Roseanne S.
Yelp
Has your beer or wine pallet suddenly matured from $3 wine and Natty Light to a delightful IPA and a Merlot of the fancy kind? If so, then you must go to Binny's. Who knew there were so many choices!
My only complaint is that I wish it was open later. They close at 9pm Monday through Saturday and at 6 on Sundays! There are times my boyfriend and I are rushing to Binny's or making it our first stop before going anywhere else just to make sure we get the good stuff before it's too late. Sure, I could go to a regular liquor store with the nondescript name, but they don't always have the selection Mr. Binny does (I like to imagine Binny is a a cool dude, chillin' in a velvet recliner, smoking a cigar and having a delicious craft beer of some kind. Is it weird that I just personified Binny? Sorry. Back to the review)
There are rows and rows of beers, wines, and liquors from everywhere! Even if you narrow it down to just beer, which is what I do, you could seriously spend 20 minutes in there looking at all the different kinds of beer. Yeah you could come here and get your Bud Light Lime but it's almost a shame to do that when you have so many options that you can't get at a Jewel. It's a craft beer lover's dream! This Binny's had Two Bro's Outlaw IPA in cans, a beer which was not previously available for purchase in stores. Picked me up some of that along with some bombers of Three Floyds' beer.
What is helpful about Binny's is the descriptions they have under their lesser known beers so you can get an idea of what the taste will be like. This is a great resource when you are trying to venture out and try different beers so you don't end up buying a beer that is going to be super hoppy if that's not your thing. The staff is also great because they can actually offer you some good suggestions rather than saying, "Yeah dude. It looks like it would be cool." For example, since Gumballhead is never available anywhere, you can ask which beers are similar to Gumballhead, and they'll lead you right to one. Takes a knowledgeable staff to be able to do that.
Besides going to breweries, going to Binny's is the next best way to explore the ever-growing world of craft beer. I always make it my mission to get something different (but I do get some of my faves too, just in case).