It’s been nearly a year since the Evans brothers, Samuel and Jesse, announced they (and their well-publicized New Chicago Beer Company) were leaving The Plant, and finally we have an answer as to what they’ve been up to for this long.
Below, is the announcement re-branding their efforts as Ale Syndicate Brewers, contracting through Big Chicago and Galena Brewing Companies.
We’ll have some further thoughts on this new option soon, but for now we look forward to trying their beers sometime in the near future. Speaking of, you can view labels for two of their three initial offerings on our monthly label post here.
PRESS RELEASE
CHICAGO — Chicago brothers Jesse Edwin Evans and Samuel Evans will launch their newest brewery project, Ale Syndicate Brewers, this month, with three inaugural brews that they describe as “distinctly Chicago.”
Ale Syndicate, through distributor River North Sales and Service, will be available in bars across Chicago in March, and in stores later this Spring.
Later this year, the beer will be available for sampling in the brewery’s tap room, located in the Green Exchange campus at 2601 W. Diversey in Chicago’s Logan Square community. Ale Syndicate is in the process of a massive renovation of their brewing space on the property, which will be housed in a building that was, for much of the 20th Century, the train station for the annexed town of Maplewood.
“We’re excited to be the newest addition to Logan Square,” said Samuel Evans. “We’re eager to create a community space that will not only serve innovative and unique brews, but also be a place for neighbors to enjoy local music and culture.”
While the building undergoes renovation, Ale Syndicate beers will be brewed at Big Chicago Brewing Company in Zion, Illinois and Galena Brewing Company in Galena, Illinois.
The rollout of Ale Syndicate will feature three brews, Municipal India Pale Ale, Richie Imperial Porter, and Sunday Session. Municipal is an all-Cascade hop ale with a tangy aroma and citrusy flavor. Richie has roasted barley and chocolate malts, balancing sharper flavors with a clean, semi-sweet finish. Sunday Session is a mellow ale that uses wheat to complement a blend of Cascade, Crystal and Centennial hops for a deliciously drinkable brew.
“We are incredibly proud of these initial recipes,” said Jesse Evans. “We’ve working with local businesses to integrate distinctly Chicago flavors into future beers.”
Ale Syndicate is the evolution of New Chicago Beer Co., the brewery project the brothers founded after selling their successful Lucky Hand Brewing in Oakland, California in 2009.
“As much as we loved the old name, and the path we had been on, we felt we needed to recognize how our vision for the brewery had evolved,” said Samuel Evans. “This is bigger than any one of us; it will be more than the sum of our parts. The name Ale Syndicate Brewers reflects that goal.”
“We’re not just an ordinary brewery – we’re a syndicate,” said Jesse Evans. “That means an important part of what we do is collaboration – with each other, with other breweries and, most importantly, with our community.”
“This is an amazing time to be a craft brewer. Chicago is the place to be brewing,” said Jesse Evans. “This community of brewers will put Chicago on the map, and we’re honored and enthusiastic to be part of it.”
Ale Syndicate will be pouring its brews at the Chicago Beer Festival at Union Station on March 30, and is the official beer of CARA’s FirstMerit Bank 10 Miler in Chicago on April 20.
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(Editor’s Note: We receive a ton of beer-related press releases, but we’ll only bring you the ones we think are relevant, fun, interesting, cool, newsworthy, or offer something we’d be interested in checking out ourselves. Rest assured we’re not just posting these to churn out content – take this as a tacit endorsement from the staff of GDB.)