Despite many small-batch beer companies disappearing across Southern California, one emerging craft beer brand has found great success. Skyduster has become one of Los Angeles’s coolest beer brands almost overnight.
But how?
Skyduster’s success can be attributed to the founders’ willingness to hit the pavement, ultimately generating quite a buzz with chefs in the area.
While the craft beer brand’s website does not reveal too much detail beyond a short blurb about its name, which comes from the lanky palm trees that can be seen across the Los Angeles skyline, Skyduster’s origins, founders, and brewing location remained a bit of mystery until Jonny Marler and Nick Smith showed up to answer Eater’s questions about the company.
Marler and Smith met during the pandemic as part of a chef’s cycling group, despite neither of the founders being chefs. Toronto-born Marler has spent his time bouncing around in jobs that range from fixing boats to working in television, and eventually working in sales and marketing for Batloe, a hard cider brand in Australia. Smith is a Harvard graduate and former Goldman Sachs analyst who started an app to help individuals book private dining spaces in restaurants—which became rather obsolete when the pandemic led to shutdowns. Between Marler’s entrepreneurial talents and Smith’s business knowledge, the two launched Skyduster.
“Beer was getting boring and stale, it was all about the hops they use, the machinery. We got into beer because it was fun,” stated Marler.
“We’re also passionate about people, and we wanted to find a vehicle to stay connected in an industry that Nick and I loved,” adds Smith.
The founders helped expand the business by hitting the pavement—but with a twist. “A lot of people have forgotten the art of making friends. We focused on amazing customer service and getting in with chefs,” said Marler.
Marler further stated, “We want to follow what natural wine or Casamigos did, brands that were hyper-focused on cool restaurants for building their brand… Our customers are the chefs, back-of-house, and front-of-house. We want to be known as the beer that people in the restaurant industry drink.”
And chefs have welcomed Skyduster into their spaces with open arms. Chef Ori Menashe of Bavel, Bestia, and Saffy’s discovered the brand through his beverage director Garret Sprague. “It’s a very drinkable beer—you can pound multiple ones, and it’s not too hoppy. They work well with our grilled meats and even some of the seafood,” says Menashe. “The beer is very food-friendly, and it’s not like they’re trying to show off.”
Appreciating their old-school approach to marketing their product, Marler and Smith have also found success with chef and owner of Pizzeria Bianco Chris Bianco in Downtown L.A. Bianco stated that his approach has always been to work with local, small producers who have to compete in a competitive market.
Skyduster’s bold colors, clear typeface, and relaxed style create a relatable vibe, which also appeals to Bianco. “I’m a sucker for great packaging, and it’s great,” says Bianco. “It’s clean, it’s all business, there’s something pretty groovy about it.”
For chef Melissa Lopex of the tiny Portuguese restaurant, Barra Santos in Cypress Park, Skyduster is the only craft beer on tap. The James Beard Award finalist who has some of the most coveted tables in the area said, “We only serve things we love to drink ourselves. It’s just cold, crisp, and super-easy to drink. It’s a perfect complement to our food.”
Currently, the craft beer is produced in Oceanside, California, with a flavor profile that is crisp and refreshing and pairs well with food. Skyduster’s lager incorporates rice for something reminiscent of an easy-going Japanese beer, and their West Coast IPA, Italian pilsner, and Citrus wit are brewed to maintain a restrained approach.
Smith and Marler stated a brewing facility in L.A. is a possibility in the future, but the two plan to open a taproom and restaurant in Silver Lake next year in the former Malo and Bar Restaurant space on Sunset Boulevard.
“Our goal is to have a home where consumers can come and experience our brand,” says Smith.
