Christine Celis at B&L!

On July 1st, from 7-10pm, Bangers & Lace is hosting a casual meet & greet (you know we can’t resist an ampersand!) with Christine Celis, co-founder of Authentic Beverage Management Imports. We’ll even have a few beers from Christine’s portfolio, newly imported stateside and ready for your discerning palate:

• Prearis Quad (Prearis was voted Best New Brewer in Belgium!)
• Wolf 7
• Ter Dolen Kriek (The world’s only certified Abbey Kriek beer!)
• Triporteur Heaven and Hell (from BOM Brewery, former brewmaster at St Bernardus, Orval, Rodenbach.)

You may recognize Christine’s surname if you’re into legendary beer lineages: Her father Pierre Celis was the man who put the small Belgian town of Hoegaarden on the world beer map. In the 1960s, Pierre single-handedly revived the town’s cloudy wheat beers made with spices and fruit, saving the “white” brew from extinction in the face of mass-marketed lagers.

That passion for beer was passed down to his daughter, who began ABM Imports with a simple goal: to match the love, energy, and passion each of their brewers pours into their creations. Christine seeks high quality and interesting brews with their own signature style and story, and next Monday, you’ll be able to hear (and taste!) for yourself why each of the specially selected beers she’s bringing to Bangers & Lace fits those strict qualifications.

Yep, the Guy in the Shorts

You’ll surely recognize Eric, one of our longstanding bartenders. He’s easily identifiable as the the guy perpetually wearing shorts — even in the dead of winter. You know you can count on him for a solid beer recommendation, sure, but there’s a few things you might not know about him. For instance, Eric’s a two time Oprah makeover veteran.

Go ahead and pick your jaw up off your keyboard and get ready to know Eric a little bit better over the next few paragraphs.

Eric, a New Jersey native, moved to Chicago in 1998. That means you’re welcome to try spouting Springsteen lyrics at him to see if he can finish the line (the traditional test of a true New Jersyan). He’s not only a bartender, he also helps manage the daily operations at Bangers & Lace, having been on board since our salad days. Eric installed our sound system, did some additional wiring and was on the painting crew before we even opened our doors.

We tap him regularly for his awesome insight into the North American Craft scene, and always spotlight his current favorite on line #18 on our sixpack. That’s because Eric has always been into beer: he brewed in college and attended his first Craft Beer event in 1994. But he also spent about a decade in yield management at Hertz Car Rental. Maybe those shorts he’s continuously sporting are a symbol of his freedom from corporate America, or maybe his legs are especially heat sensitive. The world may never know.

‘Hot Sünner Nights’ at Bangers & Lace

Starting now, every Thursday at Bangers & Lace will be a ‘Hot Sünner Night!’ The historic beer of Cologne, Germany, Sünner Kolsch is traditionally served in a bottomless glass—that is, as the customer drinks his or her beer down, servers bring a fresh one to replace it without being asked. This continues until the happy beer drinker puts a coaster over their glass to signal the server they can cool it with the refills. 

As each beer is served, a mark is made on the coaster, which is then used to calculate your bill. On every Hot Sünner Night, Bangers & Lace servers will make their rounds equipped with authentic Kölsch Kranz serving trays filled with the traditional 200ml serving glasses (called Kölsch Stange), all to replicate the Cologne experience right here in Chicago.

Saison Season!

When you really think about it, Chicagoans have a lot in common with the seasonal Belgian farmworkers of yesteryear. Okay, maybe not that much other than this one integral thing: We want a light, refreshing beer that we can drink in large quantities. So we both (the seasonal Belgian farmworkers of yesteryear and today’s Chicagoans, that is) go to the Saison. Brewed during the winter and used to hydrate farmworkers during the busy summer months, it’s typically a bit lighter (5-8% abv), complexly flavored (hops, malts, fruits and spice!) and just a bit earthy.

It was necessary for the farmworkers because of the lack of potable water, and what better way to quench your thirst than with an alcoholic beverage guaranteed to refresh, but not incapacitate? Sure, we now have access to safe drinking water, but we’re also currently thawing out after a Chicago winter and looking to leave heavy stouts and potent whiskies behind. On second thought, maybe we do have a lot in common with the seasonal Belgian farmerworkers of yesteryear? 

We're going to make it easy for you to taste your way through some of our favorite Saison examples by pairing one of them perfectly every week with a dish from Chef Adam Wendt. Check in every Tuesday in June as we announce that day’s pairing, then come on in, eschew the water glass, and dive into an effervescent Saison.

Summertime Punch

You’re still slightly hungover from Chicago Craft Beer Week, we get it. But there’s something to be said for a little ‘hair of the dog.’ And our new summertime punch offerings are total knock-outs.

Ready for the scoop on the secret history of punches? This style of cocktail originated in India and spread to the rest of the world via a little thing called Imperialism. Punch comes from the hindi word ‘panch’ or five, because of the five ingredients that make up a true punch: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices. Once the English got into punches, they fairly quickly became a worldwide phenomenon.

We’ve mixed up two punch-style cocktails, in the traditional five-ingredient style, served conveniently in pitchers that serve 6-8 (or 4 really thirsty folks). Got a large group and a powerful thirst? This is your summer cocktail.

Great Lakes Tea Punch 
(W.L. Weller bourbon, apricot black tea, honey, lemon, angostura bitters)

The Big Pink 
(Death's Door vodka, house-made cranberry cordial, lemon, sugar, orange bitters)

Chicago Craft Beer Week at Bangers & Lace

Our motto is ‘Live every week like it’s Craft Beer Week,’ but maybe your interest in remarkable beer is at a fever pitch May 16-26. Whatever your beer intake plan is for the week, make sure you join us for any one of the amazing events we’ve got planned.

 

Tuesday, May 21st (6pm)

Stone Brewing Six Pack Feature: Stone Old Guardian, Stone Oak Smoked Old Guardian, Stone/Perfect Crime Black Saison, Stone Mix Tape, Stone 16th Anniversary with Green Tea, Stone Barrel Aged Imperial Russian Stout 2010.

Wednesday, May 22nd

The Second Annual Division I.P.A. Crawl! Visit Jerry’s Sandwiches for Midwestern I.P.A.’s, Bangers & Lace for East Coast I.P.A.’s and SmallBar Division for West Coast I.P.A.’s as part of our collaborative West Division Chicago Craft Beer Week I.P.A. Crawl!  Enjoy $2 off select pours with the full tour of all three spots.

Saturday, May 25th (all day)

Class of '88*: Deschutes + Great Lakes Imperial Smoked Porters

Deschutes and Great Lakes collaborated on this exception Smoked Imperial Porter, then went back home (okay, to their own breweries) and concocted their own batches. We’ll have both breweries’ versions of this collaborative beer, along with the Deschutes Black Butte Porter & the Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald.

*Twenty-five years ago marked a seminal time for the budding craft brewing industry in the United States. Deschutes Brewery is working with four other craft breweries founded in 1988 (North Coast Brewing Co., Rogue Brewery, Goose Island Beer Co. and Great Lakes Brewing Co.) to create a selection of commemorative beers to celebrate their shared 25th anniversary.

Spring Cocktail Menu

With Craft Beer Week just around the corner, we know you’ll be stopping in to sample special releases and perhaps attend an event or two. But before you get all hopped up, why not pre-cleanse your palate with some stellar offerings from our resident cocktail guru, Ronnie Higgins?

We did some spring cleaning and retired our heavy winter cocktails in favor of lighter, more refreshing and completely drinkable tipples: