Couldn't agree more on bringing new beers to a party, people love it.

Try Saison DuPont, it comes in a 750ml green bottle at Binny's and is my favorite summer beer...

I have tried over 75 new beers from Binny's/Sam's/etc. in the last year, but unfortunately it is 11:30 on a Tuesday and I don't have the time or energy to elaborate. Maybe tomorrow...

Another non-lite/light beer drinking female chiming in..
A few refreshing summer favorites of mine are *Bell's Oberon, Sierra Nevada Summerfest, Lagunitas Pils and Sleeman's Cream Ale from Canada, not the crappy version they sell here. Our house beers are Boddington's Cream Ale and *Bell's Two-Hearted Ale. Pinkus Organic Munster Alt is also quite tasty.
LO

*Sadly, Bell's beers are no longer available in Chicago. We are in MI frequently and get them there.

I've been on a mission for the past several months to get friends and family to enjoy good beer (as opposed to Miller Lite) at gatherings and the like. I've successfully turned my parents into fans of Weihenstephaner Heffeweis, my favorite of the style, and perhaps my favorite summer beer I've had. Unfortunately, another of my favorites--Unibroue's La Fin du Monde--didn't go over quite as well.

I've had less luck convincing my friends, perhaps because of my age group (21), who are more concerned with drinking to get drunk than actually enjoying a cold (or not so much) one.

I suppose I might post this in Shopping & Cooking, but I'm currently searching for a better and more convenient location to buy these less accessible beers. I used to go to Binny's, but now that I live in Lincoln Square and I don't have a car, it's quite a hike. Additionally, I've found a lot of beers at Binny's to be somewhat skunky, and many of the bottles are covered with obvious layers of dust. This problem seems particularly bad with one of my favorite winter beers--Samuel Smith Imperial Stout--but that could be due to the aforementioned clear bottle problem.

Andersonville Wine and Spirits at Clark and Foster has a decent selection, is closer and open later than any of the Binny's locations. However, they don't have as good a selection as Binny's, just as good as I've found in the area.

Andersonville Wine & Spirits
5201 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 769-0858

I also hear some good things about West Lakeview Liquors on Addison and Leavitt but haven't been.

West Lakeview Liquors
2156 W. Addison St.
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 525-1916

Fine Wine Brokers in Lincoln Square has a small but interesting selection of good beers. Also, The Chopping Block sells some beer, including Blanche de Chambly I think, from the brewers who make Fin du Monde--they may sell that too.

JimTheBeerGuy wrote:I also hear some good things about West Lakeview Liquors on Addison and Leavitt but haven't been.

West Lakeview Liquors is a fantastic store. They carry stuff you won't see at Binny's. I think they conduct beer tastings every Friday and wine tastings on Saturdays. The guy who handles their beer purchasing is also the midwest rep for Shelton Brothers, the premier importer of small batch artisinal Belgian, Dutch, English and German beers.

http://www.wlvliquors.com/
http://www.sheltonbrothers.com/

The new beer for me this summer was Hansa - a great dortmunder I've only seen at the Foremost at California and Milwaukee. As with most summers I put away more than my fair share of 312, Oberon, Hacker Pschorr, and Woodchuck amber cider (perfect for pouring on ribs while they smoke!).

I think New Belgium's 1554 is going to be my fall beer this year.