West Lakeview Liquors
2156 W. Addison 773-525-1916
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Best, not biggest. It’s hard to compete with Binny’s when it comes to inventory, but West Lakeview Liquors, like In Fine Spirits and Drinks Over Dearborn, has a lovingly curated selection—and unlike those places, it crams bottles onto every inch of shelving, sometimes with a second row of beers on a sort of terrace behind the first. I’m sure this makes for terrible feng shui (and it’s hard to get your hands on the Cantillon St. Lamvinus, say, without bumping into the Lou Pepe Framboise ’05), but it allows the shop to indulge in some impressive eccentricities.
There’s craft beer from Japan, Norway, and Italy, and the selection of Belgians includes just about anything you might’ve fallen in love with at the Hopleaf. Of course there are also coolers full of American beer from the usual suspects, with a strong tilt toward midwest operations like Three Floyds and Great Lakes. If you absolutely, positively have to keep it under $8, you can always pick up a sixer of Schlitz. But when you’ve got a few more dollars to throw around there’s an education to be had here. I’m only just getting started myself.
