Going to Philly - Need good bottle shops

http://beeradvocate.com/community/t...-where-to-shop-in-philly.107466/#post-1583094

one of many.

 

Valley Forge is 30-minute outside of Philly...without traffic. The Beer Shoppe in Ardmore, The Greek Next Door in Narberth are a little closer to you. Others in the burbs will chime in with better info.

If you come down to Philly and not concerned about price, Beer Heaven. They have some pretty hard to find/get beers and was one of the last stores to have Temptation because of higher prices. I actually dropped $38+ (after tax) on a bottle of BA Old Rasputin XV recently, but they are the only one with one. Local 44 bottle shop may still have some RR.

Your best bet is actually check out http://www.beermenus.com/search?q=russian river and select Philadelphia. Many bars will sell them to go, but usually more expensive.

 

The Wegmans in KOP has a large selection, also try the Whole Foods in Plymouth Meeting.

 

Wow, three responses and nobody has said Capone's yet!
Capone's, there, I said it.

 

Monk's will sell SOME bottles to go. There are no specific ones that they will as far as I know, you'll have to ask. What they will NOT sell to go are the Cantillons.

 

Check out Local 44 in Spruce Hill. I was there just last month and picked up some Batch 4 Consecration. They can be a bit pricey on some of their library beers, but they do have a great selection. Nice people too.

 

And this is actually a thread where it's an appropriate answer!

 

Reservations, as in to eat? Go to Monks for the beer, not the food. Unless you just want to eat an overpriced very average burger while sampling the beers.

Monks will have great bottles, though as mentioned above, what's available "to go" will less stellar and overpriced.

 

Monk's is well-known for mussels. They are excellent there. Everything else is average at best. Avoid the burgers!

 

Honestly, I've been routinely underwhelmed by the mussels. I'm within walking distance from Monk's, and have been for over a decade. I go for the beer, it is AWSOME, but that's it.

As not to hijack, OP go to: http://www.fooderybeer.com/ the largest selection of "to go" bottles in the city.

 

Interestingly enough, I found the mussels to be just OK every so often that I got them. The last time though, it was outstanding! I had mussels all over the city and that last pot was just way out there good. Maybe it's a hit or miss thing, but I know most people love the mussels there.

I was hesitant about making The Foodery recommendation. I used to go there all the time, but the prices are high, even higher than Beer Heaven for many of the beers, and some of the best stuff like Cantillon are kept "behind the counter" if they get them. They do have the best price on Bruery Bois in Philly though, just under $30 before tax. The NoLibs location still has Avery UJ...almost $20 after tax! Nothing else really special there right now though. Beer Heaven typically has more special stuff, IMO.

 

Spruce Hill. Hah. You mean 43rd and Spruce (or 42nd or 44th I can never remember) in West Philly.

 

Not from Philly or spend much time there, so I just reference what google maps says. Either way...yep..that one.

 

AKA Spruce Hill. It's 44th and Spruce.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spruce_Hill,_Philadelphia

As was already said, prices are high on the rarer stuff, but there's plenty of interesting beers available.

 

Pinnochio's in Media has a nice selection...

 

Beer heaven on Delaware Ave. has a very nice selection. A little pricey, but a place I hit every time I'm in Philly.