Bonsai & Brew Studio — Beginner Bonsai 101

Category: Learning Also called: Bonsai and Brew Studio; Bonsai & Brew Beginner Bonsai 101 workshops (Chicago, IL); bonsaiandbrewstudio.com Last checked: 2026-10-12

What it is

Beginner Bonsai 101 is a dated, ticketed two-hour hands-on beginner bonsai workshop run by Bonsai & Brew Studio, which its home page says “began with a passion for making the art of bonsai approachable” and is based in Chicago. The studio is “taking bonsai out of traditional gardens and into your favorite bars, breweries, and coffee houses.” Instructors “guide you through the fundamental skills and techniques of bonsai,” and you “learn to pot, prune, and craft your very own bonsai tree.” Each ticket includes one pre-tree of your choice, a pot and humidity tray, potting chopsticks, two hours of hands-on plant education and use of class tools. Upcoming Chicago sessions include October 21, November 19 and November 22, 2026, at $75. This listing is Learning. It is not a nursery and not a membership club.

Who it’s for

Chicago-area adults who want a social, low-commitment first bonsai lesson and want to leave with a potted tree, including groups of friends and date-night bookers. Companies can book private sessions. People who want a multi-week course, a botanic-garden setting or monthly club meetings should look at other Learning or Clubs listings.

Why it’s listed

This is a first-party ticketing store. Each workshop has its own page with date, start and end time, venue name, street address, ticket price, seats left and what the ticket includes, and the studio publishes an FAQ with age, arrival and refund rules. It is curriculum and schedule first, not a scraped event-aggregator card.

Upcoming Chicago sessions (official product pages, checked 2026-10-12):
- Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 6:30–8:30 PM CDT — Maplewood Brewery & Distillery, 2717 N Maplewood Ave, Chicago. $75; 18 left.
- Thursday, November 19, 2026, 6:30–8:30 PM CST — Konbini & Kanpai Wrigleyville, 3443 N Sheffield, Ste 1, Chicago, IL. $75; 18 left. $25 sake tastings can be bought onsite.
- Sunday, November 22, 2026, 12:00–2:00 PM CST — Ramova Theater & Off Hours Beer, 3520 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60609. $75; 20 left.
More dates (Beginner Bonsai 101 Workshops Chicago collection): the collection showed 14 workshop listings, all in stock, on the check date, including suburban sessions (for example Itasca, Highwood, Naperville and St. Charles) and some tickets with venue perks priced higher. The studio also runs Novice Bonsai 102, kokedama, succulent and plant-bingo events, and Milwaukee sessions.
What the ticket includes (collection page and FAQ): 1 pre-tree of your choice; 1 pot and humidity tray; 1 pair of potting chopsticks; 2 hours of hands-on plant education; access to class tools and materials. Drinks are not included unless a ticket says so.
Rules (FAQ and product pages): one ticket per attendee, no sharing or watching; arrive 15 minutes early; ticket buyers must be 21+ at venues that serve alcohol and 18+ at coffee houses; no waitlist for sold-out workshops. Tools are sharp, and the product pages carry a safety waiver.
Refunds (Refund policy and FAQ): refunds up to 48 hours before an event; inside 48 hours, a coupon code of equal value for a future event.
Private bookings (Private Events page): private beginner bonsai workshops run 2 hours at $100 per person, with a $1,000 (10-person) minimum.

Session dates, prices and seat counts above are what the official pages showed on the check date. Seats sell out and prices change. Check the live event page before treating any figure as fixed.

Official URL

Primary page (Beginner Bonsai 101 Workshops Chicago): https://bonsaiandbrewstudio.com/collections/upcoming-bonsai-brew-workshops

Oct 21, 2026 session, Maplewood: https://bonsaiandbrewstudio.com/products/10-21-26-beginner-bonsai-101-maplewood-brewery-lounge-chicago
Nov 19, 2026 session, Konbini & Kanpai: https://bonsaiandbrewstudio.com/products/11-19-26-beginner-bonsai-101-konbini-kanpai-chicago-wrigleyville
Nov 22, 2026 session, Ramova Theater & Off Hours Beer: https://bonsaiandbrewstudio.com/products/11-22-26-beginner-bonsai-101-ramova-theater-off-hours-beer-chicago
Workshop FAQs: https://bonsaiandbrewstudio.com/pages/faqs
Private bookings: https://bonsaiandbrewstudio.com/pages/private-events
Refund policy: https://bonsaiandbrewstudio.com/policies/refund-policy
Contact: https://bonsaiandbrewstudio.com/pages/contact
Bonsai & Brew Studio home: https://bonsaiandbrewstudio.com/

Location

Workshops are held at partner venues around Chicago, not at a studio of its own. Each session page prints the venue address (for example 2717 N Maplewood Ave; 3443 N Sheffield, Ste 1; 3520 S Halsted St). The site says the studio is based in Chicago but prints no studio street address or phone number; contact is by web form.

This is a class / workshop identity. Do not treat this Learning card as a retail bonsai nursery or as a membership club.

Notes

Category is Learning. The studio sells dated class tickets; its supply store and plant guides are secondary.
Instructors not named: the pages say “expert instructors” but do not name them.
Founding year not stated: the site does not say when the studio started, so this card does not print one.
Timezone labels: the October page says CDT and the November pages say CST, which matches the daylight-saving change on Nov 1, 2026.
Seat counts (“18 left,” “20 left”) are live inventory and will change.
Similar format to the existing Learning card branch-and-bloom-bonsai-and-beer-workshop, but a different brand, domain and city.
Year check: Oct 21, 2026 is a Wednesday, Nov 19, 2026 a Thursday and Nov 22, 2026 a Sunday (calculated).
Geographic spread: Chicago IL already has the Learning card chicago-botanic-garden-bonsai (Glencoe) and the Clubs card midwest-bonsai-society, both different brands and domains. Illinois is not one of the recent states (Fri TX / IA / AZ, Thu MO / KY / UT, Wed OR / GA / RI).
Listing image: first-party Bonsai & Brew Studio logo, the site’s og:image (bonsaiandbrewstudio.com/cdn/shop/files/BB_Logo_Color-01_72a48125-….png), 1000×1000 PNG, saved beside this file as bonsai-and-brew-studio-beginner-bonsai-101-logo.png.
Not affiliated with Bonsai Plaza.
No Bonsai Plaza contact, purchase, booking, or publication action was taken.

FAQ

Q: When are the next Bonsai & Brew Beginner Bonsai 101 workshops in Chicago, and what do they cost?
A: The official pages (checked 2026-10-12) list Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 6:30–8:30 PM at Maplewood Brewery & Distillery, Thursday, November 19, 2026, 6:30–8:30 PM at Konbini & Kanpai Wrigleyville, and Sunday, November 22, 2026, 12:00–2:00 PM at Ramova Theater & Off Hours Beer, each $75.

Q: Do I take home a tree?
A: Yes. The ticket includes one pre-tree of your choice, a pot and humidity tray, and potting chopsticks, plus two hours of instruction.

Q: Is there an age limit?
A: Ticket buyers must be 21+ for workshops at breweries, distilleries, wineries and other alcohol venues, and 18+ at coffee houses.

Q: Are drinks included?
A: No, unless the ticket description says so. The studio asks guests to support the venue.

Q: Can I get a refund?
A: Refunds are offered up to 48 hours before the event. After that, the studio gives a coupon code of equal value for a future workshop.