15 thoughts on “OC Craft Beer Stores”

1. Mr. K’s liquor
   615 w. Orangethrope ave, placentia, CA 92870 (714) 524-1270

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2. Wholefoods Market Newport Beach
   401 Newport Center Dr. Newport Beach C 92660
   949-999-8572

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3. Total wine in Laguna hills. Bradley’s in Tustin. Hacienda in brea

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4. Leo Liquor!!!!
   They have more fine craft beer then anyone around!
   18880 brookhurst st. fountain valley ca 92708
   tel: 714 378 5371

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   • Thanks for the suggestion, Alex. We’ll stop by this weekend and check it out. Cheers!

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5. I have a “dilemma” here…. one of the places I know which sells Pliny told me EXPLICITLY that he “will NOT sell me the beer” because he will only give it to his ‘regulars’. so, I know that he may lose his license to sell Russian River products, but he was a total a$$hole when he explained it to me. and now I know that there is no sense in going in there for it because he wont give it to me. but, at the same time, I realize if he loses his rights to sell it he (and his ‘regulars’) are going to be very upset with me. what does everyone think about this? it’s not my fault I live 6 miles from his store (and nowhere near another store which receives it). whe he asked me where I buy my beer, and I told him Total Wine because it’s much closer to me, he got very very upset and screamed at me to “go buy my beer THERE”. he really pissed me off but i’m trying to make a rational decision whether to report this to Russian River. what does everyone think?

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   • Pablo, Pliny has a limited distribution and the few stores around me that are lucky enough to carry it only receive 1 case (12 bottles) at a time. So they limit sales to 1 bottle per customer. Most stores keep it in the back so you have to ask for it. One store keeps it in the beer fridge with the bottle limit clearly posted.

     The guy who was a jerk to you about it doesn’t deserve your business. Shop somewhere else. But reporting him to Russian River won’t do anything. It’s the distributor, not the brewery who decides who gets what beers. And the distributor doesn’t care that you aren’t on the short list of Pliny recipients at that store.

     I’ve always been in favor of supporting the local bottle shop. If your local shop is Total Wine then get to know the folks in that store. When they get good stuff in, they might put something aside for you, or give you a heads up if something good is coming in soon. I know that Total Wine does get Russian River beers in from time to time. Knowing when that shipment is arriving will help you to score the beers you’re after.

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     • thank you for the response Erik. but actually, Total Wine in HB does NOT get any Russian River (or FiftyFifty) products in. it may receive some relatively less enamored brew like RR’s Damnation from its sister store in Tustin but they apparently are on the outside looking in on this subject.
       I was told (from what I consider a trustworthy source) that this same kind of incident happened a little while back where a liquor store owner refused to sell to anyone but his ‘regulars’ and RR and Stone both agreed to stop his allowance of the coveted nectar. the guy that refused to sell to me was so arrogant, intimidating and patronizing that I had a hard time coming to grips with how and why I deserved that treatment. I had come in to purchase beer and water in his store several times in the past but since I live 6 miles away and only visit the gym next to him I cant possibly be a ‘regular’. you’re right- he does not deserve my business. I wont go back in there. but I do feel slighted to the point of wanting to retaliate in a diplomatic fashion. and that was why I posed the question: should I report the incident or was I over-reacting? which I suppose no one else could answer because only one other customer was in the store at the time.
       I hate to be vindictive, but I think I will at least send an email. I still feel it was wrong.
       yesterday I got up and drove 30 miles to O’shea’s to get a single Pliny and two Eclipses and a few others. on the way back I stopped in at Liquor Warehouse on Adams in HB and grabbed a couple more. I knew about O’shea’s, but I credit THIS BLOG for finding the other store and possibly others. what a great idea this blog was. I keep it on my favorites and check it every so often for other hidden gems lurking in my county.
       as another side note, I have a friend in Temecula picking up a couple of bottles of Pliny from Liquor Depot on Jefferson Road. I have also visited TapHunter.com to find my favorites on tap around town although it doesn’t help if certain places will not update their lists and still others will not subscribe.
       thank you again for responding and thank you again for creating this blog.

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       • Pablo,
         Whole Foods HB might be a good spot for you to hunt for Pliny. I’ve gotten a bottle or two at the Whole Foods in Laguna Niguel, but only when I happened to be there on delivery day and the guys I know at the store gave me a heads up that they had it in the back. See if you can befriend someone at the HB store. I have a suspicion that employees get first crack at Pliny when it comes in.

         If I’m ever in Temecula I’ll have to check out Liquor Depot. Cheers!

         O’Sheas is a great spot, but not very close to you. I get all my homebrew stuff there and quite a few hard to find beers as well. I saw quite a few bottles of 50/50 on the shelf last week; green, gold, and blue wax. Which did you get?

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         • I took the last two gold ones. one is for a friend.
           I had the blue one a couple of weeks ago and had no idea what I was in for. it was a great experience.
           I visit Whole Foods HB every week. when i ask they say they do not have it. yesterday Finch- the beer and cheese guy- wasn’t in so I talked to a girl who really seemed to know her beer. she said the Pliny hadn’t come in but on a monthly basis anymore.
           it’s not just the pliny. there are others i’d like to try. the hard part is knowing which ones. the Eclipse was a shot in the dark. I knew nothing of it and at $30 a bottle I figured I was going to be ripped off or thoroughly impressed.
           I tried a “monk’s reserve” from Total Wine a few weeks ago. the sign said “last chance until December” and at $15 I figured it would be great. the stuff was so ugly I literally threw most of it away. it’s from some monastery in New Mexico and the red label has a monk with a hoodie covering his face. I still have the dubbel but am afraid to try it.
           thanks again for the correspondence. I enjoy intelligent conversation on subjects i’m interested in. I want to try my hand at brewing; can you suggest a few links to get me started? thank you.

6. Hey guys love the site. My wife and I will be opening a craft beer bottle shop soon in Anaheim. Be on the look out!

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   • Hey Jeff, I just checked out your blog and read up on the progress of opening up your bottle shop. https://lastdropbottleshop.wordpress.com/ You are doing a great job of documenting your process and it’s interesting to read all the stuff that goes into opening up a business. We look forward to your grand opening, keep us posted. Cheers!

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7. Also Beachfront Liquor in San Clemente always has a great selection. 2320 S El Camino Real, San Clemente, CA 92672
   (949) 492-691 Very nice people as well.

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   • Cheers, and thanks for the tip. Will be sure to check them out next time I am in SC.

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8. try HiLite Liquor on Beach Blvd in Westminster. they seem to get everything ‘late’, but some decent stuff

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