Bloomington, In

I hit Sahara Mart about a month ago. They have FFF and quite a large selection.

 

There are at least two Sahara Marts, the one downtown has a smaller but still great selection, the one on 3rd st is much larger, both are well priced. Also Upland brewing in DT has some bottles not available usually.

 

The smaller sahara mart downtown on 2nd gets fresher FFF's due to the time of the week they put in their orders, but you'd probably still have better luck at the Big Red downtown at the corner of College and 9th (they also have a couple of bottles of Gilgamesh left). Upland is a must-do for a good burger and a pint or three.

There are also sometimes some random finds at the Bloomingfoods locations on 6th and 3rd streets, respectively - the Bloomingfoods on 3rd probably has the freshest Two Hearted in town right now, and last I checked they still had at least one bottle of Behemoth.

And, finally - there are no alcohol sales on Sundays except from wineries/breweries, so do your shopping Saturday!

 

Yogi's is a good restaurant to hit for a wide tap selection (roughly 40-50), including several local and regional brews. Lennie's is another local brewpub that usually has something interesting going, along with killer food. There are a number of places on/near Kirkwood that you could hit for one or two beers apiece - The Brasserie, Nick's, Farm, The Bishop, Irish Lion, Crazy Horse.

 

I'll add that Bloomington as a whole isn't the best spot to source 3 Floyds. If you're passing through or flying out of Indy, you'll have much better luck finding a selection of Floyds there. Gumballhead has been filtering through Bloomington Store this past week but it's also been selling fast. Sahara Mart typically has better pricing than Big Red but I wouldn't buy anything pale there without a bottle date. I'll agree that Bloomingfoods will surprise you from time to time with a good selection. Also, I think Yogi's will sell a takeout bottle (I've heard but can't confirm myself) and they will have some rarities on the menu if you're willing to pay the markup.

 

Your best hopes of finding Gumballhead or Alpha King will be down in Bloomington, specifically at the big Big Red store at College and 8th or at Sahara Mart on 3rd. I've seen both down there recently, but haven't seen Gumballhead except on tap in Indy for several months. Other FFFs offerings can be found at Big Red or Sahara Mart, or at most Crown Liquors in Indy.

Yogi's always has some fantastic stuff on tap. Great bars other people have mentioned would be Farm, Irish Lion or Crazy Horse for a great seat outside. Uptown Cafe on Kirkwood typically has some decent items on tap and has a really nice new bar inside. Obviously Upland for great food, okay beer as they typically have nothing but their standard lineup on tap unless you're lucky. Nick's for the IU experience, will usually have somethings from Sun King and Flat 12, as well as Franziskaner, which is always on there.

 

I bought a bottle of Gilgamesh at the downtown Big Red, on College, yesterday. They probably had a dozen on the shelf. I haven't seen anything special from them around town lately although I don't particularly seek out their beers often.

 

if you ask, Upland may still have a blackberry or raspberry lambic hiding in the back... i haven't bought one in a week or two though, so they could be gone by now

 

the lambics at upland will be $21.40 with tax included... the blackberry is well worth it on this batch