Good beer in unexpected places

BCBS on the shelf in NJ.

 

Tough. Either Stone Oak Smoked Old Guardian in a convenience store in Horseheads, NY (Lewis Bros. Market) or 2012 Firestone Walker Double DBA at a rundown grocery store in Hammondsport, NY (Hammondsport Grocery).

 

'13 GBS at WalMart.

 

I spent 3 days there in November . The one dive bar with the wade bogs cut out had 4 peaks and something else on tap and the motel I stayed at had a bar with a couple craft beers on tap and S.N. porter in bottles. Not much else there but poverty .The good news is you can get anywhere in town using the shuttle van for 6 bucks. Met and was invited to lunch by a family of local Navajos . Food was great and they treated me like family.

 

My daughter recently stumbled across Hopslam while food shopping in her local market.

 

Sheetz gas stations. Seriously. Also recently found three 4 packs of BCBS at the Class Six (Shopette for those too young to remember "Class Six") on Langley AFB. I will routinely find some sought after stuff at the Langley location

 

I've been impressed with how much craft beer I have started to see in sporting venues. I was recently at the Cincinnati vs. Xavier Crosstown Shootout at the Fifth Third Arena, lots of Goose Island and such, all beer at the same price so Rambler IPA or Miller Lite...tough choice.

 

If a retailer has a license to sell beer, they purchase that beer from the same licensed wholesale distributors that every other retailer does - so how can it be "unexpected"?

 

SNPL 12 pks. at Target for $13.99, which in the NYC suburbs is a steal.

 

First of all, what's a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market. Aren't they all supersized stores?
And finding DFH 60 minute isn't so unexpected, IMHO. It's almost as ubiquitous as Sam Adams Boston Lager or Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. As I posted above, finding something good at an unexpected place for an unexptected price is the better experience, again IMHO.

 

A while back my wife and I met a couple at a small wine bar in a small village and to my surprise they had a self serve cooler full beers. No BMC beers, I'm talking DFH90, Bells Mars, Anti Hero, Two Brothers, Imperial Stouts etc. turns out that enough guys asked about beer that they started stocking this cooler and the best part was the most expensive was $6.00

 

Once I found a bottle of BA Narwhal on the desk in my bedroom after having been gone for months.

That was quite unexpected.

 

Walgreens in greektown chicago.
https://www.beermenus.com/places/5877-walgreens-greektown

 

Hope you checked the date on that. I see 60min everywhere around here. The big one was finding 90min at my grocery store. Unfortunately, not many people who shop there are willing to pay the money, so the 90min was months old.

 

I went to a local italian restaurant for a lunch meeting with a client last Summer. I never would pick the place just because it is not convenient to my office, and had been there previously and was not impressed.

I showed up a few minutes early, sidled up to the bar, and attempted to see if there was anything worth drinking at this place. I saw a Goose Island tap handle, and then noticed it was Golden. I squinted and what do I see on the label -

Bourbon County Brand Stout

I called over the bartender and asked if that was right. She said they just got the keg.

I didn't go back to work.

 

At Midway Airport, in Chicago, this last weekend, there was a tap handle of Bourbon County. I was too late to see if it was live.

Earlier, I found Zombie Dust at Jalepeno near Munster, Indiana. Ari, the manager is a great guy and knows his beer.

 

The Beer Store chain in Ontario might be carrying Stone IPA and Arrogant Bastard sometime in Spring. They already supply kegs of the stuff.

 

Recently found Traquair House Ale and Jacobite Ale at a local garden centre. Also carried Okney Skullsplitter and mini casks from Stewart Brewing from Edinburgh.

 

Local BWW happy hour 23 oz(?, I think, the big glass) of Good People Snake Handler for $3.50. Also Yazoo Sue bombers (25 oz, $5.99) at a liquor store in Loretto, TN; population 1700.

 

I'm of the Shopette generation, haha.