Monthly Archives: September 2012

Meet Your Local Binny’s Beer Guy: Lincoln Park

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Adam Vavrick is the resident beer expert at our Lincoln Park location. He has worked at what some locals refer to as “Castle Vav” for the past three years. Among other accolades, Adam is a certified beer server in the Cicerone program, has tasted for the 2011 and 2012 World Beer Awards, and has been a panelist for the Beverage Tasting Institute since 2010. He is well known in the local beer scene, having been featured in Ale Street News, The Chicago Tribune, The Red Eye, Metromix, BeerDownload, The Chicago Sun Times, and WGN Radio.

 

Adam is originally from Washington DC, turns 30 on October 2nd, and is engaged to a Windy City Roller. Besides beer, Adam’s other love is the audio industry. He owns a modular synthesizer, and used to work in the audio industry doing synthesis, sound design, and audio engineering.

 

Adam is a valuable asset to the Binny’s team to say the least.  You can find him in the aisle at the Lincoln Park Binny’s, or on twitter @beeradam. We wanted to dig a little bit more into the interesting life he lives, so we lined up a few questions for him:

 

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Binny’s in Bloomington: More Progress

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Here are more photos showing progress at the upcoming Binny’s in Bloomington, IL. You can see the interior taking shape: checkout lanes, light fixtures, the walk-in humidor and massive, 24-door beer cooler. Apart from the construction clutter, the space is really starting to look like a Binny’s.

 

We’re hoping to have our doors open for business before the end of October. That’s only a month away! We’ll need friendly, energetic people to help run this Beverage Depot, so if you’re interested in joining the team, send an email to jobs@binnys.com with your resume or CV.

 

See you in Bloomington!

 

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It’s Tweetup Time!

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Chicago has an amazing food & beverage social media scene, don’t you think? We’d like to say thanks and have a chance to chat … you know … IRL. So we’re hosting a tweetup.

 

Binny’s Big Social Media Tweetup
South Loop Tasting Room
1132 S Jefferson St
October 3rd, 6-8 pm

 

If the charming company of the Chicago social media community isn’t enough motivation, we’re also knocking a buck off all drinks for the event. Conversation will range anywhere from social media strategy to what you had for breakfast that morning.

 

If you haven’t been, the South Loop Tasting Room is our fabulous full-service bar and tasting area, located right inside the South Loop Binny’s Beverage Depot. The tasting room features 16 beers on tap including some special stuff, a ton of wines by the glass, friendly mixologists who for sure can make your favorite cocktail with an array of specialty spirits, plus a gorgeous view of the Chicago skyline.

 

South Loop Tasting Room

 

Spread the word! Bring your friends! Join us on twitter, on facebook, and now in person at the South Loop Tasting Room! Will we see you there?

 

The Wine Hotline: New, Novel & Notable

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We’re proud to unleash the brand new THE WINE HOTLINE, your online insider’s guide to the world of wine. This thing includes Best Buys, New Releases, Staff Picks, Sneak Previews, and tons more.  Check it out on binnys.com. Here’s an excerpt featuring some of our favorite new releases:

 

New, Novel & Notable

 

2010 Selbach Oster Estate Spatlese 
If only people would drink more riesling! It comes and goes as a fad, but we hold the white in a sweet place in our hearts. Why? Taste this new Spatlese from Selbach Oster and you’ll see. Streamlined acidity balances with broad sugar and fruit in a way that is simply sublime.

 

2010 Marilyn Merlot2010 Marilyn Merlot
One of the most glamorous releases of the year is here. 2010 Marilyn Merlot is on shelves, at least for now. Every year this wine is snatched up by collectors and supply never lasts. Plus, the 2010 bottle has the most risque label in two and a half decades of Marilyns.

 

Allendorf Riesling Secco
Made from 100% riesling, this German sparkling is bone dry, but shows wonderfully plush peaches and pears with delicate floral notes. A day at the beach in a bottle, and a perfect BYO pick for Thai restaurants.

 

2010 Andre Brunel Cotes du Rhone
Don’t miss 2010 from the Rhone. We got a taste of the new Andre Brunel Cotes du Rhone and we are impressed. Brunel is known for his Chateauneuf du Pape, Les Cailloux. The less pricey Cotes du Rhone is like a mini Chateauneuf. With the same briary garrigue character, it’s all about elegance and complexity. What more could you want for ten bucks?

 

Avissi ProseccoAvissi Prosecco
Looking for fun and easygoing bubbles? Check out this Italian sparkler. It has fresh fruit, delicate floral notes, just a hint of sugar keeping it soft but not sweet. A value sparkler, this Prosecco never gets too serious – and we like it that way.

 

2011 Evolucio Furmint
Pretty peach fruit with just the right amount of citrus acidity, 2011 Evolucio Furmint has it all. We fell in love with this zippy Hungarian white as soon as it was in our glass. Once we heard that we could sell it for under ten dollars a bottle, well, we were sold.

 

The Wine Hotline

Binny’s Mailbag: Two Brothers Heavy Handed

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The Binny’s Mailbag is back again, with a question about one of our most popular wet hopped ales:

 

Hi Kyle,


This years Two Brothers Heavy Handed tastes much different that in past years. Are they using different hops? I really don’t care for this years taste.


-Steve

 

Great questions Steve!  It looks like your Palate is on to something.

 

Every year Two Brothers does several different batches of Heavy Handed, each one wet hopped with a different hop varietal.  We believe you probably got your hands on Heavy Handed wet hopped with Willamette hops since this is the current version of Heavy Handed in our stores.  You may want to avoid hoppy beers in the future that feature this hop varietal.

 

We would suggest you check the lot number on the back of your bottle (likely #2512), and the next time you stop by Binny’s, check the lot number on the backs of the bottles we have in stock. If they are different lot numbers, give the beer a shot. It will be a completely different beer, even though the bottle will look exactly the same.

 

Here is a nifty list Two Brothers supplied us that details which hops coincide with which lots.  Enjoy!

 

 

Binny’s & Sam Adams Present a Stein Hoisting Contest

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We hope you can join us for Binny’s & Sam Adams first ever stein hoisting contest.  If you think you have what it takes to be crowned the Midwest stein hoisting champion, just show up at Binny’s in Champaign anytime during the scheduled event time.  There will be big prizes for the contestants with the best times, including trips to Boston for the best female and male times.

 

Pics from September 2012 Taste at the Track

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Horse Racing!

 

Thanks to all who joined us at Arlington Park on Saturday for Binny’s Taste at the Track! We couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon, and the event was just spectacular. We listened to your feedback from the event back in June and made some major changes: almost twice as many tables, fewer tickets sold, more tents keeping the wine in shade, and more.

 

We’d love to hear about your experiences at Taste at the Track. Would you recommend the event to a friend? Did make any new discoveries? Find any new favorite wines? What were the best aspects of the afternoon, and what changes would you make?

 

Watch for more soon. Our events department is already hard at work lining up some amazing and ambitious tasting events for next spring!

 

A Crowd With Good Taste

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