Beer sources

[zetroc]

In my quest to broaden my palate in the beer world I've found myself branching out past the usual suspects that are available on draft locally. I'm lucky to live in an area with some great bottle shops, but sometimes they just can't get something due to limited distribution or low production. There are so many small production breweries in the US that it's sometimes very hard to find certain bottles.

What are your favorite mail order shops?

Also: if anyone has a bottle (or a source) for Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout, I'm actively looking (I know I'm late to the party.) Thanks!

[Bkat]

Others may know better, but there are a lot of onerous laws that are different in each state that block interstate sales of liquor in many locales. Here in Illinois, the system is set up so a few select major liquor distributors maintain near total control. As a result of the laws on the books, Illinois residents are blocked from ordering from a lot of smaller more boutique sources. As a result, if you can't find it in a local liquor store, you're out of luck unless you find a friend in another state who wants to send you a care package.

[bcm119]

Unless you have a relative or good friend in another good beer region, probably the easiest way is to join the beer trading forum on beeradvocate. I used to be pretty active on that forum although I did not participate in the trading aspect of it. Read the 101 on beer trading before attempting anything (pack well, use fedex ground, etc). The good news is that you have access to many fine beers from CA that are sought after by folks in other parts of the country, so you shouldn’t have any problems getting something you want. There are also online retailers like Total Wine or Half Time that will ship to CA, but they don’t carry many of the highly regarded local beers.

Personally I’m not a big fan of shipping beer over long distances, at least for most types of beer. It works well for very strong or heavy beers like imperial stout and barley wine, but lighter and more subtle styles just don’t travel well. Shipping via truck over long distances, especially during the heat of summer or in the dead of winter, is risky due to the temperature swings (fedex trucks are not temp controlled and you never know how long a load may sit somewhere). If you order wine from somewhere like K&L, they advise express shipping for this reason, but sending beer is generally illegal and you can’t get away with air shipping it. I’ve traded plenty of beers with my brother on the east coast that arrive sort of stale or just plain bad. So, my advice is that if you want to branch out, trade for some imperial stouts or other strong beers, but when it comes to IPA and lighter, save your sampling for when you actually travel somewhere and drink it fresh from the source.

[PGSmith]

I'll trade you a bottle of KBS for a suitable bottle of Russian River.

[jdhansen63]

Double Clutch,
If there's a beer you'd like to try from the left coast, I'd love to get my hands on a KBS.

[zetroc]

Thanks Double Clutch, much appreciated.

[profkrispy]

Blackwells Wines & Spirits

You can sign up for a newsletter and they will let you know what they have in stock. On Geary in San Francisco.