Visiting Chico

Well, Ray's Liquor has a fine selection of AB products. Seriously, it's a pretty sad beer town, despite the presence of SN and a population that parties like it's 1999. Head over SN, drink some 20th Street ale, grab a 12er on the cheap, and head on down the road.

 

Mangrove bottle shop isn't terrible. It's definitely a sierra nevada town though, and it's hard to blame them - you'll find cheap and fresh SN beer everywhere. The brewery has some cool stuff on occasionally, and is a good place to grab a bite and a beer. Cheaper to get to-go beer elsewhere though.

 

Check out the Sierra Nevada gift shop, they usually have some brewery only bottles.

It's not a bottle shop, but the Handle Bar is a nice new craft pub just down the road from the brewery.

 

SN is one of the great US breweries, no question, and certainly one of the greatest to visit. Their tour is excellent, and includes copious beer sampling. The restaurant is a cut above what most breweries do, and they always have a number of beers on tap you'll not find elsewhere. Nice gift shop. And SN beers are available over Chico, at the cheapest prices you're going to see.

But a bottle shop? Like a place where you're going to find a selection of crafts beyond the SN, SA, Lagunitas, and Stone you find in every grocery store these days? Nope. Not unless something opened in the past few months. I should mention there's a craft bar, called the Handle, which is supposed to have some good taps. But this is a town where Natty Lite is king.

 

An occasional good bottle can be found at Star Liquors on Nord.

 

The Handle Bar is a nice place. I went there a few months ago and they had Pliny (actually had just run out) Drakes, Stone, and several one offs from Sierra.

 

I wish they hadn't called it the Handle Bar, though. I'm sure they meant it to be a pun on cycling, but the trouble is that a "handle" in local slang is a half gallon jug of cheap booze. I don't know how common the expression is outside of Chico but I heard it all the time there: "Dude, remember when you and me split that handle of Popov vodka and you passed out on the hood of my car?" etc. So calling it the Handle Bar probably makes people think it's a great place to go for jello shots.

 

SNBC gift shop, rarities available on the down low.. just have to be there at the right time as they don't promo any releases.

 

True. I wonder how many college kids go down there expecting to get cheap purple hooters shots? It is a play on words though, and there is a bit of a bicycle theme going on there.

 

Handle is used down here too.

 

I'm pretty sure it's used around the country. We used it in MA when I was in college as well. We didn't use it for solely cheap alcohol, but basically just 1.75l of any hard alcohol.

If it's a bicycle themed bar, then I don't think the hard liquor association is that big of a deal. Chico's a small town, and the vibe of the bar will quickly be known, no matter what the name.

 

Just head to Madison Bear Garden on the Friday night youre there and enjoy 8 dollar pitchers of SN beers, 2 dollar shots, awesome burgers, and hot college girls everywhere. Seriously, my buddies and I had the best time that night while we were there. The brewery does have one off bottles of random beer camp releases that they just did on sale in the gift shop too, as someone said before.

And go to the yo-yo shop in downtown and check out the worlds largest yo-yo!

 

Your best bet for a bottle shop is Spikes Liquor, 1270 East 1st Ave. They recently remodeled their store and have dedicated a large portion of the store to craft beer. Outside of that theres just Ray's on Nord. The Handle Bar is cool if you want a pint, but the food is pretty mediocre at best. When are you coming to Chico? There's a new beer bar that is opening in July that will have some really nice beers on tap. Cheers

 

Makes me think of awesome mustaches...

 

Where is the new bar? What's it called? Inquiring minds what to know...

 

You are never too old for the Bear, I graduated in 98 and I went in there a few months ago for a pint and a burger.
Now, if you go late at night then you will definitely feel too old.

 

I agree with this, I think the Bear is the best bar in town. It's not super divey, like some (cough Duffys cough), and it's not a themed bar. It's got a lot of space and reasonably priced drinks (well, everywhere in Chico is reasonably priced). The patio is great for the warm Chico nights, and during the summer it tends to super-duper mellow, even on weekends.

 

It's called the Winchester Goose and will be in the downtown area in Chico.

Spikes is right off of Highway 99. Mangrove Bottle doesn't really have much, I really wouldn't bother going there