I'm going to be up in Bellingham with my family this Saturday and may have a chance to shop for beer, but won't likely have a chance to spend any time at any breweries ( sigh... ) What are the best spots to shop in Bellingham? I thinking more like one-stop places that have a fairly broad selection of locals and/or exotics. I ought to know, I've been up there enough times, but I don't think I've ever actually done any research, aside from looking for breweries. Shame on me.
Your best bet will be Elizabeth Station (their entire inventory is online: estationbeer.com), though Whole Foods and the Food Co-op have respectable selections as well. Greene's Corner has bottles too but I can't speak as to the selection.
While I have to choke it out, TheBungyo is correct. For 1-stop beer shopping the store that shan't be named is the best option in town. That said, what are you looking for? Specialties? Rarz? Just drinking beers? The Food Coop generally satisfies me really well. Greenes has a nice selection, but can be even pricier than ES, which something of an accomplishment.
Ha. I wouldn't have thought the store couldn't be named -- have they earned your ire just through heavy markups? I'm not looking for anything particular -- just interesting stuff I haven't had before and can't get easily down here in Renton. Sometimes that means rare, vintage and expensive; sometimes that means a year-round IPA I haven't seen before for a buck fifty. I buy and try stuff all over the map, but I tend to lean toward the IPA, stout, and sour spectra. Although I'm expanding my interest in lagers lately. Thank you!
Well, I also find the staff is a bit too snobby, and with a certain attitude, that puts me off. I go there to grab ticking beers, that's about it. For your criteria, they'll do just fine for you. Their prices on singles aren't bad, and they've got good selection. Plus, minimal contact with staff. If you want to explore Lagers, Chuckanut is just down the street, and is family friendly, so can get folks a snack while you knock off a taster tray.
I was able to get my whole family to join me at Elizabeth station. Shopped, had a couple pints, got the kids root beer and candy...it was a nice stop. Got a lot of stuff I'm excited about (see the beer haul post), but not a cheap stop. Thanks for the guidance, folks!
