Thompson's Towne Liquor Mart

They've really ramped up their selection, more can offerings and more local. Well stocked seasonals and beers that rotate out so you'll never really see out of season beer here. Meaning they don't over order anything, I drop by about every three weeks and there is always something different. A must visit if you are in the area and in need of good beer.

Review from Aug 19th 2012:
Some times you have a history with a package store out of convenience, this was most certainly the case as there are two BYOB restaurants within less than a min walk to here. Years past I'd be lucky enough to find Sierra Nevada or a seasonal from Harpoon or Samuel Adams ... slim pickin's to say the least.

Fast forward until recent, they have gutted the cooler space and re-organized the layout a bit. The biggest change obviously is the selection. The town of Winthrop is pretty much dead to good beer, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is the best you'll get at the local pizza place. Thompson's has slowly stepped up its game. As of last visit there was Uinta, Jack's Abby, Slumbrew, Sierra Nevada, Cisco, Harpoon, Magic Hat, Goose Island, Dark Horse, Founders, Green Flash, Stone Brewing, Dogfish Head, Avery, Weyerbacher and a few more I can't remember off the top of my head. The usual guy that works there, I assume he is the owner or son of the owner knows his stuff and certainly does not mind bringing different stuff. I may test them out on occasion to order some cases.

My only gripe is the wasted shelf space across from the cooler, that could easily be used to stock a small selection of bombers / 750ml bottles and choice 4-packs that may not need to be in the cooler. I'd love to see some more Belgians here. More canned craft beer might help them out with the proximity to the beach. Baby steps are good enough for me now.

 

This is a very solid neighborhood store that is building a craft selection from the ground up, but hitting some solid early marks. Seems they are either reading the feedback on here or just doing the right thing, by offering some warm Belgians in what used to be storage space. Duvel, 3 Karmeliet, Bernardus, Stone, DFH, Long Trail to name a few. Good seasonals and rotation/variety in 6pks. Could be more attentive to pricing the stuff on the shelf, but I have found that their prices are all reasonable, and sharper than most city stops. Right next to the beach and, as pointed out, some great BYOB restaurants. A good spot to fuel a weekend bike ride... if you also happen to find beer the best thing for a spin.