Inspired Home Brewers Turn Their Passion into Lake Bluff Brewing Co.

Rodd Specketer is a banker.

Dave Burns is an engineer.

Not exactly the careers that steer you into a path of opening your own business. But the one thing they do have in common, beer, led the duo to add a second job to their resumes and open the Lake Bluff Brewery, 16 E. Scranton Ave., this week. The official opening is Wednesday (March 23).

Sixteen months in the planning, Specketer and Burns, both corporate professionals, are inspired to open a brewery to set their own direction –hence the compass in their logo - and manifesto that reads “for the love of craft and beer.” 

“Opening a brewery is like another full-time job. There is a lot to do,” Specketer said.

Specketer, a Lake Forest High School graduate, is a father of four children, with one on the way. A native of Greenbay, Wis., Burns moved to the area while attending Northwestern University. Burns is an active father of three, as well as Specketer’s North Avenue neighbor.

“We met two years ago mountain biking and discovered our shared passion for the craft,” Burns said.

“We read up on it and did a lot of studying,” added Specketer. “We continually refined the beer until we got it to flavor profiles that were up to our standards.”

Burns, a mechanical engineer, describes himself as a process guy.  Working hard to get a quality beer was a natural process."I enjoy learning about how and why something works, the process of getting all the parts right and also cooking,” Burns said.

The Tandem have partnered with a quality local creative team that kept the opening on target, explained Specketer. Aaron Wolf-Boze and Robert MacArthur of Vessyl have created handmade growlers and hand blown glass tap handles; Kerri Sherman of Bloom & Focus contributed the artwork; Tim Moore custom designed and built the banquettes for customers to sit on; Anna Thor (Goldsberry) added the banquette cushions; Specketer and Burns built their own custom cabinets created in their garage over the winter, and more than 680 enthusiastic friends on the Lake Bluff Brewery Facebook page, where the newly minted license is displayed.

The brewery will be a small friendly German beer hall/pub style environment, with beers with names that reflect Specketer and Burns’ shared enjoyment of mountain biking. Soft Tail, Hard Tail and Easy Rider (among others) will be available with a menu that includes grilled paninis, sausages and Bavarian pretzels.

The beers will be offered for take home purchase in 64-ounce glass jugs known as growlers, as well as sold on the premises in pints or sample trays.

The microbrewery will accommodate up to 40 people. Visitors will be able to view the three barrel supply system that produces 6.5 barrels at a time. There are also two fermenters in the cellar.

“Brewing will be in small batches so we can keep our eyes on the whole process” Burns said.

Added Specketer, “You will be able to taste the difference in our beers. We already have received a lot of interest from bars and restaurants.”