Somebody I know is going to Cincinnati and hitting jungle Jim's. They have offered to get me whatever beer I want, yet they know nothing about beer. Any advice on what kind of selection they have? I live in central indy. So I'm sure the distro isn't THAT different, but Ohio has some killer brews. What should I be looking/asking for? Big fan of anythig. I mainly lean toward sours and stouts.
Their selection is vast and generally very reasonably priced. Ohio gets Jackie O's, Alesmith, Ballast Point, and several other things indiana doesn't get. Check Seekabrew.
Make sure they are going to the Eastgate JJ's. AWESOME place that you can spend hours in, that being said... seekabrew.com
I used to live in Cincy. They've got a great selection there. I would have him pick up something foreign because they have great international selection, particularly Belgian and German. But if you want something domestic that distributes to Ohio but not Indiana, I can almost guarantee they'll have it, so just do a little research. If you're so inclined, their cheese selection is unparalleled in the region, and they also have a great walk-in humidor if you like a good cigar. God I miss that place. West Michigan is nice, but our grocery stores suck. Meijer rules the area with a generic iron fist.
Revolution is a pretty great brewery that doesn't distribute to Indiana. Weyerbacher as well. Not sure if it's still there, but Uinta had a sour at Jungle Jim's in Fairfield that was available last week, http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1416/169848/. Have your friend ask the beer stockers about your likes. I've seen one guy in particular who has helped many people find what they were looking for or close to it.
I wasn't terribly impressed by Jungle Jim's Eastgate, but if you can tell your friend to drive 20 minutes down to The Party Source in Covington, Kentucky, then you are in for a real treat! One of the best beer/liquor stores EVER
Tips to handle Jungles is difficult - they stock any beer distributed to Ohio, and as others have pointed out, that includes a lot of beers Indiana does not get. I have family in Cincinnati that live near the Fairfield location. I go regularly. First thing is that not all beers are super fresh; I've forgotten to check and been burned. For a non-sophisticate, I'd recommend a purchase list heavy on sours and stouts to avoid beers that drop off which your friend cannot reliably check for their bottle date, best by date, etc. Have him avoid the pick 6, because that is where I've had most of my past-prime beers. The selection beats most Indianapolis stores, even on items that get distributed here, so I will pick up hard to find Stone and Lagunitas there that might not make it to my local store. I buy Deschutes, Alesmith, Ballast Point (though with their IPA heavy line up, that's a riskier choice), Great Lakes, and a host of imports. Recently I've taken a shine to MadTree from Cincy, so I'd recommend them for local flavor.
They almost always have wulver, rarely do they have jackie o's ba stuff in stock, their international selection is unparalleled ive even found multiple bottles of (Gueuze Tilquin)². but if your sending a friend who doesn't know about beer, keep it easy. Check out seekabrew.com like @threedaggers said.
Party Source is amazing, and does beat jungle jim on the wine/beer/liquor end. The food at jungle jim is stupendous though.
also, jungle jim's saw framboos and multiple cantillon bottles recently. no idea when your friend is going, but if its on a friday, he might as well ask.
I was there 2 weeks ago..they had some good Jackie O's bottles! And..went I went to JJ's in Fairfield, I also went to Party Source..its like a beer/liquor Disneyland!
