Beer Mart

Nice sized bottle store with a selection of singles, 4-pks, 6-pks, and cases. It's nothing special on the inside however there are a lot of gems on the shelf if you take your time and look. I was able to find some nice single bottles of barrel ages beers if that is your thing. It's worth checking out if you're in the area.

 

The selection is average...for as big of a place it is, they are always out of the "good" beer. The pricing is pretty good in the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The place has a good selection of beer, but don't let your girlfriend or wife go pick it up for you. My girlfriend picked me up a case of beer for my birthday and was followed to the car by the creepy owner who then propositioned her and now she will never go back there again. She was very upset with how she was treated, and they wouldn't let her leave, just kept trying to start conversation.

I once thought this was the best beer distributor in the area. They have a ton of beers and prices are generally reasonable. However, I agree with the previous comment regarding staff. I don't live close enough to just drop in so I would call about availability knowing that Nugget Nectar and some other select seasonals can be difficult to find at times. Once they checked when I called, two other times I was told to come in and look myself. Even stopped in one time, asked if it was OK if I called about beer in stock, and was told I should stop in myself. Sorry, but it doesn't make sense for me to drive all that way if it's likely I'm leaving with nothing. Great variety but calling about availability is not asking that much.

Went there after hitting up Liberty Taphouse for lunch. The intent was to pick up a few beers that were not available in our area. The Beer Mart most definitely has more of a warehouse feel than anything else as mentioned in other reviews. Finding what you are looking for takes a little searching which can be a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it. Good in the aspect that you can see other beers you may not have considered or didn't know that they actually had in stock. Bad in the case where you are short on time and need to get in and get out. biggest problem encountered was the fact the website wasn't updated so a particular brewers beer wasn't in stock which was one of the main reasons for going. The staff wasn't too helpful in getting questions asked and seemed more like I was wasting their time in asking for a particular beer. Overall, not bad selection but the website needs to be updated to reflect what is in stock and the staff should be a little more helpful and put their cell phones down.

Beer Mart is a lot like most beer distributors in the area. Warehouse feel, kinda unorganized, people lurking around in their own little world. Nothing bad, just normal. The selection is great compared to most in the area. Great variety of imports and craft. As far as I have seen, the prices were a bit better than most, although there were some quirky ones that were about $7 more than my local distributor. Odd, but that's all. I always end up taking more home than planned when I leave there, and there always seems to be something right out front I was just looking for. Service is pretty much limited to taking your money on the way out, but at least they don't bother ya :)

Good place to swing by if you want something new.

The place does have a very nice selection of microbrews and foreign beer. The prices are about the same as everyone else in the Reading area.
They usually have a beer or two that they price really low, sitting on pallets as you enter the store. For example, they had PBR 12 oz. returnables last year for $8.00 a case. The beers on the pallets aren't usually something you're looking for, but if you want cheap beer they seem to always have it.
Service is really lacking. That is the only complaint I have about the place, and I've heard that often from other people.

The Beer Mart is the place to go if you want a large selection to choose from. The shear size of the place preludes the first time customer's to exodus up and down the aisle's, seeing the vast selection of beer.

Occasionally, you will find a beer that you must have. Problem is it may be over priced. I have on two occasions seen a case of beer that I could get 10-20 bucks cheaper at my favorite beer place (see my other reviews for the place).

It is a warehouse and looks it. Appearance wise, this place is the least picturesque of all local shops to by beer. But if you don't mind an ugly store, go here to find that elusive case of beer you can't find anywhere else.

Took a quick 5 minute drive after visiting Canal Street Pub. Having these two places that close together is dangerous.

As soon as you walk in you are greeted with a nice micro and import selection. A solid four or five rows and they were fully stocked. I saw locals such as Legacy and Spring which was really nice. Also featured was Green Flash, Lagunitas, and Ommegang. Compared to Shangy's (which people do) you can't go wrong either place you do to.

My only problem was the service...basically none!

All in all a great place...especially to go after (or before) visiting Canal Street!

Just a couple of miles from my house with one of the better selections I've seen.
Clearly laid out with the macros on the left, and craft on the right.
He has just about anything, local and otherwise, that you may be looking for, and he places new orders weekly.
Can't find what you're looking for, if they don't have it, they're very happy to help you find it, maybe even get it for you.
Good selection of imports, mostly Belgian, German, and British.
Excellent prices, and the girls at the counter make it all the better!

I've been a Beer Mart customer for twenty years. This place is providing a true service to the community by bringing us the best beer selection at the best prices in Berks County. Mike and Brownsy are the ones to go to if you're looking for a micro keg. They just seem to know their beer better, and they have a good grip on what's in the cooler. Over the years, I've only had 2 quality problems (it was the brewery and not Beer Mart) and Mike refunded my cash with no hassles.
The American micro selection is great, the Belgium selection is good, and the girls at the check out are pleasant.

For a PA beer distributor, I have found Beer Mart to be one of the best. Beer Mart is about an hour from where I live. I first went to Beer Mart to buy a 30 pack of Old Style beer. Why Old Style is sold here I am not sure but on the Pabst list of distributors on their website is All Star from Reading. I called All Star and they said Beer Mart carried Old Style. So off I went. It is your typical PA distibutor with a the selection of BMC along with nice prices (for PA of course) on PA produced beer. You can find the PA brewers (Iron City, Straub, Stegmaier, Yuengling) at nice prices. A few years back they had Lionshead for $8.99. They have the old school selection of returnables from Gibbons, Yuengling, Genesee etc. They have nice selection of craft and imports but you have to buy a case of course. Finally, they always have a nice clearance section. I used get to Berks county every couple of months but I need to find a new reason to go up that way so that I can visit Beer Mart soon.

This is my regular beer run shop. They are priced very reasonably and often have great specials on this and that.
Beer Mart has a pretty decent selection. I would like it if they added a few more micros to their lineup, but I really can't complain about what they regularly carry.
Very wide isles and the beer is laid out so if they have it, anything can be found with a quick walk up one row or down another. They have great selection of Belgians, English and German beers. (it's a shame you can't buy smaller quantities than cases in PA)
Also if you have a kegerator, or are throwing a party, they have tons of sixtels. I recommend this place for great price, fair selection, and nice store layout. If your in Reading, you should definitely check em out!

Stopped here on the way home from a shopping trip to Reading with my wife. I am truly glad I did. The place reminds me a lot of the Beer Yard. Everything is crammed into a small space, yet the signs clearly deonte prices. The selection of US micro brews is almost as good as Shangy's, but the quantities of each are not as great. (I don't care, I won't but more than one case of each). The staff was helpful, asking me several times if they could be of service. The prices were fantastic. They were at least several dollars less per case than any where in Lancaster, and the selection was definitely better. I did not see much Belgians, but I really wasn't looking for that. I think this is the first beer store that I gave an inexpensive rating. The next time my wife wants to go shopping in Reading, at least I can cover my costs by saving on beer by doing a side trip here.

This is my hometown place. Ive held off reviewing it until Ive had a vast chance to experience what other communities have to offer. I have to say I am proud of the selection this place has in my backyard. As you walk in, the good stuff is in the right half of the store. Selection is excellent, Shangy's had more, but not much more. And this store has a good organization. German, Belgian, Microbrew, Canadian, etc. all have there own sections. I have very rarely not found something I was looking for. Kid in a candy store here. Prices are generally listed above each beer, sometimes you need to ask.

I have tried other places and this place is just my home. Give it a shot.

Always a good selection, especially in the micro. brew section, plenty of local brews to choose from. Prices are always good, and consistantly beat other ditributors in the area. I rarely buy a case unless I see the expiration, or "bottled on" date on the case, some of the stuff sits for a while.

The owner is helpful, if you ask for help, but don't plan on someone approaching you. The belgian selection is pretty good, but I'm not an expert in this style. Lot's of beers I never heard of and some kind of dusty, which is a concern for me.

This place has a great selection of micros. But you need to check the dates! The owner buys a skid of something, then hangs on to it until it's gone. I have bought cases of stuff (Yards IPA, Saison, Tuppers Hop Pocket Ale) that were shot. You can walk through and see alot of stuff that has expired. If you're looking for a Belgian, or something big, (barleywine, DIPA) it probably doesn't matter. If you're looking for a pilsner or Munich Helles, be careful.

If you go in the winter time, he has a huge heater blowing heat on all the micros! Not smart. When I mentioned this to him, he got pissed off. Not the first run-in I've had with the guy. So in general, he has a great selection, at good prices, but "let the buyer beware" fits this place to a "T".

When you go in, head to the right! (Left is all Macros). Nice selection of local and global offerings. It might be easier to say what they don't have... I haven't seen much of the better Belgians here, like Westy or Rochefort--they'd probably just be too much per case, although they have a selection of gift sets of belgians, like 3 bottles of Ommegang for $13. All of the local PA breweries and some others I haven't heard of. They usually have a sample pack, if you don't want to buy a case of only one thing. Great selection for Reading, that's for sure.

The prices are why you come, though. $24 for a case of Hop Wallop? $30 for Old Ho? $35 for Weihenstephaner? It's a 5 minute drive for me, so I'm there.