360154 Sun Jan 14 07:14:44 -0800 2007 42 3 California 0 2187209 I live in Normal Heights and I'm a little disappointed with the selection of beers available at Vons/Ralph's/Albertsons and Trader Joe's. Are there any specialty beer retailers in San Diego? How are the prices? Sun Jan 14 07:14:44 -0800 2007 11016 Joseph 1 2187212 How about BevMo, they have any branches in San Diego? You can go to their web site and see all the beers and order them online for pick-up at the store. Sun Jan 14 07:17:09 -0800 2007 2187209 10059 ChinoWayne 1 2188162 There are lots of great places -- believe me, I spend more money on craft beer then I should. The problem is, you just have to travel a little bit. Bevereages and More is probably the most accessible place, and you should find everything you have wanted and more. My favorite is the La Mesa Store, which is huge. Prices are pretty reasonable. My favorite store is Holiday Wine Cellar up in Escondido. I also live in Normal Heights, but when im up in that area, I always stop there. Another favorite store of mine is South Bay Drugs in Imperial Beach. I know it sounds strange that good beer could be found at a drug store, but TRUST Me, it's awesome. The guy who handles their beer orders is a serious craft beer enthusiast. Clems liquor store in Kensington (across the street from the library on Adams) has a good selection but is pricey. Here is a good resource for everything beer in San Diego: http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/State/Cities/San+Diego/5.htm http://www.bevmo.com/ http://www.holidaywinecellar.com/ http://southbaydrugsandliquor.googlepages.com/ Sun Jan 14 18:54:18 -0800 2007 2187209 66898 naven 2 2188887 Thanks! I doubt I would have heard of South Bay otherwise. They pointed me to a great google maps mash-up: http://beermapping.com/maps/citymaps.php?m=sandiego Sun Jan 14 23:58:10 -0800 2007 2188162 11016 Joseph 1 2188364 Another good resource is http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/city/28 O'Brien's Pub in Kearny Mesa has an off-sale license that allows them to sell a limited number of bottles. I believe Liar's Club (Mission Beach) and Hamilton's Tavern (South Park) also sell bottles. These are probably the best bottle selections in town IMO. Whole Foods in Hillcrest also has a great selection. Sun Jan 14 20:15:57 -0800 2007 2187209 10943 mimosa 1 2188519 Holiday Wine Cellar is the best, though you will have to drive up to Escondido to shop there. They have a huge selection of Belgian, English, and German rarities. Make sure to check out their walk-in cooler for an expanded selection. Sun Jan 14 21:11:09 -0800 2007 2187209 10809 Josh 1 2189788 Absolutely, A trip to Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido is well worth the trip. Mon Jan 15 07:50:51 -0800 2007 2187209 66898 naven 1 2192937 Guess where I live? You might want to try Cost Plus. Tue Jan 16 03:55:44 -0800 2007 2187209 21396 normalheightsfoodie 2 2193343 Cost Plus World Market in Downtown or La Mesa? Or is there some other place which Google Maps doesn't know about? Tue Jan 16 10:47:59 -0800 2007 2192937 11016 Joseph 3 2221708 There's one in La Jolla and also Escondido. And Carlsbad? Wed Jan 24 09:40:47 -0800 2007 2193343 42944 leanneabe 1 2193709 One of the little-mentioned aspects of this is that if you're serious about your beer, you want to make sure you're buying it from someplace that knows how to take care of it. For example, the downtown Cost Plus keeps their beer in an area where it is frequently exposed to daylight. Some beers, such as Stone, are meant to be stored at cool temperatures, yet I've seen numerous retailers leaving out at room temperature for extended periods of time (BevMo is an egregious offender here). Beer's flavor is directly affected by how it's stored, which is why your best bet for purchasing the good stuff is shopping someplace where they know how to take care of it. Tue Jan 16 15:12:45 -0800 2007 2187209 10809 Josh 1 2193884 Josh is right, and I would have to respectfully disagree with Normalheightsfoodie (although I love the name). My experiences buying beer at Cost Plus have not been great. For one, their selection is pretty weak. Most things that you find their aren't really any thing special, and they dont really carry any local beers (same with Trader Joes). Plus, the quality of the beer is horrible. They definitely aren't a beer store, and certainly don't take care of the beer as a good beer store should. However, it is a great place for coffee and tea..... Tue Jan 16 15:59:04 -0800 2007 2187209 66898 naven 1 2194451 Whole Foods in La Jolla has a very good selection as well. I stop by there occasionally. Holliday Wine Cellars is the best however. You will be amazed at their selection. Tue Jan 16 18:17:55 -0800 2007 2187209 12484 MVNYC 1 2194528 If you make it up to Long Beach or Yorba Linda, a wine store called Vin de Pays has a nice selection of beer. http://www.vindepayswines.com/6__beer Tue Jan 16 18:34:40 -0800 2007 2187209 11117 SteveTimko 1 2195823 theres a packy on the corner of college and el cajon (used to be called keg)that has a pretty good selection. Tue Jan 16 23:29:13 -0800 2007 2187209 44412 callmetomforshort 1 2217941 Mazara's pizza and deli in South Park has a pretty astounding collection of beers considering that they seem to be a small neighborhood joint. Unfortunately their prices are incredible (ie $5 something for a 24oz of anchor steam, not sure but I paid $28 for 2 six packs and one 24oz too. I think they make up the prices when they ring you up.) They do have a good selection of those large Belgium beers (I forget the name) and many bottled brews you don't find in most places. Stan san diego food blog http://www.sandiegofoodblog.com Tue Jan 23 10:44:20 -0800 2007 2187209 19116 stangoldsmith 1 2218161 Their selection is surprisingly good. They stock that largest number of Rogue beers I've seen in San Diego. Tue Jan 23 11:34:14 -0800 2007 2187209 10809 Josh 1 2285886 Whole Foods in Hillcrest is great. The girl that buys the beer there seems to switch it up with new goodies every now and then. And I feel like their prices are pretty good too. Mon Feb 12 15:20:24 -0800 2007 2187209 73966 eriqua 2 2285948 They do have a good selection - the only thing that bugs me is they sometimes treat the beer poorly. Not too long ago they had a number of nice bottles sitting right under a window. Terrible move. Mon Feb 12 15:36:21 -0800 2007 2285886 10809 Josh 1 2286932 They have a nice Belgian Beer selection there, which is nice. They frequently have Belgian Beer tastings in the store which shouldn't be missed. Mon Feb 12 20:42:45 -0800 2007 2187209 66898 naven 2 2286962 Where? Whole Foods? Mon Feb 12 20:52:32 -0800 2007 2286932 11016 Joseph 1 2286976 While I have your attention again, I'd like to thank those who recommended BevMo. However, I'm still looking for a bigger selection and more local beers, short of an hour-long drive. Can anyone recommend local beer stores with good selections from local breweries? I would especially like to see more AleSmith, Alpine and Pizza Port / Lost Abbey beers. Any place near central San Diego, Mission Valley, La Jolla or Mid-City would be nice. How about Clem's Bottle House, Servall Liquor or Pacific Liquor? Mon Feb 12 20:58:15 -0800 2007 2187209 11016 Joseph 2 2287111 Unfortunately, you're looking at an hour-long drive, with a special hour round-trip for Alpine. Alpine's bottle production is very small, and they only distribute bottles to a liquor store down the road from the brewery. Apparently there's a guy in Imperial Beach who goes out there for bottles, but I'm not sure where his shop is. Whole Foods and BevMo both sell AleSmith's line. For Lost Abbey ales, again you're looking at Holiday Wine Cellars. I haven't seen them anywhere else, apart from at pubs like O'Brien's and Hamilton's. Clem's Bottle House isn't bad, they have some Rogues you don't normally see down here. I understand your reluctance to go to Escondido, but it is definitely worth the trip if you haven't been. Go with a cooler, and you'll come home happy, poorer, and well-stocked with great beer. Mon Feb 12 22:07:44 -0800 2007 2286976 10809 Josh 1 2288037 Anyone know where I can get Rochefort trappist ale in SD? Tue Feb 13 08:42:47 -0800 2007 2187209 24126 amyzan 2 2288588 Holiday Wine Cellar has the 6, 8, and 10. O'Brien's Pub sells to-go bottled of imports, but only 1 per visit (and they have all three Rocheforts as well). Tue Feb 13 10:48:57 -0800 2007 2288037 10809 Josh 3 2288823 Is there some law that limits their ability to sell to-go bottles? Tue Feb 13 11:34:31 -0800 2007 2288588 11016 Joseph 4 2289325 Yes, it has to do with the kind of license they have. They're only permitted to sell one bottle of import beer per person as a to-go item. Tue Feb 13 13:22:51 -0800 2007 2288823 10809 Josh 1 2289492 Thanks, Josh! Has anyone seen Rochefort closer to SD? Escondido is a good drive. Tue Feb 13 13:56:36 -0800 2007 2187209 24126 amyzan 2 2289997 It is a good drive, but it's well worth it. If you go on a weekend morning it's not too bad. Tue Feb 13 16:09:28 -0800 2007 2289492 10809 Josh 1 2289968 Yes i purchased Rochefort 10 at the La Jolla Whole Foods. I am not sure if i have seen it recently however Tue Feb 13 15:57:30 -0800 2007 2187209 12484 MVNYC 1 2290350 Joseph, im actually kind of shocked you aren't more pleased with Bevmo. Granted, it's not the best place to buy beer in San DIego - I know they carry the complete Alesmith line, and they now carry most of the pizza Port/Lost Abbey stuff. At any rate, I highly suggest you go down to SouthBay Drugs. They carry ALL the Alpine beers, all the Alesmith beers, all the pizza port/lost abbey beers, green flash, etc, etc. They have Rochfort 6&8 at Bevmo Mission Valley, and Southbay Drugs carrys the 8& 10. Southbay Drugs is about 25 mins from Downtown SD. Tue Feb 13 18:00:58 -0800 2007 2187209 66898 naven 2 2290984 Really? I didn't see any Pizza Port stuff today at the Mission Valley location; they did have a half-dozen bottles of Lost Abbey. Doesn't Port Brewing make quite a few other beers? Are they not available? I'm glad to hear that the Alpine beers are down at SouthBay. A guy at BevMo today thought they were only available at the brewery. Tue Feb 13 22:21:47 -0800 2007 2290350 11016 Joseph 3 2291007 Port Brewing only bottles Shark Bite Red. Tue Feb 13 22:35:26 -0800 2007 2290984 10809 Josh 4 2291652 So everything is Lost Abbey or on tap only? Now I understand. Wed Feb 14 08:04:05 -0800 2007 2291007 11016 Joseph 5 2293254 You can find Old Viscosity and Wipeout, along with the lost abbey beers at Bevmo. Call ahead to be sure because they are out alot. Wed Feb 14 14:05:45 -0800 2007 2291652 66898 naven 4 2293246 Actually Port bottles Sharkbite, Old Viscosity, Wipeout IPA, and of course the Lost Abbey line. They bottle alot more now that they are in their new diggs (the old Stone Brewing facility.) Wed Feb 14 14:04:41 -0800 2007 2291007 66898 naven 1 2290353 Josh, you should also check out Southbay Drugs one day. I honestly don't work for them, It's just a gem that I think more beer geeks need to know about. It's right up there with Holiday. Not as big, but the everything they sell is quality. Tue Feb 13 18:03:18 -0800 2007 2187209 66898 naven 2 2291008 What's the address? I will definitely check it out. Tue Feb 13 22:35:45 -0800 2007 2290353 10809 Josh 3 2293263 779 Palm Avenue, Imperial Beach 91932 Check out their website. It's pretty detailed as to what they have, whats on sale, etc. http://southbaydrugsandliquor.googlepages.com/ Wed Feb 14 14:07:26 -0800 2007 2291008 66898 naven 4 2293589 Wow - that's quite a list. Depending on time of day, a trip to IB could take probably as long as a trip to Escondido (when there's no traffic). Southbound 5 from 3PM - 7PM is pretty brutal during the work week. I will have to go check this place out though. I'd heard about it before - I remember them telling me at Alpine that there was a guy in IB who sold their stuff. Pretty impressive how much of it he stocks, and an impressive list overall. Thanks for the tip - this is good to know about. Wed Feb 14 15:37:32 -0800 2007 2293263 10809 Josh 1 2294439 The guy who is in charge of the beer (the owners son) is very much a craft brew enthusiast and totally nice. The prices are good too. Enjoy. Wed Feb 14 21:37:40 -0800 2007 2187209 66898 naven 1 2300500 I'll add a rec for Whole Foods too. Fri Feb 16 14:32:59 -0800 2007 2187209 75097 Wino 1 3444397 Whole Foods and BevMo are on my weekly rotation. Be sure to always check the shelves and not just the refrigerated sections. The turnover is high so don't worry about the good beers getting old. Thu Feb 28 12:21:20 -0800 2008 2187209 91897 MrKrispy