Meet Ria!

What’s a cicerone? It’s a certified beer expert, and if you’re reading our blog, then you’re already an informal expert. We’ve got our own official cicerone at Bangers & Lace: Ria Neri has a handle on every beer we pour. Our motto is truly to live every week like it’s craft beer week, so we think Chicago Magazine’s profile on Ria is just as relevant today as it was during CCBW!

What To Drink at Craft Beer Week: Tips From a Certified Expert

To whet your appetite for the 11-day hop deluge that is Chicago Craft Beer Week, we chatted with Ria Neri, the cicerone for Wicker Park restaurant Bangers & Lace. Neri shares her current beer brand obsessions, her thoughts on the craft beer festival explosion, and explains how one becomes a cicerone in the first place.

So how did you break into the cicerone business?About six years ago, I worked for a design company in the hospitality industry. I was looking for a hobby and I enjoyed drinking beer, so I picked up homebrewing. I was reading up on a lot of beers and I heard about the cicerone program. It’s sort of like a sommelier but for beer, so I thought, why not get a certification? You take a written essay test. There are three tiers—a certified beer server, a certified cicerone, and a master of cicerone. I’m a certified cicerone. 
So what do you do at Bangers & Lace?I run the beer program here. I pick out what goes on draft, I do all the buying, and I collaborate with the chef. A few years ago, if you had beer on draft, you never really changed them. We have 32 lines and I change them daily. I'm also in constant communication with the chef. I tell him what the flavors are in this beer, he tastes it and makes a dish that goes with it. 
Why do you think craft beer is so hot right now?The rise of social media. The beer world got smaller. Beer went along with the whole gastronomy thing. Is it overkill?I think it’s starting to get saturated now, but by next year, it’ll start to dwindle. There’ll be a weeding out and the strong beer breweries will remain. You can only have so many IPAs. Also, you’ve got understand that some of these breweries, like Three Floyds, have been around for 15 years. They only really started getting popular 3 or 4 years ago. 
What Banger & Lace craft beer week event are you most excited about?On Monday [May 20], we’re doing a beer dinner with Perennial Artisan Ale, from St. Louis. It’s a sensory experience. [Pairings include Hommel Bier with kimichi sausage and house-made sriracha]. 
What beers and breweries are you really into right now?I like Saison beers, they’re very dry, refreshing and earthy. As far as American breweries to watch out for, there’s Solemn Oath [Bangers & Lace is throwing a one year anniversary for them on Saturday, May 18] and there’s a brewery out of Oregon right now called Gigantic, a great American brewery, all their beers are solid.

Picture Perfect Patio

As Chicagoans, we know there’s something incredibly satisfying about hunkering down at a dimly lit bar (maybe with deer heads or antlers hanging on the walls) with a thick stout or a boozy brown n’ stirred cocktail and riding out our very, very long winters.

But let’s be honest, it gets a little old, and when warmer temperatures hit and the sun is shining, we’re just as excited as you are to open all our doors and let the outside in. Scoring a seat on the patio is even better, and we like to help out there whenever possible. That’s why we extended our patio by a few seats this year and added large format cocktails (perfect for sharing on the patio) to sweeten the deal.

We tried real hard to make our patio as inviting as possible, and we’re super happy many of you think it’s picture-perfect, too! So here’s a roundup of some our favorite Instagrams that you’ve taken at Bangers & Lace. It’s kind of like seeing your name in lights?

@buttpartyerica, @mfabing88, @jnflynn525

@satanbby4l, @thisismeashton, @bigdealbog

@acaldwell09, @fkatrina, @cderusha

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)