Chicago Zwanze Day 2016

Agree.

But for $85 (which was $40 2 years ago), maybe not have an 18th street Pale on draft for 5+ hours?

 

Had a great time talking to old friends and meeting new ones. $85 is pricey for sure, but unlimited pours, free food for 8 hours, and what, five different cantillon on tap throughout the day? Not bad. Soleil pour was worth $85 right there.

As for the bottle sales, I had always read about it, but never witnessed the FIB in action. All I can say is wow. The entitlement that people had was sad and embarrassing. Some dude literally was berating the clerk for minutes on end asking him for information that he obviously didn't have. So you don't want Darkness, Intense Red, or Parabola, we get it, but don't sit there and yell at some guy that probably makes $10 an hour. If you were there for the bottles sales, you were doing it wrong.

Thanks WLV, I had a great time, again. Kudos to the live music players also.

 

Saw this last minute and was intrigued, but had other plans last minute. Seems like there is mixed opinions with WLV. New to Chicago, and still in the process of finding a go to bottle shop/ place to meet up for bottle shares in the city. Assuming they have it again next year, might check it out.

 

Best bottle shop in the city, for me, is either Bottles & Cans (nice people, not pushy at all, they get mostly everything, and the mix-a-pack of four or more of anything in the store is the clincher), Beer Temple (extremely nice and knowledgeable people, great and mildly curated selection, good imports), or Binny's Lincoln Park (has everything, you won't be bothered by employees, which can be good depending on how you feel about human interaction).

WLV has a good selection depending on how the owner is feeling toward beer that week. Prices are in line with Beer Temple. Probably the best import selection in the city, but a lot of the beer is out of code. The owner is Jekyll and Hyde, but treats her employees and just about everyone else in the beer industry in Chicago terribly.

 

Very well said post (although I can't comment quite as specifically on the WLV ownership). I've become pretty impressed by Bottles & Cans as I've gone there a handful of times in the past 6 months or so. I have traditionally always recommended Beer Temple and Binny's LP for people looking to find a good beer store in the city, but I think Bottles & Cans is right behind them.

 

Check out Puerto Rican Food and Luquors also.

Junior, the owner, is one of the nicest guys I've ever met and treats everyone like family.

 

Is it safe to assume you were the guy berating the bottle sale staff? Or is there a more rational reason you're not ever going back?

 

Junior is the man. Always holds on to Praire bottles for me. I'll forever be a fan of that store.

 

I went there once last year. Seems like a good place...just not convenient for me at all. With Binny's Lakeview, Binny's Lincoln Park, West Lakeview, Bottle & Cans, Capone's and The Beer Temple all being closer, it's just tough to make it over to PR F&L. And that's not an area I end up just cruising by often (read: never), so there's no chance for a "pop-in". I believe Junior was in there the time I visited, and he was extremely friendly to me, especially for it being my first visit.

 

So underrated that I forgot to mention them. Puerto Rico is awesome and has a selection that honestly blows my mind for the size and what that store is. It's incongruous in the best possible way. It's out of the way for me, unfortunately, so unless I'm grabbing coffee at Star Lounge, I don't get down there much.

I would've also mentioned Fischman, a personal favorite of mine, but that'll have to wait until they reopen next year.

 

I was the guy that cut all the people and bought Sucuba because no one wanted it.

I didn't see the berating you were talking about, so I'm not sure what you're referencing.

I was just upset the way Kristina was treating her employees.

 

Understood. If there's a good reason to support or NOT support a local business, I want to know.

Thanks for clarifying.

 

Wow, she was treating them like shit during the event?


Examples?
*pulls out lawn chair*

 

It was mainly some off handed comment I heard while they were in the back, but drunk me decided I'd just rather not give her store any more money.

 

What were the "rare or limited" bottles that were sold?