Where do folks shop?

Living in Waltham and working in Woburn there are a bunch of places I can stop. Favorites are redstone for the selection, CBC Belmont, and Gordons in Waltham. When I visit family in the north shore I live going to this little place called Middleton beer and wine, small shop with a good kid that loves talking beer and committed to bringing really good beer in.

 

Just round the corner from Middleton is their sister store called Howes station (rt62 opposite farmer Browns). Seems there's one fella in the family who has transformed them from corner shop, keno and hi life, into excellent craft beer destination. Saw a tweet from them last week where they literally drove the family car to lamplighter and loaded it up with cases. Gotta admire that

 

I always check the selection when I'm at Wegmans, usually the Westwood Crossing store, but Macy's in West Roxbury is my regular beer store.

I'm not real expansive in my beer needs, I only started drinking the 'good stuff' 2 years ago or so, and only a year since i expanded beyond Trillium and Treehouse. Macy's, especially in the last 2-3 months, has been there for my Lamplighter, Castle Island, JA, and Exhibit A needs, making the local offerings even local-er. I almost exclusively drink New England stuff at home, but when I want a heavy stout I've never had before, Macy's has always had something like the Great Divide Yeti stuff, and a few other things I can't think of at the moment that always fit the bill at that particular day and time.

They've never once been out of Sunday Paper from Exhibit A when I've gone there looking for it, and I've done that once or twice a week for like 2 months now. Looked like I grabbed the last 4pack tonight, we'll see how quickly they re-up.

 

High Spirits and Nikki's - both in Providence within a half mile or so of each other when we do our once or month or so visits to Whole Foods, or for when we're just looking for beer.

Muckey's in Lakeville, MA is around the corner from work and they take empties for charity. A bit higher in price, but superbly curated beer selection for a small shop (well, for any shop).

Odd stops - Bottles in East Providence and Eno's in Providence's down city area. We go to the performing arts center all the time - warmer weather it is a pleasant walk if we have time before a show.

On a mission - Julio's, but it's a long ride. Usually worthwhile though. Jack's Abby and Julio's makes for a nice day trip.

On vacation - Tully's and the 7-11 at the Kittery rotary.

Yankee Spirits in Swansea is 15 minutes away and usually has something worthwhile. One of the beer guys is kind of a pain, but usually everything's out on the floor. Last visit it looked like a bomb had gone off as they moved beer to the middle of the store and apparently had not completely gotten their shit together, but it should be good once they get it nailed down.

 

Anyone feel like me here? I feel like I've walked into a few shops recently and spent about 15 minutes looking and just left. Everything just seems so similar. It doesn't matter where you go. The selection is the same (and it seems like they're often eschewing beers I love like Mayflower oatmeal stout, in particular, in favor of the newest Morph or Pipeworks or flavor of the week hoppy). I've been pretty disheartened.

Had a Firestone Walker nitro merlin last night (did not find it locally). It was great. Just seems like these beers are disappearing from shelves around me (northern ma, southern nh), not because they're being swiped up by eager milk stout consumers, but because they're just not around/being ordered.

Most of my beer purchases recently have taken place at a brewery, on the chance I get to one. Otherwise, it's been NH liquor store or bust. Maybe I don't like beer anymore?

 

I find myself walking out without a purchase quite often. When you peruse the cooler, and the best you can come up with it "Meh"...... it's discouraging. The main shop near me is a local chain. You have to go out of your way to ask them to order stuff you would much rather see regularly in their coolers.

 

I walk out about 50% of the time. I call these "scouting trips". Part of the problem for me is I live in close proximity to some great breweries like Trillium, Proclamation, etc. which I think causes me to have that "meh" feeling as well. It doesn't help that the shelves are currently littered with numerous attempts at New England IPAs that are not up to the standards of these great local breweries.

These days I try to buy local 100% of the time but will frequently supplement with something along the lines of a Sierra Nevada mix pack. Yankee Spirits (Attleboro), High Spirits and Bottles (both in Prov) are my places of choice.

 

I don’t really understand walking out of a shop without buying anything. Either you’re chasing the latest rare, or you’re going to shops that don’t deserve your business.

If you’re a cheap bastard like me, I can understand being dismayed at the prices, but I always walk out with something.

I have noticed that certain shops are overloaded on hoppy beers vs. everything else, but the better places still have a balance.

 

I love having a wander around a liquor store whether I buy something or not. Kinda like flipping through CDs or records at newbury comics back in the day, or scanning the shelves at the local used book store. Nice way to get to know the owners. Nice to be able to see the odd beer I've never seen or maybe given attention to before. I probably leave a store without beer 20% of my visits

 

Agree, but I won’t let myself go in if I truly don’t want to buy anything as it seems like a waste of time. There’s always at least a single, four-pack, or bottle of booze that seems worth a try.

 

Sometimes I have a spare 15 minutes between work ending and having to pick up toddlerfrombelmonty from day care. Those 15 minutes of wandering glazey eyed through total wine, just me and my thoughts, are invaluable. I suppose this is my dawn of the dead moment. Just me, shuffling my way, aisle to aisle, checking dates on the bottom of cans, little sparks of electricity in the cerebrum

 

When walking into a liquor store, and seeing stuff that I have either already had or that did not really fall into the "have to have" category..... I walk out. The only time I will never walk out empty handed is when the beer fridge is empty. And that is never the case.

 

Or you live in New Hampshire.

Not only do we have limited distribution but, what we do get, presumably sits in a warehouse until it's been suitably ripened.

 

Yes, almost exactly this. Recently I've even gone to stores I like while looking to buy beer and have left empty handed after being uninspired by the options. I wasn't looking for anything crazy or rare, just something that either caught my eye either or was of whatever style I was looking for at the time (which in winter months typically isn't an IPA for me). The Mayflower oatmeal stout you mentioned is actually one of the beers I had gone looking for only to strike out.

 

Big new store just opened up at Cobbs Corner in Canton, Luke's Liquors. Mediocre craft selection.

 

HAHAHA this pretty much sums up my beer searching experience when I'm not trying to hunt down anything special. You never know what you might come across.

 

Down in Newport Sandy's in the place to go. When I venture to Providence I got to Nikki's.

 

CBC Braintree and Fort Point because of the selection and the ability to buy singles. I don't know why more places don't offer singles. I also like Bin Ends wine in Braintree.