Bay Area Thread

[matedog]

I KNOW RIGHT?

Too bad the Santa Clara location is a bit of a pain to get to without a car.

Yeah, for me the prices are largely offset by the cost/time to get there.

 

[jtmartino1]

Since Pizza Port has been brought up, is there anybody in the South Bay / Peninsula that carries their goods?

Peninsula has nothing. The ******* dead zone of the Bay Area, populated by inept distributors.

 

[drgarage1]

Wine Club SF gets Pizza Port, too.

 

[RyanG1]

Wine Club SF gets Pizza Port, too.

Less than month old Chronic at the San Jose location last time I was there. Better selection at the SF location.

 

[HeavySpeedway]

The Wine Club Santa Clara gets cans sometimes.

A beerslinger at Original Gravity recommended this place to me.

Let me know when you want to make a run, archagon - I could give you a ride.

 

[archagon]

Let me know when you want to make a run, archagon - I could give you a ride.

Ah thanks! It's no big deal though — the Caltrain stops right by my house and the (free) #10 bus runs relatively frequently, so it's just a matter of timing the return trip. (And getting my butt off the chair for an hour or two...)

 

[rrryanc]

Peninsula has nothing. The ******* dead zone of the Bay Area, populated by inept distributors.

Eh, K&L gets Pizza Port the same way that The Wine Club does - namely they have a location in So Cal that they ship up from.

The peninsula used to be a lot worse, even as little as 3 years ago, but between K&L, Beltramos (Kirill has been doing a really solid job with that beer selection) and Ale Arsenal I don't feel left out. Not that I buy a lot of non-club beer anymore anyway.

 

[Wino1]

Anyone use Ales Unlimited in SF? Decent selection but horribly expensive IMO

 

[buzzword]

Anyone use Ales Unlimited in SF? Decent selection but horribly expensive IMO

nope.

 

[RyanG1]

Anyone use Ales Unlimited in SF? Decent selection but horribly expensive IMO

Use to. Steve's wife was always nice and hooked me up with bottles, but the ginger Belgian can be a righteous homie.

 

[mjl21]

Peninsula has nothing. The ******* dead zone of the Bay Area, populated by inept distributors.

It's crazy with how much disposable income there is in that area that someone has not opened up a world class brewery.

 

[buzzword]

Use to. Steve's wife was always nice and hooked me up with bottles, but the ginger Belgian can be a righteous homie.

I stopped going there a few yrs back when they were making people buy Rio Reserva for $35/bottle as a sort of tax in order to earn the right to buy Cantillon at drastically inflated prices.

 

[kiki3drt292]

Why the "chilled" requirement? As far as hoppy beers are concerned, my understanding is that if the bottling/canning date is relatively recent, storing at room temperature shouldn't really have too much of an effect.

Also, sort of off topic, but are there any stores in the Bay Area with prices as consistently low as The Wine Club's? I've looked around and I'm always surprised to see stuff there go for like $1-$5 cheaper than elsewhere, almost every time. (They also occasionally get fresh cans of Two Hearted.)

They run a (around) 20 point markup that not many places can compete with that. In my experience they're the cheapest store in the Bay Area, but almost all of their stuff is at their San Jose location.

Since Pizza Port has been brought up, is there anybody in the South Bay / Peninsula that carries their goods?

Soon...

 

[HeavySpeedway]

It's crazy with how much disposable income there is in that area that someone has not opened up a world class brewery.

I suspect it is a combination of zoning and real estate price - there is a reason that all the breweries that *are* in that area seem to be in south San Jose.

I was reasonably impressed with Santa Clara Valley Brewing.

 

[rrryanc]

It's crazy with how much disposable income there is in that area that someone has not opened up a world class brewery.

Alpha Acid (Ale Arsenal's spinoff brewery) has been doing a pretty solid job so far. I don't know that I'd put them at world class just yet, but generally happy to have one of their beers on even a crowded draft list.

 

[theLostWizard]

FYI the Wine Club's beer buyer has changed recently so stock may vary.

 

[archagon]

They tend to have some pretty great Belgian stuff in stock. Hope that doesn't change with the new buyer.

 

[preacher1]

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/business/4413445-181/henhouse-brewing-to-expand-move

Stoked for HH to finally get a facility. Strange that they had to accept a $1 million loan from a N.C. investor.

I thoroughly enjoy their saisons....lets hope Colin catches the same bugs Vinnie has had success doing so.

 

[HeavySpeedway]

Really, guys - being scooped by BA:




(Founders events at both Harry's Hoffbrau's)

 

[archagon]

Just point me to the place where I can buy Breakfast Stout.

Preferably a place shaped like a Costco.

 

[ABSTRACTlegend]

FYI the Wine Club's beer buyer has changed recently so stock may vary.

i noticed their instagram feed has been lacking these past few weeks

 

[HeavySpeedway]

Just point me to the place where I can buy Breakfast Stout.

Preferably a place shaped like a Costco.

Yeah, that will happen when you find BA FW beers in the South Bay area Costcos...

 

[matedog]

Yeah, that will happen when you find BA FW beers in the South Bay area Costcos...

I scored Stickee Monkee at Costco in Redwood City a few months ago.

 

[HeavySpeedway]

I scored Stickee Monkee at Costco in Redwood City a few months ago.

Interesting. Just a random appearance, eh?

 

[matedog]

Interesting. Just a random appearance, eh?

It was there for a two or three weeks. $11/bottle. Costcos in general are getting better stuff.

 

[cardinalbruintriton]

Costcos in general are getting better stuff.

Not MV or Sunnyvale. I'll start going to RWC then.

 

[HeavySpeedway]

Not MV or Sunnyvale. I'll start going to RWC then.

I was there around the time Helldorado hit, and I didn't see it there, then. Unless you got advance intel, you'd be making a pretty long trip to just do some casual browsing.

 

[AndresR]

Interesting. Just a random appearance, eh?

Costco's in the peninsula tend to get all the FW proprietors releases . *fingers cross the Anniv's show up this year. The Bruery's Anniv's have shown up in the past as well, $24.

 

[HeavySpeedway]

Costco's in the peninsula tend to get all the FW proprietors releases . *fingers cross the Anniv's show up this year. The Bruery's Anniv's have shown up in the past as well, $24.

So Mountain View and Sunnyvale actually will see the Proprietor's releases (if only for an hour or two), or are they considered "South Bay"?

 

[HeavySpeedway]

Note to self: when coming back from a Cellarmaker / City Beer Store trip, remember to tap out my Clipper Card if I'm going to Sunnyvale. This is the third time I've paid for a train trip to San Jose. LOL

[If I'm early enough to catch the last VTA 902 light rail train home from Mountain View, it's usually not an issue]