Miskatonic Brewing Company

What Miskatonic Brewing Company does

Miskatonic Brewing Company is a craft brewery founded by Josh Mowry and John Wyzkiewicz, both graduates of the American Brewer's Guild, and headquartered in Darien, Illinois, with a second taproom branded Miskatonic Brewing Craft Kitchen in downtown Naperville. The company produces a diverse portfolio of Lovecraftian-themed beers spanning IPAs (West Coast Wizard, Forest Crawer hazy IPA), an Imperial Stout series (Dungeon Master and barrel-aged variants including Mimic, Displacer Beast, Thunderbird, Bellwitch), traditional European styles (Vox German Pilsner, Watcher in the Woods Munich Dunkel, Chernobog Czech Dark Lager, Duffle Coat English Mild), a kettle sour line (Long Tongue Liar series), and a deep collaboration program with 12+ regional breweries.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer model anchored by its two taprooms, with revenue derived primarily from pint sales, growler fills (32oz and 64oz), ticketed events (D&D campaign nights at $22, cocktail classes at $45), gift cards sold via ToastTab, and a limited wholesale relationship with Billy Goat Taverns for two co-branded SKUs (Billy Goat Tavern Pilsner and IPA). The Darien facility serves as both production site and taproom, featuring a brewhouse view from the bar, a barrel room used for private events and cocktail classes, and a 26-car parking lot; the Naperville location is a retail-only taproom under separate social media branding. The 11–50 employee team is founder-led, with a Head Brewer (Cory Davidson, promoted 2021), a Director of Operations (Jess Phillips), a Production Brewer (Mik Dempsey), and a Darien Taproom Manager (Suzi Burnside). No proprietary technology platform, AI/ML capabilities, or external institutional funding are disclosed; distribution is intentionally narrow and community-driven, relying on Untappd ratings, social media engagement, and a recurring collaboration calendar rather than broad wholesale or DTC shipping.

Name

Miskatonic Brewing Company

Legal name

Miskatonic Brewing Company

Website

https://miskatonicbrewing.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Miskatonic Brewing Company is a founder-owned craft brewery in Darien and Naperville, Illinois, producing Lovecraftian-themed beer through two direct-to-consumer taprooms, a barrel-aging program, a regional brewery collaboration series, and limited wholesale distribution to Billy Goat Taverns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Craft Beer

NAICS

Breweries (31212)

SIC

Malt Beverages (2082)

akta.pro primary industry

Craft Beer Bars & Taprooms (THAFAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Regional & National Breweries (THAFALAD)

Keywords

• Craft beer production
• Brewery taproom
• Barrel-aged stouts
• West coast ipa
• Kettle sour series

Headquarters

HQ city

Darien

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Taproom Beer Sales: Direct sales of draft beer by the pint at taproom locations. Serves as primary revenue driver with rotating selection of flagship and seasonal beers.
2. Growler Fills: Portable reusable containers sold in 64oz and 32oz sizes for off-premises consumption. Provides incremental revenue and convenience for customers.
3. Event Tickets: Ticketed events including D&D campaign nights ($22) and cocktail classes ($45) generate event revenue and drive taproom traffic.
4. Gift Cards: Physical and eGift cards sold through ToastTab platform for gifting occasions.
5. Distribution to Taverns: Select beers distributed to Billy Goat Taverns, creating wholesale revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Miskatonic Brewing Company is a craft brewery that manufactures Lovecraft-themed beer across IPAs, stouts, lagers, and sours. Sales occur primarily through two company-owned taprooms (Darien and Naperville, Illinois) with on-premise pints, growler fills, and gift cards, complemented by limited wholesale distribution to Billy Goat Taverns.

Product overview

Miskatonic Brewing Company is a craft brewery offering a diverse portfolio of Lovecraftian-themed beers. Their core offerings include the Dungeon Master Imperial Stout series (featuring barrel-aged variants like Mimic, Displacer Beast, Thunderbird, Chimaera Cub, and Bellwitch), West Coast IPA/Wizard series (West Coast Wizard, West Coast Warlock), hazy IPAs (Forest Crawler), Kettle Sours (Long Tongue Liar series), traditional European-style brews (Vox German Pilsner, Watcher in the Woods Munich Dunkel, Chernobog Czech Dark Lager, Duffle Coat English Mild), and seasonal collaboration beers through their Brew's With Friends program. They operate a taproom experience at their Darien production facility with growler fills, and offer event hosting in their barrel room. The brewery also features Billy Goat Tavern collaboration beers available at Billy Goat Tavern locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vox German Pilsner German Style Pilsner at 4.9% ABV; light, crisp, and clean with cracker notes, subtle malt sweetness, and lingering floral noble hop character. Sold to craft beer enthusiasts.
• Liquid Lunch West Coast Pilsner West Coast Pilsner at 5.2% ABV brewed with Sultana and Strata hops and Cryo Mosaic dry hop, delivering mango, pineapple, and citrus notes.
• Long Tongue Liar Kettle Sour Series Kettle Sour series with multiple fruit variants including Bramble (Marionberry), Pickled, Apricot, Mango, Plum, Passionfruit, and Cherry.
• West Coast Wiccan Pale Ale West Coast Pale Ale at 5.3% ABV with bright aromatics of lemongrass, pine resin, dank wood, citrus pith, and dried apricot.
• West Coast Wizard IPA West Coast IPA at 6.3% ABV with classic resinous hop tones melding with ripe melon and peach impressions.
• West Coast Warlock Double IPA Double India Pale Ale at 8% ABV with over 5 lbs per barrel of Mosaic, Citra, Green Bullet, and CTZ hops, featuring pine, resin, stone fruit, and vibrant citrus.
• Forest Crawler Hazy IPA Hazy IPA at 7% ABV balancing juicy flavors and piney resinous bitterness with aromas of ripe mango, pineapple, and tangerine.
• Duffle Coat English Mild Ale English Mild Ale at 3.5% ABV with rich chestnut hue and subtle floral, earthy aromatics from East Kent Golding and Fuggle hops.
• Watcher in the Woods Munich Dunkel Munich Dunkel Lager at 5.3% ABV with deep mahogany color and aroma of caramel, toffee, toasted bread, and dark chocolate.
• Chernobog Czech Dark Lager Czech Dark Lager at 5% ABV with rich malt sweetness, toasty bread, roasted nuts, dark fruit, caramel, coffee, chocolate, and hop spice.
• Dungeon Master Imperial Stout Series Imperial Stout series with variants including Mimic (Toasted Coconut Chocolate 11%), Displacer Beast (Chocolate Mole 12%), Thunderbird (Tiramisu 8%), Chimaera Cub (Peanut Butter Cup 13% BA), and Bellwitch (Rye Imperial Stout 13% BA).
• Miskatonic Taproom Experience In-person taproom and barrel room at the Darien production facility offering brewhouse views, growler fills (64oz and 32oz), and event hosting for private functions.
• Billy Goat Tavern Collaboration Beers Billy Goat Pilsner (4.5% ABV) and Billy Goat IPA (6.5% ABV) brewed for distribution to Billy Goat Tavern locations in Chicago.
• Taproom Events and Classes Ticketed events including D&D campaign nights ($22 per ticket) and cocktail classes ($45 per person) hosted in the Darien Barrel Room.
• Gift Cards Physical and eGift cards sold through the ToastTab platform for gifting occasions at both Darien and Naperville taprooms.

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Billy Goat TavernscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partnership for Billy Goat Pilsner (4.5% ABV) and Billy Goat IPA (6.5% ABV). These collaboration beers are available at Billy Goat Tavern locations, expanding Miskatonic's reach beyond taprooms.
• Vox & HopcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborations including Lucid Dreams golden IPA for 4th Anniversary and Death Fog hazy IPA for the Devastation on the Nation Tour. Strong ongoing partnership.
• Oswego Brewing CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongtime collaboration partner. Notable brews include Auf Wiedersehen My name is Nz Tripel (Belgian Tripel collaboration with Cory and Marc Wilson) and Beer for Brewers German Schwarzbier.
• Skeleton Key BrewerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeighboring brewery with ongoing collaboration series including Joint Effort (annual since 2020: Joint Effort, The Dankening, Army of Dankness, Maximum Overdank), Sunstrike summer ale, and Your Dungeon or Mine amber elixir.
• Hop Butcher for the WorldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for The Beer that should not be (Double IPA) and Ole Knotty (American IPA with Hobson Oak chips and Vanilla) with Solemn Oath.
• Minor Threat Restaurant GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on Silver Sun Hoppy Wheat Lager.
• Black Horizon BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Illumi-nutty Pecan Milk Stout featuring house-roasted pecans.
• MoRE BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on ESB=M2 Extra Special Bitter with rum barrel-aged variant.
• The Midwest Brew ReviewminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaboration on Midwest Wizard Spruce Tip IPA using over a pound per barrel of fresh California spruce tips.
• Eagle Park BrewingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Things We Don't Say, a Mental Health Awareness beer featuring watermelon, honeydew, pineapple with El Dorado and Azacca hops.
• Two Hound RedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Nazgul traditional English-style Porter with Steve from Two Hounds Red.
• Foreign Exchange Brewing Co.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Unified Field Theory West Coast Double IPA (8% ABV) brewed with Strata, Simcoe and Idaho 7.
• FlipsideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Pigloo Barleywine Ale (10.5%) with blend of English and German yeast.
• Pierce TavernminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Brew Kids in town Midwest IPA.
• Ten Drops CoffeecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal coffee roasters providing Honduras Pacamara cold steeped coffee blend for Thunderbird Tiramisu Imperial Stout, adding espresso, caramel, and chocolatey notes.
• Vargo Brother FermentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago-based fermentation supplier providing garlic-dill pickle brine for Pickled Long Tongue Liar kettle sour.
• Journeyman DistillerycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarrel aging partnership for select Bourbon BA and Rye BA stouts. Single Barrel Pick of Journeyman Corsets, Whips & Whiskey used for special releases.
• #6 with CheeseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Liquid Lunch West Coast Pilsner (5.2% ABV) with Cryo Mosaic and Strata hops.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Off Color Brewing: Chicago craft brewery specializing in historical, sour, and offbeat styles. Comparable taproom-led, style-experimental positioning and similar scale.
• Oswego Brewing Company: Longtime Miskatonic collaboration partner (Auf Wiedersehen NZ Tripel, Beer for Brewers Schwarzbier). Comparable suburban Chicago craft brewery with taproom model and similar style range.
• Half Acre Beer Company: Established Chicago craft brewery with taproom locations, broad portfolio (IPAs, lagers, sours), and regional distribution. Comparable in product mix and Chicagoland-centric brand building, larger scale.
• Pipeworks Brewing Co. Chicago craft brewery known for highly experimental, barrel-aged, and high-ABV specialty releases sold through taproom and limited distribution. Closely comparable on Dungeons-and-Dragons-adjacent thematic branding and extreme-beer portfolio depth.
• Hop Butcher for the World: Chicago-area craft brewery focused on hop-forward IPAs and limited releases, named as a Miskatonic collaboration partner (The Beer That Should Not Be, Ole Knotty). Comparable on experimental IPA focus and small-batch specialty positioning.
• Skeleton Key Brewery: Neighboring Chicagoland craft brewery that operates a taproom and runs ongoing collaborations with Miskatonic (e.g., annual Joint Effort series since 2020). Directly comparable in scale, taproom-led GTM, and rotating experimental lineup.

Broad incumbents

• Goose Island Beer Company: Iconic Chicago craft brewery (now AB InBev-owned) where Miskatonic co-founder John Wyzkiewicz previously worked. Overlaps as a Chicago-rooted craft brand but operates at much larger scale with national distribution.
• Revolution Brewing: One of the largest Illinois craft breweries with multiple taproom locations and broad distribution. Comparable Chicago craft identity but at significantly larger scale with deeper distribution reach.
• Bells Brewery: Established regional craft brewery with broad distribution and taproom presence. Comparable as a multi-style craft producer with a taproom identity, but significantly larger and more distribution-heavy.

Regional players

• Three Floyds Brewing: Indiana-based craft brewery with strong cult brand, hop-forward IPAs, and barrel-aged specialties (e.g., Dark Lord). Comparable on experimental/limited-release philosophy and brand mystique, though based in a different state.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/miskatonicbrewing
• Xx.com/miskatonicbeer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/miskatonic-brewing-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Miskatonic Brewing Company