I'll be in Raleigh on Monday evening; staying at the Residence Inn at I-440 and Wake Forest. I'll only be able to go to the Total Wine at North Hills. Is this a good store? I'll be looking for some harder to find beers, plus some NC locals, especially cans. What are some good locals to look for? Also, I'd be interested in IP trades. I'm traveling with my elderly, somewhat disabled parents, so any trade would have to be at the Residence. My trade list is in the South IP Trade Forum.
Honestly, Total Wine isn't very good. Take a few minutes extra and go to the best bottle shops in Raleigh; Tasty Beverage, Bottle Revolution and Beer Study. Beer Study and Tasty are close together- Downtown. Bottle Rev. is a little closer to you.
State of Beer and Tasty Beverage would be my recommendations. Plan to eat dinner at State of Beer. Great tap list and great sandwiches. Beer Study is in Chapel Hill.
Big Boss Brewery is also pretty close to that hotel. I don't know if they have anything worth buying there...
I wouldn't say Total is bad, but you aren't likely to find anythin' super rare or hard to find. Their overall NC selection won't be terrible, and they do carry some great NC beers (lookin' at you Foothills, Highland, Deep River, Olde Hickory, and Gizmo).
