CU Beer Weekend; April 30

Seven Saints

Rotating taps:

Southern Tier Hop Sun
Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar

Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday; Bourbon (possibly)

Radio Maria

1. Capital MaiBock $4
2. Green Flash Le Freak $6
3. Ballast Point Sea Monster $6
4. Bells HopSlam IPA $5
5. Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA $5
6. Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale $4.5
7. Founders Imperial Stout $6
8. North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner $4
9. Goose Island Pepe Nero $6
10.Port Midnight Sessions $5
11.Dogfish Head Aprihop $4.5
12.Port Shark Attack Red Ale $5
13.St Bernardus Abt. 12 $6.5
14.Mikkeller Cascade Single Hop IPA $6
15.Southern Tier Hop*Sun $4
16.Moylan Dragoon's Dry Irish Stout $4.5
17.Left Hand Milk Stout $4
18.Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour $6
19.North Coast Old Stock $6.5
20.Dark Horse Tres Blueberry $5
21.Blanche de Bruxelles $5
22.He'brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A $6
23.Boulevard Tank 7 $4
24.Victory Moonglow $4.5
25.Capital Imperial Dopplebock $5
26.Ayinger Brau Weisse $5.5
27.PBR $2.25

Friday: Happy Hour with free appetizers 4:30 - 5:30; Scott Sivers' Special $4 pint of Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout, $3 pints of Left Hand Milk Stout; DJ at 10pm
Saturday: $4 Jeremiah Weed drinks and $6 Jeremiah Weed John Daly's, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday
Tuesday: 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Trivia Night 11pm with MC Juice
Thursday:$5 Mojitos & $6 Brazilian Cosmos

Blind Pig

Cask: Two Brothers Cane & Ebel
Great Divide Claymore Scotch; Denver, Colorado, Scotch Ale, 7.7% abv
Sea Dog Blueberry Wheat; Topsham, Maine, Fruit Beer, 4.6% abv
New Holland Envious; Holland, Michigan, Fruit Beer, 7.5% abv
Kostritzer; Germany, Schwarzbier, 4.8% abv
Founders Breakfast Stout; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Imperial Stout, 8.3% abv
Unibroue Trois Pistoles; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 9% abv
Pangaea Lilijas Hop Nest Monster; Wisconsin Rapids, WI, India Pale Ale% abv
Original Sin Hard Cider; New York, New York, Cider, 6% abv
Fuller’s London Pride; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Delirium Tremens; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5% abv
Blue Moon; Golden, Colorado, Belgian White, 5.4% abv
Left Hand Polestar Pilsner; Longmont, Colorado, Pilsener, 5% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue JLS Paul’s Black Lager; Newport, Oregon, Schwarzbier, 5.2%
Bells Oberon; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Wheat Ale, 6% abv
Monk’s Cafe; Belgium, Sour Ale, 5.5%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
New Holland El Mole Ocho; Holland, Michigan, Spice Ale, 8.8% abv
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Lindemans Framboise; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
Blanche de Bruxelles; Belgium, Witbier, 4.5% abv
Belhaven Scottish; Scotland, Bitter, 3.9%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)

Blind Pig Witbier
Blind Pig American Pale Ale
Blind Pig Hard Cider
Moylan’s Old Blarney; Novato, California, Barley Wine, 10% abv
Captial Supper Club; Middleton, Wisconsin, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Black Sheep Monty Python’s Holy Grail; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Kasteel Rouge; Belgium, Fruit Beer, 8% abv
Weihenstephaner Hefe; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.4% abv
Lost Abbey Red Barn; San Marcos, California, Saison, 6.7% abv
Heilemans Old Style; Woodridge, Illinois, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Avery The Maharaja; Boulder, Colorado, Imperial IPA, 10.54% abv
Castelain; France, Biere de Garde, 6.4% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Sunday: 7-9 Trivia, $1 Old Style, $2 Jameson Whiskey, $3 Guinness Draughts
Monday: $1 off all bottles; Blind Pig Brewery Beer Club

Crane Alley

This just in, bottles of Mikkeller 1000 IBU.

Einbecker Pilsner 4.9%
Chimay Cinq Cents Trappist Tripel 8.0%
Dogfish Head Old Midas Touch Golden Elixir 9.0%
Lost Abbey Carnevale 6.5%
Left Hand Sawtooth Ale 4.8%
Great Divide Titan IPA 6.8%
Bells Oberon 6.0%
Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale 8.3%
Bells Expedition Stout 10.5%
Hoegaarden Belgian Wit 4.9%
Guinness 4.2%
Goose Island Pepe Nero 6.0%
Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter 5.9%
Pabst Blue Ribbon 4.7%
Bells Hopslam 10.0%
Original Sin Hard Cider 6.0%

Food specials for the weekend of April 30

BRIE SALAD - Mixed field greens with pears, walnuts, and dried cherries tossed with lemon-dijon vinaigrette and topped with brie cheese

SALMON CAKES - Honey-walnut crusted fillet of salmon with sauteed squash, zucchini, and carrots over sweet potato puree with sweet onion cream drizzle

INFERNO BURGER - Our 8oz handcrafted burger with carmelized onions, roasted jalapenos, pepperjack cheese, and 4 pepper aioli consisting of chipotle, ancho, pasilla, and habanero. Served with french fries


May 20: Founders/BrewDog Night

A night featuring the brews of Founders. We will have some small batch Founders on tap not available anywhere in Illinois. Bottles of KBS, Backwoods Bastard, Breakfast Stout, Reds Rye, Porter and Dirty Bastard. Some free gifts as well. We will also be showcasing some small batch BrewDog beers this night. Our local representative will be in attendance to give info and answer questions.

July 5: Founders Beer Dinner, 7:30 pm, price and menu tbd

Mike n' Molly's

Guinness
Harp
Strongbow
Miller High Life
Avery DuganA
Schneider Hopfenweissen
Lost Abbey Carnevale
Blanche de Brussels

Two taps I'm not sure of, one by Port, one by someone else

Friday: Inlets
Saturday: The Middle East
Monday: Abe Froman Project, 9-10pm, free/ Rockstar Karaoke, 10-2, free; $1 PBR
Tuesday: $1.25 High Life; $.50 off all taps
Wednesday: Bingo, 9:30-midnight, free; $2 Mickey's Big Mouth; $2.50 rails
Thursday: $2.50 Stella Artois bottles

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

Founder Breakfast Stout
Hebrew Jewbelation 13
Left Hand Chainsaw American Strong Ale
Summit Horizon Red Ale
Belhaven Scottish Ale
Lost Abbey Carnevale

Cowboy Monkey

Friday: Mhondoro, 10pm, $5
Saturday: Molehill, 10pm, $5
Monday: Roberta Sparrow, 10pm $5
Tuesday: Open Mic Night, 10 pm, free
Wednesday: Salsa, 10pm, free
Thursday: Blues Jam, 9:30pm, free

Highdive

Friday: ROAR (rock out against rape), $5, 6:30; DJ Delayney, $5, 10 pm
Saturday:Dubstep Massacre, 9pm, $5 in advance, $7 at the door
Rest of May isn't filled out.

Canopy Club

Friday: Jus Marley; A Tribute to Bob Marley, 10pm, $6; Teach for America Benefit Concert, 6pm
Saturday: Fishing With Dynamite, 8pm, $5
Sunday: Pizza, Pitcher & a Movie, 80's night 6pm Ferris Bueller's Day off, 8pm The Breakfast Club, 10pm Top Gun
Monday: Third Eye Blind, 7pm, sold out (how have I not heard of this before?)
Tuesday: Trivia Diner: Live Game Show/The Piano Man
Wednesday:Rave to the Grave
Thursday: Mayday Parade, 5pm, $13 in advance; Santah cd release party

May 19: Mastodon, 6pm, $23 in advance

Other Events:

CU Beer Club
Tuesday: Happy Hour at Mike n' Molly's, 6pm

Great Taste of the Midwest
Sunday: Tickets go on sale, noon $40. (limit 2 per person)
To find a ride, go to Radio Maria on Friday for Happy Hour at 5pm.

Monday: Mail Order Sales.

Why I hate cover charges

One of the things I hate about bars, is a cover charge.

It's hard to write about something that I don't like without winding up sounding like a whining little bastard. I was about to remove everything below this paragraph, but figured I'd keep it available. I'll work further on this later. But the main points are below.

When I go out, I select a bar based on the beverage selection. Even though I provide the entertainment listings for the bars, here on the blog, I know that the reason bars have entertainment is to get people in the door and have them spend money on drinks or food.

I believe that bands should play for tips, and not for a flat rate. If you (the consumer) like what you are hearing, give them the money; if you don't like them, vote with your wallet. A bar shouldn't have to pay a band to come in to play. A patron shouldn't have to pay money to hear something they may or may not like. If the band is good enough to draw a crowd, sell tickets.

Some of the excuses given for charging a cover are: we have to pay the entertainment; we have to pay for the extra staff; people who come in don't buy enough.

CU Bars in the news; Geovanti's implements cover charge for shows

From the Daily Illini

Geovanti's implements cover charge for shows

Geovanti’s Bar & Grill, 401 E. Green St., a campus bar known for never having an entrance fee, has recently implemented a cover charge of $1.

The fee, which was implemented in the last two weeks, goes toward the costs of entertainment for customers, said Pat Galvin, general manager and alum. Entertainment, including karaoke on Wednesdays, live music on Thursdays and a DJ on the weekends are part of Geovanti’s atmosphere, but come at a price, he said.

There's some humorous quotes in the article.

“If you can’t pay a dollar, you probably shouldn’t go out, you’re not going to spend money here anyway” Galvin said.

...

For Kim Pontarelliw, sophomore in AHS, the cover price came as a shock, she said, but she is not ready to complain.

“Obviously we’re here instead of KAM’s or Station or Joe’s, where they charge five dollars,” she said.

I am against cover charges. I think I'll rant on that later today.

CU Bars in the news; Best Bar: Po Boys

From WCFN 49, Illinois Homepage.net

Best Bars; Po Boys

Po Boys, is located out at the Old TK Wendl's/Brickhouse/Wendls/a bagillion other different names, at 1901 South High Cross Road.

Here's the softball page.

They are only 1 week into the season, I'm sure if you asked nicely, they would add your team to one of the leagues (like the Monday league that only has 5 teams).

Alcohol in the News; Red Wines for Robert

From the WCIA 3 CBS Morning Show.

Red Wines for Robert

Nick Bland from the Corkscrew Wine Emporium visits.

Nick brings 2 different rose's. One from Portugal, one from Washington State.

Dark Lord Day Recap

Another DLD is in the books. Lots of beer was sold, lots of beer was consumed.

I had a blast.

We left CU around 6:45 after a couple of false starts and headed north to Munster. We arrived about 9:15 and walked up and found my co-worker Gary. He was supposed to ride with us, but didn't leave Tuscola until what we thought was too late, he got there before us.

We walked up the line, and found our usual camp site. Across the street and near the corner. We positioned the new Bruisin' Ales grooler. In our area. I had purchased a folding luggage carrier to help move beer and other supplies around that day, and it was a darn good $20 spent. Walking about a half mile while carrying a case of beer can be really tiring. Carrying a case of water, bags of charcoal, and other items also were that much more convenient.

We were the first ones in the CU Beer club to arrive. When the others showed up, they brought those neat tent things, that just go up with a bit of velcro. We had 2 of the tents at our site. If it rained, we would have been ready, instead, it was nicely just overcast for most of the day. When the others showed, the breakfast casserole arrived. Later, more sausages arrived.

I went down, and introduced myself to the guys who we'd be in line with. They were nice fellows from Louisville. Timothy and (mumbles a name). We later met up with some guys in Chicago, who were camped/tailgating right behind us. That made it much quicker.

The guest taps were set up outside, on the right of the parking lot, towards the street. There was a great selection. (look at list below). From there, I sampled or drank several of the beers. One of my favorite on the day was from Goose Island and was a Bourbon County Stout with coffee and raspberry. I also got the Brooklyn Cookie Jar Porter (yummy); Pizza Port Sticky Stout; Founders el Diablo del Noche (cask; also nummy). Also had the Dark Lord that was on tap.

This years wax is Green. Bottles are available on ebay. When we went through the line, there was a limit of 4 per ticket. Later there was a rumor that the amount was dropped to 3 per ticket. Also available was last years Dark Lord, with the white wax.

I didn't get around as much as I wanted to, and felt kind of rushed to leave. So, in that hurry, I managed to leave behind 4 bottles of green wax DL, which my friends were nice enough to bring back for me, even though I haven't seen those bottles yet. Sadly, I left my Dogfish Head bag somewhere. No one in the beer club seems to know where it is. Sadly, it's also not available online anymore.

I still didn't manage to meet too many people that I know from online anywhere. The Hoosier Beer Geek people had a DORK LORD tent set up, which was cool.

To sum up, I met some cool people; drank some great beer; bought some great beer; ate some good enough food; and didn't spend anywhere near as much money as last year.

I've been looking at video's on youtube, but haven't seen myself yet. I saw my chair, and Gary, but not me.

Dark Lord Day tap list

List is from the Full Pint.



Stone Brewing
Vertical Epic 08-08-08
Old Guardian 2006
Old Guardian aged in Red Wine Barrels

Southern Tier
Choklat
Javah
Oak Aged Unearthly

Bells
Hopslam
Poolside
Barrel Aged Hell Hath No Fury

Gouden Carolus
Cuvee’ The Emperor Blau 2007

Upland Brewing
Infinite Wisdom Triple
Light Wave
Scotch Ale
Firkin ? (surprise)

Founders
Kentucky Breakfast Stout
Double Dry Hopped Centennial IPA firkin

New Belgium
Eric’s Ale

New Albanian
Old Ale

Dogfish Head
Fort
Burton Baton
Old School

Van Steenberge
Klokke Roland

Victory
St Victorious
St Boisterous
Smoked Oatmeal Porter

Dark Horse
Double Crooked Tree

Petrus
Oud Bruin

Ommegang
Belgian Pale Ale

Schlafly
Quadruple
Barrel Aged Smoked Porter

Brooklyn
Brewmaster’s Reserve Cookie Jar Porter
Brewmaster’s Reserve Sorachi Ace

Sierra Nevada
30th Anniversary Fritz and Ken’s ale

Pizza Port Carlsbad
10th ann. Bel strong ale

Pizza Port San Clemente
B.A. Infamous Imp stout
Sticky Stout

Cigar City
Brandy winter warmer

Surly
Tea Bagged Furious Firkin

Flossmoor
.357 imp pils
1492 IPA

Avery
Moloch
Maharaja
Bourbon bbl oatmeal
Meph addict
Depuceluese
Joe American Pil
Uberschwein

Boulevard
Tank 7

Firestone Walker
Union Jack
Pale 31

Nice list.

CU Beer Weekend; April 23

Tomorrow is Darklord Day, ARE YOU READY???

Seven Saints

Rotating taps:

Bourbon-Aged Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter
Port Shark Attack

Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday; Irish

Radio Maria

1. Capital MaiBock $4
2. Green Flash Le Freak $6
3. Ballast Point Sea Monster $6
4. Founders Double Trouble IPA $5
5. Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA $5
6. Corsendonk Brown Ale $6.5
7. Founders Imperial Stout $6
8. North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner $4
9. Goose Island Pepe Nero $6
10.Port Midnight Sessions $5
11.Ska Modus Hoperandi IPA $6
12.Port Shark Attack Red Ale $5
13.St Bernardus Abt. 12 $6
14.Mikkeller Cascade Single Hop IPA $6
15.Southern Tier Hop*Sun $4
16.Moylan Dragoon's Dry Irish Stout $4.5
17.Left Hand Milk Stout $4
18.Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour $6
19.North Coast Old Stock $6.5
20.Dark Horse Tres Blueberry $5
21.Blanche de Bruxelles $5
22.He'brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A $6
23.Pyramid Apricot $4
24.Victory Moonglow $4.5
25.Capital Imperial Dopplebock $5
26.Weihenstephaner Weissbier $6
27.Southern Tier Old Man Winter $2.25

Friday: Happy Hour with free appetizers 4:30 - 5:30
Saturday: $4 Jeremiah Weed drinks and $6 Jeremiah Weed John Daly's, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday
Tuesday: 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Trivia Night 11pm with MC Juice
Thursday:$5 Mojitos & $6 Brazilian Cosmos

Wednesday, April 28: North shore Cocktail Dinner, 6pm, $55 limited to 25 people (sold out)

Blind Pig

Left Hand Chainsaw; Longmont, Colorado, American Strong Ale, 8.3% abv
Avery Collaboration Not Litigation; Boulder, CO, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.97% abv
Lost Abbey Carnevale; San Marcos, California, Saison, 6.5% abv
Sand Creek Oscar’s Choc. Oat. Stout; Black River Falls, WI, Sweet Stout, 4.5% abv
Founders Breakfast Stout; Grand Rapids, Michigan, Imperial Stout, 8.3% abv
SKA Buster Nut Brown; Durango, Colorado, Brown Ale, 5.16% abv
SKA Modus Hoperandi; Durango, Colorado, India Pale Ale, 7% abv
Hogan’s Cider; England, Cider, 6.7% abv
Fuller’s London Pride; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Delirium Tremens; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5% abv
Blue Moon; Golden, Colorado, Belgian White, 5.4% abv
Left Hand Polestar Pilsner; Longmont, Colorado, Pilsener, 5% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue JLS Paul’s Black Lager; Newport, Oregon, Schwarzbier, 5.2%
Bells Oberon; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Wheat Ale, 6% abv
Monk’s Cafe; Belgium, Sour Ale, 5.5%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Flying Dog Tire Bite; Frederick, Maryland, Kolsch, 5% abv
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Lindemans Framboise; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
Great Divide Hades; Denver, Colorado, Belgian Ale, 7.3% abv
Belhaven Scottish; Scotland, Bitter, 3.9%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)

Blind Pig American Pale Ale
Blind Pig HefeWeizen
Moylan’s Old Blarney; Novato, California, Barley Wine, 10% abv
Captial Maibock; Middleton, Wisconsin, Heller Bock, 5.2% abv
Black Sheep Monty Python’s Holy Grail; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Kasteel Rouge; Belgium, Fruit Beer, 8% abv
Wittekerke; Belgium, Belgian White, 5% abv
Victory Golden Monkey; Downington, Pennsylvania, Abbey Tripel, 9.5% abv
Heilemans Old Style; Woodridge, Illinois, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Avery The Maharaja; Boulder, Colorado, Imperial IPA, 10.54% abv
Atomium Grand Cru; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Sunday: 7-9 Trivia, $1 Old Style, $2 Jameson Whiskey, $3 Guinness Draughts
Monday: $1 off all bottles; Blind Pig Brewery Beer Club

Drink through a list of 150 beers, at 75 receive a Blind Pig Brewery Beer Club shirt, at 150 name on the Club Hall of Fame Plaque.

Crane Alley

Schlafly Kolsch 4.9%
Chimay Cinq Cents Trappist Tripel 8.0%
Dogfish Head Old School Barleywine 15.0%
Lost Abbey Carnevale 6.5%
Left Hand Sawtooth Ale 4.8%
Mikkeler Nugget IPA 6.9%
Bells Oberon 6.0%
Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale 7.7%
Founders Imperial Stout 10.5%
Hoegaarden Belgian Wit 4.9%
Guinness 4.2%
Aecht Shlenkerla Rauchbier 6.5%
Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter 5.9%
Pabst Blue Ribbon 4.7%
Avery Maharaja Imperial IPA 9.7%
Original Sin Hard Cider 6.0%

Specials for the weekend of April 23rd

MEXICAN LASAGNA - Marinated pork loin, chorizo, and pepper jack cheese sauce layered in between corn tortillas served on a spicy black bean sauce and topped with salsa

BAY SCALLOPS AND COUS COUS - Caribbean Jerk marinated bay scallops with cilantro, black beans, onions, and tomatoes over cous cous

SHRIMP BURGER - Our handcrafted 8oz burger topped with pepperoncini puree, shrimp, prosciutto, and goat cheese. Served with french fries

July 5: Founders Beer Dinner, 7:30 pm, price and menu tbd

Mike n' Molly's

Guinness
Harp
Strongbow
Miller High Life
Left Hand Oak Aged Imperial Stout
Schneider Hopfenweissen
Capital Maibock
Lost Abbey Carnevale
Blanche de Brussels
Green Flash West Coast IPA

Friday: Giant Cloud
Saturday: Native & Hot Cops
Monday: Abe Froman Project, 9-10pm, free/ Rockstar Karaoke, 10-2, free; $1 PBR
Tuesday: $1.25 High Life; $.50 off all taps
Wednesday: Bingo, 9:30-midnight, free; $2 Mickey's Big Mouth; $2.50 rails
Thursday: Via Audio$2.50 Stella Artois bottles

(can someone get me the updated tap list please)

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

Cask: Summit Extra Pale Ale
Founders Breakfast Stout
Avery Maharaja IPA
Lost Abbey Carnevale
Wittekerke Wit
Schlafly Dry Hopped APA
Bellhaven Scottish Ale

Cowboy Monkey

Friday: 90's Daughter, 10pm, $5
Saturday: Matt Poss, 10pm, $5
Tuesday: Open Mic Night, 10 pm, free
Wednesday: Salsa, 10pm, free
Thursday: The Life and Times, 10pm, $7

Highdive

Friday: DJ Delayney, $5, 10 pm
Saturday: India Night After Party, 10pm
Monday: 80's Night, free, 10 pm
Thursday: Paul Thorn, 8pm, $18 in advance, $20 at the door

Canopy Club

Friday: Local H, 7pm, $10 in advance; Family Groove Company & Kinetix, 10pm, $7 in advance
Saturday: The Used, 8pm, $25 in advance
Sunday: The Second Annual Lebowski Achievers Festival, 4pm, free
Monday: Third Eye Blind, 7pm, sold out (how have I not heard of this before?)
Tuesday: Trivia Diner: Live Game Show/The Piano Man
Wednesday:Rave to the Grave
Thursday: Hairbangers Ball, 8pm, $5

May 19: Mastodon, 6pm, $23 in advance

Other Events

Saturday: Three Floyds Darklord Day, Hammond Indiana. Doors open at around 11am. Whatever is left after ticket sales will be available to the general public starting around 4. It's about 2 hours away from CU, so you might as well go if you aren't doing anything.

CU Bars in the news; Best Bars: The Great Impasta

From WCFN 49, Illinoishomepage.net

Best Bars: The Great Impasta

The Great Impasta is located at 156 C Lincoln Square (mall) in Urbana.

There isn't any talk about the wine/beer/liquor selection in the restaurant.

At the 57 second mark you'll see Samantha June Ducey making pasta.

Prepare for Darklord Day

Tomorrow is Darklord Day. Do you have your tickets? If not, you don't really need them. In fact tomorrow will be the perfect day to go to DLD if you don't have tickets.

Looking at the forecast on weather.com, from 6am to as far out as their forecast goes (Sunday at 6 am) there's the symbol for thunderstorms. Highs tomorrow look to be around 67 at 4pm. Depending on what time you get there (we plan on getting there at 8 am) the temperature could be in the high 50's.

If it's raining, that will make it very cold. 60 degrees in the sun is much warmer than 60 degrees in the rain. Dress warm. Wear a rain coat, take an umbrella.

If it's raining (which it probably will be) that means that when people get inside the brewpub, they probably will be in there for a long time. Once they get into the brewery to get their beer, they'll probably be there for a while too.

The good news is that foul weather will probably keep away many of the less dedicated people. This means that when the beer goes on sale to people without tickets, there will be more available for you. It also means that even if you had tickets, you can probably go through the line again and get more.

So, you are going. Dress warm. Don't dress too hot, just keep warm. With overcast and rainy skies, you don't have to worry about a sunburn.

If you take an umbrella while you are standing in line, remember that when you are carrying your beer back to your vehicle, you will also have to carry beer and an umbrella.

Be very careful when you are carrying your beer back. A wet box isn't very strong. If you set your beer box down, the bottom can get wet and become very weak. If that happens, your $15 bottles will come spilling out the bottom of the box and smash on the street. Everyone will feel bad for you, but they aren't going to be able to fix it. You aren't going to get a refund, and you aren't going to get replacements.

There will be ATM's on site, which is good, because the other nearest ATM is at the gas station about a mile away. Take plenty of cash. You will have to pay cash for all the beer you purchase. Take $15 for every bottle of beer you plan to buy. Assume that each ticket will be worth 4 bottles. So take $60 for each ticket. If you have two tickets, take $120. If you are only going to be purchasing Darklord, then you can get away with just taking the $120.

There will be other beers for sale, last year the other neato beer was popskull, which was the dogfish head/three floyds collaboration. Not sure what all will be there this year. I believe they did another 3f/dfh collaboration; additionally, there should be another in the Mikkeller "grain" goop style.

If you can, take a pull cart. The kind that you strap luggage onto. You will probably be carrying a case of beer about a half mile. After a while, that beer gets to be very heavy. If you can pull it behind you, that will make your life a lot easier. Other options are a cooler on wheels, or even a suitcase with wheels.

Check out the parking map.


























Don't park in the red spaces. Be nice to the neighbors. Many of them are allowing you to park in their spots, this is different than before. The red line leads me to believe that you will not be able to park along the inner loop of the road. The outer loop appears to be fin for parking. The sooner you get there, the closer you can park. If you get there after the gates open (11) you will be parking a long way away.

Have fun, stay dry, stay warm, don't get too drunk, don't drink and drive.

Alcohol in the News; Sunsinger

From WCIA 3 CBS, Illinoishomepage.net

Sunsinger

Brian Bowman and Mark Yarborough from SunSinger talk about wine and beer with the WCIA morning show people. Additionally they talk about an upcoming tasting event at the Champaign Country Club to benefit public television.

Sun Singer Artisanal Beverage Tasting Event
benefiting WILL Illinois Public Media
Champaign Country Club
Thursday, April 29, 2010
5:00 - 8:00pm / 8:15pm Sparkling Reception & Dinner
$25 in advance
$30 at the door
$100 Tasting/Italian Dinner package
Tickets are available at Sun Singer Wines or
by calling WILL at 217-333-7300

CU Bars in the news; Moms weekend brings big business

From WICD, ABC 15

Moms weekend brings big business

Relly not too much bar stuff here, but they did mention Station.

Revolting Cocks, Got Cock?

Today, I found out the Revolting Cocks released a new album... they did that on Tuesday, how did I not know this? Well, their twitter page hasn't been updated since their last tour back in the fall, so I guess that's part of the reason.

I'm on my second listen of the album. I wasn't necessarily thrilled listening through the first time. But, it's getting better.

If you are like me, when you think of the Revolting Cocks, the era that you probably think to most, would be the Beers, Steers, and Queers and Linger Fickin' Good era. Al, Paul, Chris, Mike, Luc, Duane, Bill... That era seemed as though the songs were a baseline, with the song thrown on top. Paul would play the riff for about 4-7 minutes, Chris would yell, Bill would look pretty, Al would be strung out... you know, the good old days.

All those guys are gone. Luc might still be around, but he's not listed on the website. Al produced this one. You (and I) may miss the old days, but RevCo is what Al says it is. If he says it's Sin Quirin, Clayton Worbeck, and Josh Bradford, then that's what RevCo is.

So, how's the new album?

Getting better.

The album kicks off sounding like Kiss, "Deuce"; with the song "Trojan Horse". It's a song, that seems to be about condoms. Nice. While I was first listening to it, I was also watching a local news channel online, when a Trojan commercial came on, so that was a sign.

Second song, "Filthy Senoritas" is catchy. It's got a sound similar to "Robo Banditos", and has tie-ins to that song.

"Dykes" is ok.

"Juice" is a rather funny song. Sounding like a German, talking about the Juice. The song sounds a bit like the Project .44 song "I Don't Care". In addition to the German talking parts, the song has a really good chorus. I can't tell if he gave the juice to his duck or his dog, probably dog. It may be my favorite on the album.

"Pissy Army" seems to be trying to get people to join the Ministry fan club, Piss Army. "Fuck Money" is a request to buy the album.

"Bitch Addictive" starts out with the line:

You're a bitch but your shoes are cool.

Thank you, I do like my shoes.

"Air Traffic Control" is possibly this album's version of "Keys to the City" where they are taking planes instead of trains. Next album will have automobiles.

"Poke-A-Hot-Ass" has the great line:

I get more ass than the catholic priest.

and

If I was an indian, I'd be Poke-A-Hot-Ass.

The release ends with a dirtier remake of the 2 Live Crew song "Me So Horny", followed by a remix of the same song. Who would have thought in 1989 that you could make the song dirtier? Way to go boys.

All in all, it's a solid album. No major flaws. Again, I'd hope for more of a power bass riff presence, but if this is what Al wants to give us, I accept it.

Did he achieve what he was going for? Yeah. It's solid. It's a fun group of guys, sounding like they are having fun playing, and having fun talking about taboo things.

It'll be interesting to see them try to work some of these songs into a concert. "Filthy Senoritas" and "Robo Banditos" medley should be fun. Also the train, plane, and motorcycle ("Stainless Steel Providers") medley can be good too. If they throw in Ministry "Jesus Built My Hotrod" they'll have most every method of transportation covered.

The album is available at the 13th Planet site. It's also available for download at Emusic, and Itunes.

CU (gar) beer weekend, April 16, Mom's Weekend

It's the annual mother's pilgrimage to Champaign Urbana and the University of Illinois for mothers of the students at U of I, Moms Weekend. This year it runs from April 16 to 18.

If you are looking for a place to eat, you should call ahead to see if there's room at the restaurant, and also to see if you need a reservation.

Many places will have unlisted food specials. Others will have drink specials.

Seven Saints

Rotating taps:

Bourbon-Aged Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter
Port Shark Attack

Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday, this week should be Canadian and Micro.


Radio Maria

1. Two Brothers Monarch Wit $4
2. Green Flash Le Freak $6
3. Ballast Point Sea Monster $6
4. Founders Double Trouble IPA $5
5. Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA $5
6. Corsendonk Brown Ale $6.5
7. Founders Imperial Stout $6
8. Veltins Pilsner $4
9. Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre $5
10.Port Midnight Sessions $5
11.Ska Modus Hoperandi IPA $6
12.Port Shark Attack Red Ale $5
13.St Bernardus Abt. 12 $6
14.Mikkeller Simcoe IPA $6.5
15.Flying Dog In Heat Wheat $5
16.Moylan Dragoon's Dry Irish Stout $4.5
17.Left Hand Milk Stout $4
18.Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour $6
19.North Coast Old Stock $6.5
20.Dark Horse Tres Blueberry $5
21.Blanche de Bruxelles $5
22.He'brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A $6
23.Pyramid Apricot $4
24.Victory Moonglow $4.5
25.Capital Imperial Dopplebock $5
26.Weihenstephaner Weissbier $6
27.Southern Tier Old Man Winter $2.25

Friday: Happy Hour with free appetizers 4:30 - 5:30
Saturday: $4 Jeremiah Weed drinks and $6 Jeremiah Weed John Daly's, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday
Tuesday: 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Trivia Night 11pm with MC Juice
Thursday:$5 Mojitos & $6 Brazilian Cosmos

April 28: North shore Cocktail Dinner, 6pm, $55 limited to 25 people




Blind Pig

Left Hand Chainsaw; Longmont, Colorado, American Strong Ale, 8.3% abv
Atwater Double Down Imperial Amber; Detroit, Michigan, Amber Ale, 7.5% abv
Lost Abbey Carnevale; San Marcos, California, Saison, 6.5% abv
Sand Creek Oscar’s Choc. Oat. Stout; Black River Falls, WI, Sweet Stout, 4.5% abv
New Holland Night Tripper; Holland, Michigan, Imperial Stout, 10.8% abv
Unibroue Maudite; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 8% abv
Sand Creek Wild Ride; Black River Falls, Wisconsin, India Pale Ale, 6% abv
Weston’s Premium; Cider England, Cider, 4.5% abv
Fuller’s London Pride; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Delirium Tremens; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5% abv
Blue Moon; Golden, Colorado, Belgian White, 5.4% abv
Konig Pilsener; Germany, Classic German Pilsener, 4.9% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue Chocolate Stout; Newport, Oregon, Sweet Stout, 6.3%
Bells Oberon; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Wheat Ale, 6% abv
Monk’s Cafe; Belgium, Sour Ale, 5.5%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Summit Horizon Red; St. Paul, Minnesota, Amber Ale, 5.7% abv
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Lindemans Framboise Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
North Coast Brother Thelonious; Fort Bragg, CA, Belgian Strong Ale, 9% abv
Belhaven Scottish; Scotland, Bitter, 3.9%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv


Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)

Blind Pig American Pale Ale
Blind Pig Oatmeal Stout
Blind Pig Brown Ale
Moylan’s Old Blarney; Novato, California, Barley Wine, 10% abv
Captial Maibock; Middleton, Wisconsin, Heller Bock, 5.2% abv
Wychwood Hobgoblin; England, Premium Bitter, 5.2% abv
Goose Island Pepe Nero; Chicago, Illinois, Saison, 6% abv
Wittekerke; Belgium, Belgian White, 5% abv
Victory Golden Monkey; Downington, Pennsylvania, Abbey Tripel, 9.5% abv
Heilemans Old Style; Woodridge, Illinois, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Great Divide Titan IPA; Denver, Colorado, India Pale Ale, 6.8% abv
Atomium Grand Cru; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Sunday: 7-9 Trivia, $1 Old Style, $2 Jameson Whiskey, $3 Guinness Draughts
Monday: $1 off all bottles; Blind Pig Brewery Beer Club

Drink through a list of 150 beers, at 75 receive a Blind Pig Brewery Beer Club shirt, at 150 name on the Club Hall of Fame Plaque.



Crane Alley

Schlafly Kolsch 4.9%
Avec Les Bons Voeux 9.5%
Dogfish Head Aprihop 7.0%
Lost Abbey Carnevale 6.5%
Left Hand Sawtooth Ale 4.8%
Mikkeler Cascade IPA 6.9%
Bells Oberon 6.0%
Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale
Founders Imperial Stout 10.5%
Hoegaarden Belgian Wit 4.9%
Guinness 4.2%
Aecht Shlenkerla Rauchbier 6.5%
Port Brewing Midnight Sessions Black Lager 5.0%
Pabst Blue Ribbon 4.7%
Southern Tier Gemini IPA 10.5%
Weston Premium Cider 4.5%

Food Specials for the weekend of April 16

SEAFOOD RISOTTO - Creamy risotto with mahi mahi, shrimp, bay scallops, asparagus, grape tomatoes, and shaved carrots

PROSCUITTO AND MELON SALAD - Mixed greens and spicach tossed with a honey vinaigrette and topped with cantaloupe, honey dew, prosciutto, and asiago

LEMON CHICKEN FETTUCCINI - Fettuccini noodles with chicken breast, broccoli, and mushrooms in a limoncello-white wine-butter sauce topped with asiago cheese and served with garlic toast



Mike n' Molly's

Guinness
Harp
Strongbow
Miller High Life
Left Hand Oak Aged Imperial Stout
Schneider Hopfenweissen
Capital Maibock
Lost Abbey Carnevale
Blanche de Brussels
Green Flash West Coast IPA

Friday: Arkansas Dogjaw
Saturday: Sun Stereo (formerly Heyokas)
Monday: Abe Froman Project, 9-10pm, free/ Rockstar Karaoke, 10-2, free; $1 PBR
Tuesday: $1.25 High Life; $.50 off all taps
Wednesday: Bingo, 9:30-midnight, free; $2 Mickey's Big Mouth; $2.50 rails
Thursday: Via Audio$2.50 Stella Artois bottles

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

CASK: New Holland Dragon's Milk

Southern Tier Unearthly IPA
Flying Dog Raging Bitch IPA
Port Brewing Midnight Sessions
Chimay Triple
Schlafly Scotch Ale



Cowboy Monkey

Friday: Santah, $7, 9:30 pm
Saturday: Daikaiju, $5, 10pm
Sunday: Robbie Fulks, $10, 8pm
Tuesday: Jill Andrews, $7, 8:30pm; Open Mic Night, 11pm
Wednesday: Salsa Night, free, 10 pm
Thursday: Buzz Presents: World's First Flying Machine, $7, 9:30pm


Highdive

Friday: DJ Delayney, $5, 10 pm
Saturday: Shannon Curfman, $12 in advance, 8pm; DJ and Dancing, $5, 10:30pm
Monday: 80's Night, free, 10 pm
Tuesday: Open Mic Session, $5, 9pm

Canopy Club

Friday: Fishing With Dynamite: An Evening of Sketch Comedy, $5, 10:30 pm; Pecha Kucha Night: CU Vol. 3, $5 in Advance, 7pm
Saturday: The Antlers, $12 in advance, 8pm
Sunday: Pizza Pitcher & a Movie, Movie Musicals, Grease, 6pm; Animal House, 8pm; Rocky Horros Picture Show, 10pm
Monday: One Dollar Wild Mondays with Jobu, $1 beer and well
Tuesday: Trivia Diner: Live Game Show/The Piano Man
Wednesday:Rave to the Grave

April 23: Local H, $10 in advance, 7 pm
April 24: The Used, $25 in advance, 8pm
May 19: Mastodon, $23 in advance, 6 pm

CU Beer Club

Club Meeting, 6:30pm, Crane Alley. Theme is "favorite style". Bring some beer that's in your favorite style.

Alcohol in the News; One-on-One with Sun Singer's Wine & Gifts

From the Buzz.

One-on-One with Sun Singer's Wine & Gifts

Once again, the Buzz fails to provide any good content.

Sun Singer Wine & Gifts is located at 1115 West Windsor Road in Champaign.

CU Bars in the news; Best Bar: Crane Alley

From WCFN 49, Illinois Homepage.net

Best Bar: Crane Alley

Featuring Air Wood!

Crane Alley is located at 115 West Main Street.

Aaron Wood, Crane Alley general manager: "The longer we're open, the busier we keep getting. Even as short as a few years ago, people would come in and say they've never heard of us."

Jennifer Ketchmark: But this is a place you shouldn't miss. It's called Crane Alley, and that space between buildings was an inspiration.

Aaron Wood: "The alley is named by the city, Crane Alley. It's just nice, it's cozy in here, and there's a constant breeze."

And that setting draws a crowd.

Aaron Wood: "Our lunches, we fill this alley up pretty decently, as well as happy hours throughout the week."

And on the plates of just about every diner are these sweet potato fries!

(SOT) "They're delicious."

(SOT) "Crispy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside, sprinkled with brown sugar."

And the fries can't be the only focus. The burgers are also buzz worthy.

Aaron Wood: "Half-pound burgers, fresh pattied daily, and we put minced garlic into them, we have our own little mix that adds to the flavor of them."

And my photographer Alan really enjoyed that burger—really!

Another dish we checked was their salmon, which was flaky and fresh.

And, let's not forget this is also a bar.

Aaron Wood: "You'll be able to find any variety of beer at anytime. We have 16 rotating draft lines, we carry over 200 bottles at all times."

Hey, kids of the 80s and 90s, do you remember pop rocks? They have martinis with pop rocks around the rims, and believe me, this will leave you with a pop!

Aaron Wood: "We have a vast martini list, wine menu, pretty much something for everybody."

You'll also find something else inside to roll along the time.

Aaron Wood: "We have pool leagues that come in, two different nights of the week, and it's just a nice change of pace after you have dinner."

And there's another nook of this bar that you must see: their upstairs lounge.

Aaron Wood: "We do a lot of private parties up there, rehearsal dinners, birthdays, class reunions."

Perfect sweet potato fries, and outdoor dining done right, is why this place made our list of Best Bars.

Aaron Wood, general manager: "We're open every day 11 a.m. To 2 a.m., we do a full menu throughout the hours. ... vast majority of all our foods are made from scratch."

Alcohol in the News; Nona Mia Sangria

From WCIA 3, Illinoishomepage.net

Nona Mia Sangria

Jim Dubnicek, the GM from Alto Vineyards brings their Nona Mia Sangria to the show.

Alto Vineyards is located at 4210 North Duncan Road in Champaign.

Alcohol in the News; Medical News: Drinking and Breast Cancer

From WCFN 49/ Illinois Homepage.net

Medical News: Drinking and Breast Cancer

Dave Benton: In medical news—new information for women about the risks of alcohol.

A study shows heavy drinking increases your risk of benign breast cancer. It's more common in yonger women.

Researchers believe the connection between the two is in the hormone estrogen. Drinking increases estrogen levels, so drinking more increases a woman's risk.

Researchers hope the study will make women think twice before buying their next drink.

The local story seems to be based off this one from WebMD.

Teen drinking linked to benign breast cancer

April 12, 2010 --Teenage and adolescent girls who regularly consume alcohol may be at greater risk for developing benign breast disease in their 20s than their teetotaling counterparts, Harvard researchers report in the May issue of Pediatrics. Benign breast disease or noncancerous lumps, bumps or cysts in the breast are known risk factors for breast cancer.

It's not the cancer cancer version, it's just lumps. Granted, lumps aren't pleasant, but they can be removed. (I'm a guy, I've felt benign lumps before)

Alcohol in the Local News, Urbana council to consider range fo fee increases

From the News-Gazette

Urbana council to consider range of fee increases

URBANA – Fees for ambulance-service companies, liquor licenses, sewer taxes and rental inspections, among others, will likely increase next year.

Obviously, the one we care about is liquor licenses.

Among proposed fee adjustments in liquor license fees, Eldridge recommends:

– For a Class A license, which allows drink and package-liquor sales for consumption on or off premises, or a Class AA license, which permits hotel or motel sales of alcoholic drinks or packages on or off premises, the fee would go from $4,663 to $4,780.

– For Class B, which covers retail sales of only beer for consumption on or off premises, and Class BB, which covers sale of only beer and wine on or off premises, the fee would go from $2,507 to $2,570.

– For Class C, which allows for package-liquor sale for consumption off premises only, the fee would go from $4,548 to $4,662.

– For a GC license, which covers liquor sales at a golf course, the fee goes from $4,808 to $4,928.

– For Class R, which allows drink or package-liquor consumption on or off premises of restaurants, the fee goes from $3,462 to $3,549.

Class R affects the restaurants, like Crane Alley. I believe the Corkscrew is a Class A. Picadilly would be a class C.

Beer in the News, Super High Alcohol Beer heads to the U.S.

From Time.com

Super-High-Alcohol Beer heads to the U.S.

Time for some fear mongering by time magazine. OMG, beer has alcohol...

Thanks to a war among European brewing companies, it's never been easier to catch a healthy beer buzz. Or get yourself totally sloshed. In November, BrewDog, a three-year-old Scottish microbrewery, released a new brand, dubbed Tactical Nuclear Penguin. The beer set a new record by weighing in at a scary 32% alcohol by volume (ABV), more than six times the strength of familiar domestic brands like Budweiser. As explained in a cheeky video on the company's website (warning: the clip contains simulated penguin sex), the brewery was able to attain the high alcohol content by freezing the beer at a local ice cream factory, at temperatures as low as -6°C (21°F), for 21 days. Alcohol freezes at lower temperatures than water, and removing water from the solution increased the alcohol concentration.

Wow, Time compares BrewDog Tactical Nuclear Penguin to Budweiser. Why not have a taste comparison between Kraft American Cheese Singles and a chunk of Manchego.

Some alcohol-watchdog groups aren't laughing. The chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, Jack Law, has blasted BrewDog's high-alcohol products as "irresponsible," especially at a time when Scotland is experiencing "severe alcohol-related problems." In December, BrewDog received a slap on the wrist from a British alcohol regulatory body, the Portman Group, which ordered that retailers pull the company's 18.2% Tokyo beer brand off shelves because of its marketing tactics. A note on the Tokyo label says, "It is all about moderation. Everything in moderation, including moderation itself. What logically follows is that you must, from time, have excess. This beer is for those times." After the beer was pulled, BrewDog came out with a 1.1% ABV brew meant to tame the critics. Its name: Nanny State.

BrewDog understands the mentality of the world now, that will try to protect you from anything that could ever hurt you, instead of letting individuals make their own decisions.

Even if these brands end up being carried by more bars and retailers, Watt firmly believes that the high prices will prohibit unsophisticated drinkers (read: high school kids at a kegger, or college students on spring break) from just picking up the stuff and chugging it. But you can't deny that if the beer becomes more widely available in stores, or if other brewers mimic BrewDog's strategy, it could become hazardous. Since most drinkers don't check the alcohol level on the label like they would the expiration date on a milk carton, an unsuspecting soul with money to spare could sip a little too much strong stuff.

"We're all for responsible consumption," Watt says. But as we all know, beer and responsibility often don't mix. So enjoy the beer wars at your own risk.

If you are lucky enough to find this beer, share it with someone. If you drink the whole thing, you will be drunk, unless you drink it really slowly, or weigh about 300+ pounds. Of course, if you drink Budweiser, and eat a lot of processed cheese type products you might be 300+ anyway.

CU Bars in the News, Best Bars: Kennedy's @ Stone Creek

From WCFN 49, Illinois Homepage.net

Kennedy's @ Stone Creek

Kennedy's at Stone Creek is located at 2560 Stone Creek Blvd, in Urbana.

According to the beer menu online, there is some decent beer, but not a huge selection. Pilsner Urquell is on tap and in bottles. They have a stout, wheat, pale, some lagers, and some other beers on the menu. It probably won't be anything you haven't had before, but at least there aren't 50 different versions of american light lager.

CU Beer Weekend, April 9

Seven Saints

Rotating taps:

Bourbon-Aged Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter
Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout

Wednesday: Whiskey Wednesday, half off Canadian

Radio Maria

1. Two Brothers Monarch Wit $4
2. Green Flash Le Freak $6
3. Two Brothers Coffee Red Eye Porter $5.5
4. Founders Double Trouble IPA $5
5. Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA $5
6. Corsendonk Brown Ale $6.5
7. Founders Imperial Stout $6
8. Veltins Pilsner $4
9. Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre $5
10.Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout $5
11.Ska Modus Hoperandi IPA $6
12.Port Shark Attack Red Ale $5
13.St Bernardus Abt. 12 $6
14.Mikkeller Simcoe IPA $6.5
15.Flying Dog In Heat Wheat $5
16.Moylan Dragoon's Dry Irish Stout $4.5
17.Left Hand Milk Stout $4
18.Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour $6
19.North Coast Old Stock $6.5
20.Dark Horse Tres Blueberry $5
21.DogFish Head Midas Touch $6
22.He'brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A $6
23.Pyramid Apricot $4
24.Victory Moonglow $4.5
25.Capital Imperial Dopplebock $5
26.Weihenstephaner Weissbier $6
27.Southern Tier Old Man Winter $2.25

Friday: Happy Hour with free appetizers 4:30 - 5:30, Victory Moonglow, $4 a pint
Saturday: $4 Jeremiah Weed drinks and $6 Jeremiah Weed John Daly's, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: 6pm, Kids Art4Kids to benefit Crisis Nursery, $7 in advance $10 day of; $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday
Tuesday: 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Trivia Night 11pm with MC Juice
Thursday:$5 Mojitos & $6 Brazilian Cosmos


April 28: North shore Cocktail Dinner, 6pm, $55 limited to 25 people

Blind Pig

Flying Dog Raging Bitch; Frederick, Maryland, India Pale Ale, 8.3% abv
Bells Best Brown Ale; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Brown Ale, 5.8% abv
Moylan’s Tipperary Pale Ale; Novato, California, American Pale Ale, 5% abv
Schlafly Scotch Ale; Maplewood, Missouri, Scotch Ale, 6.2% abv
Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout; Grand Rapids, MI, Imperial Stout, 11.2% abv
Unibroue Maudite; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 8% abv
Left Hand 400lb Monkey; Longmont, Colorado, India Pale Ale, 7% abv
Dogfish Head ApriHop; Milton, Delaware, Fruit Beer, 7% abv
Fuller’s London Pride; England, Premium Bitter, 4.7% abv
Delirium Tremens; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5% abv
Blue Moon; Golden, Colorado, Belgian White, 5.4% abv
Konig Pilsener; Germany, Classic German Pilsener, 4.9% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue Chocolate Stout; Newport, Oregon, Sweet Stout, 6.3%
Bells Oberon; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Wheat Ale, 6% abv
Monk’s Cafe; Belgium, Sour Ale, 5.5%
Weston’s Premium Cider; England, Cider, 4.5% abv
Summit Horizon Red; St. Paul, Minnesota, Amber Ale, 5.7% abv
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Lindemans Framboise; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
North Coast Brother Thelonious; Fort Bragg, CA, Belgian Strong Ale, 9% abv
Belhaven Scottish; Scotland, Bitter, 3.9%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Cask: Arcadia Hopmouth

Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)

Blind Pig Witbier
Blind Pig American Pale Ale
Blind Pig Oatmeal Stout
Blind Pig Brown Ale
Moylan’s Old Blarney; Novato, California, Barley Wine, 10% abv
Captial Maibock; Middleton, Wisconsin, Heller Bock, 5.2% abv
Moylan’s Kilt Lifter; Novato, California, Scotch Ale, 8% abv
Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye; Healdsburg, California, India Pale Ale, 8% abv
Wittekerke; Belgium, Belgian White, 5% abv
Rogue Dead Guy; Newport, Oregon, Heller Bock, 6.5% abv
Heilemans Old Style; Woodridge, Illinois, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Great Divide Titan IPA; Denver, Colorado, India Pale Ale, 6.8% abv
Atomium Grand Cru; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Sunday: 7-9 Trivia, $1 Old Style, $2 Jameson Whiskey, $3 Guinness Draughts
Monday: $1 off all bottles; Blind Pig Brewery Beer Club

Drink through a list of 150 beers, at 75 receive a Blind Pig Brewery Beer Club shirt, at 150 name on the Club Hall of Fame Plaque.

Crane Alley

Schlafly Kolsch 4.9%
Avec Les Bons Voeux 9.5%
Dogfish Head Aprihop 7.0%
Lost Abbey Carnevale 6.5%
Left Hand Sawtooth Ale 4.8%
Mikkeler Amarillo IPA 6.9%
Fullers E.S.B. 5.9%
Three Floyds Robert The Bruce 7.0%
Founders Imperial Stout 10.5%
Blanche De Bruxelles 4.5%
Guinness 4.2%
Aecht Shlenkerla Rauchbier 6.5%
Port Brewing Midnight Sessions Black Lager 5.0%
Pabst Blue Ribbon 4.7%
Southern Tier Gemini IPA 10.5%
Weston Premium Cider 4.5%

Food Specials for the weekend of April 9th

SHRIMP TACOS - Jerk marinated shrimp tacos with onion, tomato, and lime. Served with cilantro rice

CRAB CROSTINI - Crab spread with sour cream, cream cheese, and jarlsberg on garlic toast

MELON SALAD - Mixed greens and spinach tossed in honey vinaigrette with cantaloupe, honeydew, bacon, and asiago

Mike n' Molly's

Guinness
Harp
Strongbow
Miller High Life
Left Hand Oak Aged Imperial Stout
Schneider Hopfenweissen
Capital Maibock
Hebrew Lenny's RIPA
Blanche de Brussels
Founders Double Trouble

Friday: Ussop the Liar
Saturday: Very Truly Yours
Monday: Abe Froman Project, 9-10pm, free/ Rockstar Karaoke, 10-2, free; $1 PBR
Tuesday: $1.25 High Life; $.50 off all taps
Wednesday: Bingo, 9:30-midnight, free; $2 Mickey's Big Mouth; $2.50 rails
Thursday: $2.50 Stella Artois bottles

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

Cask: (Wednesday) New Holland Dragon's Milk
Dark Horse Crooked Tree IPA
Founders Centennial IPA
Lost Abbey The Angel's Share
Wittekerke Wit
Schlafly's Scotch Ale
Left Hand Milk Stout

Cowboy Monkey

Friday: Common Loon, $5, 10 pm
Tuesday: Open Mic Night, free, 10 pm
Wednesday: Salsa Night, free, 10 pm
Thursday: Cameron McGill, $7, 10 pm

Highdive

Friday: DJ Delayney, $5, 10 pm
Saturday: Elector Vs Dubstep, $5, 10 pm
Monday: 80's Night, free, 10 pm

Canopy Club

Friday: Mike Posner, $20 in Advance, 10 pm; Champaign County CASA Benefit Concert, 6pm.
Saturday: Urbanite Sprint 2010, $15
Sunday: Pizza Pitcher & a Movie, Kevin Smith Night, 6 pm Chasing Amy, 8pm Clerks, 10pm Jay and Silent Bob: Strike Back!
Monday: One Dollar Wild Mondays with Jobu, $1 beer and well
Tuesday: Trivia Diner: Live Game Show/The Piano Man
Wednesday:Rave to the Grave
Thursday: This Must be the Band: tribute to Talking Heads, $8 in advance, 10pm

April 23: Local H, $10 in advance, 7 pm
April 24: The Used, $25 in advance, 8pm
May 19: Mastodon, $23 in advance, 6 pm

CU Bars in the News, Restaurant holds auction to benefit nursery

From the News-Gazette

Restaurant holds auction to benefit nursery

CHAMPAIGN – Radio Maria restaurant and Crisis Nursery of Champaign will present their second annual Kids Art 4 Kids benefit auction. All proceeds will benefit the Crisis Nursery.

The art show features original works by children from the Champaign and Monticello school districts. The artworks have been grouped and framed, with old frames from the Preservation and Conservation Association.

The work is now exhibited at the restaurant at 119 N. Walnut St., C. Most pieces may be bid on in a silent auction; it will end with a reception beginning at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets are $7 in advance (available at the bar) or $10 at the door.

CU Bars in the News, One-on-One with Mike Cochran of Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

From the Buzz.

One-on-One with Mike Cochran of Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

buzz: What kind of beers do you offer?

MC: We focus mainly on craft brews, and I like to offer products from area breweries. We’ve been featuring beers from Two Brothers Brewery lately, which is out of Warrenville, Ill.

There's your highlight.

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House is located at 201 North Broadway Avenue, Urbana.

Alcohol in the Local News, Wine and Cheese to Please

From WCIA 3 CBS Morning Show

Wine and Cheese to please

Sam Samet from Piccadilly at the Crossing pairs wine with local cheeses.

Picadilly at the Crossing is located at 2508 Village Green Place, Champaign.


Is Kaylee Dion standing on a box?

Bars to watch baseball in CU

So, you are looking for a place to watch baseball in Champaign Urbana.

One of the best places to catch the games is Buffalo Wild Wings, BW3. They routinely have the directv baseball package. The beer selection isn't all that great, but they have a lot of tv's and have all the games. Both the Savoy location, and the Champaign one should have all the games.

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar is located at 907 West Marketview Drive, Champaign.
The Savoy location is 1335 Savoy Plaza Lane, Savoy.

Another place with a lot of tv's is Hooters. Again, their beer selection isn't the best, but if the baseball game sucks, you have other things to look at.

Hooters is located at 1706 South State Street, in Champaign.

Old Chicago has several tv's and has the best beer selection so far on this list.

Old Chicago Pizza and Pasta is located at 1910 North Neil Street, in Champaign.

Billy Barooz, has several tv's throughout the bar, and is an excellent place for more upscale food (so far on the list). They have a decent selection of beer. I'm sure every available Cubs, Sox, and Cardinals game will be on there.

Billy Barooz is located at 2521 Village Green Place, Champaign.

Right next door to Barooz is Jupiter's at the Crossing. They have a decent beer selection, along with some pretty good pizza.

Jupiter's at the Crossing is located at 2511 Village Green Place, Champaign.

Guido's Bar and Grill, has (according to Kristy) the best grilled cheese sandwich in CU. I really enjoy their prime rib sandwich. They have several tv's and is probably the best place in downtown Champaign to watch a game.

Guido's Bar and Grill is located at 2 East Main Street, in Champaign.

There are several bars with a few tv's that if no one else is watching, will try to accommodate you.
Seven Saints has 5 tv's and good beer, and sliders.
Fat City has a whole lot of BMC products.
If you are playing softball or rugby and want to catch a game, Po' Boys in Urbana is your best bet.
Esquire Lounge has an ok beer selection, and I love their Asian Dumplings.
Tumble Inn is about as close as you'll get to an after softball bar. There are a few tv's.

Places to avoid are: Blind Pig, Blind Pig Brewery, and Radio Maria. None of those bars have televisions.

CU Bars in the News, Police issue 21 citations for underage possession or purchase of alcohol

From the News-Gazette

Police issue 21 citations for underage possession or purchase of alcohol.

CHAMPAIGN — State police, with help from Champaign police, issued 21 citations for possession or purchase of alcohol by minors ages 18 to 20 years old late Saturday night and early Sunday morning as part of the Operation Campus Tap program.

Sgt. Bill Emery of the state police said Operation Campus Tap is intended to address underage drinking among college-age and high school-age youths.

Emery said police conducted bar checks at 10 locations in Champaign.

Clybourne, 706 S. Sixth St., was the site with the most citations, with nine; followed by Kam’s, 618 E. Daniel (five citations), Station 211, 211 E. Green St. (four citations), Bradley’s, 1906 W. Bradley (two citations) and Chester Street Bar, 65 Chester St. (one citation).

I wonder if it was the kid who was claiming it was his 21st birthday, who was saying that his buddies were going to the bullet, and he didn't want to go there.

CU Bars in the News, Best Bars: Fat City

From Illinois Homepage, WCFN

Best Bars: Fat City

Fat City is located at 505 South Chestnut.

Fat city is one of the few places (if there are any others) with shuffleboard.

According to their website, their beer (tap and bottle) list is horrible. There are about 35 versions of American Light Lagers. Let's run them down... shall we:

Draft:
bud light; coors light; miller lite; stella artois

Interestingly, Blue Moon is listed as an import draft.

Bottles:
Budweiser, bud light, bud select, bud select 55, busch, busch light, coors light, old style, o'doul's, mgd, mgd 64, miller high life, miller lite, natural light, pbr, bud light lime, bud light wheat, michelob ultra, michelob ultra pomegranate, amstel light, corona extra, corona light, dos equis lager, fosters, heineken, landshark, pacifico, red stripe, rolling rock, stella artois.

That's a lot of the exact same thing.

They serve Pepsi products.

They do have a large patio, and have live entertainment.

CU Beer Weekend, April 2

Seven Saints

Rotating taps:

Bourbon-Aged Ballast Point Black Marlin Porter
Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Stout

Wednesday: whiskey Wednesday, half off Scotch

Radio Maria

1. Two Brothers Monarch Wit $4
2. Coney Island Lager $6
3. Two Brothers Coffee Red Eye Porter $5.5
4. Founders Double Trouble $5
5. Dark Horse Scotty Karate $4
6. Corsendonk Brown Ale $6.5
7. Founders Imperial Stout $6
8. Veltins Pilsner $4
9. Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre $5
10.Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout $5
11.Ballast Point Sculpin IPA $6
12.Capital Rustic Ale $4
13.St Bernardus Abt. 12 $6
14.Mikkeller Simcoe IPA $6.5
15.Flying Dog In Heat Wheat $5
16.Moylan Dragoon's Dry Irish Stout $4.5
17.Left Hand Milk Stout $4
18.Two Brothers Moaten $6
19.Southern Tier Krampus $6
20.Dark Horse Tres Blueberry $5
21.Southern Tier Choklat $6
22.He'brew Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A $6
23.Pyramid Apricot $4
24.Victory Moonglow $4.5
25.Capital Imperial Dopplebock $5
26.Weihenstephaner Weissbier $6
27.Southern Tier Old Man Winter $2.25

Friday: Happy Hour with free appetizers 4:30 - 5:30, Southern Tier Krampus $5 for a tulip
Saturday: $4 Jeremiah Weed drinks and $6 Jeremiah Weed John Daly's, Salsa Night at 10.
Sunday: $2 wells, $1.25 PBR
Monday: 25% off bottles of wine; Board Game Monday
Tuesday: 1/2 price wine by the glass
Wednesday: $1 off all beers on draft; Trivia Night 11pm with MC Juice
Thursday:$5 Mojitos & $6 Brazilian Cosmos

April 11: 6pm, Kids Art4Kids to benefit Crisis Nursery, $7 in advance $10 day of
April 28: North shore Cocktail Dinner, 6pm, $55 limited to 25 people

Blind Pig

Original Sin Hard Cider
Bells Best Brown Ale; Kalamazoo, Michigan, Brown Ale, 5.8% abv
Moylan’s Tipperary Pale Ale; Novato, California, American Pale Ale, 5% abv
Schlafly Scotch Ale; Maplewood, Missouri, Scotch Ale, 6.2% abv
Dark Horse Plead The Fifth; Marshall, Michigan, Imperial Stout, 12% abv
Unibroue Maudite; Canada, Belgian Strong Ale, 8% abv
Bells Two Hearted; Kalamazoo, Michigan, India Pale Ale, 7% abv
Pyramid Apricot; Portland, Oregon, Fruit Beer, 5.1% abv
Fuller’s ESB; England, Premium Bitter, 5.9% abv
Delirium Tremens; Belgium, Belgian Strong Ale, 8.5% abv
Blue Moon; Golden, Colorado, Belgian White, 5.4% abv
Victory Prima Pils; Downington, Pennsylvania, Pilsener, 5.3% abv
Stella Artois; Belgium, Pale Lager, 5.2% abv
Pabst Blue Ribbon; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Rogue Double Mocha Porter; Newport, Oregon, Baltic Porter
Kasteel Rouge; Belgium, Fruit Beer, 8% abv
Monk’s Cafe; Belgium, Sour Ale, 5.5%
Lagunitas IPA; Petaluma, California, India Pale Ale, 5.7% abv
Left Hand Widdershins; Longmont, Colorado, Barleywine, 8.8% abv
Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen; Germany, German Hefeweizen, 5.3% abv
Lindemans Framboise; Belgium, Lambic, 2.5% abv
Gulden Draak; Belgium, Quadrupel, 10.5% abv
Belhaven Scottish; Scotland, Bitter, 3.9%
Guinness; Dublin, Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Cask: Two Brothers the Bitter End

Blind Pig Brewery (the Piglet)

Blind Pig American Pale Ale
Blind Pig Weizenbock
Blind Pig Oatmeal Stout
Dark Horse Fore Smoked Stout; Marshall, Michigan, Smoked, 8% abv
Allagash White; Portland, Maine, Belgian White, 5.5% abv
Moylan’s Kilt Lifter; Novato, California, Scotch Ale, 8% abv
Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye; Healdsburg, California, India Pale Ale, 8% abv
Schlafly Pilsner; Maplewood, Missouri, Pilsener, 4.9% abv
Rogue Dead Guy; Newport, Oregon, Heller Bock, 6.5% abv
Heilemans Old Style; Woodridge, Illinois, Pale Lager, 5% abv
Dogfish Head 60 Minute; Milton, Delaware, India Pale Ale, 6% abv
Piraat; Belgium, Belgian IPA, 10.5% abv
Guinness; Ireland, Dry Stout, 4.1% abv

Sunday: 7-9 Trivia, $1 Old Style, $2 Jameson Whiskey, $3 Guinness Draughts
Monday: $1 off all bottles; Blind Pig Brewery Beer Club

Drink through a list of 150 beers, at 75 receive a Blind Pig Brewery Beer Club shirt, at 150 name on the Club Hall of Fame Plaque.

Crane Alley
Konig Pilsner 4.9%
Avec Les Bons Voeux 9.5%
Dogfish Head 60 Min IPA 6.0%
Bells Java Stout 7.5%
Einbecker Mai Ur Bock 6.5%
Mikkeler Simcoe IPA 6.9%
Ohara's Irish Red Ale 5.4%
Three Floyds Robert The Bruce 7.0%
Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout 10.0%
Two Brothers Monarch Wit 5.4%
Guinness 4.2%
Rogue St Rogue Dry Hopped Red Ale 5.2%
Port Brewing Midnight Sessions Black Lager 5.0%
Pabst Blue Ribbon 4.7%
Green Flash Imperial IPA 9.2%
Weston Premium Cider 4.5%

Food Specials for the weekend of April 2nd

CASHEW SHRIMP - Sauteed shrimp with carrots, bell pepper, onion, broccoli, and cashews

PORTABELLA PIZZETTA - Portabella caps with marinara, red onion, spicach, tomatoes, mozzarella,and romano

FLANK STEAK CROSTINI - Grilled flank steak with hearts of palm, red onion, and white wine-lime butter served on garlic toast

July 5: Founders Beer Dinner, 7:30

Mike n' Molly's

(last weeks tap list)

Guinness
Blanche de Brussels
Harp
Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier
Rogue Juniper
Strongbow
Avery the Czar
Miller High Life
Hebrew Lenny's RIPA
Acme IPA

Friday: Hathaways, 10pm
Saturday: Take Care, 10pm
Monday: Abe Froman Project, 9-10pm, free/ Rockstar Karaoke, 10-2, free; $1 PBR
Tuesday: $1.25 High Life; $.50 off all taps
Wednesday: Bingo, 9:30-midnight, free; $2 Mickey's Big Mouth; $2.50 rails
Thursday: $2.50 Stella Artois bottles

Black Dog Smoke and Ale House

CASK: Two Brothers Long Haul Session Ale
Two Brothers Domaine Dupage
Port Brewing Hop 15
Two Brothers Ebel Weiss
Ohara's Irish Red
Schlafly's Irish Extra Stout
Moylan's Dragoon's Dry Irish Stout

Cowboy Monkey

Friday: Cory Chisel, $10, 10pm
Saturday: the Afterdarks, $5, 10pm
Tuesday: Open Mic Night, free, 10 pm
Wednesday: Salsa, free, 10 pm
Thursday:Blues Jam, free, 9:30 pm

Highdive

Friday: DJ Delayney, $5, 10 pm
Saturday: DJ & Dancing, $5, 10 pm
Monday: 80's Night, free, 10 pm
Tuesday: Open Mic Session, $5, 9pm

Canopy Club

Friday: David Bazan, 8pm, $10 in Advance
Saturday: Zach May and the Maps, 10pm, $7; Microfinance Brigades Benefit Show, $7, 6pm
Monday: Bassnectar, $17 in advance, 8pm
Tuesday: Trivia Diner: Live Game Show/The Piano Man
Wednesday:Rave to the Grave
Thursday: NOLA Relief Benefit Concert, 6pm, $7

Don't forget about Mastodon!!!

Beer with a Babe, Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen with Amy

Last night while at Jupiters at the Crossing, I was invited over to drink a beer with Amy. Amy had just got off work and was having a beer. She (sadly) was drinking a bud light. When she finished that, she asked me what beer she should have. So, I asked her what beers she liked (bud light, blue moon) and then we settled on a Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen (the one with the blue label). It's a larger beer, so we split it.

I've had it before, on several occasions, but Amy hasn't, so she was a blank canvas for experiencing the beer.

Amy suffers from the same thing I used to, when I first started drinking beer other than BMC, and that's lack of a vocabulary to describe what she is experiencing while drinking beer. Most people (it seems) don't spend the time to really analyze their beer, so when they do, it's an unfamiliar experience. For me, it was frustrating at first to not be able to figure out what I was tasting/smelling/experiencing, but with time, it got to be easier. With additional drinking and study, you can figure out what things are present, what to look for, and how to describe them.

Amy described the beer as yellow, sort of a goldeny brown. The head tasted funny. The head also stuck around for a while, as we poured the beer on the first floor, then went down to the basement, where the picture was taken. There is still a present 1/4 inch of foam on the beer, and it was served in a cold glass.

She wasn't able to pick out much in the aroma, although she did notice a lot of sweetness. As for the mouthfeel, her word to describe it was "zingy". I took that to mean bubbly and effervescent, which she agreed with.

As she is a bud light drinker with the occasional foray into Blue Moon, a German style hefe (wheat) beer is not something she's used to. She described the taste, initially as "different". I'd assume that'd be different to her normal beers. If she went in expecting something like a Blue Moon, which is a Belgian Style wit (wheat/white) beer, she would be surprised. As the beer warmed up and she tried to dissect the flavors, she did notice a bit of banana; possibly after some prompting of flavors that can be found in German style hefe's. She was not able to draw out any clove flavors, but then, neither was I.

She said the beer "kinda tastes like Christmas". She also said, that at the right price, she'd drink it again. She stuck with the winter holiday analogy, and said "it tastes like santa came... in my mouth".

Later that evening, she was seen drinking a Woodchuck cider.

So, if you are out at Jupiters at the Crossing, and you are looking to have a beer, and you want to split one of the larger bottles with someone, look for Amy, I'm sure she might help you drink one.

(I had thought about doing a "Beer with a Babe" weekly/monthly post for a while. Where I sit down and have a beer with one of the girls who work at one of the establishments around town, and last night it sort of happened. If you want to have a beer with me, let me know.)

Alcohol in the Local News, Sam's Super Sangria

From WCIA 3 CBS Morning Show.

Sam's Super Sangria

Sam Samet from Piccadilly at the Crossing makes a Sangria.

Piccadilly Beverage Shop at the crossing is located at 2508 Village Green Place, Champaign.

Sangria is a wine punch that is traditionally from Spain. In Spanish, sangria means "bloodletting".

Typically, it's made with red wine, fruit, a sweetener, ice, some other spirits, and carbonated soda.

Sam's is made with oranges, strawberries, blueberries, a sparkling wine, and a red wine.