The Beer And Now Aims To Be 'Warm, Welcoming Place' In Lisle
LISLE, IL — The Beer and Now, Lisle's new boutique beer store, opened on May 8 and owner Sean Quinn told Patch he's eager to be a "warm and welcoming" part of the Lisle community.
Quinn told Patch he noticed there were few boutique beer stores with onsite consumption in the western suburbs and that many of the existing options were "overcrowded." The Beer and Now seeks "to bring the beers from all over to one convenient place in Lisle," Quinn said.
The Beer and Now offers over 100 rare beers from "smaller, local breweries" that customers "generally cannot find at your local grocery store or gas station," Quinn said. The Beer and Now also features 12 beers on draft that customers can drink at outdoor tables that the store shares with the strip mall or take home in a "crowler," which is a single-use aluminum can.
Customers can buy brews individually by the can or bottle, which can be helpful if someone isn't sure what they like or just want to try something new, Quinn told Patch. He said, "We enjoy helping the novice beer drinker, but love talking shop with the beer geeks. The whole craft beer world can be daunting and overwhelming, so we try to make it easier to navigate."
In addition to craft beer, The Beer and Now also offers some wine and non-alcoholic options.
The Beer and Now has been a labor of love for Quinn and his wife, Mary. The couple spent a decade traveling throughout the U.S. and other countries trying beers, meeting people in the beer industry and checking out the "overall atmosphere of each place," Quinn said. This may have inspired the artsy atmosphere at The Beer and Now, which features several wall murals and an art wall spotlighting the work of local artists.
Opening during a pandemic was challenging, Quinn acknowledged. Originally, they had planned to open in March, but that was held up due to the coronavirus crisis. In June, they started allowing customers inside the store, and they still offer online ordering and contact-free curbside pickup.
The Beer and Now is located at 2801 Ogden Ave., Suite 7, Lisle. Click the links to check out The Beer and Now's website and Facebook page.
This article originally appeared on the Lisle Patch
