Home of the Hangover

Store

42074 Big Bear Blvd
PO Box 7050
Big Bear Lake, California, 92315-7050
United States

(909) 866-2103 | map
homeofthehangover.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.81
Reviews:
14
Ratings:
15
pDev:
17.32%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by MrVonzipper:
Photo of MrVonzipper
Reviewed by MrVonzipper from California

4.58/5  rDev +20.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Growing up my while life, coming up to my grandparents cabin here in Big Bear, I had always wanted to check this place out. This tiny little building which was formerly, up until about 8 months ago was Pirates Alley. With the pirate decor and figure out front along with the abnormally small size and odd shape for a liquor store, or any business for that matter, it has always had this odd draw.

Yesterday I had finally taken the opportunity to check this place out. Now called Home of the Hangover this place seems to be revamped and more upscale than its predecessor. After walking in I was quickly greeted by the owner who was tending shop with his wife. By tending shop I mean enjoying the workspace and atmosphere they have created with good music in the background (Face to Face at the time), clean and nice organization and about a 46" flatscreen tv looking down at look from anywhere in the shop. The owner was very nice. He gave me a little history about them and taking over for the previous burnt out owner of the Pirates Alley and how they have over 10x the value in inventory.

The place is family owned and operated and with obvious love. They we very informative and helpful. The craft beer selection is great for the size of the place. As you walk in, there is a little island with a large assortment of micros to build your own 6pack. Behind that there are I think a total of 5 beer cooler with 3 of them being good quality craft beers and two for the less educated beer drinkers. Some noticeables were Stone IRS, Oscar Blues, Magic Hat, Allagash, a few good Belgians and Euros too.

They have a good selection of wine, a large selection of liquor and standard decent well known cigars as well. As far as I know this is the only place in Big Bear to shop for decent craft beer.
Aug 06, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

3.49/5  rDev -8.4%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 2.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75
East of downtown Big Bear Lake, Home of the Hangover conjures the concept of a small convenience store that sits across from a frat house. On the contrary here; Hone of the Hangover is instead a specialty liquor store with a small wine cave, specialty sodas, liquors, and naturally, specialty beers. it feels very small and cozy inside. It also may be the first liquor store that I've walked into which features carpet instead of standard hard tile on the floor. I liked the neatly displayed centerpiece of mix-a-six beers complete with glassware.

Many of the beers are refrigerated and tagged with prices. Brands such as Speakeasy, Great Divide, Black Market, Hangar 24, Deschutes, Boulevard, and Abita are available for purchase. One major negative though is that I found a lot of dusty bottles and beers that are way out of season. Watch those bottle dates. But with a friendly face at the counter who also directed me to the mix-a-six centerpiece, Home of the Hangover is a fair spot in alpine country for bottles.
Sep 29, 2015
Photo of Hbmiked
Rated by Hbmiked from California

5/5  rDev +31.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
This store has it all, selection & knowledge. I will always come back. Not to mention it's uniqueness.
Sep 28, 2015
Photo of declan
Reviewed by declan from California

4.43/5  rDev +16.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4
My wife booked us a weekend at Big Bear, so I researched places on BA and found this place. Honestly, I didn't expect much and was pleasantly surprised. Jim the owner(?) was a real character. Although he's a Packers fan (GO BEARS!) he's a good guy who knows his beers and how to entertain customers. We had a great chat about beer, Big Bear, and the seasons. He even helped my buddy find food after 9:30p - a miracle up here.

The place is small, but he uses the space wisely so there's a good range of styles and breweries. A great oasis for great beer up here!
Jun 08, 2013
Photo of Catchy_Name
Reviewed by Catchy_Name from California

3.24/5  rDev -15%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5
As one of the only places to get craft beer up in Big Bear, I heard from many BA's that this place was must-visit. When I walked in I was met with immediate sarcasm. These guys like to have a good time with their customers, so if you have thin skin and get bothered by this type of attitude this place won't be for you.

Their selection was top notch for Big Bear, but fairly average when compared to local bottle shops where I live. They had 2-3 coolers of craft beer. Mostly local crafts from Stone, Bruery, Bootleggers, and Hangar 24. They also have a section of assorted bottles set aside so you can build your own six pack. I didn't buy anything as I went up to Big Bear with beer already just in case. But thanks to these guys, I know next time I don't need to bring as much.
Jan 09, 2012
Photo of UCLABrewN84
Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California

3/5  rDev -21.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3
This place is now called "Home of the Hangover". Stopped in here on a recent trip to Big Bear Lake, CA.

You walk in through a screen door (never seen that on a liquor store) and into a small cabin type building. Somewhat small area inside but very home-like in a way. Leopard print carpet and a lot of drinking themed knick knacks all over the place.

Quality of their beer was good. Everything looked pretty fresh and there were some new releases in stock. I saw some Stone, Port, Karl Strauss, along with all of the name brand imports (Guinness, etc.) and BMC.

The guy who helped me was friendly and chatted with me for a while about how I looked young for my age.

Prices were in line with what I pay around the greater LA area. I bought a bomber of Old Viscosity for $6.25 and the normal Stone brews were about $4.50 to $5 a bomber.

Nothing too great here but a good place to stop in the craft-lacking Big Bear area.
Mar 15, 2011
Photo of tjensen3618
Reviewed by tjensen3618 from California

2.55/5  rDev -33.1%
I stopped in here just to see what they had. On the inside it is really small, a lot smaller than it looks on the outside.
They had 2 coolers for macro and 2 coolers for craft. The craft coolers were maybe 1/3 of the way filled, there was a lot of empty space, it looked like maybe they were getting out of stocking a wide variety of craft beer.

They had the regular Stone lineup, Hop Stoopid, maybe 20 selections of easily found craft beer. I was pretty disappointed in their selection and would only find myself coming back here if i was in need of a craft beer fix, but i usually go on vacation with some selections that i brought from home. So really, I probably won't be back.
Aug 09, 2010
Photo of augustgarage
Reviewed by augustgarage from California

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
Worth a stop for the building alone - a strange tiny dimly lit shop with odd angles, the entrance flanked by carvings - a liquor store with a "Hansel and Gretel" feel about it. There appears to be a back room that was empty that would normally hold a couple hundred bottles of wine - odd.

The woman working when I entered was very friendly - though I didn't get much a chance to test out her beer knowledge.

Three or four small coolers are sparsely populated with beer - much of it macros; however, they also had things like Maui Coconut Porter in cans, a couple six-packs of beer from a local brewery, a mini-keg of decent German beer, and so on. Overall rather slim pickings though, with very few 750mL bottles or bombers to speak of (and nothing from Lost Abbey which is what I came in looking for in lieu of Belgian offerings, which they had none of either).

Prices were comparable to what you'd see most places in So-Cal.

If you are in town, I suggest heading a couple miles down the road to Liquor Junction in Big Bear City instead - they carry a much wider range of beers from Rogue, Stone, Port, Napa Smith, along with plenty of British cans (e.g. Tetley's, Wexford), and some good out of state domestics, especially in 6-pack form.
May 23, 2010
Photo of Inflames
Reviewed by Inflames from California

4.35/5  rDev +14.2%
I remember being in this place 4 or 5 years ago. Back then quality was awesome for the size of the store. I remember seeing brews in there I had never seen before.

Return today and the store is still small and the quality is still quite good. Just talking about the beer I am excited about the selection. There are some usual seen brews which of course places need to carry. But then there are some brews from Lost Abbey, Avery, Coronado, Oggi's, Port,Alesmith, Deschuttes. Great liquor and wine choices, plus cigars to complement your drinks.

There is no reason not to stop here if your in town.
Nov 13, 2008
Photo of rxdrewthejew
Reviewed by rxdrewthejew from California

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
Finally stopped by this place for the first time to see if it would become my new Big Bear beer place. Tiny little place, and surprisingly empty for Memorial Day weekend. Too bad. For the size, they have a pretty decent selection of stuff, beer or liquor. The beer selection didn't blow me away, but it's the best I've seen in town, at any rate. I got some Victory Storm King, but I also some Racer 5, Stone Pale Ale and IPA, some other Cali micro's, and some German stuff. You probably won't find things you haven't had before, but it's no doubt the best selection in town. The guy working there seemed bored but he was friendly enough. Prices were pretty average-maybe a bit more expesive due to the cost of getting the beer up there. Worth the trip if you're up there, but past that nothing amazing.
Jun 08, 2008
Photo of Floydster
Reviewed by Floydster from California

3.3/5  rDev -13.4%
Stopped here with my girlfriend today after she got done showing me where her parents grew up and we drove around the lake for a while

This place was impressive based on its location and the fact that nothing like that is for the next thirty of forty miles, but if you ignore that, its selection is pretty weak compared to the majority of the places I have visited

Place is a small yellow building right off the left side of the road on Big Bear Blvd., with about six or seven parking spaces total, ran by a husband and wife who are pretty nice people

Could not believe how small this place was when I walked in, hard liquor straight in front of me, cigars on the back left side mixed in with wines, beer was located in five or six fridges in the back right corner of the store

The brews I remember seeing are Speedway Stout, Old Numbskull, Devotion, Judgment Day, Dead Guy Ale, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, Spaten, Hop Wallop, Old Horizontal, Stone 11th Anniversary, Double Bastard, Lindenmans, various German beers, and of course a bunch of American Macros, three refrigerators full I believe

Wished they sold individual bottles from a six pack, but like many other places nowadays, they do not unfortunately

Prices were reasonable, the Alesmith 750 mls were fairly inexpensive, only ten bucks a peice, along with the Lost Abbeys, six pack of Victory brews were twelve to thirteen dollars, Stone bombers were about five or six bucks

Nice people, just a small place that I would not shop at unless I lived or was vacationing in the area, good stuff for the small selection that they have, not bad overall
Jan 13, 2008
Photo of BlindPig
Reviewed by BlindPig from Nevada

3.3/5  rDev -13.4%
They didn't have near as big of a selection as I was hoping for. They have a few local Cali brews and few imports but nothing out of the ordinary. This place was very hot so I'm glad they didn't leave the beer out of the fridge. It's a pretty small cabin place. The lady in the morning seemed really nice and the guy later on in the day seemed kind of blah (for lack of better words). It is nice though having a place to buy some micros from so you don't have to bring your own. It was about a mile down the street from my cabin so it worked out pretty well for me.
Aug 26, 2006
Photo of SwillinBrew
Reviewed by SwillinBrew from California

3.85/5  rDev +1%
Who would have thought a place in the hills like Big Bear would have the nice selections this place has. The selection is rather small but given its location and the beer the snowboarding/skiing community probably drinks, this place is a real gem. There was Stone, Ballast Point, Marin/Moylans, Rogue, and some german, english and belgian brews. I was very pleased to find some Big Foot 06 and N'ice Chouffe. The owner was really cool and we talked about craft beer for about 15 minutes. If your in Big Bear and need some good brew, this is the place to go.
Feb 14, 2006
Photo of KingSlender
Reviewed by KingSlender from California

4.5/5  rDev +18.1%
In my book, Pirate's Alley gets an all-around 4.5 rating. Plain and simple, I love this place! Everytime that I'm up in Big Bear, this is the place to go. As a huge microbrew consumer, they have a wonderfull selection. I've been able to find some very hard to get beers here and they seem to always have a bunch of everything in stock. On my last visit the owner told me that he makes special trips himself around Southern Cal to pick up these rare beers. Very much appreciated. Pirate's Alley also has a terrific selection of wine. I'm not much into wine, but if I was, this is the place to go.
Feb 20, 2004
Photo of mickeymac
Reviewed by mickeymac from California

4.15/5  rDev +8.9%
Don't let the small size of this shop or its wine dominance deter you from stopping in while in Big Bear. And don't worry about loading up the car with good beer before heading to Big Bear: You'll find it at Pirate's Alley. Although the beer section is not huge, it's stocked with a very nice selection of micros. What's the secret? This shop doesn't stock anything by Anheuser-Busch, Miller, or Coors. As the owner will tell you, anyone who wants that stuff can go to any of dozens of other liquor stores, grocery stores, or drug stores in the area.

On a recent trip, I found US brewed choices from Stone, Bear Republic, Dogfish Head, Midnight Sun, Marin, and others, as well as some English treats like Ale Mary and Belgians including Chimay. The owner is a friendly and knowledgeable guy who loves beer so much that he used to drive to Stone to pick up beer for his shop before Stone had a San Bernardino County distributor. This is a very nice little shop.
Sep 08, 2003
Home of the Hangover in Big Bear Lake, CA
Place rating: 3.81 out of 5 with 15 ratings