Swarthmore Beverage

Swarthmore BeverageSwarthmore Beverage
Swarthmore BeverageSwarthmore Beverage
Store

719 S. Chester Rd. (Route 320)
Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 19081
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.41
Reviews:
4
Ratings:
4
pDev:
10.56%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of tobelerone
Reviewed by tobelerone from New Jersey

3.39/5  rDev -0.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3
A decent case-only store, they have a limited number of crafts on offer but usually have lots of Troegs, Victory, Flying Fish, DFH, etc at fair prices. Usually will have a few Belgians as well. The owner is a pretty nice guy, very enthusiastic, although before I knew better he convinced me that not only could he sell by the case only but in fact I could only buy by the case in the entire state of PA. Yes, he did plainly say that PA was a case-only state and he clearly had to know better. Now, I should have known better, but being from NY I didn't.

Now whenever I'm in the area I always drive the extra 10 minutes to Media and hit up Pinocchio's. Still, not a bad place for a case in a pinch.

Bonus: they do have promotional events at the store. Got to have a nice chat and some samples with the Victory crew a while back.
Oct 11, 2011
Photo of yodawan
Reviewed by yodawan from Pennsylvania

3.05/5  rDev -10.6%
Ok, but honestly, only in a pinch. Store, as others have said, is relatively small, but not so small that owner can't stock a better craft beer selection. If he understood his demographics, he'd be wise to stock a more interesting variety. He carries Victory, an excellent Pennsylvania beer, which he tends to promote heavily. That's ok, as far as it goes. Real craft beer aficionados expect a better selection. Owner, btw, is a pretty decent fellow--for the most part, friendly, tho he does have his off days... one reason I tend not to go there as often as I might.
Feb 19, 2011
Photo of papat444
Reviewed by papat444 from Canada (QC)

3.2/5  rDev -6.2%
Visited on Oct. 9, 2010.

First off, this is a case-only store so singles are a no-go. Lots of displays of cheap imports (like Corona and such) & Bud as i enter. Store is relatively small and all cases are on the floor. The place was clean though. Craft offerings were kind of slim pickings with Victory, DFH, Flying Fish & Magic Hat plus a few 750mls. of craft offerings (Brooklyn i believe if i saw right). Service was courteous but abrupt. I guess it's worth it for cases but barely IMO. Not a place i would come by again.
Oct 12, 2010
Photo of drtth
Reviewed by drtth from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +17.3%
In terms of floor space this is a relatively small retail distributorship, but fully one third or a bit more of the display space is devoted to craft beer. The selection is not that big compared to establishments with more floor space, but no surprise there.

Under previous management/ownership this was not a place worth visiting for craft beer. However, under the present management it is definitely a place worth knowing about. The owner, who is there most of the time. is quite knowlegable about craft beer. It was on his recommendation that I bought my first variety case of Unibroue, which may well have been one of my best investments in a variety case of beer in PA. He is the one who brought in the craft beer so there was actually something to pick from. And, he's as concerned with keeping his stock fresh as I am about buying fresh.

During the last six months he has been responsible for bringing in a monthly tasting, each featuring a different brewery. The brewery reps have been knowledgable about their own beers, as you would expect. This is where I got my first taste of Victory's Baltic Thunder. The most recent tasting was Flying Fish and the owner of Swarthmore Beverage even brought in his own bottle of Exit 4, just in case, to ensure it was included in the tasting.

If there is something you want they will go out of their way to order it for you and let you know when it arrives. I had my case of Troeg's Sunshine Pils at home, with some of it cooling in the fridge, within a few days of its being bottled. My last case of Stoudt's Pils was so fresh it was gone 5 months before the freshness date stampled on the case. (And I was not even drinking at the rate of one a day. :-)

On the whole Swarthmore Beverage is a nice place to shop for the beer you want and if you are not sure what you want you can consult with the owner. Get on the email list if you want to know when future tastings will be held, and you can definitely assume that if you want a beer and they don't have it in stock they will order it for you. So take the time to ask.

BTW: for the purists out there, the Swarthmore Beverage store is like the Swarthmore Players Club in one respect. Physically it is technically just outside of Swarthmore itself, but still within shouting distance.
May 28, 2009
Swarthmore Beverage in Swarthmore, PA
Place rating: 3.41 out of 5 with 4 ratings