an interesting conversation

[studentofbeer]

it's friday and i felt like a treat, so on the way home i stopped at this liquor store on market street, basically on the border of sketchiness here in SF. i dont know if i've talked about this place before, but i finally learned why they stock good beer.

But for some reason it has a crazy good selection, even though most of the clientele seems to be winos and homeless people going after less than palettable drinks.

i picked up an aventinus, lagunitas barleywine and bear republic hop rod rye (after considering the tripel karmaliet, rochefort 8 and unibroue beers, among other things). All this in a little liquor store you would otherwise expect sells only 40s (and i'd bet a big % of the beer sales are malt liquor and the sort, but there are two full refigerated doors of good beer, craft and imports from belgium).

so i take it up to the counter and one of the guys is like, nice. i had never talked to anyone there before, tho i have been in one or two times. turns out he owns the place, and stocks all this beer because he loves beer-- he told me about the aventinus, "i didn't think anyone bought that. i just stock it for myself." then we talk a bit about the eisbock, other good beers, the toronado, and how he sells rare american whiskey online and competes with Sams in Chicago. basically he was really knowledgable and interested in beer and whiskey, and was talking all about it as he sold customers junk food and cigarettes.

Anyway, it was just an interesting experience, meeting this person who owns what by all rights should just be a crappy corner liquor store and stocking it with some really great beer. I'll definitely go back and give him more business (hopefully this stuff hasn't been on the shelf too long).

anyone else find great beer in a place that really shouldn't have it?

[TrojanAnteater]

Thats cool Student. I had a somewhat similar event today, although the outcome was different. I stopped in at a Liquormart a couple miles away from my house to see if they carried any good micro's. I walk in and they have one full fridge of mexican beers, a couple fridges of BMC, and one shelf 1/4 a fridge of SN PA and SA Lager. So I was disappointed but the owner was standing a few feet away from me unpacking some stuff and as I turn around to leave he asks what i'm looking for. I say i'm just seeing what kind of selection the store had and he smirks and then asks me if I work for any liquor stores in the area, because he thinks i'm scouting his selection and prices... says it happens a lot to him... don't know why, the prices weren't that great and the selection was about as good as you find in an Albertson's. Anyway, that was my experience today, too bad it didn't turn out as good as yours. Sunday I will venture further down the road to a little place I know stocks good micros. I really wanna find a place where I can get singles of Deschutes, but I have serious doubts about that happening in So. Cal.

[frank88]

i just answered my own post of where to find great beer near me. tonight i went to a liqour store that i used to frequent when i lived near it, but back then they had a limited selection outside of the "commercial" beers. guess what? i walk in and the first thing i see is a table full of micros and imports with a sign saying build your own 6 pack. so i did. also decided to get a 6er of harp( my new fav.) while looking for it the new owner asks "finding everything alright?" i reply yes i am and by the way this( holding up my build your own 6 pack) is a great idea hope you keep doing it. he tells me yes they are and they are haveing a beer tasting march 29. man how cool is that? :D

[TrojanAnteater]

really cool, wish more places around here did that.

[zoom6zoom]

TA, did you get a chance to tell him what you were hoping to find? If he hears enough people asking for something other than BMC dreck, there's always hope!

[TrojanAnteater]

no, the guy actually told me to go to Liquorama (a liquor store up the street) to find a real good selection of beer.

[fretlessman71]

Bet this guy doesn't last another year in that location - jeez!

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by TrojanAnteater
no, the guy actually told me to go to Liquorama (a liquor store up the street) to find a real good selection of beer.

And did you go? And was the selection better?

I have been in a few places that I was suprised to find decent beers over the years. And one big disappointment was one time I was in Germany and was using one of Jackson's guides to find the "Biggest Beer Store in the World" and when I got there it was closed that day. :(

[TrojanAnteater]

Oh I already knew about liquorama, been going there with my dad since I was in grade school. They have a great selection, I just wanted to see if I could find a hidden gem or something ya know. Liquorama craft brew selection (http://www.liquorama.net/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=247)

[hops99]

Reminds me a little of an experience I had in South Carolina a few years ago - I was at a wedding in Spartanburg, and the night before I went into a little convenience store around the corner from my hotel. It had a banner in the front window that read something like "best selection of beer in Spartanburg", so I went in and discovered that all they had was BMC....and an unusually large selection of cheapies; Schlitz, PBR, Blatz, etc. I thought maybe they had a few micros in a back cooler or something.

So, I asked the girl behind the counter if they carried any "micro" beers and her response was:

"Micro? Honey, I never heard of THAT brand of beer before...".

Case closed - I drank wine that night in the hotel room.

[wortchillergoal]

In the same vein of being an interesting conversation. A coworker, female, comes up to me today and says that she was told I could answer her beer questions.

She wanted to try a wheat beer but knew nothing about them. I gave a quick lesson andf informed her where she could find them. We have a limited selection. She was thrilled to learn about beer. We talked about more than wheats and she of course never knew there was so much to learn about beer.

She is looking forward to me giving her suggestions for different beers.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by hops99
Reminds me a little of an experience I had in South Carolina a few years ago - I was at a wedding in Spartanburg, and the night before I went into a little convenience store around the corner from my hotel. It had a banner in the front window that read something like "best selection of beer in Spartanburg", so I went in and discovered that all they had was BMC....and an unusually large selection of cheapies; Schlitz, PBR, Blatz, etc. I thought maybe they had a few micros in a back cooler or something.

So, I asked the girl behind the counter if they carried any "micro" beers and her response was:

"Micro? Honey, I never heard of THAT brand of beer before...".

Case closed - I drank wine that night in the hotel room.

Good choice. I hope it was not from a paper cup though.

[chazwicke]

Originally posted by wortchillergoal
In the same vein of being an interesting conversation. A coworker, female, comes up to me today and says that she was told I could answer her beer questions.

She wanted to try a wheat beer but knew nothing about them. I gave a quick lesson andf informed her where she could find them. We have a limited selection. She was thrilled to learn about beer. We talked about more than wheats and she of course never knew there was so much to learn about beer.

She is looking forward to me giving her suggestions for different beers.

That is always gratifying when someone actually hears when you talk about beer. Good Job Wort.

[Spicoli]

Originally posted by TrojanAnteater
Oh I already knew about liquorama, been going there with my dad since I was in grade school. They have a great selection, I just wanted to see if I could find a hidden gem or something ya know. Liquorama craft brew selection (http://www.liquorama.net/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=247)

WOW,

I have not seen or had an Anderson Valley Brew in quite some time. (saw it on your liquorama list). I lived in Northern California for six years. I got married in Anderson Valley at a vinyard. Me and my buddies went to the Anderson Valley Brewery to pick up the keg for my wedding. I think it was the Boont Amber. They also have a real cool bar out there. The bar stools are made of tracktor seats and they have a huge stuffed Grizly Bear there also. The place is in the middle of no mans land. Wine vinyards as far as you can see. In the summer the road is line with thousands of wild California poppy. The place is absolutely beautiful. Anyway brings back a great memory.

[P-Train]

Originally posted by TrojanAnteater
no, the guy actually told me to go to Liquorama (a liquor store up the street) to find a real good selection of beer.

I've been on their mailing list for a few months. Actually thought about buying some of their wine.

From what I can tell they do have a good selection of beer.