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• Best Off-Campus Bar: The Blind Pig Co.

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Blind Pig Co., The »
Address: 120 N. Walnut St. Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: (217) 398-1532
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If the fast pace of most bars on campus isn’t your thing, then maybe you’ve found yourself perched on a barstool or lounging at a sidewalk table at The Blind Pig. Tucked in a historic building in downtown Champaign on Walnut St., The Blind Pig offers its patrons a laid-back atmosphere to go with an extensive top shelf and a plethora of beers on tap. The decor and lighting give an air of timelessness — part saloon, part back-country lodge, with many wooden tones. House music is played at a moderate level, so as not to distract from conversation, but loud enough to tell when your favorite vintage track comes on.

If you’ve got an adventurous side, you’ll have to take advantage of the best offer in town. On certain nights, you can sample five beers for around eight bucks from their extensive tap list. Once ordered, the bartender will reach for five miniature, 8-ounce “pint” glasses, fill them up with five brave selections, and carry them right to your seat at the bar with a wrought iron device that grasps and carries all five glasses. Their beer list and taps are ordered according to a spectrum from light to dark, which gives the novice beer taster a hint at how to broaden his or her beer tasting horizons. After all, the beer is what keeps people coming back, and the broad selection may have been the key to winning this award for the second year in a row.