Hey BA's, I'm going to be in Baltimore on the 23rd and 24th and I am looking for a bottle shop that might be in the area I'm staying in, as well as some recommendation of things I should grab while in the area. I'm staying at the Pier 5 Hotel in the Inner Harbor area. I won't have access to a car so something within walking distance would be great. Thanks for your help. Cheers!
Unfortuantely, there's not a whole lot of options near your hotel. Bin 604 over on S. Exeter St. is the closest spot to your hotel, but they're more of a wine store/wine bar than a beer store. They do have a few craft beer selections and imports, so it might be worthwhile to pop on in if you happen to be walking by. Otherwise, there's the chesapeak wine store and Urban cellars, both of which have a decent, if not exactly mind blowing selection. Urban cellars is far enough away that you might want to consider a short taxi ride, rather than walking, whereas the Chesapeak store can be reached by water taxi. Frankly, it might be worth your while to simply bite the bullet and pay a few extra bucks, taking a cab ride up the the Wine Source in Hampden. They have one of the better selections in the city, and they're only 4 or 5 miles away from your hotel. Another possibility is to walk over to Max's in Fells Point. They have an incredible draft and bottle selection, and will let you purchase bottles to go. Prices will be on the high side for what you get, but on the other hand, you won't have to pay the cost of a round trip cab ride either. As for recommendations, that's hard for me to say, given that I don't know what's available to you back in the twin cities. However, I would look for some of the limited release beers from Evolution and Duclaw, as well as anything you can find from Victory and Troegs up in Pa. If you end up going to the Wine Source, tell the staff what you're hoping to obtain, and they should be able to help you out as well. Good luck!
Don't fall into the national Bohemian trap!!! Most Locals will say "just grab some natty Bo" when asked where to get good craft brew...
Some breweries I believe that aren't distributed in MN are Firestone Walker, Dogfish Head, Evolution, Oskar Blues, Troegs, DuClaw, Heavy Seas, Schlafly and Ballast Point is on tap starting today,not sure when It hits stores
Thanks johnmichaelsen, I found Max's on the places section looks like a great bar, also awesome that they'll sell bottles, I'll pay a premium for the convenience I guess. Looks like its Baltimore beer week too so that should be fun. We get Victory here in MN, will keep my eye open for the Evolution and Duclaw. Thanks again.
