50 Josh Deth Founder, Revolution Brewing From homebrewer to Golden Prairie Fermentations to Goose Island, Josh Deth had plenty of experience in the early days of Chicago craft brewing. So, inexplicably, he opened a bicycle-themed bar on North Avenue called Handelbar. Still, he couldn’t give up his dream of opening his own brewery. Which he did. He called it “Revolution.” Says Josh, “There’s been a revolution in beer. Things in beer are becoming more local [and] we’ve had amazing growth.” Revolution is now the fortieth-largest craft brewery in the country, and the fiftieth-largest brewery overall in the United States. (Tom Keith)
Derek and Sonja Kassebaum/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
47 Sonja and Derek Kassebaum Co-Founders, North Shore Distillery While co-founder is Sonja Kassebaum’s formal title, the website for the state’s first craft distillery identifies her as Chief Cocktail Nerd. (Husband and partner Derek goes by the more conventional Master Distiller.). This sense of fun is a big part of the success of North Shore Distillery, along with splendid artisanal products. During the pandemic, Kassebaum says they had to learn to roll with the punches, focusing on what they could do to help restaurant and bar clients, but they also used the time to update their packaging and image. “We have now rebuilt our team, including a bartender in the tasting rooms. And we’re focusing on what our customers and partners need. We want to be out there—and even more exuberant.” (Cynthia Clampitt)
Karl Loepke/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
46 Karl Loepke Founder, Skeptic Distillery Skeptic Distillery in Melrose Park is a start-up producer of spirits that uses an innovative cold vacuum process that allows distillation to take place at lower temperatures. “I put it together myself,” says Karl Loepke. “Cold distillation represents about one percent of all distillation worldwide.” And for a spirit like gin, which contains herbs and botanicals, distilling at a lower temperature does less damage to the delicate flavors. In addition to gin, Skeptic Distillery produces vodka (the most popular spirit in the country) and soon, whiskey. Skeptic, though still very much in the beginning stages, is providing spirits to Michael Jordan’s Restaurant and Blind Barber. Skeptic is sold at Binny’s, though Loepke admits, “it’s really hard building a brand through liquor-store sales because when it comes to alcohol, people are just not that adventurous.” (David Hammond)
Annie Xiang/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
44 Annie Xiang Founder/CEO, Volition Tea Annie Xiang wanted to import high-quality Chinese tea and to recognize those who produce it. That desire blossomed into Volition Tea, which opened in October 2021. Asked what’s new, Xiang says, “We just launched our Mo Cha collection of green tea. I’m honored to share the Chinese origin of matcha making.” While she relies on an importer to source her teas, she recently went on an “origin trip” to China. “I’m thrilled to finally meet our existing tea producing partners in person and bring back their stories and maybe some new tea.” Xiang says her goal for the coming year is to get “more single-origin teas into the hands of tea drinkers everywhere.” (Cynthia Clampitt)
Anthony Bell, Damon Patton and Jamhal Johnson/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
42 Jamhal Johnson, Damon Patton and Anthony Bell Partners, Moor’s Brewing Company Many who open craft breweries were once home brewers. Jamhal Johnson, on the other hand, was a corporate tax accountant with a longstanding interest in beer. Along with Damon Patton, Johnson founded Moors Brewing Company, one of the area’s few Black-owned breweries. The name is a tribute to the Moors of Berber descent, who crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from Africa to Europe. They introduced scientific techniques to European culture, including a process that produced what they called al-kuhl (alcohol). While looking to build their own brewery and taproom, likely on the South Side, Johnson and Patton are brewing their beer at another Black-owned brewery, 18th Street Brewery in Hammond, Indiana, under the guidance of 18th Street’s highly regarded brewmaster Drew Fox. “Drew,” Johnson tells us, “is our Yoda.” (Tom Keith)
Lou Bank/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
33 Lou Bank Founder, S.A.C.R.E.D S.A.C.R.E.D (Saving Agave for Culture, Recreation, Education and Development) fosters the popularity of agave spirits (specifically mezcal) and works to improve the lot of those who cultivate agave to make the spirits. “We’ve continued to distribute at least 10,000 agave seedlings to families in Mexico,” says Bank. “We built a 35,000-liter rain harvest system in Santa Maria Ixcatlan, Oaxaca, to help mitigate water insecurity in that community, we funded the construction of a well in San Isidro Guishe, Oaxaca, and the building of four greenhouses in Jalisco for families, so that they don’t lose access to the agaves that are part of their cultural heritage.” Bank is one of those rare spirits enthusiasts who not only appreciates the artistry of their beverage of choice but who appreciates—and actively supports—the artisans who make the beverage. (David Hammond)
Craig Perman/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
23 Craig Perman Owner, Perman Wine Selections Steadfast in the belief that wine should be more than a mere commodity, Craig Perman is refining the retail wine experience. He’s spent more than two decades connecting with wine producers across the globe to match the right wine with the right palate. Perman Wine Selections, a niche wine shop in Chicago’s Near North neighborhood, offers a thoughtfully curated selection of wines and personalized recommendations. “I want to make the big world of wine smaller and more manageable,” says Perman, who seeks to give lesser-known producers a louder voice in the already-noisy wine world. Perman’s roots trace back to Alinea and Blackbird and his passion has spilled over into a new endeavor: Le Midi is a wine bar-meets-retail experience in Wicker Park, which benefits from Perman’s influence, expertise and partnership. (Melissa Elsmo)
Tremaine Atkinson/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
FEATURED BEVERAGE PURVEYOR 20 Tremaine Atkinson Co-Founder, CH Distillery Tremaine Atkinson’s CH Distillery has for years produced high-quality vodka and spirits, but the one spirit just about everyone in Chicago will respond to (for better or worse) is Malört. This pale yellow spirit has traditionally been marketed based on its undrinkability, and when we recently caught up with Atkinson, he mentions that not long ago he’d given a talk at a local business school about the counterintuitive “so bad you’ll love it” marketing approach behind Malört.
Love it or hate it, Malört is not what you’d call a mellow sip. Though CH Distillery has modified the recipe slightly over the years, it’s still wormwood-forward, which triggers what on Instagram is referred to as Malörtface. Atkinson readily admits that the “gag-joke schtick” is part of the reason behind Malört’s following. “But it’s more than that. It’s fun,” he says, “and I don’t want to lose that. When you hear people’s stories about Malört, there’s always some joy to it, and it’s not going to hurt anybody.”
But CH Distillery is much more than Malört, and Atkinson recently released a ready-to-drink Espresso Martini and Patio Punch, and the former, he tells us, is a particularly big seller. Also on the shelves of local liquor stores is Jeppson’s Bourbon, which has a label that’s clearly reflective of Malört’s red-blue-yellow label. Chuck Cowdery, Newcity contributor and author of “Bourbon, Straight: The Uncut and Unfiltered Story of American Whiskey,” and many other books on the subject, suggests that the slogan on the Bourbon should be “It’s Not Malört,” playing on the odiousness of Chicago’s most well-known—and perhaps even the city’s favorite—spirit. (David Hammond)
Jared Rouben/Photo: Joseph A. Mietus
12 Jared Rouben President, Moody Tongue With plenty of fine-dining experience working at two Michelin-starred restaurants, Jared Rouben has always tried to elevate the image of beer beyond something cold to chug while watching football and scarfing down chips. As anyone who’s visited Moody Tongue can attest, he’s succeeding. Moody Tongue’s Near South Side brewery includes two restaurants: The Bar and The Dining Room. (Also, in New York’s West Greenwich Village, Jared owns Moody Tongue Sushi.) His goal is to pair unusual “culinary beers” with fine food, earning The Dining Room two Michelin stars. “I love seeing guests explore beer styles with fine dining and sushi and learning how different beers can add to dining experiences in ways guests may not have previously enjoyed.” (Tom Keith)
Beverage Purveyors The Hall of Fame
Robert Birnecker and Sonat Birnecker Hart Founders, Koval Distillery
Chris Chacko Founder, Sparrow Coffee
Jesse Diaz Founder, Dark Matter
Tony Dreyfuss and Jeff Dreyfuss Founders, Metropolis Coffee
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