Category Archives: Beer Store

GROWLERS TO GO

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DUCK, NORTH CAROLINA

On the northernmost end of Dare County and practically next door to similarly beer-centric coffeehouse Sweet T’s, GROWLERS TO GO opened Memorial Day 2017. Placed in the middle of a small downtown mall at Duck Road, this combination beer-wine store and localized draught beer joint promotes Carolina’s finest microbrews as well as some splendid national brands.

A yellow-wooded serving station at the back serves 48 tapped selections. One front table with four chairs offers relaxation for customers and the side walls hold bottled-canned offerings. Selling keggers to local denizens aids outside consumption.

On my mid-July ’18 perusal, I found five previously untried brews on tap and bought a six-pack of newbies to go. Got to quaff 4-ounce samplers of Ballast Point Peach Kolsch, Gizmo Fake News New England IPA, Railhouse Ka-bar Brown Ale, Trinity Chilly Water Porter and Coelacanth Kopimanis Milk Stout (all reviewed in Beer Index).

A definite beer destination for connoisseurs and dabblers alike, Growlers To Go’s a fine vacation stop.

During 2023 summertime Outer Banx vacation, discovered Growlers To Go’s Kitty Hawk bar-store and consumed a dozen diverse suds in July.

BUFFALO CITY JUG SHOP – KILL DEVIL HILLS

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KILL DEVIL HILLS, NORTH CAROLINA

Inside a small Croatan Highway mini-mall at Kill Devil Hills, BUFFALO CITY JUG SHOP had the most interesting beer selection on the Outer Banks. Since 2017, this clean one-room open space features a six-seat laminated wood bar (with inlet beer coasters) serving fabulous flagships, seasonals, one-offs and specials from its 20-plus tap handles.

Along the right side, there’s a refrigerated section of bottles-cans across warm shelved brews (with many sours amongst the fine local lot).

During my one-hour July 2018 stay, I quaffed six North Carolina brews: Smithfield’s Double Barley Sparkky’s Milk Stout and Asheville’s Wicked Weed Lieutenant Dank IPA plus four from Charlotte’s Wooden Robot – flagship Overachiever Pale Ale, What I’m Having Session IPA, Robotico Lager and Get Rich Or Chai Trying Milk Stout (reviewed in Beer Index).

MIX IT UP – VIRGINIA BEACH

VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA

Open 2015, MIX IT UP not only offers a fine selection of local, national and international microbrew bottles-cans, but also a diverse menu of fifty draughts avavilable at the silver metal wraparound serving station. While the left side features the bottles and cans, the seperate right side room holds the draughts. A wood-floored back deck offers more seating.

On a late afternoon jaunt, I bought several bottles of Virginia vintage while quaffing MoMac Sea Cow Stout (reviewed in Beer Index).

HUNTERDON BREWING CO.

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PHILLIPSBURG, NEW JERSEY

FOREWORD: This article was written for my September 2, 2011 Beer Trails column. Since then, the microbrew revolution stormed forth with the power of a hurricane. As the first large independent beer distributor in New Jersey, HUNTERDON BREWING COMPANY (a.k.a. Hunterdon Distributors) has grown by leaps and bounds, leading to a move to a bigger facility at Whitehouse Station.

Right at the inception of New Jersey’s historic craft beer movement in 1996, just as brewpubs were popping up everywhere, two local beer enthusiasts boldly attempted to change the buying habits of mainstream Garden State consumers. Like most eager entrepreneurs, the daring duo struggled to make ends meet while trying to manipulate a restrictive bottled beer market ruled by stale macrobreweries and bland regional distributorships. Completely modifying the business model for restaurateurs, bar owners and liquor store purchasing agents, Phillipsburg-based Hunterdon Distributors slowly but surely gained an ever-expanding foothold in what was once an exclusionist corporate-minded industry, creating a previously untapped marketplace full of constantly evolving craft beer disciples.

Engaging in one of the most ambitious undertakings in Jersey history, Mike Short and Dave Masterson gradually forged a cultural revolution, becoming arguably the greatest beer distributors in America as self-described “purveyors of enjoyable fermented beverages.” At first, the intrigued amateur zymurgists produced the now-defunct Jersey Shore Gold, described as ‘elegantly smooth’ with a ‘sourdough mouthfeel’ and ‘docile nature’ by yours truly (at beermelodies.com).

The nascent partners would drive around Jersey looking to increase sales for their subtle golden ale, realizing there were no representatives available for craft brew dispersal. Soon, they dropped the small brewing operation and initiated a distribution company.

Some of Hunterdon’s first intrastate clients included Maine’s Allagash Brewery, Delaware’s Dogfish Head, Louisiana’s Abita, New Hampshire’s Smuttynose and Pennsylvania’s Troegs and Weyerbacher. Also, valuable imports from B. United International were disbursed by this formidable startup venture, beginning with Germany’s Schneider Weiss, Reissdorf Kolsch and Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier as well as Japan’s Hitachino Nest product and Scotland’s barrel-aged Harviestoun series and an extensive line of mead wines and sake.

The only exclusive craft beer distributors in the state, Hunterdon concentrates more on American output, but Belgium’s impressive Chimay lineup still remains a best seller. Currently, over 50 American brands and 2,500 individual beers get circulated by this radical enterprise. Its unmatched portfolio is the envy of all competitors and a new ‘craft spirits’ division will bring further trend-setting diversification. Other popular imports include D’Achouffe and Saison Dupont (Belgium), Belhaven (Scotland), plus Fullers and Wells & Youngs (England).

Though receiving tremendous accolades from its flourishing business sector, Hunterdon Distributors’ inconspicuous origins almost defy logic. At the outset, Short and Masterson hustled to acquire accounts. They’d spend Monday and Tuesday getting customers to buy beer, then one went north and the other south during the rest of the week, delivering truckloads of beer to unsuspecting retailers not quite readied for the craft beer revolution. Taking a difficult path to independence, the visionary trailblazers preliminarily had a hard time convincing long-time macrobrew merchants that the paradigm had shifted. However, the tide eventually turned and Hunterdon now employs 17 sales reps and a dedicated warehouse staff.

“For the first decade, it was tough getting customers onboard. There’s still some resistance, but the amount of passionate beer people has grown substantially. Being a New Jersey craft beer rep requires a lot of persistence. You may have to stop into an account once a week for a year before you land one bottle placement. Before you know it, five draft lines and 10 bottle placements get procured. Then, a bar down the street will hear about the success and gradually develop a line. We’ve opened 200 new restaurant accounts in 2011,” informs Nancy Maddaloni, Hunterdon’s Director of Communications.

A Jersey girl, educated about craft beers in the foothills of Boulder at the University of Colorado, Maddaloni used to scrounge up enough money to purchase local brews by Avery, Breckenridge and New Belgium at 15th Street Liquor Mart. When she moved back home, she had an advantage over friends who’d not yet discovered or been exposed to craft beers. After going back to Colorado to attend culinary school, she traveled to Italy and France, got hired for Whole Foods cheese and specialty food department, became a private family cook, then worked for a boutique wine shop that bought beer from Hunterdon. Preliminarily, she handled the large Jersey City and Hoboken urban area. After three years in the market, she moved into her current position, focusing on building brand excitement through Facebook, Twitter and traditional media.

“Usually, people want to know our best sellers—Dogfish Head, Flying Dog, Lagunitas, River Horse, Stone and Yards,” she says. “We also try to pair beers with restaurant menus. Wheat beers and India Pale Ales are regularly recommended. As for stores, they may start with five or 10, then it grows to 100-plus.”

Because the craft beer industry has grown at such an alarming pace, there are many fine breweries whose product cannot reach Jersey’s shoreline due to heavy provincial volume. Simply put, microbreweries are doing so damn well, it’s difficult for these establishments to keep up with the heightened demand. California’s excellent Russian River, makers of the quintessential Pliny The Elder, and Wisconsin’s New Glarus, designers of highly respected fruit ale, Raspberry Tart, are constantly requested by enlightened Jerseyites.

“Some brewers just aren’t ready to open new markets yet. And that might be the situation for awhile, especially after seeing so many breweries pull out of markets this past year,” Maddaloni insists. “We are always looking for new brands to expand our portfolio.”

Recently, Hunterdon acquired a deal with Salt Lake City’s upstart Epic Brewing, the first company in Utah to make high-alcohol beers since prohibition. Release parties and special events took place in June to support the one-year-old brewery (which has produced an astounding 26 styles). In this case, Epic conversely contacted Hunterdon for expansion eastward.

“They heard about us from Oskar Blues [a uniquely positioned canned beer operation from Colorado]. Epic is already in Virginia and Washington D.C. People come to us due to the fact we have a craft-focused portfolio and an extremely knowledgeable sales staff that will therefore give the best representation for their beer,” Maddaloni concludes.

To give Oskar Blues a run for their money, another cannery, Oregon’s Caldera Brewing, recently signed on to get Jersey distribution for a pale ale, amber ale and IPA. Although bottling became the norm over the past few decades, canned beers chill easier, stay cold longer, weigh less and eliminate problems stemming from sunlight and oxidation. Once again, Hunterdon has stayed one step ahead of the craft beer curve.

With that in mind, is it any surprise Hunterdon’s business has expanded beyond its current walls?

The prospering fermented beverage purveyors will promptly move forward to secure bigger warehouse and office space. They began in a 1,000 square foot warehouse, now occupy a 20,000 square foot site, but plan to triple or quadruple size in the coming months.

Undoubtedly, the entire state of New Jersey owes a debt of gratitude to this spirited company for opening the minds and widening the taste buds of true beer lovers looking to expand their horizons.

 

POST-SCRIPT: On Aug. 8, Hunterdon’s staff convened at Sparta’s upscale Mohawk House to celebrate seven stylishly redefined Lagunitas brews on tap. Tucked into the picturesque mountainside, the spacious restaurant features 20-plus craft beers to coincide with its elegant dining experience. The beautiful ski-lodge-like manor has provincial dark-stained wood furnishings, Moroccan red walls, banquet dancehalls, a stone fireplace and vintage moonshine emblems. Its high ceiling right side bar area served well-regarded tapped selections from various U.S. microbreweries.

Alongside the bocce court at the back patio, I quaffed Lagunitas’ India Pale Ale, Lucky 13 Alt, Sonoma Farmhouse Hop Stoopid and Pils while chatting up a storm with Hunterdon’s Nancy Maddaloni, West Orange’s Franklin Tavern proprietor Leslie D’Aries and several invited beer retailers. Ale Street News publisher, Tony Forder, allowed me to sip from his goblet the brettanomyces-soured, raspberry-rasped, green grape-puckered Ommegang Aphrodite, a complex tap-only malt beverage previously untried. Hunterdon sales rep, James Vilade and long-time musical partner Brian Wilson (of local favorites, The Hollow), provided snazzy Zeppelin/ Dead/ Stones covers for the packed crowd. The party lasted deep into the night and served to showcase not only Lagunitas’ fine fare but also the tight bond Hunterdon Distributor has with its tuned-in craft beer merchants. Cheeeers!

 

BINNY’S BEVERAGE DEPOT

A veritable goldmine for local Chi-town craft beer and beyond, the thirty-plus BINNY’S BEVERAGE DEPOT will please any true beer geek. At this freestanding Plainfield location, I found a tremendous selection of previously untried brews during July ’14 stopover. Discount cards are also available. Bought Ale Asylum, Ale Syndicate, Baderbrau, Boulevard, Church Street, Crazy Mountain, Fireman’s, 5 Rabbits, Flesk, 4 Hands, Metropolitan, Middle Brow, Local Option, Off Color, O’so, Pipeworks, Potoso, 3 Sheeps and Urban Legend brews here.

NORTH JERSEY CRAFT BEER STORES

Each of the following craft beer stores has a vital selection of microbrews from New Jersey and beyond.

B and B Liquors Main site.

B & B Liquor & Wine

13-05 River Road

Fair Lawn, NJ

www.bandbstores.com

 

 Diamond Wine & Liquors - Hawthorne, NJ, United States

Diamond Wine & Liquor

203 Diamond Bridge Avenue

Hawthorne, NJ

Ramsey Liquors - Ramsey, NJ - Reviews - BeerAdvocate

Ramsey Liquors

47 West Main Street

Ramsey, NJ

Super Cellars - Ridgewood, NJ, United States

Super Cellars

32 South Broad Street

Ridgewood, NJ

Queen Anne Wine & Spirit Emporium - Teaneck, NJ - Reviews

Queen Anne Wine & Spirits Emporium

247 De Graw Avenue

Teaneck, NJ

www.queenannewine.com

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Wine & Beverage Depot

823 Riverview Drive

Totowa, NJ

 

 

TASTY BEVERAGE

 
Tasty Beverage Company « Raleigh Warehouse District the 3 block walk!
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA
 
Down in North Carolina, a new trend of beer stores have emerged. Like Bottle Mixx to the north, Raleigh’s TASTY BEVERAGE COMPANY allows customers to sample some of their wares on site while perusing 1,000 different bottled and canned beers shelved neatly across the one-room interior. 
 
Opened 2011 and visited June ’13, Tasty Beverage is located near the railroad tracks in a red-bricked green-trimmed mini-mall one-half mile from Boylan Bridge Brewery. An elongated dock allows patrons to drink samples outside the place.
 
On tap this Friday evening were Epic Straight Up Saison, Epic Hop Syndrome, Sweetwater 16th Anniversary Ale, Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout and Flying Dog Raging Bitch IPA.
 
I bought several local brews by Aviator, Big Boss, Bison, Duck-Rabbit, Foothills, Mother Earth, Olde Hickory and Natty Greene’s for consumption at beautiful Sunset Beach for a week long trip.

BOTTLE MIXX

Bottle Shop BottleMixx Will Be Renamed TheMixx in New Location

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

In the Brennan Shopping Mall on Creedmoor Road in a pristine one-room space, BOTTLE MIXX opened in 2012. Upon my June ’13 sojourn, owner Bruce McKim invited me to the rear tasting section to sample Deep River Double Don Watermelon Lager while I loaded the front counter with local bottled-canned beers to go.
Microbrews by Appalachian, Bottle Tree, Duck-Rabbit, Finch, Fire Mountain, Olde Hickory,Crazy Mountain, Golden Wing, No-Li, Second Wind, Sunny Haze, Tank 7 and Triangle filled my van for summer vacation.

MARTHA’S VINEYARD

Martha's Vineyard

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN

“A unique wine and liquor store,” indeed! On a corner in the northeast corridor of Grand Rapids on Union Avenue is fabulous Martha’s Vineyard – not the Massachusetts island but a nifty gourmet shop opened since 1987. A wholesome looking boutique-styled shop, MV sells a large variety of local Michigan brews as well as the finest global microbrews and wines. Match that with extraordinary food such as specialty cheeses, cured meats, fruit preserves, homemade pastas and rich desserts and you’ve got one of the best humble street corner delis in the Midwest.

While perusing the exquisite beer section, I came away with several previously untried Michigan-based libations from Atwaters, Bell’s, Brewery Vivant, Dark Horse, Detroit Brewing, Founders, Frankenmuth, Mt. Pleasant, New Holland, North Peak, Short’s and Unity Vibration.

www.mvwines.com

COASTAL WINE & SPIRITS

 
3 Must Visit Spots On The Shoreline | Connecticut Food & Wine
COASTAL WINE & SPIRITS
 
Just off Route 95 on North Main Street in Branford at a newish shopping mall lies COASTAL WINE & SPIRITS. This warehouse-sized liquor store offers the greatest selection of craft beers in the state of Connecticut as of October 2012. While perusing Coastal’s varied selection, salesman Jeff Corcoran provided help finding previously untried brews from Boss, Clown Shoes, Emelisse, Evil Twin, Moa, Omnipollo, Porterhouse and Stillwater. Prices were reasonable and the knowledgeable staff treat customers with ultimate respect.