Downtown Chicago - help needed

Without a car, you can get to Binny's on Grand, Printer's Row Wine Shoppe and Warehouse Liquors.

All that said, Binny's Lincoln Park and Beer Temple are worth it. Binny's LP selection is just so much larger than the one on Grand. But, you will find good stuff at the original 3 I mentioned if family obligations don't allow you to get up to these other stores.

 

Also, if you really want ZD and you're here on the weekend (which I'm assuming), then you won't find ZD. If you want some, feel free to shoot me a message and I can most likely get you some when it's released during the week.

 

There is a Binny's downtown on Grand Ave. Not a terrible walk (and would be a cheap cab ride).

Warehouse Liquors on Wabash and Printers Row Wine on Dearborn are worth a stop as well. The walk would be pretty long, but scenic as you could take Michigan Ave most of the way. A cab back (or there) would be easy to find and pretty cheap (around $10 or so).

 

What he said...all spot on!
Other good beers from IL that are always a hit when I bring them to other states will be from Revolution, Half Acre, Spiteful, Solemn Oath, Mikerphone, Brickstone and Hailstorm. Good Luck and have fun!

 

Whole Foods has a pretty good selection here, although I admittedly don't go to the ones down where you'll be staying much. They probably won't have as good of stuff as some of the other stores mentioned, but if you can find an excuse to get into one, you may find something that piques your interest there that you didn't find at the others. I often find some nice gems at WF that I don't find at other craft beer shops (e.g. Central Waters Barrel Aged stuff, FW Anniversary, Half Acre Big Hugs to name a few...but those are all at the flagship Lincoln Park store).

I'll shoot you a note about some other things.

 

two whole foods are walking distance. both with decent selections, you'll be surprised.

 

i totally missed your post, ha! agreed though.

 

The Lincoln park binnys is 2 blocks away from the north/clybourn redline stop, and if you're staying in the mag Mile, the Chicago avenue stop will be a very short walk. Binnys LP is also like a $6 or $7 uber from the Hancock building, which would my recommended mode of travel, as the train is $3 anyway.

I would recommend going there, as its large, and is right across the street from Goose Island brewpub, which is totally worth a visit. The LP binnys also has a pretty sweet taproom.

 

You should pop in to Local Option for a beer. They always have Zombie Dust on tap and a shitload other stuff. It's up in Lincoln Park on Webster.

 

I do recommend Local Option as well for anyone looking for a place to grab a beer, but if you're on a family trip, that may not be the best choice. If your family includes kids or elderly (or adults that really don't care for loud metal music), you will probably want to skip this.

 

If you're with family, I'd say grab lunch at GI and quickly pop over to Binny's.

 

Trust the train. It's cheap and you can get anywhere in the city really quickly.
Like others have said, Local Option should be on your list. Hopleaf as well. And both have excellent food.

 

Is it that must cheaper than an uber though? Especially if you have 2 or more people. At $2.50/CTA ride, a $7 is cheaper if you have 3 people.

I love the el, but if you're from out of town on vacation, you want to maximize your time.

 

Hopleaf is also not for families with kids, FYI. No kids allowed at all - must be 21 to get in.

 

http://www.monkspubchicago.com/beer-menu-2/
http://www.stocksandblondesbar.com/

I have seen zombie dust on tap at both places above. Try calling to see if they have on tap when you arrive.

 

In the Mag Mile area where you're staying, Timothy O'Toole's tends to have an excellent selection of beer if you're looking for on-premise consumption.

If the purpose of the trip (other than beer!) is to see the city, I'd look to get the hell out of the Mag Mile area, anyway. So, taking the train to a beer destination in another neighborhood would give you a much better feel for the city than the area by your hotel.