Piccadilly Beverage Shop

October 12, 2007
A good selection of beers, and they’ll let you buy a single of anything, which is good. A few are available both chilled and unchilled, but most are unchilled. Unfortunately, the store’s selection has suffered (Bells and Three Floyds have gone missing) due to Illinois’s ridiculous alcohol laws. Staff (especially one bearded guy) are very knowledgeable.

January 7, 2007
My main beer store in the CU area. Some of the employees are very knowledgeable and some don’t really have a clue. There’s usually someone working that knows their beer. Always a good selection of seasonal beers. They might not always get a lot of the hard to get, limited release beers, but they usually try. I’ve picked up GI Bourbon County Stout and IIPA as well as Founder’s Breakfast stout lately. Always a good selection of Founders, Avery, Great Lakes, Two Brothers, some Breckenridge stuff, Goose Island, Flying dog, Unibroue, and Sprecher. Not too much DFH on the shelves anymore and no FFF on the shelves lately. Some Victory stuff too. Decent selection of Europeans.

Best thing about this store is that you can pick out singles from any six-pack thats in the store.

January 1, 2007
Good selection, especially for a small town. They didn’t have any Three Floyds on the shelves, said that they weren’t getting it anymore and only had Alpha King and Scottish ale in the back if I was interested.

May 31, 2006
Before the other beer stores hit town, this was THE only place to have a good selection of micros and imports. So this place holds a special place in my beer geek heart. I always swing by when I come home. Not much ambience here, typical small town liquor store vibe. They have respectable amount of imports and domestic regionals. All sixers are breakable, which is a big plus. They always have the best selection of Bells in town, so do not skip this place if you are a fan of Bells...like me.

September 26, 2005
Met BrooklynBoy and some other CUBC members there for their Saturday afternoon beer tasting ($2, or a dollar if you buy something). Good company, good selection of beer to taste: some Octoberfests, of course, but also a crack at Great lakes Nosferatu and Bell’s Expedition! Big, big selection of domestic microbrews, even more than their imports. Everything is priced by the case, sixpack or single bottles (but no mix’n’match, even for same priced beers from the same label. Okay.) I always like finding a little sale/closeout section, which leads to try obscure brands I might not have before.

August 9, 2005 [ Updated December 9, 2005 ]
As the past reviewer has noted, you’ll want to ensure you shop at the Piccadilly listed here, the one on 505 South Neil. The other Picadillys carry far less beer. The prices are reasonable, the service is fair (although some employees far more knowledgable than others), and the selection is very good, probably the best in Champbana. Large selection of European and US micros, and their products are sold as individual bottles as well as six packs. Limited fridge space, so most bottles are under white light and room temp. They offer beer tastings on Saturday afternoons for 2 bucks, although I personally have not attended.

June 14, 2005 [ Updated January 20, 2006 ]
Let me start by saying, that not all Piccadillies are created equal. The one a block or two closer to campus doesn’t have shit. This one, on Neil St., has pretty much anything your heart could desire and pretty cheap too. Lots of Dogfish Head, Victory (though their storm king was from September ’03), tons of Avery, and a lot of foreign crap too. A lot of the good stuff was refridgerated too. Best place to buy beer I’ve found thus far.

November 29, 2004
A very nice selection of microbrews. Victory, Three Floyd’s, Bell’s, Dogfish, Sprecher, Goose Island, etc. The selection of imports was very good as well. The place was not busy when I was there and the staff was friendly and helpful. Prices were not out of line and you can buy the beer by the 6-pack or individual bottles. When in the Champaign area don’t leave town without visiting if you are a beer lover.

March 26, 2004
The only reason the selection gets a 4 instead of a five is because you have to ask for certain beers. If you are in the C-U area this is the ONLY beer store to go to. They have almost all of the Bells/Kalamazoo line, every Three Floyds available in the bottle including Dreadnaught when they can get it. They carry Founder's Avery, Unibroue, Ommegang, Dixie, and Dogfish head, plus whatever they can possibly get in, they will get for you if you ask. The best benefit of their staff is their extreme desire to make special orders and to expand their line. If you ever deal with someone who is less than helpful all you have to do is ask for Dave is both knowledgeable and really helpful, One of the best I've dealt with in 5 states. When visiting the U of I you got to go to this store, its where its at. Who else in C-U will get kegs of Three Floyds???? No one -- Also noteable because every beer they carry is available in singles, but sixers have a slight discount, and cases get more.

February 9, 2004
Nice place, kinda dirty but the excellent selection really helps the place out. In fact, at the time there is no other place in champaign that has this kind of selection. Depending on when you stop by you can either get someone who knows a lot or a little. But for the most part, those that work there do care about the beer and will help you out.