont's Whiskey Hill Brewing Co.

“Bars, far-flung bottle shops and breweries everywhere” had been calling to inquire about buying beer since they heard about Skeleton Key Brewery's tornado damage.

On Tuesday, representatives from Pabst Blue Ribbon helped move Skeleton Key Brewery's remaining beer to Miskatonic, where regulars, taprooms, bars and restaurants came out in droves to buy it.

“Virtually every brewery in the area" came out, Slayton said, including Alter Brewing, Mikerphone Brewing and Metal Monkey Brewing. Within a matter of hours, 250 cases of beer and 50 kegs had been sold.

Breweries, bars and restaurant have reached out to offer guest bartending spots for the Skeleton Brewery's beloved employees. Others have held and planned special events to donate proceeds to the brewery. Support has come in from Goldfinger Brewing, 2 Fools Cider, Sovereign, Orange and Brew, Wolfden Brewing, First Forest Brewing, Ike and Oak Brewing, Elmhurst Brewing, Liquid Love Brewing, Iron & Glass Taproom and Chuck's Cafe, to name a few.

Slayton said it's been "such a humbling experience."

"We’re really fortunate to be in such a supportive industry," she said.

Fundraising Efforts

Slayton said Charlotte Converse from Mikerphone Brewing in Elk Grove Village started a GoFundMe to aid Skeleton Key Brewery.

The first day the fundraiser was up, Slayton said she and her family were "so overwhelmed that we couldn’t even look at it.” In just four days, the GoFundMe page raised more than $122,000 to help with payroll, repairs and the cost of moving items that can be salvaged.

Slayton said she and her team are dedicated to being transparent about how they plan to use the funds. "Out of respect for the people who donated their hard-earned money to help us come back, we want to make sure we’re very clear as to where that money is going," Slayton said.

Picking Up the Pieces

Since Sunday, Emily Slayton, her husband Paul, and brother, John, have been working tirelessly to "minimize the impact on everyone else who was related to this.”

They've met with and comforted employees, called customers to help them find alternative venues for their special events, and surveyed their original taproom to make a list of which items might be salvaged from what's left of their brewery. The new space is a "complete loss," Slayton told Patch.

In the coming days, they will work with their landlord, accountants, contractors and insurance representatives and figure out a plan for the immediate future.

In the midst of their own trauma, Slayton said Skeleton Key Brewery is still looking for ways to help others who have been affected by the tornado.

“If [the brewery] hadn’t been so utterly destroyed," Slayton said, they could have been a "refuge" for those in need.

"We're trying to figure out something we can do for the larger community," Slayton said.

The GoFundMe description for Skeleton Key is a testament to their giving spirit. Charlotte Converse of Mikerphone Brewing wrote, "They have always stepped forward to help others in their time of need, and now it's our turn to help them in their time of need."

How To Help Skeleton Key Brewery

Upcoming events to benefit Skeleton Key Brewery include:

• June 26: Matt Alfano at Miskatonic Brewing, 1000 N. Frontage Rd., Darien
• July 2: Pop-Up Benefit at Sew Hop'd Brewery, One Union Plaza, Suite 113, Huntley
• July 26: Skeleton Key Brewery Strong Relief Benefit at Miskatonic Brewing, 1000 N. Frontage Rd., Darien

Click the link to donate to the GoFundMe for Skeleton Key Brewery.