Well, I’m back from Belgium. The few remaining hairs on my head are properly blown back, my heart is stoking along a steady 100* from all the kindness of the many wonderful Belgians we met, and my liver is seriously pissed off at me, trying to show me who the boss is of this round, tubby, shithouse. I’ve got many stories to tell, and I will in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, hey, we’re back in the good old U.S. of A and there is no shortage of beer business to be had here in the land of poorly dressed thick necks.
At the top of the agenda is this weekend’s Beer Hoptacular. You might remember Matty’s mention of this from last month and the very lovely photo that accompanied it. Well the Hoptacular is now upon us and promises to be an event any serious beer lover would be foolish to miss.
Do the math: craft beer is blowing up, Chicago – with the likes of Half Acre, Metropolitan (holy crap have you tried the I-Beam yet? It’s their Alt beer and it’s awesome and, you lucky guy you, it’s on tap at Small Bar Logan right now) and all the fine things happening in the Logan Square area – is finally beginning its ascent to become the great beer city it always promised it could be. And now, in addition to all those gold standards, we’ve got this here Beer Hoptacular threatening a potential annual beer bacchanalia wherein fat, bearded, beer-loving beer-geeks can indulge all of their D&D-esque predilections into a stinking, ritualistic orgy celebrating that finest of cereal based intoxicants and plant bittered brews.
Come on! Seriously, what are you waiting for? Where else are you going to be able to drink your favorite beer while learning about home brewing and badgering your favorite local brewers with stupid questions all the while having your ears peppered with panelists discussing this fine titan of a beverage?
It’s a great time to be an alcoholic in Chicago, my friends. Why not come out an raise a glass to celebrate it?