B & E Quality Beverage

Store

511 W. 23rd Street
New York, New York, 10011
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.67
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
6
pDev:
15.53%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by PopeJonPaul:
Photo of PopeJonPaul
Reviewed by PopeJonPaul from Oregon

3.85/5  rDev +4.9%
This place hides under the old elevated "Meat Train" right next to the Half King (not a beer bar but a good place to get food.) This place is large, comfortable and clean, with a bunch of refrigerators and well-organized, well-stocked shelves. Pricing is a little high compared to other distributors, however they give great discounts if you buy 'in bulk.' For example I saved almost $3 on a 4 pack compared to if I had bought the bottles separately. All the four- and six-packs have their own price tag, bottles are individually priced but the tag on the pack wins. Nobody came out from behind the counter but they were all smiles and seem friendly. Unfortunately this is pretty far out of the way for me since I don't have a car, though I know this guy with a new Grand Cherokee but I can never seem to get a ride into Brooklyn...he does drive to a lot of festivals though, so I'll forgive him.
Oct 06, 2004
More User Ratings:
Photo of ommegangpbr
Reviewed by ommegangpbr from New York

2.4/5  rDev -34.6%
Some folks complain that this place is hard to get to but I am inclined to disagree. It's 2 blocks (granted, they are between avenues so the blocks are long) from the C and E trains. There's also a bus that runs on 23rd street that takes you right there. 10th ave is usually a pretty clear path around there...
Down to business: has some of the best prices and best selection that I've run into in Manhattan, Queens or Brooklyn thus far. We're talking $4.25 for 750 mL Ommegangs, $4.50 for bombers of Stone and Rogue brews, most of the 750mL Unibroues run $6-7; I think even limited run Unibroue's are under $10. All the six packs I've seen (a solid selection) all seemed reasonable to cheap (I think $8 or $9 for a six of Allagash Dubbel?)
Fullers, Sam Smiths, Youngs, Ayinger, Spatens, etc, all for competetive prices as my memory recalls. This place also had a full line up of Belgians that I both have and have not seen anywhere else (Westmalle, Chimay, Duvel, Delirium, St. Bernardus, St. Paul to name a few).
Lots of stuff in the fridge.
The staff didn't offer any assistance but that's ok by me. I prefer to be left alone to peruse.
I intend to visit this place again in the near future.

updated on 2/10/06

This place used to be in Manhattan on 23rd street and is now in Queens.
Alas, it is no longer anything like what it was in Manhattan. It now only carries macro brews with some Brooklyn and Sierra offerings (probably Sam Adams, too).
B&E USED to carry singles of Belgian, English, German, US craft brews... as well as 4 and 6 packs of stuff I couldnt find anywhere else.
Now it's just a place to buy Bud.
It wounds me.
Jun 23, 2005
Photo of scooter231
Reviewed by scooter231 from New York

3.85/5  rDev +4.9%
This place is a bit out of the way for me... in fact, it's a lot out of the way for me, but worth a peek when around the area. It's a pretty decent-sized place, with a pretty good variety, too. Prices are very reasonable- in most cases, cheapest I've seen so far in the city.

Service is okay- they usually bump into you at least once while you're there and ask if you need help, and if you're looking for something that they don't have, they at least make you feel like they'll try and hunt it down for you.

Overall, a pretty good beer hunting ground- the only downsides are that their hours are kind of crappy, they're not open on Sundays, and they're waaaay out at the edge of the city. But, like I said, if you're in the area, it's worth a drop by.
Jun 18, 2005
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

3.95/5  rDev +7.6%
Way far west side location, located under the train tracks. Medium sized joint. First thing I noticed was that it was HOT inside this place. Hope they put the AC on at some time during the summer, because that kind of temperature cannot be good for beer. Very extensive selection of ALL the usual stuff available in the area. Seemed a bit light on the domestic stuff. A ton of imports Brit/German/ Belgians etc. Helpful staff. Some Glassware available by the cash register. Prices seemed about average for the NYC area. Worthwhile stop for any BA.
Jun 11, 2004
Photo of BadBadger
Reviewed by BadBadger from New York

4/5  rDev +9%
A descent beer store in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. There are plenty of craft beers. I actually didn't notice any Macros, though I am sure they were there. On a recent vist there were at least 8 varities of Rogue, 3 of Stone, and pleanty of other microbrews. Those seeking Belgians should also be pleased. A nice touch is the ability to buy singles, if you like to sample numerous beers without purchasing a sixer. If you're in the area give it a visit, there should be something to make everyone happy. Enjoy.
Jun 04, 2004
Photo of slander
Reviewed by slander from New York

4/5  rDev +9%
I rolled in to B & E on Saturday morning a little while before I met up with Ann, Randy and Phil for "bottling day". You might find this hard to believe but Phil was 20 minutes late. I know, I was just as surprised as you...
Found the place to be a wonderous maze, exactly like the one in "The Shining", except instead of Jack, the pick axe, and the big hedges, it's tall twisted and turning rows of beer, but other than that they're identical.
First and foremost, a strong selection of regional micros (Brooklyn, Dogfish, Sam, Saranac, Magic Hat) and the standard other coastals. There's an aisle of micros that dead ends you (just like when Danny Torrence hits that dead end and back tracks in his own footprints in the snow) but the next aisle pours you out to the back wall of Crazytown, Belgium. It's funny because that whole wall is tall and wide so you really have to step back and scan from far left to far right and then up a row and back and forth again. Germans & English and everywhere else, all in all a most diverse selection of imports. A bunch of coolers for random six packs and singles over there, I grabbed a single Sam Adams Hefe and hunted out a Cisco Moor Porter and an '02 Quelque Chose.
Service was good, friendly and attentative and they were very reasonably priced. No crazy vintages or anything amazing rare or spectacular but a very, very solid selection.
Mar 02, 2004
B & E Quality Beverage in New York, NY
Place rating: 3.67 out of 5 with 6 ratings