Today we’d like to introduce you to John Szopa, Paul and Emily Slayton.
Paul comes from a restaurant/bar management background, Emily from a marketing background, and John from a financial background. Paul and Emily were married in 2011 and John is Emily’s younger brother. We started brewing together roughly a decade ago, much the same way everyone gets started – someone gave us a kit for Christmas. We instantly took a liking to it and started brewing up a storm and spending a great deal more money on new brewing toys until we couldn’t even fit our car in the garage anymore!
Emily and John had often discussed the desire to start their own business and considering our backgrounds, we were a great triptych to delve further into the world of craft beer. All 3 of us then spent time studying at the Siebel Institute of Technology to learn everything we possibly could about every aspect of the beer world. We traveled often in the early days to network and meet as many people in the business as we could, and all 3 of us even enrolled in the Colorado Boy Immersion program to work and learn at Echo Brewing in Frederick, CO.
Our roles have expanded but have not been completely overhauled, John is out head brewer and handles our finances, Paul runs the taproom and handles sales and Emily is in charge of all things marketing and strategy. We have our specialties to be certain, but we all do a little bit of everything.
Has it been a smooth road?
Smooth would have been great! The difficulties of opening a business are there, and I am certain any small business owner would have plenty of stories. We definitely had some issues with things like timing everything out so that our world could come together in the right order. Planning construction, purchase and delivery of equipment, licensing, hiring, production, and everything else that was involved in getting up and running is a very delicate balance. Luckily we had great support from the Village of Woodridge as well as never-ending support from our friends and family. (Beer just brings everyone together – who knew?!?)
We also had to learn how to work with each other on a regular basis which took some getting used to! But when it comes down to it we are family, and we are always there to help each other when needed, no matter what.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Skeleton Key Brewery story. Tell us more about the business.
We are a craft microbrewery and incubator. We brew a nice selection of craft beers, with several year round favorites and seasonal options. Our taproom is spacious and set across a half wall which is all that separates our patrons from the brew house, where we will have live music on the weekends, paired with local food trucks outside. We always wanted our customers to feel like they get to drink right where the action happens, right across from all that gorgeous stainless steel. We can accommodate up to 100 people between the bar and front room, and are able to host private events. We hold classes nearly year round as well, teaching everything from all-grain home brewing, to off-flavors courses, to beer styles classes with local guest speakers from other breweries and much more. Emily and Paul are even involved in the Business of Beer Program with the College of DuPage and teach regular classes through their program.
We also love to give back to the community, and have hosted several charity events since we opened. In the past year and a half, we have held charity events for Ronald McDonald House, The Special Olympics, The Diveheart Foundation, and The Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, just to name a few.
The incubator side of our business is really what helps set us apart. We know what it was like for us starting out and the time and money that it takes to get to where we are now. We wanted to be able to help others who had a similar dream make that a reality and not have to spend all their resources to do so. We have become not only a learning facility but also a place where aspiring brewery owners can have a chance at joining us in a 3 month program to learn every part of opening and running a craft brewery, right down to brewing one of their recipes with us (they retain all rights to their recipe) and releasing it under our banner with a portion of the proceeds going to a charity of their choice. We hold a homebrew competition every summer to determine the 2 people or groups selected that will work with us in 2 separate sessions throughout the year.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
People often ask if the bubble is set to burst, what with so many craft breweries opening in recent years. In and around Chicago, however, there is certainly still room for growth in the Midwest. Things will always shift and trends will come and go, but beer has the ability to evolve with the trends. As long as the right people with the proper know-how and passion are the ones who continue to brew beer in the future, we will keep getting more quality brews, which is good for everyone!
Contact Info:
- Address: 8102 Lemont Rd. Unit 300
Woodridge, IL 60517 - Website: www.skeletonkeybrewery.com
- Phone: 630.395.9033
- Email: info@skeletonkeybrewery.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/skeletonkeybrewery/
- Twitter: @SkeletonKeyBrew
Image Credit:
All photos courtesy of either DWL Images, or Brittany Slayton
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