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Finding Beer Online (Can't Find It Around My Location)

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by KyleB, Jan 25, 2015.

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  1. KyleB

    KyleB Low-Roller

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    Hey guys, I have a question for anyone who might have ran into this problem before.

    A little background, I live in LA (in the Burbank area) and have been to the main liquor store locations (BevMo, Total Wine, Ramirez, etc.) and can never find the beer I am looking for. In Tampa (where I used to live), I used to have much more success in finding the kind of beer I liked. To be more specific, I am a huge Shiner fan. Finding Shiner Bock is not hard, and I have found the Shiner family packs at both BevMo and Total Wine. Unfortunately, I cannot find the seasonal beers (Holiday Cheer, Ruby Redbird, Birthday, White Wing, etc etc) no many how many place I call or visit.

    I know people in Texas don't have this issue haha, but has anyone ever tried to order beer online? The few places I found that will ship to CA have ridiculous shipping prices, and usually the selection isnt all that great, If anyone has any experience in this or recommendations, I would be greatly appreciative.

    On the same subject, if anyone who lives in the area knows of a place that I may not know about, I would love to hear those places as well.

    I also might try to visit a few places while I am in Vegas as well, so any locations here would also be appreciated.

    Thanks for the help guys!
     
  2. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

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    Can you do a special order (through Total or Bevmo) for the seasonals? Or have you asked if those beers are even distributed in southern CA? I live in NC and can get the seasonal Shiners, but there are other beers I want that are just not distributed in NC, and I know this because my good beer stores will let me know when I ask about something.....
     
  3. C0usineddie

    C0usineddie VIP Whale

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    These place have certain people who provide their beer to them so one place will basically have the same supplier as the next.

    Knowing this the best bet is to go to places that they dont service or have different contracts with,.

    Places like CVS and rite aid make alot of money off beers and get different beers so even though you would think they would only carry bud light, they very well could have the beer you are looking for.
     
  4. KyleB

    KyleB Low-Roller

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    I have asked them, BevMo doesnt seem to show any interest in helping me, while Total Wine told me they are in a different market than the Florida store, thus they dont have the same ordering options. That being said, the two Total Wines I have been to in SoCa dont have nearly the beer selection as the one I frequented in Tampa. Im sure this has to do with the price they pay in rent being so much higher than in FL.
     
  5. KyleB

    KyleB Low-Roller

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    I was actually just in RiteAid yesterday to pick up some other things and checked out their beer selection. Its funny you said that their selection might surprise me, which it did, unfortunately they didnt have the kind of beer I was looking for.

    The beer itself is widely distributed, unfortunately its only Shiner Bock that is and not their seasonal/other selections. I can order some of them online, but the minimum shipping charge seems to be around $30, which to me borders on insanity.
     
  6. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    Many craft breweries have a beer finder on their website so you can find local outlets. I would skip the big retailers like Total Wine and find a retailer who sells a lot of craft beer and ask them to special order a couple of cases. Packaging and Shipping a case of beer is expensive.

    I tried the Ruby Redbird awhile ago but didn't care for it, might have been an old keg or dirty lines. I recently had a Leinekugel Cranberry Ginger that was OK, it's a winter seasonal. During the summer I had a Schoffenhffer Grapefruit beer that was very good, perfect for a hot day.
     
  7. cjlangston

    cjlangston Low-Roller

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    here is a link that to a very reputable website; this website will display retailers that advertise a certain product for sale. Whether wine, beer or spirits, enter the name in the search bar and give it a shot:

    www.wine-searcher.com

    there is a paid version that gives you much more detail available for $40/year. Typically only retailers pay for that access, but it is available dot consumers as well
     
  8. Mrs. K.

    Mrs. K. Low-Roller

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  9. Bubbavegas

    Bubbavegas VIP Whale

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    Many seasonals have limited distribution areas due to limited production which I would say is the reason you could not find those in your area. Best advice I have on those issues is find someone to do bottle shares with or try Craftshack.com, they are who I use to get beers which are not available locally, you pay a shipping and of course a bit more per bottle but at least in my case the ability to get a couple of bottles of the Firestone Walker 18th anniv brew for example it's worth the extra cost.
     
  10. tvon

    tvon VIP Whale

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    Not to threadjack, but i'm in a similar scenario. I like cheap beer (seriously) and can't find Tecate light in the northeast.. I visit So-cal and vegas where I can find it anywhere!
     
  11. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    http://www.shiner.com/find

    Says bevmo on 1775 n. Victory place had holiday cheer and family reunion shipped to them. Not sure if they're still in stock though.

    And like others have said, seasonal things can be tough. I'm excited about getting back to Vegas to drink some "comped" brews that are difficult/impossible to get in Missouri.
     
  12. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    this is a new one for me, Tecate Light. I would have to believe that this is available in North Jersey, Newark, Elizabeth, Paterson. A few months ago in Elizabeth I picked up a six pack of Cuesquena, a lager brewed in Peru, sort of like Heineken.
     
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