best bottle shops for german imports

Hmmmm. Probably Grapevine and Lukas. Lukas keeps most of theirs on a warm shelf, so keep that in mind. Got a particular one you're looking for?

 

My first thought was Tipsy's, as it has been pretty strong on German selections in the past (admittedly haven't been there in almost a year). It's technically in the "south" metro, but we all know it's a LONG way from Aurora and so not ideal for your intended area.

Grapevine seems to stock a bunch of German stuff (more so than Davidson's or Heritage where I typically do most of my shopping).

 

I honestly don't buy a ton just because they're usually in questionable shape by the time we get 'em. I can count on Ayinger's stuff and big beers like Aventinus and the Andechs dopplebock, but not much else. I bet Grapevine still has some Tannenzapfle in the cooler. That should still be tasting really good. Hopefully we'll get another drop at some point. It feels like the Andechs table beers only show up fresh once a year...if that.

I still haven't seen those Shlenkerla Hell cans yet. I'm afraid that by the time we get 'em they'll already be old. Much like the Paulaner reps said, we aren't a good area for German imports.

 

In addition to what you listed, you can find the dunkel and Weiss pretty regularly as well as their dortmunder. On rare occasions I've even seen their weizenbock (which is out if this world). All of these beers are top notch, but as always they can be tough to find anywhere close to fresh.

I actually haven't seen the Ayinger pils personally. Where do people find that one?

 

What about the best place for German imports on tap? I would assume they would be fresh if found on draft.

 

Yah, I'd say Grapevine may be your best best. Some smaller stores may have stuff, but they probably don't do the volume to move through them fast enough to keep "fresh". I'm thinking of Littles and Mondo Vino

 

Both of their weissibers, the 100th anniversary export, the dunkel, and the weizenbock are around. We get most of their line-up.
I think the only normal beers they don't export are their helles, kirta (export dunkel), and kellerbier.
The key is - most of those are singles and not in multi-packs. Check the bomber section. I typically buy 'em at Chambers over in my hood. I think the Mr. B's in Stapleton and Davidson's carries them, too.

 

Chambers Wine & Spirits at Illiff and Chambers. It's not as expansive as Grapevine or Lukas, but it's one of the best normal liquor stores (for beer) anywhere in the area.

 

You could try Prosit on 32nd. But I think it's only on-premise.

 

They've been closed for a few months now.

Found a relatively fresh Augustiner Edelstoff 6 pack at Mr. Bs in Stanley a couple of weeks ago.

Mondo Vino has a pretty good selection. Mahr's, Andechs, Hacker Pschorr, Bitburger, etc. Hard to get them fresh though, however the Hacker Pschorr Munich Gold I found recently was fairly fresh. Mahr's and Andechs, not so fresh. That might be more of a distro problem.

 

They should. Tough to say which ones, but probably HB (my fave), H/P, and Prost's, though. I really like Rhein Haus, but they've backed off the German theme a little. When they first opened they had like 15 German taps, including a couple obscure items. Now they've replaced those with more local examples and non-German style taps. I totally get why, but I did really like being able to get fresh draft altbier and Koelsch locally. That and I'd rather see them carrying Bierstadt instead of Prost.

The Bull & Bush carries some pretty crazy German beers on occasion, but you have to watch their social media postings like a hawk to know. Things like Mahr's Hell & U, Uerige Jroen & doppelsticke, and some oddball Aventinus variants.

The Chinook Tavern in the DTC carries a bunch of Paulaner and ABK beers. Helga's has a passable list. Cafe Berlin used to, but I think all of their locations are gone now.

 

Sounds about right I never know what to expect with pours anymore. Seems a lot of customers get livid if they don't get a shaker pint with liquid all the way to the top. Other people want everything in a tulip with an inch of space at the top even if they end up with way less beer. With anything foreign, all bets are off. You'd think they'd train them to use the handy little markers in the glassware, though...

 

Say whaaaa?? Shows how often I visit my old stomping grounds.