For a town its size, Evanston has a genuinely strong craft-beer scene — a cluster of independent breweries and brewpubs, each with its own taproom character, in a place that was famously dry until the 1970s. This is the complete local guide to Evanston breweries: who they are, what to drink, taproom vibes, food, and the town’s teetotaling backstory. Want to know what’s freshly on tap? Ask Evanston locals right now.

The best breweries in Evanston, IL

Evanston’s breweries each do something a little different (details from each brewery and review consensus, not a single ranking):

Temperance Beer Co.

Temperance Beer Co. is Evanston’s first craft brewery (est. 2013) — and its name is a wink at the city’s anti-alcohol history. The taproom, in an industrial-park space near downtown, is a comfortable hangout with communal seating, a wraparound bar, and a shuffleboard table, pouring award-winning year-round and seasonal beers. It’s the anchor of the local scene.

Sketchbook Brewing Co.

Sketchbook Brewing Co. (821 Chicago Ave) is a cozy, eclectic neighborhood taproom made for lingering — board games, a rotating selection of house beers, and an intimate, friendly feel. A favorite for a low-key evening with friends.

Peckish Pig

Peckish Pig (623 Howard St) is a brewpub and gastropub in one — house-brewed beers paired with a full, locally-sourced menu and weekend brunch, in a warm, eclectic room. The pick when you want a proper meal with your pint.

Double Clutch Brewing

Double Clutch Brewing rounds out the scene with its own taproom and lineup of house beers — another welcoming spot for a flight and a relaxed afternoon.

Evanston’s dry-town history

Evanston’s beer scene is young for a reason: the city was the birthplace and headquarters of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and was legally dry — no alcohol sales — well into the 1970s. That’s exactly why Temperance Beer Co. named itself as it did, and why a town this old has such a fresh crop of breweries. It’s a fun bit of local irony that today Evanston is a craft-beer destination.

Taproom vs. brewpub: which to pick

Just here to drink? Temperance, Sketchbook, and Double Clutch are taprooms built for beer, board games, and hanging out (some allow outside food or food trucks). Want dinner with your beer? Peckish Pig is the full brewpub with a kitchen and brunch. Bringing a group? Temperance’s big communal space and shuffleboard are ideal. Whatever the mood, Evanston has a taproom for it.

What to drink

Across the breweries you’ll find the full craft spectrum — crisp lagers and pilsners, hazy and West Coast IPAs, pale ales, stouts and porters, plus rotating seasonals and small-batch experiments. New to craft beer? Order a flight to sample four or five pours and find your lane. Ask the bartender what’s fresh this week — taplists rotate, and the newest release is often the one to try.

Food, families & dogs

Peckish Pig has a full kitchen; the taprooms often host food trucks or allow you to bring in food — check each spot’s current policy. Many taprooms are family- and dog-friendly in the early hours (Evanston is a big dog town — see our dog-friendly guide), though policies vary by brewery and time of day, so confirm before you bring the kids or the pup.

A brewery crawl in Evanston

Because the breweries are spread across town — near downtown, on Chicago Avenue, and down on Howard Street at the Chicago border — a crawl is easy by rideshare or the CTA Purple Line (please don’t drink and drive). A fun route: start with dinner and a house beer at Peckish Pig on Howard, hit Sketchbook on Chicago Ave, and finish at Temperance’s big taproom. It’s a genuinely good beer town for a lazy weekend afternoon.

Breweries & the wider bar scene

Evanston’s breweries sit alongside a solid bar scene — Irish pubs, cocktail spots, and college-town favorites near Northwestern. If you’re building a night out, pair a taproom with a stop from our bars & nightlife guide, or grab dinner first from the restaurants guide. The craft-beer crowd and the pub crowd overlap here, and most of it is walkable or a short Purple Line ride apart, which makes Evanston an easy place to spend an evening without a car.

Beer events & seasonal releases

The breweries keep a lively calendar: trivia and game nights, live music, food-truck pop-ups, and seasonal beer releases (Oktoberfest lagers in fall, barrel-aged stouts in winter, crisp lagers and patio beers in summer). Around Northwestern events — football Saturdays, graduation, parents’ weekends — taprooms get busy, so go early for a table. Following your favorite brewery’s social feed (or the community feed below) is the best way to catch a limited release before it kegs out.

Breweries near Evanston

Want to extend the crawl? The North Shore and north Chicago add more options a short drive or train ride away — neighboring Skokie and Chicago’s Rogers Park have their own breweries and taprooms (Peckish Pig on Howard already sits right at that border), and the city’s deep craft scene is 20–30 minutes south on the Purple or Red Line. But Evanston’s own cluster is more than enough for a full, fun beer day close to home.

The bottom line on Evanston breweries

From Temperance’s pioneering, cheekily-named taproom to Sketchbook’s cozy board-game vibe, Peckish Pig’s brewpub kitchen, and Double Clutch’s easygoing pours, Evanston has quietly become one of the North Shore’s better beer towns — a genuinely fun surprise in a place that once banned the stuff. Order a flight, ask what’s fresh, take the train, and let the neighbors below tell you which taproom is pouring something special this week.

Tips for a great taproom visit

A few pointers to make the most of Evanston’s breweries: check hours first — taprooms often open only in the afternoon and evening, and hours shift with the seasons and the university calendar. Bring cash or card and a designated driver or a transit plan. If you like a beer, ask whether they sell crowlers or growlers to take some home, and whether they fill howlers (half-growlers). Many spots are most relaxed on weekday evenings and early weekend afternoons; later weekend nights get lively, especially in the school year. And don’t be shy about asking the bartender for a taster before committing to a full pour — that’s what the flight culture is for.

Why Evanston is a good beer town

What makes the scene work isn’t just the number of breweries — it’s the variety and the walkable, welcoming character. You can find a quiet board-game night, a full brewpub dinner, a big communal taproom for a group, and a rotating cast of seasonal releases, all within one transit-served town, and all independent. Add the irony of a craft-beer renaissance in the former home of the temperance movement, and Evanston’s breweries are as much a story as a night out. It’s one more reason the town punches above its weight for food and drink.

Pair it with the lakefront

A perfect Evanston Saturday: a walk along the lakefront and the beaches, an early dinner, then a taproom or two to close the night. See our beaches and things to do guides to build the rest of the day around the beer — and check the community feed below for tonight’s fresh pours and any brewery events. Cheers to a town that turned its dry past into one of the North Shore’s most enjoyable beer scenes.

However you like your beer — a crisp lager on a patio, a hazy IPA over a board game, or a barrel-aged stout by the fire — Evanston has a taproom pouring it, and a neighbor happy to tell you where. Grab a flight and settle in.

Prost — and we’ll see you in the taproom.

Evanston’s craft-beer scene keeps growing, so bookmark this guide and let your neighbors keep it current — new taps, new releases, and new spots land here first.

Frequently asked questions

How many breweries does Evanston have? Several independent breweries and brewpubs, including Temperance Beer Co. (the first, est. 2013), Sketchbook Brewing Co., Peckish Pig, and Double Clutch Brewing.

What was Evanston’s first brewery? Temperance Beer Co., which opened in 2013 and is named after the city’s temperance-movement history.

Which Evanston brewery has food? Peckish Pig is a full brewpub with a kitchen and weekend brunch; the taprooms often host food trucks or allow outside food.

Why does Evanston have so few old breweries? Evanston was legally dry until the 1970s (home of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union), so its craft-beer scene is relatively new.