Where do you buy your beer? (store, venues, jobs)

[neurodistortion]

The Beer Arena at the WOW Outlet in Greensburg has a pretty good selection of domestics and imported beers at reasonable prices. It's also located in a large warehouse so that should give you an idea how big this place is. As for the state stores, in certain areas like Monroeville, there are state "superstores" which have a larger selection of wine and liquor beverages.

[gibbie99]

Personally I drive to Ohio rather than help support the laws of this state. It's half an hour and I can get beer and wine at the same store. What a novelty! I was rudely shocked when I got here too. The secret is to plan ahead and stock up. I buy a case of beer at a local distributor and it lasts me a month or so. If I want a six pack or wine i go to Ohio.

[XRiteMA98]

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

I am a beer connoisseur and believe me they are a rip off. Also you CAN find the same beer at a distributor (many of which mentioned in this thread) or a six pack shop at a lesser price.

When my girlfriend and I first started dating, she knew about my love of beer and bought me a six pack from Sharp Edge. The total came to $56 bucks for the six pack. That's highway robbery at it's finest, there's absolutely zero justification for those kind of prices anywhere on planet Earth.

56 bucks for a 6 pack? Wow!? What beer was that?

I buy my stuff close to home:

either the store behind the Borders bookstore in South Hills Village or the one on Banksville road across from Kuhns or the one on Route 50 in Bridgeville, next to TJ max or the one on Cochran Road. I like the location on Cochran Road cuz is next door to the wine store so I can shop for wine and beer in the same time and be done with it.

However, the wine store on Cochran carries a limited selection. I prefer the state store in South Hills Village: they have huge selection of wines.

The beer sold in Giant Eagle costs more than the one found at a store distributor, that's for sure.

Close to shadyside... I think there is a beer distributor on North Craig. They have cases. No idea if they have 6 packs. There was a deli on Murray street in sq hill that had cases and 6 packs. That is long time ago. i don't know if they are still there.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by gibbie99

Personally I drive to Ohio rather than help support the laws of this state. It's half an hour and I can get beer and wine at the same store. What a novelty! I was rudely shocked when I got here too. The secret is to plan ahead and stock up. I buy a case of beer at a local distributor and it lasts me a month or so. If I want a six pack or wine i go to Ohio.

Any good recommendations for places to shop that would be right over the border coming from Pittsburgh? I've always wanted to find a place like Total Wine in Ohio (or any place that has a great selection of micros and imports) but don't know of any.

Originally Posted by XRiteMA98

56 bucks for a 6 pack? Wow!? What beer was that?

Those were all Belgian beers which Sharp Edge specializes in. Highway robbery at its finest.

[gg]

It is VERY expensive to buy six packs from bars. Dee's included. I used to love that place until they expanded and raised the prices. It was so cool in the old days. Oh well.

I go to Brian's on Rt. 8 in Glenshaw for the best prices and selection. Beer Nutz on Freeport Road has a pretty good selection, but the prices are higher. Obviously the prices are cheaper than Dee's. The selection is pretty good in Millvale at Vecenie, but the selection and prices aren't quite as good as Brian's.

As far as Giant Eagle, I can't imagine that being good. The prices in that grocery store are horrible for the most part and I suspect they will rip you off in beer as well. They try and monopolize everything and fix prices. Thank goodness I have Trader Joes near by.

For Wine the state stores are fine. Waterworks in Fox Chapel is a good selection, but the people who work there don't know anything about wine at all. The one next to Whole Foods in Shadyside is also good and they actually have some people working there that know some things about wine.

[squarian]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

For Wine the state stores are fine.

Since you capitalize, I assume you mean a Platonic ideal of "wine". If you happen to like the reality of wine, rather than the abstract concept, the state stores fiendishly blow.

Most recent outrage: Christmas dinner, and I'm planning a really old-school traditional Dickensian feast, which will include Beef Wellington with a madeira sauce.

Except, it appears, within ten miles of my house there is no madeira to be had. When asked, in slowly and clearly pronounced words, of the fewest syllables and the least Latinate derivation, the nearest the LCB functionaries could provide was something in a Paul Masson bottle. Not a single state-monopoly store carries a bottle of madeira actually from Madeira - not one, not even a dusty bottle forgotten at the back of a high shelf. The island of Madeira, in the eyes of the PLCB, is Atlantis.

In what other part of the world is it not possible to buy a bottle of madiera? Obviously, the uncivilized parts. By God, I hope Corbett finally manages to destroy the infamous thing.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by squarian

Except, it appears, within ten miles of my house there is no madeira to be had. When asked, in slowly and clearly pronounced words, of the fewest syllables and the least Latinate derivation, the nearest the LCB functionaries could provide was something in a Paul Masson bottle. Not a single state-monopoly store carries a bottle of madeira actually from Madeira - not one, not even a dusty bottle forgotten at the back of a high shelf. The island of Madeira, in the eyes of the PLCB, is Atlantis.

In what other part of the world is it not possible to buy a bottle of madiera? Obviously, the uncivilized parts. By God, I hope Corbett finally manages to destroy the infamous thing.

I don't disagree with the sentiment about the state stores and state of wine sales in PA, but I do think you might have found a real bottle within ten miles. Not that the state store staff are much help, though. For you you want mainly the one by Whole Foods, I suspect, with a backup being the one downtown at One Oxford Centre (yes, really) or perhaps Waterworks plaza. This thing is your friend, search inventory and find which stores actually have items in stock:

Product Search Page

Been using it for a few years. It's the best way to know if, for example, that wine in the article you're reading can actually even be bought in PA, let alone if they actually have it in a nearby store. In fact it's one of the very few things you might argue is useful about the current system. Might.

Corbett better make good on his promise. It's the only thing I like about him.

[XRiteMA98]

Lol... you wanted them to have Madeira? I wanted to make limoncello the old fashioned way and they don't carry 80 degree (how do you say it?) alcohol. The pure kind, not 151 rum or something else. I had to make it with vodka and my friend in Swizerland who gave me the recipe laughed her head off.

For out of the ordinary alcoholic bevrages we drive to DC - honestly. My boyfriend is pissed he can't find raki in the state of pensylvania nor buy it on-line!

[gg]

Originally Posted by squarian

Except, it appears, within ten miles of my house there is no madeira to be had.

I did a quick search and came up with some. The state stores aren't bad these days. Waterworks and the one next to Whole Foods have pretty good selections. Wish the single malts were a bit better, but we don't live in NYNY.

[BrianTH]

The selection in the state stores is anything from extremely poor to merely fair, and the prices are inflated. But it does help to search the inventory online.