Warm Your Winter With Sausage Fest, First Thirst-Days, Valentine’s Kinderfest and More at HOFBRÄUHAUS CHICAGO

WARM UP THIS WINTER 

AT 

HOFBRÄUHAUS CHICAGO

Hofbräuhaus Celebrates Munich-Style Valentine’s Day Offerings, Special Holiday Kid Menu Options, Seasonal Brews and More

Hofbräuhaus Chicago, the 20,000-square-foot German microbrewery, restaurant and beer hall located in Rosemont’s Parkway Bank Park entertainment district, will help its customers beat the winter blues this season with a variety of offerings including seasonal brews, free holiday meals for kids, a Valentine’s Day sausage fest celebration, Valentine’s Kinderfest and more.

To pair with its authentic German fare, Hofbräuhaus Chicago brews special seasonal beers each month at its onsite microbrewery. “Schwarzbier,” a deep black lager with a roasted malt and sweet chocolate flavor, will be available throughout the month of January. In February, guests can enjoy Hofbräuhaus Chicago’s Bockbier. These seasonal brews will join the three beers brewed and offered year-round at Hofbräuhaus Chicago: Lager, Hefe Weizen and Dunkel.

In addition to the live music offered every night by bands direct from Germany and Austria and launching their local artist evenings, Hofbräuhaus Chicago will host special performances from The Muller Fasching Verein Nordamerika Inc., also known as the Milwaukee Mullers, Saturday, Feb. 2 from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. The Mullers are a non-profit organization with a passion for spreading their Tyrolean (Austrian) folk customs to the United States through dance. Donning hand-carved wooden masks and unique costumes, the group travels across the country to perform a story surrounding the four seasons.



Hofbräuhaus Chicago will celebrate the arrival of each new seasonal beer on the first Thursday of every month with “First Thirst-Days.” Hofbräuhaus will host a small keg tapping ceremony at 7 p.m. with its brewmaster Rob Hunter. Hunter will provide visitors with more information about the seasonal beer, free half-liter samples of the new brew and brewery tours upon request. February’s “Bockbier First Thirst-Day” is scheduled for Thursday, February 7.



For winter fun for the whole family, Hofbräuhaus Chicago will offer free meals for kids under 12 with the purchase of a full priced meal for all school holidays including Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Pulaski Day and Memorial Day. On Sunday, February 10, the restaurant will host a “Valentine’s Kinderfest” from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Families can enjoy $5 meals for children ages 12 and under in addition to a variety of free activities including face painting, make your own valentine, a balloon artist, a parade and more.



Hofbräuhaus Chicago will celebrate the most romantic day of the year by hosting a “Sausage Fest” with a “This Isn’t Your Boyfriend’s Weiner Schnitzel” food special and beer pairing. The special will be valid on Thursday, Feb. 14, Friday, Feb. 15 and Saturday, Feb. 16.  The special food menu includes:

A sausage tower for $14.95 (regularly 24.95)
Salmon sausage with wild mushroom risotto and butter lemon sausage
Skillet fried cabbage with rabbit sausage and mashed potatoes
Grilled pierogis with kielbasa
Wurstplatte – a sausage plate with Vienna style frankfurter, pork and chicken sausages served with sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and onion mustard

In addition to the special Sausage Fest menu, Hofbräuhaus will host a Sausage Fest party for singles on Valentine’s Day with a variety of sausage themed games, giveaways and photo opportunities.

Hofbräuhaus Chicago is located at 5500 Park Place in Rosemont’s Parkway Bank Park entertainment district.  Valet parking is available for a minimal charge. Parking is also available in the nearby parking garage (free with validation). For reservations and more information, call 847-671-BREW (2739) or visit hbchicago.com.

FOODIE TUESDAY: HOFBRÄUHAUS CHICAGO Celebrates One Year Anniversary

HOFBRÄUHAUS CHICAGO 

IN MB FINANCIAL PARK 

AT ROSEMONT 

CELEBRATES ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Hofbräuhaus Chicago, the first and only German micro-brewery, beer hall and restaurant in the Chicago area, celebrated its one-year anniversary Friday, January 24 in MB Financial Park at Rosemont.   We had a press opening already, so sadly we couldn't make it out in person for the festivities, but plan to visit soon.   I'm half German, and although my relatives have been born in America for 4 generations, I still have a soft spot for German beer, food and culture.

Located at 5500 Park Place, the custom- built 20,000-square-foot restaurant and brewery began its anniversary celebration at 5 p.m. last Friday. A traditional keg tapping ceremony, led by Hofbräuhaus Chicago owners Mike Matuschka, Joe Matuschka and Ted Wynn, took place at 7 p.m. 

In its first year of business, Hofbräuhaus Chicago guests enjoyed a plethora of celebrity keg tappings, with guests including professional football player Patrick Mannelly and comedian Gilbert Gottfried, live entertainment and deliciously authentic brews and fare. 

In 2013, guests enjoyed 217,637 liters of Hofbräuhaus Chicago’s freshly-brewed beers, 34,614 jumbo German pretzels, 41,520 schnitzel dishes and 13,697 apfelstrudel desserts.

“We are so grateful that the Chicago community has embraced Hofbräuhaus Chicago with such enthusiasm,” says Mike Matuschka. “Hofbräuhaus Chicago brings an authentic experience to Chicagoland and we look forward to celebrating many more years of live music, delicious fresh beer, traditional cuisine and German fun.”

Anniversary celebration festivities also featured live music from an authentic “Oompah” band all the way from the Alps, a parade led by a lively German bugle corp., delicious Bavarian fare and, of course, Hofbräuhaus Chicago beer, brewed onsite using 400-year-old-techniques.

Hofbräuhaus Chicago is located at 5500 Park Place in Rosemont, in the MB Financial Park at Rosemont. Valet parking is available for a minimal charge, and parking is also available in the nearby parking garage (free with validation). An on-site gift store is filled with unique gift items, apparel and traditional beer steins. Reservations are available. For more information, call (847) 671-BREW (2739) or visit hofbrauhauschicago.com.

Hours of Operation

Sunday – Wednesday: 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Thursday: 11 a.m. – midnight Friday & Saturday: 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.

Live Entertainment Schedule

Sunday: Noon – 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. Monday – Wednesday: 5 p.m. – 10 p.m. Thursday: 5 p.m. – 11 p.m. Friday: 6 p.m. - 1 a.m.

Saturday: Noon – 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. – 1 a.m.

A Brief History of the Hofbräuhaus

In 1589, Wilhelm V, Duke of Bavaria, dissatisfied with the beer that was being brewed locally, retained brew master Heimeran Pongratz to create a rich brown ale that both suited his palate and followed the rigorous “Bavarian Beer Purity Law” of 1516 that stated that only natural ingredients could be used in the brewing process. Beer (like bread) was considered a basic foodstuff at the time, as well as a beauty treatment for the ladies of the court, who typically consumed seven liters daily. Beer from the Hofbräuhaus (which means official brewery for the Duke’s court), quickly grew in popularity and in 1602 a wheat beer was developed at the request of Wilhelm’s son and successor Duke Maximilian I.

By 1607, the need for 38,000 gallons each year necessitated a move to larger brewing quarters, so Munich’s Hofbräuhaus was erected in its current location. In 1828, responding to complaints from Munich's ordinary citizens that they were not permitted to enjoy the Hofbräuhaus beer from the royal brewery like the public employees, Ludwig I issued a decree granting a license for the beer and cuisine to be served publicly in the Hofbräuhaus am Platzl, giving commoners the opportunity to lift steins at the same table as the gentry. Thus, the Hofbräuhaus Inn that attracts millions each year was opened.

Hofbräuhaus Chicago Brings Classic Bavarian Specialties to the Park in Rosemont.

Today, Hofbräuhaus is an iconic symbol of Bavaria with indelible ties to the Munich’s history. During the Thirty Years War when the Swedes occupied Munich, they struck a deal with city leaders: in exchange for not pillaging and plundering the city, they would leave peacefully if given 362 buckets of Hofbräuhaus beer. In 1780, Mozart credited the Hofbräuhaus with providing him the strength to write his opera “Idomeneo.”

On October 12, 1810, the wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen involved all the citizens of Munich; the celebration grew into the Oktoberfest, an annual festival now so closely associated in the minds of many with the Hofbräuhaus. In January 1823, Hofbräuhaus beer was used to extinguish a fire at the Munich Opera House when firefighters discovered their water supply frozen. In 1935, composer Wiga Gabriel and lyricist Klaus Siegfried Richter wrote the famous Hofbräuhaus song - "In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus - oans, zwoa, g'suffa!" (“In Munich there's a Hofbräuhaus - one, two, and down the hatch!”).