Good Bottle shops between Chicago and Kenosha

Search the Great Lakes Forum -- there are dozens of threads with all the answers you seek.

 

From MKE, not incredibly familiar with the area but Mars Cheese castle will take care of all your New Glarus needs as well as local stuff. If you pass a Woodmans grocery store, they have a solid beer selection as well.

 

certainly look into the great lakes forum...if New Glarus is what you seek, just stop at the Woodmans off 94 in Kenosha. the booze dept at woodmans is the size of a Walgreens.

 

You know what the main BA website (not the app) needs?

A mapping function so the OP can plan his trip. Something that allows the user to plug in a route and up pops all the "places" found in the BA database within X miles of the drive.

As I travel a lot at work I would easily use such functionality twice a month.

 

Not sure about independent bottle shops, but I'll second Woodman's. I have family in Rockford and Woodman's is one of my go-to's when in town. Pretty damn good selection of fresh product. And really affordable.

 

The Cheese Castle will also charge 20-40% more than their competitors.

 

I would also toss in my hat for the Kenosha Woodman's as a priority stop. Tenuta's is in Kenosha on the main thoroughfare of 52nd street (hwy 158). They have a solid selection, but nothing as big as Woodmans. What Tenuta's does have that Woodman's does not is Toppling Goliath and Black Husky. I've had a few rare finds there on random stops as well. And I second the sentiments on Cheese Castle being overpriced - it's a roadside tourist trap.

 

Another vote for Woodman's in Kenosha. They'll have the New Glarus stuff covered very well. As far as Chicago goes, where is your starting point? And for someone out of the area, I'd highly recommend finding some Pipeworks beers. Their canned offerings, especially Lizard King and Ninja Vs. Unicorn are favorites of mine. They just release one of their 'fish' series beers called Sunburst Peacock which should be an immediate grab if you happen to get lucky to see it and they just released their End of Days stout which is also very worthwhile.

 

I second picking up Pipeworks cans - Lizard King is simply outstanding. War Bird, their session farmhouse ale - an odd jumble of terms, I know - is also quite tasty.

 

Also, if you're looking for other Chicago recs, pick up some Metropolitan beers - in particular, their schwarzbier, alt, or pilsner (bright lager, as they call it).

 

I'm guessing since you're from AZ, you are flying in and then driving up to Kenosha...so some stores in the city may not work out for you. If they are, though, I would recommend Binny's Lincoln Park or The Beer Temple. Neither one is all that far off the freeway.

If you're coming into O'Hare and driving north, you'll need someone with northern suburb knowledge to chime in.

 

Metropolitan is pretty easy to pick up; you can usually find some of their stuff even in Jewel.

In terms of Chicago stores, I would say stick with Binny's since that's the easiest to get to (since they're all over). If we're being specific, I'd go to Binny's Lincoln Park (across the street from Goose Island, which is another huge plus). Biggest selection in the region, you can drink beer while you browse, and did I mention Goose Island is there?

If you want something more personalized/boutiquey, check out West Lakeview Liquors and the Beer Temple. Both owned by people passionate about what they do, and both have great selections.

 

Woodmans in Kenosha will have any New Glarus that you need. Mars Cheese Castle in Kenosha carries a few Toppling Goliath beers though I was there yesterday and the cans they have (PseudoSue, Rover Truck, Golden Nugget) are pretty old. Other stores to check out might be Binny's in Buffalo Grove IL and DiCarlo's in Mundelein (Rt 60). Really it depends on exactly what you're looking for but those stores should cover most of your needs.

 

I'd also point out that if you're just looking for New Glarus stuff, you can swing by almost any liquor/grocery store and gas station in Wisconsin, and find that stuff to your heart's content. It's pretty glorious, and is something of a testament to Dan and Deb's decision to only distribute in their own state.

 

Yeah, it's pretty much a law that any business opening in Wisconsin must include a New Glarus display. And a second New Glarus display.

 

Right but Woodman's has plenty of other stuff as well.

 

If you want to sample a variety of ng beers before you buy check out uncle mikes in Kenosha. It's right around the corner from Woodman's and they usually have 8-10 ng beers on tap. Tenutas is really the only other place in the area but they're not going to have much that Woodman's won't have

 

Woodman's -- don't want to be goin' around asking for places and getting the sideways, wotta tourist, look.

Are you actually staying in Kenosha? If you are, you can wander around a little and check out some of the smaller groceries and stores to see what they have. The Piggly Wiggly on Pershing always seems to have a big selection.