Presidente Beer

Does anyone know if Presidente is available in Chicago?

It was my favorite beer during my formative years in NYC.
I'm sure it is more widely available there because of the larger Dominican population. While I've come to greatly enjoy my three floyds, lagunitas, bells etc., I do miss this easy drinking lager.

Anyways, any help is appreciated.

In the past, I have bought Cerveza Presidente at La Unica. I don't know if they still carry it. They do have a pretty decent selection of Latin American and Caribbean beers.

LA Unica Food Mart
1515 W Devon Ave
Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 274-7788

I love a cold Presidente. Its pisswater, but a crisp, bitter pisswater that is great in the summer and is more loved, it seems, by the people of the DR than any other national beer is loved by its constituents. In the DR, Presidente provides coolers (like Old Style provides signs here) that keep the beer just above frozen. Bien fria.

Anyway, Sam's used to carry it regularly and cheap at a time the US distributor was making a push to other "Latino" markets, maybe 5-6 years ago. (Several of the counter ladies at Sam's are (were) Dominican, BTW, as I discovered when buying Presidente.) They have not had it in a long time. It appears from time to time at La Unica, as mentioned, but it remains very hit-or-miss. So too in liquor stores in and around Humboldt Park and Logan Square, for obvious reasons.

I find the Guatemalan Beer Gallo to be similar and good. Most always on hand at La Unica.

[Its pisswater, but a crisp, bitter pisswater that is great in the summer]

I disagree with this characterization of Presidente. It's one of my favorite beers. I used to drink it in New York and I've had it in Puerto Rico. It's great to find where it's available in Chicago--even if the locations are limited.

Course I was broken in as a beer (puker) drinker on Old Style. . . .

I take it back; Presidente is a full, robust ale bursting with hops and the peaty, smoky undertones of the Bavarian forest floor.

I love Presidente, and have imbibed the cerveza nacional in Santo Domingo and San Pedro de Macoris. There are other light-ish Pilsener beers I like, and there's no shame in admitting that. Jever and the now-ubiquitous Trumer come to mind.

I don't know if this topic is in a discussion of beers generally that I'm probably not looking up--I'm new to posting, so please be gentle--but I've found that as time goes by I like basic lagers done well like Presidente, Peroni, Stella, Heineken etc. (but not MGD) that taste great cold out of the bottle. And if it's a beer that's better poured into a glass, I like almost anything Belgian, most things German and English, but have no interest in American microbeers. All the beers I was crazy for 15 years ago do next to nothing for me now--Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Anchor Steam, Goose Island, even Capital in Wisconsin which used to be a real fav. Anyone else had this experience?

When I lived in Hyde Park, I used to buy Presidente at Kenwood Liquors. I am not sure if they had 6-packs, my purchase was the box of twelve 24oz. bottles. I am also not sure if they still carry Presidente, calling first is advisable.

Kenwood Liquors
8810 S. Stony Island Ave.
Chicago, IL 60617
Phone: 773-374-0512

In addition to good prices on beer, they have a pretty solid <$15 bourbon selection. A bottle of Old Overholt used to be $8, the last time I was in town (July 07) it was $10, I think. Kenwood ranks pretty highly in the category of liquor stores that aren't Sam's. I have read that the Oak Lawn one is even more well-stocked, but I have never been to that location. Good luck in your search for crisp, bitter lager. It is a noble pursuit.