West Lakeview Liquors located at 2156 W. Addison Street, Chicago, IL is a small, but impressive store. This family run store, around since 1988, has beer, wine, spirits, and a small specialty grocery. The grocery side has a number of cheeses, a few beer books and a small glassware selection. The store really focuses on good beer, wine and spirits. There is no parking lot, but street parking in the area is ample enough.
Update: I am told there is a small parking lot off the alley. A sign would be helpful, and if there is one I apologize for being blind.
Awards:
Upfront I think it should be noted that West Lakeview Liquors has been consistently one of the highest rated beer stores. It is the only Chicagoland area store on the 2011 Best Retailers list published by ratebeer.com. I find it somewhat surprising no other Chicagoland store has achieved this status, but West Lakeview Liquors definitely earned the title.
Beer Selection:
While the entire store could fit into the corner of a grocery store the selection is well curated. Beer is organized by county. A huge number of single bottle options are available here. There is a cooler with six packs and only a three foot section of the cooler is dedicated to mainstream beer. I felt the selection at West Lakeview is import heavy, but the import selection included several beers from Mikkeller and Nøgne ø. This is the largest selection of both brewers I come across in Chicago. It had a decent selection of American craft beer, but not as large as some of the stores in Chicago. I felt the pricing was appropriate. Some of the beer may be a dollar cheaper at bigger discount stores, but once you factor in traveling to get the discount and West Lakeview's awesome selection, it is not worth going somewhere else.
Website:
The website was a bit clunky, but searchable. It is nice to see if a beer is carried there and whether it is in stock. Beer is sorted by region on the site much like it is in the store. There is no way to easily browse the entire selection or see what is hot, but does have a new arrival selection.
Events:
According to their website, tastings from one brewery or another seem to take place every Friday. The website seems to indicate spirit and wine tastings are possible, but all I saw was beer. I went to a tasting by Lefthand, and samples seemed to be in the 2-3 ounce range which I find appropriate. I wish the tasting would have included a seasonal or a limited edition brew, but that may of been Lefthand's choice not the owners option.
Service:
Overall the staff was very nice and helpful, and did seem somewhat knowledgeable. I was looking for a particular beer that day. I asked the staff about it and they were unfamiliar with what I was looking for. They took my name and number and said it would go to a staff member on Tuesday who would call me regarding the beer. Tuesday was two days ago so I will update you if they do happen to call, but they did give me their email information and encouraged me to contact them if I did not hear anything. I would also say the same Tuesday a blizzard hit in the afternoon and Wednesday was a big 'ole snow day. Being this was the third worst storm in Chicago history my request being lost in the shuffle or at least put on a back burner is reasonable.
Overall I was happy with my experience and need to make a trip there this week to pick something up for a dinner I am preparing. I really need to stop finding places like this as my budget is taking a wallop.
Showing posts with label Store Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Store Review. Show all posts
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Store Review: Binny's Beverage Depot (Chain)
I thought I would give a quick overview of Binny's Beverage Depot. Binny's controls the majority of beer sales in the Chicago region. Binny's became the top dog after buying up Sam's, their main competition. Writing a review of Binny's is like like trying to sum up every beer you ever drank in one post, there are just too many stores to lump together. Binny's has a number of locations which you can find here.
The locations vary in selection and quality, and I want to say up front I have not visited all the locations. I find the downtown location too difficult to navigate the skinny aisles, lots of people and a parking lot that makes you feel like a contortionist. The other locations offer better parking and selections. When you are buying several cases at a time parking is critical. I find Anthony Gerdt of the the Glen Ellyn location to be the most helpful. The beer manager at North Avenue is also pretty good, and the guy out in Downers Grove knows some obscure brewery reps resulting in some good choices. The South Loop location has a bar which can score you a taste before you buy.
Most chains have a great deal of consistency. Locations are normally similar and so are the policies. However, each Binny's seems to be physically laid out completely different so if you decide to swing into an unfamiliar location it may take a moment to get your bearings. Additionally, and I wrote about this before, Binny's cannot come up with a corporate policy on reserving beer. It completely depends on who you talk to at the store.
One of my biggest issues with Binny's is the complete lack of customer service from a corporate perspective. Yes, they have their stars. Some managers and stock clerks know how to treat a customer, but calling a store with a question will likely yield little help. Ordering a beer for pickup through their website is a mixed bag. The selection is often outdated. I understand if a beer sold out that morning, but often summer beers are listed in the middle of winter as "in stock." Additionally, on more than one occasion I have put together a larger order (5-10) cases and showed up to find several of the beers unavailable at the location I am picking it up from. I always place my orders 7-10 days in advance of my pick-up. Why if they have delivery trucks running around do I need to go to two or three stores to get what I need?
My second major issue with Binny's is if your not talking to the "beer manager" your screwed. The staff often does not know what is on the shelves. Just this week I asked the General Manager at the Skokie store for Hoptimum. She dutifully looked around the store for it, and eventually asked another manager. He said "oh that beer has not been released." It has been released and other stores have already sold out. However, they did suggest Atomium however.
Finally, why is beer treated different than wine? Wine drinkers get case discounts. They also get a rebate of 2% on $500 in wine purchases. This is the most offensive thing about Binny's. Beer moves better than wine. I have been told the North Avenue location can move beer like nowhere else in the Midwest. Why should I be treated differently?
Think I am not fair to them? Then I challenge Binny's to answer in the comments why they cannot get their act together. The questions are:
The locations vary in selection and quality, and I want to say up front I have not visited all the locations. I find the downtown location too difficult to navigate the skinny aisles, lots of people and a parking lot that makes you feel like a contortionist. The other locations offer better parking and selections. When you are buying several cases at a time parking is critical. I find Anthony Gerdt of the the Glen Ellyn location to be the most helpful. The beer manager at North Avenue is also pretty good, and the guy out in Downers Grove knows some obscure brewery reps resulting in some good choices. The South Loop location has a bar which can score you a taste before you buy.
Most chains have a great deal of consistency. Locations are normally similar and so are the policies. However, each Binny's seems to be physically laid out completely different so if you decide to swing into an unfamiliar location it may take a moment to get your bearings. Additionally, and I wrote about this before, Binny's cannot come up with a corporate policy on reserving beer. It completely depends on who you talk to at the store.
One of my biggest issues with Binny's is the complete lack of customer service from a corporate perspective. Yes, they have their stars. Some managers and stock clerks know how to treat a customer, but calling a store with a question will likely yield little help. Ordering a beer for pickup through their website is a mixed bag. The selection is often outdated. I understand if a beer sold out that morning, but often summer beers are listed in the middle of winter as "in stock." Additionally, on more than one occasion I have put together a larger order (5-10) cases and showed up to find several of the beers unavailable at the location I am picking it up from. I always place my orders 7-10 days in advance of my pick-up. Why if they have delivery trucks running around do I need to go to two or three stores to get what I need?
My second major issue with Binny's is if your not talking to the "beer manager" your screwed. The staff often does not know what is on the shelves. Just this week I asked the General Manager at the Skokie store for Hoptimum. She dutifully looked around the store for it, and eventually asked another manager. He said "oh that beer has not been released." It has been released and other stores have already sold out. However, they did suggest Atomium however.
Finally, why is beer treated different than wine? Wine drinkers get case discounts. They also get a rebate of 2% on $500 in wine purchases. This is the most offensive thing about Binny's. Beer moves better than wine. I have been told the North Avenue location can move beer like nowhere else in the Midwest. Why should I be treated differently?
Think I am not fair to them? Then I challenge Binny's to answer in the comments why they cannot get their act together. The questions are:
- What is your reservation policy on beer?
- Why is beer ineligible for a case discount?
- Why can't beer earn points like wine?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Store Review: Andersonville Wine & Spirits
Andersonville Wine & Spirits is located at the intersection of Foster and Clark on Chicago's northside, and open late for those last second booze runs. The store is small and the windows along Foster are plastered with posters for various craft and imported beers. This is one of those stores with a little bit of everything. Whether you need a bottle of wine for a dinner party, liquor or beer this place has options. The beer is kept in two sections. One wall of the place is nothing but cooler with cold bombers, single bottles and six packs. If you go all the way to the back and down a short ramp you get to the full beer selection.
Andersonville Wine & Spirits normally carries a solid selection. I can usually find local options like Metropolitan, Goose Island, Two Brothers and Three Floyds there. However, I can often find Belgian imports, Dogfish Head, and Great Lakes to name a few. Their prices are a dollar or two higher than some other operations like Binny's, but your paying the for convenience of a neighborhood store. Furthermore, it is always good karma to support a neighborhood business.
The staff is friendly, but layout is not always conducive to finding things. With there seemingly always three people on duty here they will quickly grab what you need. Finally, if a guy follows you to the back of the store and seems to stare at you, don't worry they do that to everyone.
Andersonville Wine & Spirits normally carries a solid selection. I can usually find local options like Metropolitan, Goose Island, Two Brothers and Three Floyds there. However, I can often find Belgian imports, Dogfish Head, and Great Lakes to name a few. Their prices are a dollar or two higher than some other operations like Binny's, but your paying the for convenience of a neighborhood store. Furthermore, it is always good karma to support a neighborhood business.
The staff is friendly, but layout is not always conducive to finding things. With there seemingly always three people on duty here they will quickly grab what you need. Finally, if a guy follows you to the back of the store and seems to stare at you, don't worry they do that to everyone.
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