Recommended Craft Bottle Shops

There's an outpost of Chicago-land's liquor super-store chain, Binny's at 213 W. Grand. The Gold Coast Whole Foods (30 W. Huron) has a much smaller selection but they still get a healthy amount of limited/rare releases. If you're willing to travel a little, I'd stop by Warehouse Liquors (634 S. Wabash -- they also tend to update BeerMenus pretty regularly, though I'd call ahead and if you're looking for something specific: http://www.beermenus.com/places/1266-warehouse-liquors ); and if you're willing to travel a little more... well, plenty of other options, too.

 

What is a good suggestion for buying singles? Preferably in the River North or Wicker Park areas.

 

City of Chicago law requires that beers be bought in multiples of 4 or 6 (though some stores don't pay attention). Binny's (River North location or Lincoln Park -- which is very convenient to either River North or Wicker Park) has a healthy selection of 12oz. bottles/cans so you can make your own 6-pack for $9.99, but you're limited to beers that retail for $9.99 or less. Chicago's regional grocery store chain, Jewel, has recently started allowing the sale of singles, too, and while it's not as craft-y, they do have a few things Binny's won't let sell as single bottles. I've seen Goose's Matilda, Pere Jacque, Sofie as well as Three Floyds' bottles, too. Bottles are individually priced rather than getting charged a flat rate. I would skip the River North Jewel (550 N. State) and head to the Wicker Park store (1341 N. Paulina).


Or travel down to West Town (just south and east of Wicker Park) and go to Lush (1412 W. Chicago). They have a good selection of singles and you aren't locked into buying 4 or 6 bottles at a time.

 

The idea is that stores can't sell beers other than how they're packaged if they're under a certain size/volume -- Vas Foremost tends to sell 4-packs of Dogfish Head beers like World Wide Stout instead of individual bottles since, I'm guessing, the bottles come in 4-packs from the manufacturer. The idea was to... I don't really know. I guess to reduce drinking? Somehow? Per Title 4, Chapter 60, Section 140 of the Municipal Code of Chicago:

(h) It shall be unlawful for any licensee or any officer, associate, member, representative, agent or employee of a licensee to divide a manufacturer's package containing more than one can or bottle of beer, malt liquor or ale, if the capacity of an individual can or bottle is 16 ounces or less, in order to sell an individual can or bottle, except for consumption on the licensed premises.

 

Yeah - you will definitely reduce drinking by requiring someone to buy 4 120 Minute IPA's instead of 1....

genius!