Today is the 72nd birthday of Michael Roper, who along with his wife Louise, founded and owns the Hopleaf Bar in Chicago, Illinois, one of the city’s best beer bars. His story in the beer world is quite interesting and important, and you can read more about it in an interview by All About Beer Magazine’s John Holl, a Voyage Chicago profile, or you read about the bar’s history on Hopleaf’s own website. I think I first met Michael when the Craft Brewers Conference was in Chicago, which was 2010, although our paths may have crossed before then. But I’ve certainly run into him since then, most recently when we both happened to be in Brussels a couple of years ago. Join me in wishing Michael a very happy birthday.