Best Beer Store in Boston?

[Calico Jack]

"easily boston's best beer store"

maybe one of the better, but in no way is it easily the best.

[jamie2dope]

winchester wine and spirits also has a great selection, along with a helpful staff and beer tastings on fridays between six and eight.

[Dinsdale45]

Marty's in West Newton has a very good selection. I've picked up stuff there I've never seen at Downtown or Colonial in Acton.

[jgg13]

While talking about good beer stores, has anyone seen Left Hand's Ginger Juju anywhere? I've seen some places stocking some of the other LH brews (mostly the milk stout) but not that one.

[yummieeee]

Gordons in Watertown and Waltham has a great beer selection. They have a lot of hard to find beers. They do a craft beer tasting in Watertown on Fridays.

[LStaff]

Decent selection at Gordon's in Waltham, but horrible customer service/beer knowledge. I have only been shopping there for about a year, and already have a handful of tales of ineptitude. Funniest is the beer manager (at least I think he is - he has his hair pulled back and always reeks horribly of cigarette smoke)saw me checking out the bomber singles, introduced himself, asked what beers I liked - I said IPA. Then he starts pushing Greenflash DIPA onto me, saying how great it was. So, a couple of weeks later, I was asking if they had any Greenflash IPA in stock, and same guy said "never heard of it, is that wine?"

[Anon12]

I've found Downtown to be the best for my tastes. I like Liquor World a lot - I think they make the best use of their space for spirits and wines as well as beer.

I've been shopping at Downtown for over two years - no issues with outdated stock in that time period. And I find beers from all over the world that I cannot find in other shops.

[David_A]

what is the best beer store then?

[Calico Jack]

I'm not sure there is one "best" store--there are a good number of stores with excellent selections. It all depends on what you're seeking out. The blanket statement that was made is incorrect.

Bauer
Wine Gallery
Liquor World
Marty's (Newton)
Blanchard's (Allston)

[Dan J]

Bauer is a nice store but its selection is very limited. Marty's is also good but, as I alluded to above, it has racks and racks of warm beer.

[Mr Bigglesworth]

Downtown Wine & Spirits in Davis & Charles Street Liquors are both excellent. The tiny Wine & Cheese Cask is also great.

[Dan J]

Good call. I don't make it to Davis Sq. very often but when I'm in the area I usually go Downtown. Good place, again virtually all the good stuff is warm.

[Calico Jack]

I think Downtown is coming around, after a long time of mediocrity. They had such a large selection that half their inventory was outdated because it didn't move. They also have higher prices than Liquor World, which is down the block and has a similar selection.

Having warm beer is not a problem. I don't understand your obsession with this it, unless you like to grab and go.

[Dan J]

I tend to do a lot of things spontaneously and don't plan ahead. Yes, the "grab and go" is an option that I like a lot.

[jgg13]

Dunno the name but the one over by SHaws in Porter has a surprisingly good selection as well. Also, while not in the same level as the above mentioned ones, the Supreme LIquors in Central Sq always manages to surprise me ... considering that's my "neighborhood liquor store" it is not bad (otoh i work near charles st and often stop over at friends' near porter, so i hit those two a lot more)

[Parsnipity]

I think it's called "Liquor World" (next to Shaw's in Porter). They also are always offering to order us beers if they don't have what we're looking for. Great customer service!

[braineater]

Yes, the selection at Bauer is limited—by the amount of space in which I have to work. With that in mind, I attempt to change up the selection fairly regularly. I do what I can to keep it interesting and keep people coming back to see what's new.

As to the racks of warm beer at other stores, refrigeration is expensive, and most stores wouldn't refrigerate their entire beer department even if they could afford to. Just be glad that they've chosen to fill those warm shelves with beer, rather than another 15 (more) brands of cheap vodka. Also... most stores keep their excess stock of "cold" beer at room temperature, refilling the coolers as the cold stock sells down.

Just a little perspective.

[Dan J]

Braineater:

Did you take over for Nick? He did a great job and you haven't missed a beat. I have been buying beer from your store for a few years. I was not knocking you guys at all. I was just pointing out that for a craft beer fan like myself, the selection at Provisions is excellent.

[braineater]

Yes, I replaced Nick over a year ago. I didn't take your comment as a knock on our selection. I just wanted to address a couple of your comments from the perspective of someone on the other side of the counter. Cheers!

[rknrll]

Jerry's Liquors in Union Square.