The Blind Pig Brewery

While I’m not a big fan of the actual beer they make, everything else about Blind Pig Brewery earns 1000 stars. Just like neighboring Aroma, the alleyway patio is the most phenomenal space, both in Champaign and rivaling with some of the best outdoor seating I’ve ever enjoyed. The guest draft list is always spectacular, as are the bartenders. As a bonus, Tuesday and Wednesday nights a Blind Pig mug gets $ 2 off drafts, and trivia on Sunday is also a lot of fun!

For some reason, my original review of The Piglet (Blind Pig Brewery) got merged with The Blind Pig Company down the road. Obviously the same owners, and institutions in Champaign. I guess both where done on 9÷18÷2012. Anyway…
One of my all time favorite breweries. If you like the original Blind Pig, then you will no doubt love this place. It looks the same, and has the same wood work as the original. With an old barn look and lots of dark wood. The wood is taken from a 200 year old barn and antique tables. A relatively small and centrally located bar in front of the taps, the bar back is over 150 years old as well. The area has a couple of tables out front, and a great beer garden out back. Character oozes out of every wood poor here. Really laid back and relaxing. The service is good. The bar tenders know their stuff, and are usually quick. Sometimes it takes a little to get noticed.
The house beers are great. Now 5+ is the norm. What has always amazed me about this brewery is the ability to make fantastic and true to style old world beers, and then other times make fantastic «innovative» beers that match the tastes of all the hyped stuff going on. I mean hardly any brewery in the country does session beers. which is below 4% ABV as well as here.
Just a couple of old world classics would be… Zwickel Pils (tell me how many breweries to an unfiltered PIls, and one this good to boot), Ordinary Bitter… yes ordinary in every way except probably the best session beer made in the States, maybe the newly remade Über Weizen… one of the best pale Weizenbock’s this side of Vitus. More adventurous you say, well how about barleyines, DIPA’s, Brett Saisons, and anything else they come up with. About the only thing I wish they would do would be traditional cask beers. Ordinary Bitter on cask would be even more divine.
You can’t beat a quality brewpub, and this one is excellent. Very fresh and always enjoyable. It blows away anything in the area, and it is not even close. Destihl is too cookie cutter, with no character at all, and boring, Triptych is just not that good. Really, one of my favorite brewpubs I have been to, regardless of location. I can’t recommend this place enough.

The Blind Pig Brewery is located on beautiful and busy Neil Street. I must say this was a fantasic way to be welcomed into the Champaign/​Urbana community and I’m very proud to be apart of it. We visited on a Friday after moving and discovered that this is a hot spot amongst locals and travelers alike. From the outside it is unsuspecting, yet upon entry is a lounge and pub type brewery; I hope in the summer there will be live music, as I heard someone mention it. I gave The Blind Pig five stars for three reasons; the décor, the ambiance and the brews– delicious.
The décor is in the style of a pub and lounge, for me it felt very intimate and midwestern– a unique charm for the area and I liked the upstairs space with darts and another bar. Highly convenient in case it gets crowded, and the little bar lights reminded me of summer barbeques. Secondly, the ambiance was very relaxing and upbeat, you could hear music and great conversation at the same time– which is hard to find. Only as it got a little later did the patrons become loud, yet were still composed in public. Good patrons. The outdoor seating was packed, as I believe they share a space with another business– either way I’d love to try the outdoor area when I return.
Lastly, the brews. One word; excellent. I’m more of a wine drinker, yet I do like the parellels that wine and beer share– the way it rests on the palate and the flavors that arise from the particular glass. I had the Cherry Milk Stout; barley, milk sugar, and Oregon cherries mingle in this full bodied stout making it just the right amount of refreshing and sweet– but not overly sweet. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also sampled the He’brew She’brew draft IPA, as a huge IPA fan I can say that this one was amazing as well; though the alcohol content was a litle high– 11.0, it was still a delicious brew. We also tried the Wild Berry Cider, which I liked as well.
Overall a wonderful drafting experience and if I had a draft pick– this place would be in my number one for the ambiance, the brews and of course the pub décor. I also like the vibrancy and breath of fresh air that is Neil Street.

Very unique atmosphere and awesome location! Large but has multiple bars so you aren’t waiting for a long time. Good beer selection!

I’m a regular at the Blind Pig because of the excellent selection, atmosphere, and location. I love sitting outside with friends in the summer but there are plenty of tables and space inside as well. Mug club on Tuesdays and Wednesdays is an excellent deal — I think you could make it break even on just a single night — and is a great way to break up the week.

This might be the best place to grab a beer in Chambana. Great owner, great staff, great location & setting. The owner really cares about his business, staff, and customers.
I often find breweries this size make beers that I don’t find too drinkable and I usually wouldn’t hang around for more than a tasting. At the Piglet, in-​house brews have been really good and I frequently find myself ordering exclusively from their in-​house selection.
Mug night is a great deal — definitely get a mug or seven. The courtyard is the place to be on warmer days.
Please please bring back the dart boards!

One of the best places to grab drinks in downtown Champaign. The new addition is so amazing and really completed the bar. The service is always amazing and the outdoor patio is the place to be in the summer!

A nice local brewery. Do not get this place mixed up with The Blind Pig Company which is located around the corner. This place has the local craft brew and is strictly beer. Bartender said they do not really do cocktails but could mix something up for my friend that does not drink beer. Also, no food but the friendly bartender did recommend some nearby places to eat or get some food and bring back. I ordered a flight and they were all pretty good. I gave the porter, IPA, hefeweizen and raspberry wheat a try. All decent solid beers. I like the atmosphere inside. It reminded my of some the bars I visited in Belgium with the all the wood paneling and wood benches. There is a large outdoor patio which would be great in the summer time. If your visiting in the area, I would definitely recommend a stop to try some local beers.

What a lovely little place! A proper pub, not out of place in a hip London mews. Try the Witbier — smells like piss, tastes like heaven.
(Their White IPA is very good also, if you ignore that weird bitter aftertaste).

Good 4 beers on tap brewed on site, classic dark long bar, but a great beer garden out back! Many other tap beers to choose from

With their recent expansion, the piglet as I call it, is one of my favorite bars in downtown Champaign. Not only did their Monday specials introduced me to the only beer that I can drink (the stout) but there is now enough room for a large party and outside seating if I really wanted to enjoy the weather. There’s only a couple of bartenders but they work really hard to keep the place non sticky and table top clean. I can also avoid all of the rowdy Bros from guidos and the obnoxious dancers in cowboy. The piglet is a safe space for people who just want to drink with their friends and actually hear what people are saying to them from two feet away. I highly suggest this bar on Mondays when they have beer specials but any night is pretty much going to be great.

Best place to get a good variety of beer in town.
The beer brewed in house can be hit or miss but I appreciate that kind of experimentation in a brew pub.
I also always secretly wished they served food but if they did, I’d probably never leave!
In my opinion, the best night to check it out is Tuesday and Wednesday for mug night. They charge $ 4 for a mug, and then you get $ 2 off each tap (unless otherwise noted). A lot of the drafts end up being 50% off! After two drinks, you’ve already paid off the mug. Keep in mind that unlike other mug clubs, they do not replace the broken mugs for free. If you break it, you must buy another one. I’ve had a friend who had a faulty mug, one that split down the middle right where the two halves of the mug were attached, and they still wouldn’t replace it. But, the mugs are cheap so I guess it’s not a bad deal.