Case N' Keg

 

Been here several times and am unimpressed. It's better than a 'quick stop', but lacks variety. Owner was unwilling to order a few requests I had that were very reasonable. A store in Tilton, NH (neighboring town) is much more responsive and has the beers I'd requested from Case and Keg owner.

Selection expanded greatly over the past couple of years. It's a regular stop for me in town. Service is friendly. Still kinda the seedy place it's always been with all those lakeporto ricans around - hey I used to be one so I get a pass.

 

Good location for micro brews and getting better as time goes on. Not the largest selection; but for the Laconia Lakes region area it s the about your only option. Actually in Lakeport (my home town) right on Route 3 near Irwin Marine. You might see my brother there on any given day.

They have a much larger selection due to there recent expansion. Most of the product is now priced which is good to see. The only down fall is there is only one or two employees that have moderate knowledge of beer. You can ask to have beers ordered which is awesome. All in all a great place just wish the employees had better knowledge about their product.

This store has just been redone and it is really nice. This place has as good as selection as I have seen in the state. They are starting to sell singles and allowing you to make your own 6 packs. Brand new state of the art coolers. I shop around often and the prices here are as good as any place I have seen. Only weakness is not much knowledge out of the employees, but that shouldn't matter to true BA's, because I know more than almost any employee who has helped me. Must see store when in Laconia.

 

I lived in Laconia, N.H. twenty years ago when I first started expanding my beer horizons beyond the national macros. This was the place to shop for miles around to get that something special or unusual. To some degree it still is the only place in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire to find a decent variety.

It is a convenience store so you will find all your chips, candy bars, soft drinks, magazines, lottery tickets, and milk. But there's a well-stocked cooler that starts on the left hand side of the store and rolls up to a small corner in the back. The cheap macros are in the back but the imports and crafts are in the front.

There are a few shelves of twelve packs and special offers. If you are a beer fan and you are spending your vacation dipping your toes into Lake Winnipesaukee it will meet your needs very well. But I would not classify this as a destination store. If I happen to be in the area I usually stop by to see what they have and every now and again they get something other stores do not.

As we all know, New Hampshire regulations severely limit what can be carried in our stores/bars/restaurants, so to succeed a store has to get ahead in areas such as customer service, marking prices, freshness, and price policies. Majority of the craft selections that I looked at had prices on them and they were comparable to what I am used to in Dover/Portsmouth area. I also saw some items that I haven't seen near me, plus a goo selection of Squam Lake! Definitely worth a visit if in the area on vacation.

Since it's only the second store that I have found in the area that has any craft beer at all, I thought it was worth a review.The quality was good for what I've found in the lakes region so far since coming up here often over the last few years.The service was what you'd expect from a convience store. One clerk at the counter but a friendly and helpful clerk goes far.The selection was small compared to what I can normally get at places near home but this area is really a surprise. Some Rogue, Smuttynose, and Anchor beers were available.The value was quite good. NH has better beer prices than from where I come from in the Boston area. I never really see beer on sale and never as low as some of the beer I saw here. It was older beer that was on the shelf for a while but in this day and age it was still a bargin.

The sister store of Case 'N Keg in Meredith, the Laconia branch is more crowded and has less of a selection, although they do tend to offer a few different beers such as the basic Lindeman's line-up (Peche, Kriek and Framboise).

Beers common to both stores include the basic offerings and seasonals from Magic Hat, Shipyard, Moretti (La Rossa) Unibroue, Harpoon (including the 100 Barrel Series), Spaten (Optimator and Octoberfest), Smuttynose, the Woodstock Brewery, Sammuel Smith, Sam Adams, Otter Creek, Long Trail etc. along with standard brews such as Newcastle, Negra Modelo and Guinness.

The owner (or manager) of this branch is more knowledgeable than his counterpart in Meredith but he is hampered by space constraints and a different customer base as to exactly how much and what variety of brews he can carry.

Overall one of the better selections in Central New Hampshire, just don't expect a plethora of quality choices.