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Beer of the Week: Cane & Ebel

The far western suburbs have a few food and drink highlights, among them, Paul Virant’s Vie, Katy’s Dumplings and the massive Super H Mart in Naperville. But head out to Warrenville, and you’ll come across the headquarters of Two Brothers Brewery, one of the region’s craft brewing pioneers. This week’s pick is a red rye … Continued

Beer of the Week: Temperance

Evanston is known for many things: Northwestern, Edzo’s and the rocky lakeshore come to mind. But beer? Not until recently. The Hopleaf’s Michael Roper says get ready to hear about Temperance – the first and only brewery from Evanston that has some wonderful citrus hops, low alcohol and just a touch of rye. Here’s to … Continued

Beer of the Week: Velvet Merlin

This week’s pick has nothing to do with magic, it’s simply an oatmeal stout from one of our favorite breweries – Firestone Walker. “They can do no wrong,” says Hopleaf owner Michael Roper, and with its low alcohol and dark, rich finish, it’s a beer that’s well-suited to the cooler days ahead. Cheers to that.

Beer of the Week: Old Tom

By now you should know that Roper is a big fan of the small, family-owned brewery. That’s not to say he doesn’t respect and enjoy a good beer from a large company, but more often than not, he gravitates to the mom-and-pop operation. This week is no different. He’s tipping his cap to Robinson’s Brewery, … Continued

Beer of the Week: AMA Bruna

It seems like we’ve been talking a lot about the Brooklyn Brewery lately. They’ve got their big MASH event coming to town in a week or so, and this week’s pick is actually a collaboration between Brooklyn’s Brewmaster – Garrett Oliver – and an Italian brewery called Amarcord. They produce a blonde and a bruna … Continued

Beer of the Week: Ballast Point

It does seem like everyone and their beer-crazed brother is producing an IPA these days. But this week’s pick is a true pioneer in the category; it’s one of the first in America’s craft beer movement, and now, it’s available in Chicago. It’s from Ballast Point, a well-regarded brewery in San Diego, and it’s relatively … Continued