Tanczos Beverages

Tanczos BeveragesTanczos Beverages
Tanczos BeveragesTanczos Beverages
Store

2330 Jacksonville Rd
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18017-3613
United States

(610) 866-8039 | map
tanczos.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.23
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
31
pDev:
7.09%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by 57md:
Photo of 57md
Reviewed by 57md from Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 5
A: It's a beer distributor, what do you want?

Q: Once in a while you see an old case of beer sitting around, but it is most always tagged as a clearance and marked down.

S: Most of the guys are friendly. There are even a few craft beer-heads on staff who will have a conversation with you and suggest beers you might like.

S: They get a wide variety of craft beers which is pretty good considering they are a fairly small operation. If they don't have it, they will order it for you (if available).

F: Munchies are available, plus you can get a wide variety of non-alcoholic drinks at good prices (I always buy my tonic water there b/c the price is the best around). Also, they have a modest, but quality selection of cigars.

V: Prices are not the lowest around, but they are fairly reasonable.

Overall the best distributor in the Lehigh Valley
Sep 05, 2011
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.15 by tobelerone from New Jersey

Aug 28, 2021
 
Rated: 3.36 by LoganFarinhas from Pennsylvania

Nov 26, 2020
 
Rated: 4.1 by chicagoish from Pennsylvania

Feb 22, 2019
 
Rated: 4.64 by Eseib from New Jersey

Dec 02, 2017
 
Rated: 4.43 by JAB1978 from Pennsylvania

Apr 30, 2016
Photo of GratefulJack
Rated by GratefulJack from Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
Nice selection of craft beers. We go there often for our beer exchanges.
Jan 02, 2016
 
Rated: 4.39 by TTripp725 from Pennsylvania

May 24, 2015
Photo of brianwsnyder
Reviewed by brianwsnyder from Pennsylvania

4.86/5  rDev +14.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
They have an entire section dedicated to craft brews; probably about 40% of the store's square footage. Close to the best prices in the Lehigh Valley too. They also put their discounts right near the main entrance and sometimes there is a good find in there.
Feb 10, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by TrackcoachLVPA from Pennsylvania

Jul 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by stakem from Pennsylvania

Jul 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by yourefragile from District of Columbia

Mar 19, 2014
Photo of derek984
Reviewed by derek984 from Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Great selection of beers. Lots of local breweries such as Weyerbacher and Fegley Brew Works. The biggest reason why I shop here is the selection of 1/6 kegs is probably one of the best in the Valley. They also have some home-brew accessories and grains as well.
Jan 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by NonicPanic from Pennsylvania

Dec 02, 2013
Photo of JJKBeerLvr
Reviewed by JJKBeerLvr from Pennsylvania

4.64/5  rDev +9.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75
This place has an excellent selection of beer, and is one of my two favorite places in the area to buy beer.

The workers here are great and have always been helpful whenever I had questions. This was one of the first places to carry Weyerbacher beer, and I still have the Weyerbacher pint glass they gave away to anyone buying their beer when they first cam out over 10 years ago. I've also liked when they had other local brewers in giving samples (like Bethlehem Brew Works).

The location is about 15 minutes from my house. Between the short drive and the large selection, I go there most often when buying beer.
Sep 01, 2013
Photo of Knapp85
Reviewed by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Stopped in here a little while ago and grabbed some Samuel Adams Whitewater IPA. The place looks small from outside but they really have a rather large selection of stuff in there. The place looks clean and well kept. The lighting was decent, The place was pretty quiet for the most part. Good selection of carft and mainstream beers as well as some home brewing supplies and snacks. The service was ok, nothing to brag about really but it wasn't a bad experience. This is a pretty impressive place, it's got a large enough selection that it could keep me from having to drive all the way to Emmaus to get something at Shangy's in the future. I would check this place out if you're in the need of something a little special or just for some normal crap.
Jul 27, 2012
Photo of muletrane
Reviewed by muletrane from Pennsylvania

3.94/5  rDev -6.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Great place for cases in the Lehigh Valley. Friendly service with a nice selection of craft and imports. Lots of solid offerings here, but nothing too crazy. Very clean well kept establishment. Everything is nicely organized and the staff is always willing to help.

Ommegang, Duvel, Chimay, Bell's, St. Bernardus are just some of the highlights. If your a fan of Belgian beer then this a real solid stop for ya.

Cases only here. PA state law. Welcome to the commonwealth. One of the most wacky alcohol states in the country.
Nov 22, 2011
Photo of jzeilinger
Reviewed by jzeilinger from Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +1.7%
Of all the places in the Lehigh Valley, this ranks as one of my two favorite stops. Tanczos isn't big, but they do cater to every variety of beer heads - from the Bud drinkers to the craft brew folks, they have something you'll probably like. I'm a craft brew drinker and I've been able to find things that other places in the valley doesn't have. The draw for me is the Harpoon beers (Leviathan Series), which are hard to get around here. The folks at Tanczos are very helpful and whenever I'm in Bethlehem, I'll usually stop here to see if there's anything new. Check 'em out.
Dec 23, 2009
Photo of ClockworkOrange
Reviewed by ClockworkOrange from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -5.4%
I stopped by Tanczos on my way to Weyerbacher with the sole purpose of picking up some Nugget Nectar. I was able to get that and more. I ended up with two cases of Nugget Nectar ($34 each) and when I saw the Double Simcoe for $39, I couldn't pass it up. Overall, the store is well organized with prices listed for most products. The staff was friendly and helpful. There was also a clearance area with some cases missing a bottle or two at a reduced price and I spotted a few cases of Victory Festbier for $15.99. You will find brands such as Founders, Bells, Middle Ages, Southern Tier, Ithaca, DFH, Troegs, etc. The store is very easy to get to from Route 22. Worth a stop if you are in the area.
Feb 14, 2008
Photo of wtrbeer
Reviewed by wtrbeer from Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +2.8%
Very nice place. Tanczos has a great selection of beers, and they are very well organized. Macro on one side of the store/ micros-imports on the other side. Makes looking for beer so easy. The craft beer selection is great, and they have some hard to find beers, some beers I have not seen anywhere else in the area. They also have a large selection of seasonals which is great too. They also have a discount rack right when you walk in, and you can score some pretty good beers at a really great price. Staff is friendly and will help if you need it, but they also let you alone too (which is fine with me). The store itself is pretty clean, and it isn't real hard to find...although if you aren't familiar with the area you might miss it the first time. Really great place, one of the best in the Lehigh Valley...oh and if they don't have a beer in stock, they will check if their other location in Northampton has it, and then you can get it there.
Jan 22, 2008
Photo of wheelinshirt
Reviewed by wheelinshirt from Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +2.8%
the best case shop i have ever been to. They have tons of cases from what seems to be every brewery (stone, heavy seas, DFH, Victory, Weyerbacher, Duvel, Hofbrauhaus, Ommegang, Lindemanns, Chimay, St. Bernardus, etc). The prices are very good, usually $20 and up on craft beer, about $2+ dollars cheaper than most distributors on even the lower priced cases. Lots of variety cases, too, which is nice if you don't want to commit to 24 bottles of a beer that you might not like. Everything is laid out very conveniently and thoughtfuly with craft beer in one (big) section and big beer in another with soda, ice, and cold beer. Awesome. I would go here more if it wasn't for Abe's since i would rather spend $11 on a mixed six pack than $25-30 on a case of beer.
Nov 01, 2007
Photo of fearthechin
Reviewed by fearthechin from Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +6.4%
Best selection of case beer in Bethlehem. Not as great as a selection as Shangy's in Allentown, but a much closer drive for us who live in Bethlehem. Lots of micro's from Victory, Dog Fishhead. Some hard to find cases (Weyerbacher's full line including Decadence, Heresy). All Yeungling products inluding Black and Tan in a can. Great service and a somewhat knowledable staff. A three tap keg for samples; just ask. Cheap ice. I only wish they had later hours. Fridays you may find a brewery handing out free samples.
Apr 06, 2007
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Reviewed by silver0rlead from North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
Coming from a state that just "popped the cap" (raised the allowed abv in beer from 6 to 15%) this place was like beer heaven. If i had had 300 dollars to spend there i easily would have, but my budget limited me to 2 reasonably priced cases. Just to name off some of the cases they had: bell's two hearted, SN bigfoot, Victory storm king, DFH worldwide stout 2003-current, stone (AB, IPA, Smoked porter), smuttynose IPA, three floyds alpha king. They also had mix cases (my favorite) from heavyweigh, troegs, middle ages, victory, weyerbacher, and even a mixed case of imports from *gasp* shelton brothers (this one almost made me piss my pants) and i dont really know what was in it but im sure it was awesome. All of the brews seemed to be current (unless it was a particular vintage of say DFH WWS or some other high grav beer) and well maintained and the service was pretty good, they had to get a number of prices for me and even opened a mix case that didnt list what came in it. Also prices were surprisingly good, as i got a case of troegs oatmeal stout for like 24 bucks and a case of stone IPA for 30...everything seemed either reasonable or just plain cheap compared to what im used to. Anyways...great beer store, definately something to check out if you're in the lehigh valley.
Nov 22, 2005
Photo of elsinore
Reviewed by elsinore from Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +1.7%
(EDIT: This review was posted before there was a separate entry for the Northampton store. I have re-posted its contents to the new Northampton entry.)

I have not been to the Bethlehem location, but was very pleased to discover the Northampton store just before Christmas.

It's a little hard to find, tucked into the back of a strip mall. I almost dismissed it as just another tiny, unimpressive package store.
I was very pleasantly surprised to find racks filled with high-quality beer names I've heard a lot of praise for -- domestics like Troegs and Victory, imports like Chimay, just to name a couple off the top of my head.
I definitely think a BA-type beer lover could find plenty of things to choose from.

The staff is quite helpful.
As I was checking out with a case of Weyerbacher Old Heathen, the guy at the register asked me if I'd tried Heresy (which, if I remember right, is Old Heathen aged in whiskey casks.)
He told me when the next batch of Heresy would be in, and warned me it usually goes fast.
Now, at many packies I've been to, the guy working the register cam barely converse about much beyond ice-fishing and the Phillies.

The only drawback, to me, is that prices are not posted for a lot of the stuff on the "good beer" aisle.
I'm willing to pay for quality, but I like to know exactly how much I'm paying before I schlep up to the checkout.
(EDIT: Disregard this. Tanczos offers printed price sheets at the front counter, which I managed to miss on my first visit but saw on my second.)

All in all, I highly recommend this place. The tiny local packies have just lost me as a customer.
Dec 28, 2004
Photo of AlexJ
Reviewed by AlexJ from North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -12.5%
Another must-go if your doing a beer tour of the Lehigh Valley, they have a new location in Northampton too. My last trip here in November I spotted: troegs Mad Elf, Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot, Heresy, and the Big Beers mix-case, Stone IPA, AB, Smoked Porter, and Vertical Epic, Heavyweight Baltus, Percunos Hammer, Lunacy, and the new Gruit Ale(very surprised to see this one!), Victory, Yards, all DFH, including WWS and two years vintages of 120 minute. Prices are very low, but...they really need some beer guys there who know how to sell the above-mentioned beers. The guy I talked to didn't know Bud from Bell's!
Dec 20, 2004
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Reviewed by brewnut11 from Pennsylvania

4.65/5  rDev +9.9%
I've been going to Tanczos for some time. They have almost every type of "good" beer you could be looking for. Excellent choice of Micro's and good selection of imports. When I was on an Arogant Bastard kick, I couldn't find it any where in this area, except Tanczos. The staff seems very knowledgable and the beer gets rotated pretty quick keeping it fresh. If they don't have the beer you want in stock, it will be there with in one week. They also can get any type of drafting equipment you might need.
Jun 21, 2004
Photo of yen157
Reviewed by yen157 from New Jersey

3.7/5  rDev -12.5%
I stopped in on my way to Bethlehem Brew Works and was greeted by cases of the new Weyerbacher Black Hole Ale. They had all of micro and import brands I expected to see such as DFH, Victory, Stoudt's, Weyerbacher, Yards, Chimay, Konigshoven, Penn, etc) but not as much as I was hoping for. I went looking for Stone or Three Floyds, and only found three cases of 22oz Stone IPAs. A bit of a let down. Service was alright I guess, some guy came up to me and asked if I needed help after I circled the "good" beer room for a second time. They did have three different vintages of Bigfoot which was nice.

Overall I was disappointed. I was hoping to pick up a case of something good that I couldn't get in NJ. If I'm driving 25 minutes to come here or BBW, I'll drive an extra few to get to Shangy's or even the Six Pack Shop for singles/sixers.
Mar 16, 2004
Photo of goindownsouth
Reviewed by goindownsouth from New Jersey

4.55/5  rDev +7.6%
Very interesting dilemna forming here. I spent about an hour or so talking with Dan Tanczos at his Northampton location, which just opened recently and I must say that they have something working over there. Let me say it this way, it is clean, the people are knowledgable and, most importantly, the brews are as fresh as can be, including 2 cases of Victory that were bottled some 5 days prior to when I bought it. It is those relationships with the local micros that I know will keep me coming back. Is there selection on the level of Shangy's? Nope. Nor do they try to do that. I must reiterate, the freshness of their stock was amazing and, as I roamed around their store, I noticed alot of recent bottling dates on just about every beer. Dan told me that they have no problem shipping something back if it sits too long, whereas some other places may do their best to sell it anyway.

Bottom line, Tanczos is going to be "my place" for some time.
Dec 20, 2003
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Reviewed by 99bottles from Pennsylvania

4.35/5  rDev +2.8%
Tanczos is the place to go to get good beer that can not easily be found anywhere else closeby (though I've never been to Shangy's in Allentown). The selection is expansive as they have a great range of micros from Victory, Weyerbacher, Appalachain Brewing Co., Stoudt's, Troegs, Flying Fish, Dogfish Head, even some Rouge and Stone. They carry a nice line of imports, Sam Smith and Young's have multiple offerings, and short of specialties, they usually have anything you might want. Full cases of seasonals are always present also and some deals can be found when the season of the style is ending or has past. Beer has always been fresh and the prices are fair. They also have a large supply of domestics that has established their reputation as the best in the area.
Jul 24, 2003
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Reviewed by Greenlabel from New Hampshire

4.35/5  rDev +2.8%
This is my prime stop whenever I pass through the Allentown/Bethlehem area rather than the more highly touted Shangy's which is located about 10 miles away from Tanczos. The primary reason is that not only does Tanczos have an outstanding micro selection but also it's proven to be tops in freshness. Lots of variety cases of PA micros which are my favorite purchase when forced to buy a case. Have brought home variety cases of Troegs, Appalachian, Weyerbacher, Penn, Victory, Brooklyn, Stoudts and Yards among others. Prices for PA seem to be quite reasonable. Although Tanczos does have a good variety of imports, it doesn't have the unusual brands which may be found at Shangy's so I would say it's more for a domestic micro lover like myself. There is a large separate room at the distributor which contains only micros, imports and soda. Staff are friendly and helpful. A lot of Tanczos products have returned to NH with me and more will later this summer.
Jul 23, 2003
Photo of francisweizen
Reviewed by francisweizen from Washington

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
The largest and best beer distributer in the Lehigh Valley area. If you are up here sometime, stop by, by all means as this place has almost every beer you could think of...tons of belgians, germans, and the full lines of sam smiths, many fullers, stone, rogue, victory(of course), and more!

Very friendly staff and great low prices make this one of the best places to buy beer around. They usually have tons of seasonals when they are around as well such as the black chocolate stout from brooklyn otr sierra nevadas celebration ale.

the only downside is the case law, but that is not the stores fault.
anyway this place is truly a great place to buy any kind of case of beer you could ever possibly want. If they don't have what you want they will order it for you!!!
cheers.
Dec 22, 2002
Tanczos Beverages in Bethlehem, PA
Place rating: 4.23 out of 5 with 31 ratings