Walsh Wine & Spirits

 

surprisingly decent selection here, one of those places that sort of flies under the radar but has some impressive stock. usual suspects in the ample coolers: beyond the BMC/macros you have Stone, Founders, Sierra Nevada, Avery, DFH, Victory, ST, Goose Island, Bear Republic etc, plus a good variety of locals/regional brews. what impressed me was the selection of bombers. stuff like Red Poppy and Old Stock Cellar Reserve to the Bruery (including Cuir, which i thought had disappeared from shelves a while ago), Firestone Walker limited releases and a good range of Belgians and Belgian-styled (Trappists through american renditions). not a beer mecca per se, but more than holds it own in the craft arena.

help was not really existent, which i don't put too much stock into - although the guy at the register was friendly. prices were slightly above average for the area. overall a great spot if you live in the vicinity, and as it doesn't get a whole lot of press, some of the harder to find stuff lasts longer here (at least for now). definitely worth a visit.

Went into Walsh's last night for the first time since moving into the neighborhood a little over a year ago and I must say, I did not expect to see the selection I did. Good amount of Belgians in the cooler, even more on the shelves, along with the usual suspects; a good selection of Stone, Allagash, Brooklyn, Dogfish, and quite a few others. I picked up a 4pk of Allagash Tripel, fresh as a daisy. Prices were comparable to other stores with like selections, but for the neighborhood, Walsh's can't be beat. Service was spot on, both courteous and helpful. If you live in Brighton Center/Oak Square, do yourself a favor and give Walsh's a go.

Reviewed on 2/20/09

Walsh Wine and Spirits came under new ownership about two months ago, and I've been making it a point to check in once a week as the owner was very receptive to my comments on their beer selection.

I recommended some good breweries and over the past month they've begun to stock Stone Arrogant Bastard, several Founders beers, Ipswich, Victory's line, Northcoast Red Seal, Mad River and others. The selection is now the best in the Brighton Center area -- you'll have to take the 57 down to Blanchards or up to Newtonville to Marty's to find better, especially as regards American craft or micro-brew.

This place has great promise -- it's a very nice looking store with an extensive wine and spirits selection, and the owner is very friendly. He is accommodating to requests and wants to grow his business.

Prices are reasonable and clearly marked -- for instance, they have Founders Double Trouble IPA for 12.99. The prices on 6-packs of Brooklyn/Sam Adams/Sierra Nevada run 8.99 with deposit included. Storm King was 12.99 for a six pack.

Cons:

The selection isn't as varied as it could be and there's nothing really 'wow' in the store for a beer geek, but the owner told me he wants to make things more varied and interesting as he clears out his stock. He seems to welcome the chance to sell good beer if there's a market for it.

Their bomber selection is pretty small, and what they have is all in coolers. Again, he's open to having a more extensive craft 22 oz. selection on the shelves if there's a market.

No Belgian beer to speak of save some Delerium Tremens in 22 oz.

Edit on 5/1 --

Selection has only gotten better in the last two months: good selection of NE beer, now has a couple Green Flash offerings, Abita and others. My grade on the 'Selection' side has improved and the service is as good as ever.

Edit on 7/21 --

Local and national craft beer selection has increased by at least a third in the past month and a half thanks to a new manager who really knows his beer. Couldn't be happier to have a store of this quality within a fifteen minute walk.

I walked into this place after not going there for a few months and I was pretty surprised by the selection they have now.

For the size of the place it has a pretty diverse selection. Most liquor stores of its size would have devoted twice as much space to BMC beers. They have the usual from SA, SN, Brooklyn, Harpoon, etc. Along with less common breweries like Founder's, Clipper City, Avery, Stoudt's along with others. They also have a few Belgians on the shelf that seems to be cleared for more beer to come.

Honestly I don't know what a good price for a six pack is anymore, but this place doesn't seem to be any more expensive than any other place within the 128 belt.

The owner is open to suggestions and is planning on having tastings on the weekends. This place certainly seems to improve every time I go there so I can't think of a reason not to stop in when I'm near by.

Quite the prestigious-looking establishment in Brighton. The first time I visited I was fortunate enough to meet Mr. Walsh, the owner's father, who was one of the nicest men I've ever met. The other times I've gone it has been other store clerks, all of whom are incredibly friendly. They do not help you greatly with the beer selections. They know their own selection, and they can help if you ask, but for the most part they leave you to pick on your own. But the conversation at the register is wonderful. Genuinely nice guys.

The selection was sub-par, but without venturing too far, this place was quite nice. If there are any wine-lovers: this place has a very nice stock of wines, spirits, and hard liquor. Quaint store. Mostly liquors and such, but a nice cooler selection in the back of the store. I was able to find assorted Sierra Nevada (including Anniversary Ale), assorted Brooklyn (just the typical ones), standard Magic Hats, etc. The general domestic stuff, but not that impressive. Nothing that you probably couldn't find anywhere else, but nice nonetheless. Not exactly spectacular, but still a nice step up from the usual selection at beer stores.

The prices are a bit steep. I'm not a fan of comparing 6-pack prices as they vary greatly, because they vary in big ways. I always think a good indication of how pricey a store is is there pricing for large cases of BMC's. At this location, I found 30-packs of Bud Light for about $25 and change. That's quite steep considering you can find them at supermarkets for anywhere from $12-$18.

Stop in and see if you like anything, but don't expect to find any hidden treasures. Nice, polite store, but if you're not looking for character and you're just looking for selection, pass over this place. If you support small businesses and enjoy a nice chat while picking up some SN's or Magic Hat's, give this place a try.

EDIT: After a few more visits, I was able to find that this place has a very small stock of Chimay Premiere, Chimay Reserve, and various Ommegang. Just thought I'd give other BA's a heads up.

There are very few beer stores in Brighton Center, and this is one that I frequent. The service here is not that great, a typical liquor store. There is a pretty good selection of six packs, which is a bonus for Brighton. There are also a few 22oz bottles too in the coolers, which are sometimes a bit pricey. The only complaints that I have about this place is that sometimes the six packs are a bit past their expiration dates, and lastly, I can't stand the fact that none of the six packs are priced. I don't like to guess how much I am spending. While the selection here is pretty good, they could make some improvements to really help the customers out.

Edit 2009: this place kicks ass now that Josh is in charge of the beer.