Wednesday 1st of September 2010 10:22:19 AM

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3rd Friar Tucks location i've been to. This one seemed cleaner and newer, complete with that new store smell. There was some construction on Curtis Rd, amidst the cornfields, so watch for detour signs.

There was one employee on the floor doing inventory, who was very knowledgeable regarding my beer question. I was on a quest for Lambics, and sadly only found the full Lindemans line here, with Kriek de Ranke as a runner-up. Apparently the local distributor had dropped Cantillon due to supply issues.

The beer aisle was on the far left, a small station of winemaking/homebrew supplies, then a long sea of six-packs. Bombers and imports were further down, with cases of seasonal beers stacked in islands on the floor. Plenty of craft & imports in the coolers too, with minikegs in the walk in. On the shelf, I noticed some of the high end Scandinavian imports i've only seen in Chicago, such as Nøgne Ø, Amager, Haandbryggeriet, Nørrebro Bryghus, etc. Also De Ranke, De Molen, and Abbaye de St. Bon Chien. Boulevard 2 Jokers Imp. Wit was here, only place i've seen it so far in IL. Plenty of Fantome, I think the seasonal ones were even on sale. Christmas beer was on an endcap already, which seemed suspicious for early September, most likely last year's stock. Boulevard, Schlafly, Heavy Seas, and Mad River were a few things exclusive to central IL that we don't see in Chicago.

There was only one cashier working, but he was cheerful and friendly. Overall the experience was pleasant, and i'd return if passing through C-U again.

Reviewed on: 09-08-2009