The Zwanze Day Lineup!

Alvinne Cuvee Freddy“Sofie”

Averbode

Barbar

Blaugies Darbyste

Bokor Vander Ghinste Cuvee Jacobin Rouge

Boon Shaarbeekse Kriek 

Brussels Beer Project Grosse Bertha

Cantillon Classic Gueuze

Cantillon Magic Lambic

Cantillon Nath

Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus

Cantillon Vignerone

Cantillon Zwanze Beer  **ticket required!

Chimay Doree

De Dolle Oerbier

De Glazen Toren Saison de Erpe Mere

De La Senne Zinnebir

De Ranke Franc Belge

DeRanke XX Bitter

Drie Fonteinen Zwet

Duchesse 

Dupont Avec Les Bon Voeux

Duvel Single

Fantôme Saison

Girardin Unblended Old Lambic

Gouden Carolus Cuvee de Kaiser Blauw

Het Nest Wildcard Sour w/apricots

Het Nest Wildcard SourW/Raspberries 

Houblon Chouffe

Kerkom Bink Bloesem

Lindeman’s Straight Young Lambic

Maredsous Brune 8

Oude Beersel Sour Blend Grand Cru

Palm Special 

Petrus Nitro Chocolate Quad

Popperings Hommelbier

Slaapmutske Old Style Kriek

St Bernardus Wit

St Feuillien Saison

Straffe Hendrik 2014 Heritage

Tripel Karmeliet

Val Dieu Cuvee 800

Vander Ghinst Oude Brunne

Van Honsebrouk Gueuze Fond Tradition

Van Steenberge De Garre 

Westmalle Double

CANTILLON Tapping TimeLine

12:00 —Classic Gueuze

1:00 — Rose de Gambrinus

2:00 —Zwanze Beer Upstairs (ticket required)

2:00 —Magic Lambic Downstairs

3:00—Vignerone

4:00 —Nath

Special Belgian bottles beyond the 100+ bottles we always have available:

Abtsolution –  750ml

Cantillon St Lamvinus –  750ml

Cuvée St. Gilloise -750ml

De Cam Oude Lambiek 2012  – 750ml

Drie Fonteinen Hommage –  750ml

Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze – 375ml, 1500ml

Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze

Cuvée Armand & Gaston – $35 375ml

Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek – $35 375ml

Oude Geuze Boon Black Label #3 – $60 750ml

+$2 off  Belgian Bottles in our regular bottle menu

ZWANZE DAY 2019 !

At last, this year it’s at Hopleaf!
—Tix on sale Aug 28 at 12:01 pm at https://zwanzeathopleaf.bpt.me
or search for Hopleaf on BrownPaperTickets.com.
—Keep checking here for more details and links!

Simultaneous Worldwide Tapping at 2pm Central Time, Saturday Sept 28.

 Michael’s description of Zwanze Day and Week offerings is here: http://hopleafbar.com/Event/zwanze-day-and-zwanze-week-details/

Tickets are $50. The ticket gets you two tokens: one for the Zwanze beer, and the other for your choice of the other 5 Cantillons and other featured Belgians. And a T-shirt. And access to some other events during the week, TBA. The pours are 6oz.

The Zwanze token must be redeemed between 2 and 6pm. The other is usable until closing time.

Hopleaf opens at noon as usual. *There is no cover charge.*

There is a limit on how many you can buy: 2. They are will-call tickets. We require names of attendees at purchase, and will be matching IDs at the door when you receive your tokens.

NOTE: A difference from previous years!– Sorry, no bottle sharing, no outside beer nor bottles on the sidewalks. Please respect our neighboring residents and businesses.

5 other Cantillons and other special Belgian lambics, rarely if ever seen in these parts, will be available on draft and in bottles at discounted prices. Details about these (available on Zwanze Day and throughout our longer Zwanze Week celebration ) will be hopleaf.com. Please keep checking back, as many details are still being worked out. The other Cantillons will be tapped throughout the day, on a schedule.

We at Hopleaf are truly delighted to be able to offer Cantillon to our Chicago patrons again after all these years! We are designing a whole week of festivities leading up to Zwanze Day itself. Stay tuned!

Some notes from Jean-Pierre van Roy, on THIS YEAR’s BEER:
The beer for this year’s Zwanze was brewed in March 2016 and kegged January 26th 2018. Contrary to past Zwanze beers, this one is not the result of a special blend or the addition of a special fruit, but of a wholly unique brew. On March 1st 2016, we brewed a smoked Lambic using a blend of classic pilsner malt and smoked malt. Rather than taking the beer to an extreme, we looked instead to find a balance between the acidic character of Lambic and the woodiness of the smoked malt. The result is a fine Gueuze with the classic notes of a Cantillon, complemented by an elegant smokiness in the nose and on the palate.

THE IDEA BEHIND ZWANZE is to offer an opportunity for as many people as possible to try both rare and “regular” Cantillon lambics by giving them a set time and place where they’ll be able to find the beer at an approachable price. The brewery’s desire to have this be as inclusive as possible was a direct response to their limited releases ending up in the hands of a few geeks buying bottles for hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars each on the secondary market. They want more casual fans to be able to drink and enjoy the beer rather than only covet it. The Zwanze beer is different every year. There will be many other Cantillon beers  and Lambics from other Belgian breweries, both on draft and in bottles.

Zwanze Week Beer Seminars

During Zwanze Week, there will be Belgian beer Seminar/Tastings Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, at 7pm in the upstairs bar.

If you hold a Zwanze Day ticket, it gives you entry to any and all of these events as well. There will be tasting seminars for Trappist, Lambic, Saison and Flemish Sour/Foeder style beers. All Zwanze Day ticketholders need to do is RSVP in advance to attend—michael@hopleaf.com.

Tickets will be $15 for everyone else. Please purchase by noon of each seminar’s day. Space is limited, so don;t wait too long!
Mon Sept 23—Trappist Beers—https://zwanzeseminartrappist.bpt.me
Wed Sept 25— Lambics—https://zwanzeseminarlambics.bpt.me
Thu Sept 26— Flemish Sours & Foeder Beers—https://bpt.me/4368613
Fri Sept 27— The Others! Wits, Dubbels, Saisons & more— https://zwanzeseminarbelgians.bpt.me
…or search for Hopleaf on brownpapertickets.com and go from there.

Tues Sept 24 is a FREE presentation about Belgium with a focus on travel by Paul Van Halteren, Belgium’s Honorary Consul to Chicago. Paul is so knowledgable and charming, this will be really fun. If you have ever considered going to Belgium, this will be an excellent opportunity top learn and ask questions. He can also arrange a 7-day all inclusive package trip and of course, brewery visits will be in the mix. Reserve a space RSVP at michael @ hopleaf.com, so we can plan. We’ll pour you a Belgian something to enjoy during the show-and-tell.

Zwanze Week Tuesday Seminar—Visit Belgium!

Our Tuesday Seminar for  Zwanze Week is conducted by Paul Van Halteren, Chicago’s Honorary Belgian Consul! If you’ve contemplated a visit to Belgium as “beer tourists” or with wider interests in their culinary, historic, natural, artistic, architectural, and cultural treasures, this is a perfect opportunity to prepare for a richly rewarding trip.

Since 2004, when Belgium closed its official Chicago consulate after 150 years, many of the duties of the consul have been accepted by Belgium’s Honorary Consul, Paul Van Halteren. As anyone who has met him, has attended his Belgian National Day fête, or sought information about Belgium from him knows, Belgium and Chicago are fortunate to have him representing the interests of this fascinating country.  He is a wealth of information. Paul is also a professional travel planner and guide and will be offering some special trip package ideas for those interested.

This seminar is FREE!* A refreshing Belgian beverage will be offered to get everyone in the mood! September 24, 7 PM
* Please RSVP to michael @ hopleaf.com encouraged, to help us plan.

Belgian Beer River Cruise

The Hopleaf Bar and The Northman Beer & Cider Garden are teaming up to tour Belgium in Chicago on the famous river boat Chicago’s Classic Lady! We love the architectural tour but decided that pouring our favorite Belgian brews (and some cider of course) would be a great change of pace.  Food will also be included, provided by both restaurants, and will feature Belgian fare and an homage to the opening of Oktoberfest.

The price includes all of the Belgian beer tastings, souvenir tasting glass, the cruise and food.  We’re pouring 50 plus different brews, being served by the industry’s best, plus a couple of kegs available when you just need a full pour.

Access to the dock is right in front of The Northman Beer and Cider Garden on Chicago’s Riverwalk.

Boarding begins at 7:45 pm.  Cruising 8:30-10pm  Dockside 10-10:30pm.

Tickets $69 from https://belgianrivercruise.bpt.me

Beer List as of Sept 5, 2019:
Chimay Doree
Chimay Cinq Cents
Chimay Premiere
Chimay Grand Reserve
Gulden Draak
Monks Cafe
Petrus Aged Pale
Petrus Aged Red
Wittekerke
Boon Schaarbeekse Kriek
Boon Oude Geueze
Stupid Silly Sour
Silly BA Burgundy
Silly BA Cognac
Kasteel Barista
Kasteel Rouge
Tripel Karmeliet
Kwak
St. Feuillien Grand Cru
St. Feuillien Saison
Cuvee des Jacobins Rouge
Ardennes Saison
Delirium Tremens
Delirium Red
Delirium Nocturnum
St. Bernardus Wit cans
St. Bernardus Abt 12
St. Bernardus Triple
Duchesse Cherry
Orval
Zundert
Rochefort 10
Westmalle Tripel
Lindemans Framboise
a Dubuisson
a De Halve Maan
an Oud Beersel
and maybe more!

Golden Prairie Doppel Alt Tapping

In 1990, Ted Furman founded one of Chicago’s pioneering craft breweries, Golden Prairie, in the historic 19th Century Brand Brewing building on Elston Ave. Its flagship beer was an Altbier. Among the other beers he brewed there was his Buckwheat Ale that was introduced in 1993 and was an early favorite at Hopleaf.

Like other early Chicago craft breweries that were a bit too ahead of their time, Golden Prairie closed prematurely in 1999.  Twenty years later, Ted has brought the Golden Prairie brand back as part of his Argus Brewery offerings and Hopleaf will be welcoming Ted and Golden Prairie back on Thursday, September 12th.  That night, we’ll be pouring their new Doppel Alt.

Only one other brewery in the world brews a doppel alt. We are pleased to introduce a new style to the American craft beer market. Golden Prairie Doppel Alt is a darker, slightly roasty version of their flagship ale, Golden Prairie Alt, with hints of chocolate malt and a balanced hop profile. It is 9% ABV.  Come meet Ted and try a unique new style from a brewery with real Chicago history.  

Zwanze Day and Zwanze Week Details

Hopleaf is proud to host Zwanze Day 2019. It is extra special in Chicago this year since it coincides with the return of the portfolio of fine beers from Cantillon’s importer, Shelton Brothers to our marketplace.

On Zwanze Day, we’ll be offering, besides Cantillon’s very rare Zwanze Day beer, Cantillon’s Gueuze, Nath, Magic Lambic, Rose di Gambrinus, and Vigneronne. Other Shelton beers; Blaugies Dafrbyste, De La Senne Tarus Boulba and Zinnebir, De Ranke XX Bitter and Franke Belge, Glasspmutske Old Style Tripel, Drie Fonteinen Zwet, Het Nest Wild Card Sour with Apricots and Wild Card Wheat with Raspberries, Kerkom Bink Bloesem and Fantôme Saison will all be on tap till they are gone.

Anchor Steam Week

Celebrating one of the granddaddies of our wonderful workld of craft beer, San Francisco’s Anchor Steam. $4 Anchor Steams all week, glassware and swag giveaways, plus a special tapping of Barrel-Aged Porter on Tuesday night. The illustrious and fun Karl Braun will be in-house  for that!

Spiteful Poker Ride 2019

August 10th – 2:00-6:30pm

• $20 entry covers first beer at Green Lady and gets you into the ride and your first beer!
• After modest expenses are covered, all proceeds will go to Meals on Wheels.
• Each rider receives (1) playing card per stop.
• Free set of bike lights for first 30 riders!
• Awesome bike- and beer-centric prizes for top poker hands.
• Delightful raffle prizes from neighborhood friends of Spiteful.

2:00 – Check-in at The Green Lady, riders receive first card
3:00 – Check-in ends
2:15-5:45 – The Long Room –> Fountainhead Chicago -> Hopleaf -> Fireside Chicago. Recommended order, but not required. Receive one playing card at each stop
6:00 – Poker hands (five cards) have to be handed in at Spiteful
6:30 – Prizes awarded to top poker hands at Spiteful

SQUOKE—Off Color Pre-Release Tapping