Results tagged “champagne”

Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week:" Malheur Dark Ale

Craft breweries may receive (deserved) recognition for the inventiveness they're using to raise the profile of beer in the marketplace. It's wise to remember that today's brewers are merely dusting off techniques that date back generations, to those first groups of friars who discovered that fermenting malt made for a nice loophole to their fasting. The brewing history of the De Landtsheer family starts in the 1600s, but Emmanuel "Manu" De Landtsheer's Malheur (French for "misfortune") listed his first beer for public consumption only 12 years ago. The Malheur brews we'd shank a man with a sharpened toothbrush handle for are the ones brewed in the "methode champenoise" style.

Normally, we wouldn't recommend readers spend their New Year's Day engaging in knifeplay. That's why it's left to the pros, or amateurs in controlled situations. Yesterday we managed to cross "saber a bottle of champagne" off the list of things to do before we die. Done right, it's a very safe way to serve and drink champagne.

  • Sheffield's is hosting a craft beer social Thursday starting at 7 p.m. The $25 per person event grants you samples of rare specialty selections from Goose Island, Two Brothers, Three Floyds, Great Lakes Brewing, New Holland, Lagunitas, Dark Horse, and Sierra Nevada. Representatives from each brewery will also be on hand to discuss the selections.
  • Eighth grade students from Franklin Middle School in Champaign have written, produced, and acted in a short film about the effects of bullying. Part of an anti-bullying curriculum that will be instated by Franklin and other schools throughout the U.S. next year, the film shows some situational examples of bullying and its consequences, and hopes to make an impact on bullying by provoking classroom discussion on the topic.

    The Greater North Michigan Avenue Association wants us all to “Feel Magnificent,” and this month apparently that means knocking back the bubbly. Throughout February, businesses on the Magnificent Mile and its surrounding area have been serving champagne to diners and shoppers all along the Avenue, which means we have T minus 7 days to score some free (or reduced) sparkling goodness. The Mag Mile web site can fill you in on everywhere that’s filling flutes, but here are our suggestions on where to stop along your own personal “Champagne Crawl.”

  • Black Ensemble Theater’s home grown musical Sounds So Good, Makes You Wanna Holler (Old School vs. Nu Skool), which tracks two generations of musical strivers, is the main attraction of the company’s year-end party. The $120 ticket gets you dinner, the show, an open mic, and a champagne toast.
  • 'Tis the season for free champagne tastings. Get started tonight at the Artisan Cellar (located on the first floor of the Merchandise Mart) with a sample of some rare bubblies from 4-6 p.m. Learn all about the history of smothered foods from author Wilbert Jones, the author of Smothered Southern Foods. Jones' lecture, "Smothered - Southern Style" is being held Saturday at the Chicago History Museum, sponsored by the Culinary Historians of Chicago. The lecture...

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