24 days of beer: The Beer Cellar counts down to Christmas with Advent calendar
An Advent calendar may just be indispensable this year.
It can restore a sense of time warped by the pandemic, reminding us that we're nudging ever closer to Christmas, or the beginning of the end of 2020.
Proving that Advent calendars are a must-have, there are about 200 left of the version created by Dave Hawley, a bearded guy with a twinkle in his eye.
“I feel like we have a lot more fervor around this year's Advent calendar than we have in previous years,” said the owner of The Beer Cellar shops in Glen Ellyn and Geneva.
His Advent calendar contains a surprise behind every perforated door: 24 cans of craft beer to toast to each passing day of the holiday season.
Hawley traditionally features breweries from around the country. But his 2020 selection - curated as a “labor of love” - supports Illinois breweries trying to cope with COVID-19 restrictions on bar service.
“Because of COVID, we've seen the local breweries kind of band together with us, and we wanted to keep as many dollars in our local economy as possible,” Hawley said.
He began working on the fifth edition of The Beer Cellar Advent calendar in May. Hawley chooses some beers based on flavor profiles or prestige. In other cases, he wants his loyal fan base to make a new discovery.
Art History Brewing, for instance, opened this year in Geneva and now has its product in the calendar. Hawley said Art History is making some of the best lagers in the state “right out of the gate.”
“We have a huge customer base that exists already, so I want people to know about Art History because I think they are important to the fabric of Illinois craft beer,” Hawley said.
The calendar lineup also showcases Mikerphone Brewing in Elk Grove Village, Hopewell Brewing Co. in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood and the city's Saint Errant Brewing.
Three beers were featured in the medal competition at the Great American Beer Festival. Hoppy beer, a special dark lager and a cranberry wild ale add to the variety.
“We try to make it festive and fun but we also try to bring some of the best styles in the area to this thing,” Hawley said.
The calendars have become a holiday ritual for customers who buy the boxes for themselves, their business clients or the beer connoisseurs in their life. In pre-pandemic times, Advent calendars would bring a line of customers to The Beer Cellar.
But while the tap room remains closed, Hawley adapted by offering a pandemic-proof way of enjoying limited edition beers at home.
Customers can arrange for free pickup or pay $10 extra for delivery if they live within a 7-mile radius of either store. Preorders of the $100 calendars will run online at Beercellarchicago.com through Nov. 23.
Hawley takes care to stock the calendars with fresh brews, the way the brewer intended it.
“We're ordering all the beer fresh the week of building the calendars,” he said. “Some other places will use old stock they can't get rid of or stuff from the shelves. No. We order all fresh beer.”
The box itself depicts artwork by returning artist MC Johnsen. A winter Glen Ellyn scene shows two landmarks on a starry night: the Civic Center and the Glen Art Theatre.