Dave Nelson
Co-owner and co-brewer at Une Année and Hubbard’s Cave in Niles
6343 W. Gross Point Road in Niles
UneAnnee.com

The last really good beer I drank was… the Oh Joy imperial stout from Pulpit Rock Brewing (infused with toasted coconut, roasted almonds and vanilla sandwich cookies). It’s across the street from Toppling Goliath in Decorah, Iowa, and it’s the one that really caught my eye there. They make a lot of their stouts the way we do, so that’s nice. 

What fellow Illinois breweries and specific beers have impressed you lately? 

Sketchbook is worth mentioning here for sure. They’ve done some things with us and are always helping people in the beer community. They’re just great people who’ve got their act together really well, all across the board. Even if you don’t like a particular style, you’ll find something you’ll love at their two breweries. Insufficient Clearance, a New England IPA, is one beer from them that I love. There are lots of good things to say about Phase Three too, and we’ve been drawn to their fruited beers and sours lately.

They’re just great people at Sketchbook who’ve got their act together really well, all across the board. Even if you don’t like a particular style, you’ll find something you’ll love at their two breweries.

Sketchbook’s Skokie patio

What are you most proud of at your brewery? 

My brother Jerry and I created this business, and there are people creating a livelihood by working both with us and for us. That’s the coolest part about this brewery and this business for sure. 

Our barrel-aging program has really taken off. In particular, my favorite is our El Zacaton, an imperial stout fermented with almond flour, cacao nibs, cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, ancho chiles, guajillo chiles, habanero chiles and cherrywood. 

The barrel-aged stouts and sours were something we didn’t have going early on, but I’m proud to say we’ve really developed a good name for. When we put the first stouts in a bourbon barrel, we didn’t have a home base to put it on tap, so we held on to it for three years. We finally got it on tap at our old space, and it was some serious high-octane. That was one of the first beers that led us to realize barrel aging is something we should do more of for sure. 

Our barrel-aging program has really taken off. In particular, my favorite is our El Zacaton, an imperial stout fermented with almond flour, cacao nibs, cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, ancho chiles, guajillo chiles, habanero chiles and cherrywood.

We have 24 beers on draft at the taproom, which means something for everyone. Sweet, sour and hoppy are our cornerstones, with the European styles being under Une Année and the more American styles belonging to Hubbard’s Cave. We also are proud of our food menu, as all of the BBQ is smoked in house.

We’ve been methodical in the organic growth of this thing, and it’s been great. 

What do you have coming up that people should know about?

We’re going to be releasing a rum barrel-aged bananas foster stout in January, and this winter will mark the first time we’re putting our barrel-aged beers in cans, so you actually get 32 ounces (two cans) instead of 25-ounce bottles. 

In the spring, our Tripel Belgian ale and our Fresh IPA are both going to be available in city and suburban Jewel stores, and our Fresh IPA and Twist of Wit will be available in cans at Goose Island’s Salt Shed in the city. 

Trivia nights on Monday are real popular, and a group of guys do a bottle share almost every week with beer from all over. The three levels of our craft beer membership will be extended through January as well.