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ekaloka - of one realm
 
ekaloka is a small-batch, experimental fermentory in Rogers Park, Chicago, Illinois. All of our brews are made sustainably using vegan ingredients, including seasonal and local produce wherever we can find it or grow it. 
 
Every bottle of our all-natural brew is an ode to and an expression of gratitude for the smallest members of our world community, who have lived and thrived alongside us for thousands of years and given us so much beauty. Our styles and ingredients reflect traditional practices and beloved brews from around the world. So please, let us share a brew with you and together say ’cheers’ to a thousand more years of living ekaloka.
GIF of a bottle of Picnic Basket/Buckthorn Pooch, our Ukrainian Farmhouse ale and kombucha styles made using sea buckthorn berries from Ukraine. Слава Україні!
A bottle of Picnic Basket/Buckthorn Pooch featuring a linocut printed label by Shobhana! This is our Ukrainian Farmhouse ale and kombucha styles made using sea buckthorn berries from Ukraine. Слава Україні!
1 gal glass fermentor labeled with masking tape filled with orange-brown liquid, frothing, indicating spontaneous fermentation!
1 gal glass fermentor full of cold-pressed apple cider, unpasteurized, and already spontaneously fermenting!
Two 1 gal glass fermentors labeled with masking tape, filled with dark brown liquid and some frothing.
A custom brew for our friend's father on his birthday! 
A bottle of wild apple cider -- made with fresh pressed apples and no added yeast!
A bottle of wild apple cider -- made with fresh pressed apples and no added yeast! 
Ben holding a 5 gal glass carboy in preparation for power washing
We clean our fermentors using a specialized drill bit that allows us to power wash the inside. But someone has to hold the fermentor down to keep it from spinning away! Thanks Ben!
Shobhana behind a tall tomato plant, mimicking biting into a vine.
We love plants! 

Dr. Shobhana Panuganti and Dr. Ben Oxley

Your local overeducated, ecofeminist, vegan brewers

One morning, we woke up and decided it was time to ferment things.

Making new things everyday is fun, but it’s even more fun when you get to taste them afterwards. When we became inorganic chemists, we found that our research didn’t offer a lot of opportunities for tasting, and more importantly, for sharing. Ben had a really big bucket, Shobhana had a big closet for fermentation, and so a brew-tiful collaboration was born. 

We’re like anyone else: we have too many advanced degrees, like to make animals of all kinds comfortable in our home, sit around with friends and pass around beers, talking of electrons, rocks, dinosaurs, black holes, fantasy novels, fungi, metal forging, long hikes at night, and what our purpose might be here in this universe.

We want to share this with all of you: to brew with rare and treasured ingredients without animal products, to incorporate the unique biotic signature of the land on which we brew, to honor and uphold the values of the indigenous stewards of this land in gratitude, and to ensure that our brewery teaches and uplifts all of us along every step of the process.

Come join us at our Friday Happy Hours and other upcoming community events to have fun, make friends, and be free!

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