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
This week, Roper looks to the Northeast, specifically, Portland, Maine. The Allagash brewery has always produced Belgian style beers in large formats, but now they’re actually producing the same great beer in more manageable 12 oz. bottles. Their dubbel and tripel happen to be wonderful beers, and now anyone can find them in their better … Continued
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
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.
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
I love pumpkin pie, and the occasional soup or roasted pumpkin side dish is a welcome addition to my table. But beer? Maybe not so much. The Hopleaf’s Michael Roper says these seasonal brews are picking up steam, and while many are just artificially flavored or overwhelmed with spice, there are a couple that are … Continued
You’d think this week’s pick would hail from Canada, but this autumnal red ale actually comes courtesy of San Francisco-based Anchor Brewing. It’s a wonderfully hoppy beer that has just a touch of California maple syrup to balance it out. It’s only available for a few more weeks, so get it now, and go rake … Continued
One of the wonderful things about beer is that it can often be produced and bottled for a specific season. You don’t have to make thousands of cases, but instead, can offer a small batch of something really special for a limited time. Such is the case with most Oktoberfest beers, in demand right now, … Continued
This week’s beer, from Germany, comes in a super cool bottle and has a bit of sea salt; it’s extremely refreshing, but a tad hard to find. Naturally, they do carry it at The Hopleaf, as well as a few other bars in town, but you’ll have to ask. Leipziger is the producer, and the … Continued
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
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