Local breweries to compete for a cause at Skokie’s Battle of the Brews

Five different local breweries will meet in Skokie this week to compete over who has the best beer on tap.

All anyone else has to do is show up and drink — for the kids.

The Education Foundation of Niles Township’s second Battle of the Brews fundraiser will take place from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 26, at the Oakton Community Center, 4701 Oakton St., Skokie.

The event will feature a variety of beer tastings, wine tastings, pub food and games. Tickets cost $60 at the door with all proceeds supporting the foundation’s work to provide school supplies, college visits, mentorship programs and financial assistance to students in Niles Township. 

The nonprofit — which has so far awarded $650,000 to students in the township’s 10 public school districts since the organization started in 2007 — primarily serves the more than 35% of students in the area who come from low-income families and are eligible for free or reduced school lunches.  

“Every child in the United States deserves a quality education,” said Alyse Burman, chair of the Education Foundation’s board. “Just because they don’t have the same funding as other children, they should all start out on the same footing and it’s so important.” 

The six breweries participating in the fundraiser on Thursday are: Sketchbook Brewing Co., Half Acre Beer Co., Maplewood Brewery & Distillery, 3 Floyds Brewing, Off Color Brewing and Great Lakes Brewing Company

Food will be provided from local eateries like Fatpour, Village Inn, Superdawg and Culver’s. 

After voting for which business offered the best brew, attendees can take home a commemorative tasting cup. The goal is to draw more than 150 people and surpass the $8,000 the event raised last year, Burman said. 

Sponsorships — at $1,000 a barrel, $750 a keg, $500 a flight or $250 a pint — are also available via The Education Foundation’s website.

The fundraiser will also kick off with a “surprise” contest between Skokie Mayor Ann Tennes and Morton Grove Mayor Janine Witko, Burman said. 

While Burman has been involved with the Niles Township Education Foundation since its first inception, she said students’ needs in the community have increased since the pandemic. 

Recent data gathered by the foundation shows that about 7% of residents in Niles Township — which covers Skokie, Lincolnwood, Golf and parts of Morton Grove, Niles and Glenview — live below the federal poverty level; 4% of those residents are children. 

The organization has provided $37,000 to Niles Township students this school year alone, with those funds going toward fees families must shoulder for AP tests, test prep, college applications, foreign exchange trips, school supplies and school programs, Burman said. 

But the nonprofit also acts as a stop-gap to help families struggling with food and housing insecurity. 

The Education Foundation previously operated a “Pizza Wars” fundraiser that pitted restaurants in a competition, but retired that series in 2017 because of logistical challenges, Burman said. 

With the second ever Battle of the Brews, she hopes to see the community show up to both have fun and support local students in need.

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