Great Liquor Stores
I’m looking for some great liquor stores. Greatness can’t be judged on price — a great painting is unlikely to be the cheapest painting. What qualifies for greatness? Selection and knowledgeable and helpful staff are my big drivers. I’ll start out by nominating Surdyk’s for wine, but not for spirits or beer.
Please share your experiences and recommendations for great liquor stores.
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Chi-Lake is a fun place. Not even sure why I like going there, staff is absolutely no help, but it’s still a treat to go there.
For beer, Blue Max. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1287/
Check out the very recent thread about this at The Bottle Gang.
I used to really like Haskell’s in Minnetonka. I don’t really have a good reason for it, though. I think it’s just because I used to live nearby.
Completely unhelpful, sorry.
Casanova’s Liquor Store in Hudson. It’s the only place that I know of where I can get Dogfish Head 90 Minute (best beer ever) and also Spotted Cow (which isn’t all that great, but I still like it).
Zipps is also pretty good, but nothing you can’t get anywhere else.
I’m a big fan of the beer selection at The Cellars in Roseville. Their willingness to split up packs/cases (so you can try just one of the strange new Russian porter with the rooster on the label), and also the “make your own six-pack” discount have really helped me to expand my repertoire.
anyone see new glarius (other than spotted cow) anywhere on their journeys? i am obsessed with their native ale.
I like The Cellars, too. I picked out some things I liked at a wine tasting and then headed up to the Plymouth location to buy some more. Pretty friendly and helpful. Haven’t shopped for beer or liquor there, though.
I recommended Lowertown Wine & Spirits in downtown St. Paul. Sure, it’s the only establishment within walking distance of much of downtown, but the owners are very nice - always have recommendations - and prices are pretty good. Plus, they often have live music on weekends and during the bi-annual St. Paul Art Crawl. If you live downtown, they also deliver!
re: New Glarus - I love me some Yokel, but, unfortunately, New Glarus won’t outside of Wisconsin (something to do with pasteurization and the lack thereof, also, I get the impression that they want to keep their operation small). The liquor store in Hudson (can’t remember the name, it’s the second (i think) exit off 94, go south, it’s in a strip mall) usually has a pretty good selection of what they’ve got available.
Despite its cash-only policy, Hennepin-Lake is one of best liquor stores I’ve run into around here — really good prices on single-malt scotch and other hard liquors, and well-informed staff in terms of wine. Always seems to be 15-20 people working there, though, which I don’t really understand… the store isn’t that big. It’s actually pretty cramped.
Also, Spotted Cow “not that great”? HERESY. It’s one of the only beers I’ve found that reliably excites both beer nerds and casual drinkers. And I’m always on the prowl for stuff like that.
Sam’s Wine Shop in downtown Mpls on Washington is fantastic. Every time I go there, I only have a vague idea of what I want (do you have an Australian red blend in a bottle with a funky label for around 20 bucks?), but when I describe it to “Sam” or the other guys there, they point me to exactly what I want, even though I don’t know it.