Good afternoon, team. Hey, so I have to drive out to central Suffolk County next Thursday (Ridge, NY to be exact), and I should have some time to drive around in the afternoon as I make my way back to Manhattan. My primary goal is to hit Sand City and the best stores without driving too far out of my way. Are there any stores (or other beer destinations) that I MUST hit while I'm there? Thanks!
If you’re gonna be on the North Shore, the shops I can recommend are Rocky Point Beverage, Bullseye Beverage in Smithtown, or Shoreline Beverage in Huntington. Hicksville Beer and Soda is probably the best of the bunch and their IG and Beermenus pages are usually really up-to-date. I’ve never been to Garvies Point but their beer is pretty highly rated but up in Glen Cove is kinda isolated and, obviously, you have Barrier in Oceanside which supposedly has a boatload of cans right now. I don’t know the exacts of where you’re coming from so that’s the best I got.
In Nassau, I'm a fan of Syosset Beverage and Beverage Barn East Meadow... but my current go-to is the Total Wine in Westbury. Despite some people's distaste for Total Wine in general, I think it's well worth a stop... just make sure you go into their cold box in the back while there.
Chris, how is your local Total Wine & More as regards stocking fresh beer? My 'local' Total Wine & More is Claymont, DE and that store has real issues with having old beer on the shelves. Cheers!
Ridge, NY...that’s rough. Anyway, Bellport Beer and Soda isn’t too far but since you’ll be heading north to SC it isn’t very viable. I’ve heard Swiftway in Medford has a good selection but cannot vouch for myself. Garvies Point has good beer and won’t be too far off your route since you have to go back west. However, their 4-packs are pretty pricey compared to the other LI breweries. Don’t know if you frequent the BK/QNS breweries but they’ll all be on your route back if you are heading to jersey on the LIE (assuming Ridge is your last stop).
Even so, the beer can be old. I was at my 'local' Total Wine & More and I watched a Wholesale Distributor placing 6-packs on the shelves. Out of curiosity I picked up one of those 6-packs just to double check and that beer was over 5 months old even though it was 'brand new' to the shelf. It truly pays to check the beers you purchase at Total Wine & More (and any retailer for that matter). Cheers!
The Total Wine here is currently one of the better places on Long Island regarding fresh beer. It's a new store. They had old beer when they opened though... but it's still a much better situation than other stores. In time, I imagine it will get worse and worse. Every store that I know of has a problem with old beer.
The one in River Edge has 4 divisions in how they display the beer: seasonal , locals, fridge and standard stuff. Only the last one has the "old beer problem", so if you focus on the other three you'll do just fine.
Thanks for the advice, everyone. I think I'm just going to hit Sand City, Shoreline, and Hicksville in that order. The Queens and Brooklyn breweries are easier for me because I can just take the subway from work most of the time. Anyone staunchly opposed to this itinerary?
