6 Pack Shop Beer & Food

6 Pack Shop Beer & Food6 Pack Shop Beer & Food
6 Pack Shop Beer & Food6 Pack Shop Beer & Food
Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

1635 Broadway
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18015-3903
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.46
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
21
pDev:
17.05%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by slander:
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Reviewed by slander from New York

3.49/5  rDev +0.9%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
Hmmmn.
We rolled in at the end of a ridiculous WhichBrewWeyerbacherPortersDunderbak'sSteelGaardenBethlehemBrewWorks day. It was pretty late and we were pretty ruddy. Still, you never know what you're going to find in places like this so it's important that you stop in.
It's a tight little beer store. Not too damn, um, clean, bright and shiny but the space serves it's purpose. Islands with beer piled higher than me, kind of organized, but I don't know by what or how. Good representation of local and regional breweries (Weyerbacher, Victory, Stoudts, Penn, DogFishHead) and beyond (Hair Of The Dog, Kalamazoo, 3 Floyds, Avery, Left Hand, Rogue) and waaay beyond (German, English, Belgium). I scored me a pair of (Van Steenberge's) Monk's Flemmish Sour Ale and a Unibroue Quelque Chose (a 12 ounce bottle dated for '02, ain't never seen that before). Coolers lining the walls with singles. Look, they're pricey, but not so terribly out of line pricey than you should expect from a place that deals in single bottles or mix your owns in Pennsylvania. However, I will tell you that some of the stash does seem a little dusty so "loogout".
There's a back room with stacked cases and sixes of this and that, and a small bar with a couple of shitty taps. Funny ha ha that it's these shitty taps that allows them to technically be a bar, and therefore able to sell beers in quantities of less than a case. Funnier still is that this place being run by 2 middle Eastern gentlemen seems very remniscent of a Letterman sketch.
This place is first and foremost a good beer store and it's review scores suffer at being listed as a beer bar (in addition to a beer store), because it brings the scoring of "atmosphere" into the mix and the atmosphere on the bar side, um,... lacks. I was hoping this place would be more like a D's Six Pax - East, (think Pittsburgh) but the shitty taps and the lack of amazing hot dogz keep it from being so. Still, some very good things to be found here.
Sep 20, 2004
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3 by GeorgiaBeerGuy from Georgia

Oct 09, 2014
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Reviewed by 57md from Pennsylvania

2.74/5  rDev -20.8%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3
For a long time, this was the only place to go in the Allentown/Bethlehem area to get single bottles or mixed six packs of craft beer. Their prices are established in a way that indicates they are surely cognizant of their near monopoly on this market. The atmosphere is quite unwelcoming and the layout is not conducive to asking questions of the staff. They also keep a great deal of old dusty beer around, so you are never sure if you are getting a fresh bottle to sample, unless the beer bottle has a date etched on it. Since I discovered Abe's in West Bethlehem, I have not been to the Six Pack Shop. There is no reason for me to ever go back as Abe's is superior in every way.
Sep 28, 2011
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Reviewed by DaveHack from Pennsylvania

2.63/5  rDev -24%
vibe: 1.5 | quality: 2 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4
First time here. I needed a Yuengling Lager for a trade and Abe's doesn't sell Lager singles!
It has a creepy give to it. I didn't feel entirely welcome. They have decent selection, but some of the prices! A Squall 750 was $18!? A lot of 'average' singles. Weyerbacher, Troegs, Victory....were $3.99 for a 12 oz. Other stuff was more in line, but nothing struck me as an awesome deal, so be careful.
The place is pretty dingy. Everything is dusty, and they have some glassware, but it looks like its been there for 20 years.
I ended up with a Yuengling Later and Bock, Victory and a Weyerbacher. 4 average bottles for just over $12, that's crazy.
I will never make this a destination, but I may stop if I'm passing by.
Jul 10, 2011
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Reviewed by Knapp85 from Pennsylvania

3.64/5  rDev +5.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75
This place was my old stompin' grounds when it came to beer. I can't remember how I even came across this place but I went there all the time after work on pay days and stuff.

When I first started going there it was a great little shop with what I thought was a huge selection of beers and it is for someone who's just getting into this stuff. They've got lots of imported brews as well as American Micro's and generic stuff too.

The shop can tend to seem a bit dusty most of the time. I believe it's just how the place is setup. There is a lot of traffic walking in and out of the place which kicks up a lot of debris from outside and on the ground. Anytime I'd buy stuff there I take the bottles home and rinse them off before putting them in the fridge. The guy who works there would apologize for the dust all the time and I told him not to worry about it.

This shop is nice for a quick fix on some traditional brews from all over the world. My only real complaint is the price of there bottles there. I have been to other places like this since coming across the 6 Pack Shop and the prices were much cheaper. Anywhere from 50 cents to a few bucks even.

The workers are helpful and nice. One is overly nice and if willing to talk and get to know his customers very well. He knows me by my first name, every time I'm there he's very happy to see me.

It's got a nice little dive bar in the back too where you can pull any bottle of beer that they have in a cooler and they'll open it and serve it to you there. It's a good place, and if they had a bigger selection these days and the prices were better I'd still be going there as much as I used too.
Apr 04, 2011
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Reviewed by stakem from Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4
I see nothing has been said about this shop in over a year so I'll provide a little bit of info about my experience.

3/17/11, of all the days to pick for a random thursday beer run to Allentown/Bethlehm, St. Patrick's day seemed as fitting as any. Walking into the shop you will notice small walkways and shelving with multiple coolers on opposite facing walls. Through a walkway leads into a small, semi-private bar area with a few taps and overflow storage for BMC and seasonal 12 packs and sixers. On the checkout counter is a plexiglass wall and behind it a very interesting assessment of old dusty glassware. That caught my attention until I saw that none of it was under $12 and even if I wanted something, it would take 10 minutes to carefully unpile everything that was stacked on top of it.

The isle or two that exists is cramped. You could easily forget yourself, bend over hitting your butt on beer behind you and accidentally headbutt the beer/shelf infront of you. Tread softly... The beer arrangement is haphazard, if you had something specific you were looking for, good luck. The bottles are cluttered and dusty. I would not trust buying non-cellarable beers from this establishment. However, if you have time to waste you could easily find a goody or two. While there we found items such as: 2008 yeti and ruffian with the old labels, stone 12th anniversary, 08 flying dog baleywine, just a bunch of stuff from 2008. Behind the counter up high on a shelf was a bunch of 750ml DFH bottles like red and white, fort, namaste. A 12oz bottle or two of 120 ipa and some others. I didnt even bother asking for the 120 pricing, you will see why below.

Prices were pretty normal for PA. $7 a bottle for Orval, $4-5 for other belgian strong ales from '08-09. The most rediculous thing I saw in the shop was '09 world wide stout for $15 a 12oz bottle. In between the isles was a section of 12oz bottles for mix-a-six, nothing there caught my eye but if you wanted to do a variety to try something new, that's a nice option. A sign said 20% large format bottles, as I write this review I realize I did not get said discount! Damnit.

One of the coolers has most BMC for the regulars who are quick in and out with what they know they want. Another cooler has large format bottles like lindemans and a few Belgian strong ales. The other cooler that runs the length of the wall has mixed 4 and 6 packs and singles that are a mixed cluster of random beer with no particular rhyme or reason to it's order. It looks as though if the cooker gets empty, something random is pulled off the shelf to take it's place.

While we were there (30-40 minutes?) at least half a dozen people went in and out. Obviously locals/regulars since they were on a first name basis with the fellow behind the counter. Each one buying BMC and quickly departing. One couple in particular (which looked like they were freshly turned of legal age) walked in, pointed at the "exotic/foreign/expensive beer" as they referred to it, grabbed their Guinness and miller high life, paid and left. For this reason I could see a few gems being forgotten about in this place. However, if you read the other reviews about pulling out something like a 90's cuvee, that ship has long since sailed.

My overall feeling of this place is that it is stuck in 2008 selection with 2011 pricing. Besides a couple wild cards, it really seems like the craft section of this store only gets restocked once every other year or so. If you are traveling between Abe's and Shangy's this is absolutely worth a moment of your time to check out but use caution. I have mixed feelings about the service. I was not bothered or asked if I needed help but when I asked a question it got ackward. The old fella seemed happy and pleasant to the others, maybe because they were familiar and maybe because he just wanted to leave for the day? But when I inquired about his assortment of Belgian beer he said he doesn't keep up with what he has and he doesn't know. Ok, well I gathered that much based on the layout, thanks for clarifying that up for me.
Mar 25, 2011
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Reviewed by mgbickel from Pennsylvania

3.81/5  rDev +10.1%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Stopped by here almost by accident. I was headed to Abe's via Shangy's and saw this place off to the left while heading down a hill (GPS directions...I have no clue where I was!).

What an odd little place! They have a lot of different bottles, but there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the organization. Some of the bottles are cold, some are not. You may find one beer here and there it is again on the other side of the store.

The shop keeper was very friendly. He told me about the recent shipment and said he could answer any questions.

I am not sure if they sell food or not, but there was a bar type area through a doorway...

All in all, kind of a neat place, but like others mention in their reviews, the dusty bottles give you the creeps a little.
Jan 25, 2010
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Reviewed by morayeel from Pennsylvania

3.89/5  rDev +12.4%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
I live rather close to the six pack shop and went their for the first time last week to check it out. A small little shop with lots and lots of beers. I walked the store looking to see what they had and found just about everything a beer lover could ask for. Just a little tip- while walking around the shop be carefull when bending over the isles are very tight you might knock something off the shel behind you. One of the things I did not like was to many dusty bottles, thats telling me their sitting there a lonk time makes me wonder just how long?
Dec 19, 2008
Photo of DaveHS
Reviewed by DaveHS from California

3.59/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Not a bad place. Be very wary of older looking bottles. Sometimes, you can get really lucky, and get some perfectly aged Belgians. But I would not reccomend getting anything below 7 abv, especially the Eastern European and German ones. Some of the British ones look pretty old too. They won't necessarily hold up.
Some of the things I have found there:
A Lindeman's Cuvee Renee 1994. I saw this at Kulminator in Antwerpen for a little less, but unless you plan on going there soon, this is a good place to try it!
La Trappe Tripel from 1998.
Double Bastard and Oak Aged Arrogant Bastard, out of Season. The only place I found them in PA besides the Foodery.
Plenty of Lambic/Geuze.
Also a very good selection of British christmas ales, all through the year!
I'm going today at 10 a.m. to see the new stock. I invite any B.A. people who read this to join me.
Mar 28, 2008
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Reviewed by wtrbeer from Pennsylvania

1.73/5  rDev -50%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 2 | selection: 1
The six pack shop is a strange place...it has both good's and bad's. I'll try to make sense when I write this. They have a large selection of beer, which is great, some very rare stuff I haven't seen anywhere else. Some stuff I had never even heard of, so I had to look them up on this site. So, that is pretty cool. The bad thing is a lot of their beer is older. Meaning it's been in the store for a while. Which could be great for higher alc. stuff, but if your looking to buy something at 5%...I wouldn't buy it. You can tell the beer has been there for a while do to dust covering. Their organization is a little lacking and I can't seem to figure out why they put the beer where they do. Then, when I think I've figured it out, they re-organize...kinda odd...but it can be fun if you want to go on a treasure hunt. Owners are friendly enough, but aren't much of a help for information. The beer also can be pretty pricey compared to other stores, but if you want soemthing rare bad enough...over-all not a bad place, but I usually check other places first for the beer I'm looking for.

Edit:2012: I went back this year and this place is awful. Prices are too high and bottles are waaay outdated. Go to Abe's which is not far away.
Jan 21, 2008
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Reviewed by malthead from California

3.15/5  rDev -9%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5
Only in PA... I've been there 2-3 times over the past few years, and this place is just weird. They've got an incredibly wide range of products, most of which are for sale as singles. You can mix-a-six, but it's $13.99 for your basic beers! (everything from Molson & Heineken to Heavy Seas & DFH.) Now, that's $2.50 a bottle, less than a beer at a bar, maybe, but just crazy for a retail store. I made 2 decent 6-packs of good, big beers(barleywines, stouts, winters,) but it still hurt at the register.

The biggest problem I have here, though, is that the owners don't seem to care about the quality of the beer they sell. Every time I ask the guy a question about a beer, he tells me it's "Very good, high quality beer" - it pisses me off, when they're just trying to get you to spend money instead of helping to find stuff you'll enjoy, you know? Which leads to the age of their beer - half of them are covered with a thick layer of dust. I found several bottles I wanted to try that had a 'best before' date of at least a year ago. I'd highly recommend buying from the coolers, and avoiding anything with a green bottle - I tried one, and it was skunked.

So, it's good if you know what you're getting into, but be prepared. They've got a nice selection of 22's & 750's - again, pricy, but you won't find it anywhere else in the area.
Dec 31, 2007
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Reviewed by Cadyfatcat from New York

3.63/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
The 6-pack shop is one of the strangest beer establishments I have ever happened upon. That being said, It is also one of my most frequented, being all of two minutes from my house. Sort of a hole in the wall. Most of the regulars walk out with High Life or Busch pounders. Great selection here, although some prices are overly inflated. There are two brothers that run this place, sometimes taking bi-monthly shifts in which one will be totally absent. Both brothers can guide you around the store to different types of beer, but they offer very little in actual taste experience. They simply say "this a very good beer" to anything they are trying to sell to you. But look out for freshness here, especially when dealing with more perishable types of brew. There is not enough care taken of the German and western European lagers of which they have many. Many obscure Belgians can be found here. A necessary experience if you are in the area.
Oct 21, 2006
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Reviewed by TheLongBeachBum from California

3.65/5  rDev +5.5%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
“Unusual” place this, well for PA at least. A stand alone building with a large yellow roadside sign which advertises itself, simply, as “The Six Pack Store”. Nothing unusual in that except for the fact that this place sells Singles…yeah I know! Single bottles in PA!!.…the Case State!!!....so I had to try this one out, fortunately fellow BA Erica was hitting this place up for a mixed selection of 12ounce brews for her Cousins Boyfriends 30th Birthday Party, so a chance to tag along to this “unusual” PA beer store was not to be passed up.

A small ungraded parking lot sits to the left hand side as you approach the frontage. The entrance is on this side and a single full glass door provides the opportunity to look inside the stand alone wooden clad building. Once inside it is hard not to stumble onto the bottles, for it is tighter than a Nuns Crotch inside, erm I mean that the aisles are rather jolly narrow.

To your far left the counter area sits against the back wall. Immediately in front of this and to your left is a large open shelved unit which has five or six shelves. The front portion of this contains many 12ounce, 37.5cl and 75cl Belgium bottles interspersed with the odd Be*NELUX* brew. At the back of this there is a reasonably good range of British beers, including Scottish, Welsh, English, Irish and English; hmmm did I say English twice!?!? That’s cuz there’s more of ‘em. Walking straight into the SPS a small aisle way separates the aforementioned Anglo-Belgo shelving from a more traditional wooden like shelving system that runs parallel to you as you walk in. At least when you get past the white plastic coat wire mesh stand that exhibits a limited but interesting range of 22ounce Bombers, including many from Avery and Left Hand Brewing. The shelving to the right has a plethora of 12 ounce’s, seemingly in no particular order, but with a good range including a few DFH specials. At the side of this a second shelving unit is a little less interesting and has the more traditional 6-packs and multipack brews. This is also where most of the BigBoy macros are located. At the back wall of the store a row of glass fronted coolers also contain many 12 and 22 ounce bottles, and it also seemed like it contained many brews that were not on the open shelves; in short it was not full of chilled duplicates, so don’t pass these by, it is well worth checking out at the same time as the shelves. The range is rather good I have to say, I noticed many new breweries that I have not even seen before, though I am from the West Coast so I am sure my perception is maybe geographically slanted. Though the locals may well be used to the rambling organization of the bottles, it means that it offers the chance for others of spotting those rare and new brews also as they may get missed by the regulars.

Prices range from OK to rather high, though the fact that this place is in PA and sells singles means that it can command higher premiums I guess. One thing I did note on closer inspection of some of the merchandise was that some bottles had expired sell-by dates, many were covered in dust, and the Bombers by the door were placed directly in the sunlight streaming in from the glass door entrance, the labels were slightly faded on older examples and they were ‘warm’ to the touch believe it or not, even in PA in November!!! I dropped the quality mark because of this fact and I avoided these samples. Though one bonus of a low turnover for some brews was the unusual surprise of still seeing some Lindeman’s Cuvee Rene 1994…..nice, and not bad for $13 a piece, there cannot be many of these left now, the newer versions are far too sweet for my liking, I snagged a couple of ‘em for old times sake.

A nice enough place to stop by once a month, and a great break and choice for PA’ers that fancy a chance to sample singles before splurging the Benjamin’s on full Cases. But be warned, although the majority of brews looked to be in good nick, there are a few dodgy ones that can spoil your enjoyment when you get home. In short, be careful what you pick up, and from where, would be my advice, *definitely* check the Best Before / Bottled On Dates, some of the bottles looked a little “too old” to me. Heed this advice and this is a truly great place to check out in PA.

Thanks to BA erica for the ride out to here and to that fine Englishman PC Plod for the company.

Last Visit: Saturday 19th November, 2005.
Nov 26, 2005
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Reviewed by AlexJ from North Carolina

3.05/5  rDev -11.8%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 2.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4
I thank this little establishment at the top of a big hill for being the only shop of it's kind in the Lehigh Valley. I've been going here for years when I'm home visitin' the folks. Although not visually stunning (I'm being nice), the selection is staggering. A massive selection of Belgians, Flemish-sours, an lambics is the first thing you see. I have never even heard of banana or pinapple lambics, have you? Well, they got em' here. They have a 8 or 10 door cooler where they house the mix-n-match selection of micros. All bases are covered from coast-to-coast. They have more Rogues than you even knew existed-Shark-tooth, Seahorse Ale, Wolf-Eel ale... Plenty o' Stone brews including AB, Ruination, Verticle Epic, and 8th Anniversary. All the big beers from Avery such as Czar, Kaiser, Reverand, and the highly disputed (and often despized) Beast. Lots of FFF, but no Dark Lord, lots of Bells, Hair of the Dog, and 2 Bros. They still have 90, AND 120 minute 750s, which nearly made me crap my pants! They had two new Weyerbacher brews-Heresy and Insanity, as well as many other regional beers. A bit over-priced, but hell, PA is a case state so suck it up!

edit: in the past few years, prices here have gone up drastically, to the point of gouging. C'mon, $13 for a 750 of Unibroue, or $17 for a 3F Dreadnaught. A mixed sixer used to be 10 bucks, now it's $13. I'd hate to see what they would charge for a bottle of Westy! There have also been several instances involving old, mistreated, or poorly stored beers that were total drainpours, expensive drainpours at that!. Ever heard of rotating your stock? Apparantly not. So my best advice is buyer beware.
Dec 20, 2004
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Reviewed by ElGuapo from New Jersey

3.48/5  rDev +0.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
After driving by this place way too many times, I had an extra minute and gave it a shot. It is pretty cramped up front, but that is good because there are a lot of goodies in there.
Micros are well represented: Weyerbacher, Penn, Victory, Hair of the Dog, Bells (a bunch), 3 Floyds (only 1 or 2), Dogfish Head, Left Hand, Avery, Rogue (lots), a Stone or 2, and quite a few others. Oh yeah, they had a few 120 minute IPAs in the 750s. Import selection is also pretty good: Unibroue, Rochefort, de Dolle, Westmalle, St. Bernardus, as well as the usual suspects from Germany and England.
I would check the dates that you can because there were some oldies in there. The prices were a bit steep, but they did have a few micros that I have never seen before. The simple fact that they have singles and lots of them makes this a great location to grab a few.
Service was polite, but he was busy running back and forth since it was nearing closing time, so I didn't really get a chance to chat.
May 27, 2004
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Reviewed by 99bottles from Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +8.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
This is a suprising little place that's near my old house. An unassuming exterior leads you inside to a plethora of beers. Singles are stacked on shelves all over, and mostly grouped by brewery. I've been really surprised at some of the things they have. Probably a dozen or so Rogues, regular Victorys, lots of Dogfish Head (especially 750 mLs which are otherwise hard to come by), Stoudt's, Penn, Weyerbacher, other locals. Even some tough micros from all over (Kalamazoo, Hair of the Dog, Sierra Nevada, Ommengang, North Coast). Great selection of internationals and Belgians. Drawbacks? The location makes me think that they don't get alot of turnover. This means that some of these nice beers you see sitting on the shelf may be past date. There is a large percentage with no bottling date, so you're kind of left to closely inspect, debate whether or not it is an ageable brew, and then roll the dice. I've come up short on 2, and I've probably bought 30 or more. Prices are also a little high. It's one of the drawbacks of living in PA. Some of the beers are priced a little oddly also. They have deals to mix a sixer of some of the less extravagant micros together for $11. I've found some really nice German rauchbiers and Abbey ales here also. The guys who run the place are extremely friendly, and if you come in often they wont harass you with their specials -usually outdated Saranacs. Definitely glad to have such a place, but I wish they could sustain themselves at a slightly higher level.
Mar 31, 2004
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Reviewed by erica from California

4.29/5  rDev +24%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Here is a place I seem to frequent on a Friday night for the weekend.... unless I'm in the mood for a case of something, which isn't often.
The service is great- Tony always says hi and asks about my job, my boyfriend if he's not with me, etc... (do i go in there too much??) But they have a great selection of bottles and it's nice to mix a six or pick up a 750, or both. Good amount of Belgians, lots of micros, British beers, but like others have said you MUST check dates, or at least look at the bottle and if you can scoop off the dust with a spoon, or it looks like there's more sediment than liquid, leave it on the shelf.
They do have the bar, which I never bothered to sit at, and in that section they have 6 packs of micros and also the gross cheap beers (they *do* have dakota, natty ice, etc :P).
Price- a little high, but then, I can't complain since it's the only place around me where you can buy singles, plus the selection makes up for it.

Overall, it's a nice place to shop and I probably will continue to do so as long as I'm living here.
Nov 19, 2003
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Reviewed by goindownsouth from New Jersey

3.38/5  rDev -2.3%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4
This is one intriguing place, to say the least. Upon stumbling upon this one, I was really amazed by the selection of brews, including hard-to-find inports like English and Belgian brews. The great thing is that you can mix and match your own six-pack, which is a God send, truth be told.

However, there are two things that inhibit my falling in love with this place. First, it is a little steep to make your own six pack, $12.00 the last time I was there. Also, one has to wonder just how long some of that beer has been sitting there. In fact, one time, there was so much "stuff" at the bottom of a bottle of beer, I could not even finish it.

If you go there, always be sure to inspect the beer and look for any kind of expiration date or born on dating.

Prost!
Oct 14, 2003
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Reviewed by theozag from Louisiana

4.04/5  rDev +16.8%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 5 | selection: 5
In the land of case-by-case distributers and retailers with tragically limited selection (read: Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania), the Six Pack Shop is like looking into the very eyes of God. If you're willing to sacrifice some atmosphere and some freshness, you'll be hard-pressed to find a store with better selection.

Overall, I think this retailer is one of the most unique beer and liquor stores in existence. They stock between 150 and 300 different brews, two of which are on tap, and most are quite unique. Looking for hard-to-find, rare, little known, and unknown beers? Look no further than the Six Pack Shop. They actually stock two types of Triple Bock (The celebrated Sam Adams variety, and a local one). Chances are that if you're looking for a special beer from Canada, the United States, or most of Europe, this store has some.

Just in case you think this is a one horse show, the Six Pack Shop also stocks a wide range of malt liquors and some very unique alcoholic beverages. If you ever wanted to try alcoholic, flavored sparkling water, visit the Six Pack Shop.

Their prices range from $1.99 to $10.99 per bottle, and from about $5 to $10.99 per six-pack. Twelves are available in limited quanities, but as the name suggests most people walk out with a six (or two).

And lest you get the impression that this store is the world's most perfect retailer, there are two warnings you should read. First, if you're looking for the freshest beer in the region, the Six Pack Shop probably is not your place. Because they sell some very obscure beers in limited quantities, those bottles may sit on their shelves for weeks, months, or years past their expiration dates.

Second, you should not expect to find large quantities of poorly-brewed beers at this retailer. Their signature is variety, not quantity. If you are searching for Natural Light, Dakota, or some other discount beer, search elsewhere.

In summary, so-so atmoshpere, a slight dent in overall product quality, but amazing selection, intelligent service, and more variety than you could expect in two little rooms.

EDIT: After careful inspection of the bottles purchased during my first run to the Six Pack Shop i found one expired in late 1998, one in 2000, and the rest in 2001 and 2002. My suggestion... CHECK THE DATES on your beers before you take them to the counter. And if the bottle is undated, be prepared for a taste surprise!
Oct 02, 2003
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Reviewed by francisweizen from Washington

4.04/5  rDev +16.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
This is my local "packie" in PA, as it is located only 3 minutes away from my girlfriends house. The 2 Iranian men who work here, Tony and Mikey "the other guy", are very helpful in showing me the new beers that have come in, and getting stuff especially for me :-). All of the beers are reasonably prices and you can mix and match a nice six pack of micros (with 300+ selections to choose from) for $11. other singles range from 2-5$ for a 12oz bottle and you can score such rarities as the entire HOTD line as well as rare belgian, german, and UK beers. some of the imported beers and micros are past their freshness date, but this has rarely affected the quality of the beer, and I would say that 90% of the micros and 80% of the imports have no freshness date or are before the freshness date.

even the beers that are "after" the freshness date have usually been fine as well, accept some of the nitro cans that have best befores from 2001 or 2002!

This place also carries very rare extreme beers, and 750ml bottles all at very reasonable prices ($8 for belgian 750's and less for unibroue, ommeganag, etc...)

the other part of this place has a bar with some simple foods and 2 beers on tap as well as more six packs of macros and micros. They also carry some 12 packs, and will even sell you a case if they have it...

Beer-vana for me, and the reason that my wallet is always empty after I pay them a visit!

F

**Update** after visiting some other beer stores, and getting s afew more bad beers, I have to lower the rating on this place....
Aug 06, 2003
Photo of ellman
Reviewed by ellman from Indiana

4.45/5  rDev +28.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
This place Is a God send, Pa has this case law, meaning if you are going to buy beer from a retailer you are buying a case. But not everyone is willing to buy 24 of some beer they never had, so I found this place.
I think the Six Pack Shop is a bar by law, in the back they do have a 8 foot long bar with two beers on tap, yuegling and something else I think,.but the walls are lined with coolers and the center has shelves with a good varity of mirco, imports and marco cold and unchilled single and six packs. some of the bottles were dusty, but i bought a buch of singles there and have found no skunked beer.
I just wanted to add this place because I was great and about 5 min from Shangy's so if you see something at shangys you would like to try, check out The Six Pack Shop first and buy a single then the case.
Apr 09, 2003
6 Pack Shop Beer & Food in Bethlehem, PA
Place rating: 3.46 out of 5 with 21 ratings