It's a new day in Evanston—once a dry community and the national headquarters of the temperance movement—where a gin distillery is up and running, a bar devoted to craft beers just opened downtown and what could be the city's first brewery is slated to open at 1615 Oak Ave. this summer.

Smylie Bros. Restaurant and Brewery will serve a variety of craft beers brewed in house, as well as barbecue and wood-fired pizza, among other offerings. "Considering that Evanston was dry…it's really the first brewery in its history, which is pretty cool," says owner Michael Smylie.

The brewpub is also the first restaurant venture for Smylie, who left a career as a commodities trader to become a chef. "It's been a dream of mine for a long time to do barbecue and brewing together," says Smylie. "It's kind of all been leading up to this."

Smylie began attending culinary school at night while he was still working during the day on the trading floor. When his commodities firm was sold, he decided to leave the business altogether, and gained experience as a line cook at restaurants such as Café Lucci in Glenview and Aigre Doux in the Loop. He also got into making his own beer—something Smylie has been doing at home now for the past several years. One of his favorite homemade brews might even make it onto the first menu, he says. It's a honey wheat IPA he first brewed during the "Snowmageddon" blizzard of 2011 and jokingly called "Thundersnow."

"It's pretty popular among the people who have tried it," Smylie says.

He plans to construct brewing and fermentation tanks on one side of the 8,400-square-foot space, set up behind glass so diners can see the operation at work. The brewery will make up to 300 gallons at a time, and customers will also be able to purchase growlers to take home.

"We're going to take traditional styles and put our own spin on them," he says. Offerings will likely include a pale ale, wheat ale, brown ale and porter or stout, as well as seasonal beers. The food is inspired in part by Smylie's family traditions. He grew up in Winnetka with four younger brothers, and recalls seeing his dad, a transplanted Texan, cook brisket outside even in the dead of winter.