Pinch Penny Pub & Garden

Pinch Penny Pub & GardenPinch Penny Pub & Garden
Pinch Penny Pub & GardenPinch Penny Pub & Garden
Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

700 E Grand Ave
Carbondale, Illinois, 62901-3368
United States

(618) 529-3348 | map
pinchpennypub.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.48
Reviews:
5
Ratings:
6
pDev:
11.78%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of bnes09
Reviewed by bnes09 from Illinois

3.86/5  rDev +10.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.25 | selection: 4.25
Note: location has changed to a new store since the most recent review on this page.

New store looks great. Excellent selection for southern Illinois, possibly the best I the area. Great selection of lost abbey, the bruery, mikkeller, avery just to name a few. Beer is organized by American and foreign and then, roughly, by brewery.

Service is average. I've talked to a few staff about beer and only one seemed to have any kind of appreciation for the art. I've been here several times and never has anyone offered help. Staff all stand behind the counter watching you as if you're going to steal something. Maybe this is a trend in the area, not sure.

Whether you're passing through or a local to the area, I would recommend a stop to this store. Also, they offer 10% off craft beer (American) on Tuesdays.
Dec 27, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by slipperysoup from Illinois

Sep 15, 2014
Photo of seedsofchaos
Reviewed by seedsofchaos from Illinois

2.86/5  rDev -17.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3
Well... I'm having to re-review Pinch after about 2 years and am sad to report my findings... They've had a bit of a fall from grace over the last year. Don't get me wrong, Pinch has a lot of great beers. The best beer, though, the employees keep for themselves. All too many times I've gone in to inquire about a beer only to find out that an employee bought the only case that came in. Most recently, a few buddies and I went in to get a 4pack of BCBS which we were told on the phone was in, only to find out that they had one case in but an employee just walked out with all of it. This, at least to me, seems like a gross abuse. Just an opinion, I suppose..

Most of their employees are pretty friendly and most even like to keep up with the different craft beers that they have in stock. Most of the major players are represented and they have a decent stock of imports as well. Three Floyds has disappeared from their shelves but we'll keep our fingers crossed for a return.

Pinch Penny used to be my regular haunt but staff greed has turned me off a bit lately. Hopefully we'll see a return to the (old) norm in 2012 with bottle limits and new stock.
Dec 27, 2011
Photo of Hap
Reviewed by Hap from Illinois

3.7/5  rDev +6.3%
Sometimes things in life suprise you... like finding a decent little beer selection where there was none before. Items I found here just recently include offerings from Bell's, Founders, Dogfish Head, Avery, Dark Horse, New Belgium, The Lost Abbey and several others. That makes the Pinch an oasis in Southern Illinois!

My hats off to the owner/employees who are trying to do something good for Carbondale - now get out and buy up that beer before they decide its too expensive to keep it stocked!
Aug 18, 2009
Photo of champ103
Reviewed by champ103 from Texas

3.13/5  rDev -10.1%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | food: 2.5
One of two places to get some quality micros in town (from the liquor store). Though that is not saying much. Sam Smith and Chimay are the highlights of the imports. Several Goose Island, Schlafly, and Boulevard beers. They now have some of the Boulevard Smokestack series. A couple of Anchor and Same Adams beers is it as far as quality micros. The rest is the typical BMC swill. Like others have said before this is a place were college kids come to get cheap crap to get drunk. They do have a micro discount of 10% on Wed. Sometimes you will find some good surprises. I found Bell's once, Summit, and O'fallon's another time. When I lived in Carbondale this was the place I went for some micro beers. The service at the liquor store is pretty good. The mangers know their stuff, and will take special orders. Though the service at the bar is really bad. Just college coeds working for tips.

About the Pinch Penny Pub (or P3). It is a college frat boy, BMC swilling bar. There is a big rectangular bar inside, and a large beer garden. Dim and dirty. Lots of TV's and loud music. Copper Dragon is behind P3, and they use to sell the beers Copper made. Though that was a long time ago. A couple of taps for Goose Island, Bell's and Schlafly are the highlights. Other than that, all crappy macros plus Guinness, Bass, Harp, ext. Anheuser-Busch uses this bar as a launch pad for some of there "experimental" beers that they release every once in a while. By that I mean AB tested Bare Knuckle Stout, Mule Kick Oatmeal Stout, and some others along those lines here before anywhere else. They are all big sellers here as well. The food is pretty crappy to be blunt. Sub standard pub grub. A greasy pizza, burger, and wings. There are much better places to eat in Carbondale. I remember sneaking into P3 when I was underage and going to college. Not what I think of when someone says beer bar.

EDIT: I have to edit the selection for the beer store. The bar is still the same. It would be a solid 4 maybe 4.5 if I was just grading the store. I still have to dock a few for the bar because obviously they can do a lot better if the beer store does.

Stopped in here again after a quick visit to my old college town. Lots of goodies that I have never seen here before. Founders KBS, Nemisis 09, Backwards Bastard, plus several Bells, and several of the Goose Island Belgian beers. Lots of other crafts as well. Well done P3 for getting a really good selection in the beer store. Now work on the bar.
Dec 24, 2008
Photo of beerphilosopher
Reviewed by beerphilosopher from Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -3.7%
Pinch Penny Liquors in Carbondale is probably my most frequently visited liqour store these days ... the store is rather small, and caters mostly to the college crowd, I'd say, but they do have a decent selection of better beers ... an they're the only store in Carbondale that carries Ommegang beers. They also have a good selection of Rogue, Bell's, and Schlafley's beers at any given time. The best part about the liquor store, I believe, is the fact that Greg is willing to try and get anything you want that they don't have in stock. I have him checking into getting me a couple sixers of Bell's Two Hearted and Third Coast Old ale right now ... very helpful. Don't expect to find a lot of "hard to find" beers, but if you're looking for something regional they're bound to have it. If not, they'll try to get it for you. Maybe the best place to buy beer in Carbondale ...
Jul 09, 2006
Pinch Penny Pub & Garden in Carbondale, IL
Place rating: 3.48 out of 5 with 6 ratings