Women’s History Month Brewery Feature #3
Cindy | Co-Owner, Art History Brewing
In honor of Women’s History Month, we will be featuring local female owned, or co-owned, breweries all month.
Meet Cindy, co-owner at Art History Brewing located in Geneva, IL. “Art History unites art and history to create an environment that features the work of artists and a variety of craft beer styles […] Art History invites you to enjoy the modern take on a traditional German beer garden and taste beer from the original source.”
Art History is known for its unique, traditional Lukr side-pour tower which aerates the beer in a similar fashion to a nitro faucet.
Art History was also one of the seventeen breweries included in the fourth year of the Chicago’s Pink Boots Society brewer’s collaboration beer, Cosmic Nunchucks. All the ingredients were donated to make the Pale Ale and it has flavor notes of citrus, tropical, sweet aromatic and berry.
We wanted to dive into her experience as a woman in the beer industry and learn more about her challenges, advice, and beer goals in our TOB Q&A:
What’s your favorite thing about the beer industry?
I worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 25yrs. I am a long-time craft beer fan,
and my husband, Tom, and I have been to over 300 breweries across Europe, the US
and Canada. Art History Brewing is my post-corporate opportunity to be an
entrepreneur in the growing craft beer industry. One of the biggest differentiators
between my corporate experiences and being an owner in this business community is
the comradery that exists between peer breweries. There is a genuine willingness to
provide assistance and guidance to others which is quite a rarity in other industries.
Opening a new business during the height of the pandemic was rough in so many ways.
We were not able to open our taproom, however, we had the support of a few key bottle
shops and retail partners who supported us right from the start and introduced our beers
to the local market. Over the last 18 months, our reach has grown substantially across
the Chicagoland area, and we are thankful to our retail partners who helped us stay
afloat throughout this pandemic.
What’s your favorite beer you’ve brewed?
My favorite beer is our Good Morning Munich Helles. This beer reminds me of being in
Munich and drinking fresh Augustiner Helles in their Keller, the German word for cellar.
There is nothing like having a crystal clear, clean and balanced lager especially on a hot
Summer day or any time! About 75% of our portfolio is focused on European beers and
the majority are lagers. I am a huge fan of authentic Czech and German lagers, and
Good Morning Munich is one delicious beer.
Let’s talk beer goals. Dream collab? Brewery expansion?
We are currently building a 20bbl production brewery a few blocks from our current
brewery/taproom in downtown Geneva. Although we will continue to brew many
different styles of beer, the new brewery will specialize in lagers. The cellar will include
several horizontal tanks which are essential for proper lager production. We are a
small, family-owned business, and we are looking forward to welcoming our daughter to
the team soon.
Since we’re all about women supporting women, what’s your favorite female
owned brewery?
Roaring Table Brewing in Lake Zurich, owned by Beth May and Lane Fearing, have
been amazing friends and peers. I love how they have built their brand and business,
and their beer is phenomenal. I have the utmost respect for them as leaders in our
industry. There is also a new brewery under construction in Batavia, Sturdy Shelter. It
is owned by an amazing couple, Diane and Frank Mercadante. Beth, Diane and I are
all on our second careers. From the perspective of a female business professional, I
love that we can bring our strengths to the table, support each other and build thriving
businesses in the craft beer community.
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