August 28, 2009
If you’re stuck in Iowa, one of the worst states for getting beer with all of its stupid laws, then this is the place to go.

The ambiance is fine... the place is super small and very cramped. The beer room is about the size of a college bedroom and gets packed easily. The "beer cave" they always talk about is just a walk-in cooler, don’t get too excited.

The service has always been fine when I’ve gone. The guys working were pretty knowledgeable and very happy to make suggestions. They even had a computer to look up RateBeer ratings - haha.

The selection isn’t the best in the world, and the place is small, but hell, it’s Iowa, and this is as good as it’s going to get. Their specialty seems to be a huge selection of Belgians... obviously I haven’t been everywhere, but I’d have to say this is the best selection of Belgians in Iowa.

The value is what it is... average, but definitely not overpriced. They know how much the beer cost and how hard it was to get, so they price accordingly, but don’t rip you off.

Overall, this is a fun place to visit if you’re passing through Iowa. And if you’re a beer lover living in Iowa... it’s one of your few good choices, I’m afraid.

June 29, 2009
One of the few little local grocery stores left in Iowa. Space is pretty cramped, especially in the beer section where more than 2 people is a crowd. However, staff is very willing to help and seemed fairly knowledgeable. I also really like that everything seems to be available as singles. Selection is as good as any I’ve found in Iowa so far, though they didn’t have the Founders Breakfast Stout I’m still searching for.

June 6, 2009
Very nice little place located in the heart of Iowa CIty. An entire room in the back is devoted to beer, with an excellent selection of Belgian beer, and some good vintage stuff as well. Domestics are not as good as many places, but still very solid overall, and all in singles too. Service was helpful and friendly, and Pepsican works there, so if you talk to him you will certainly be getting somebody who knows plenty about beer. Prices seemed pretty average for the most part. Definitely a place to stop at if you are nearby, and keeping in mind that this is Iowa, it really is amazing to see what they manage to get.

March 25, 2009
Nice old school corner grocery store. Beer is in back corner. Nice selection of regional brews and some nice imports. Nice selection of glass but did not have the thistle that list on there website which was disapointing. Not accepting AMEX was a bitch. Overall nice selection with decent prices. Would stop back if in area.

February 27, 2009
Best place in the State of Iowa to buy beer and the glassware to go with it. You can tell that they bust their balls to get the selection that they have. It is a fun stop to make every now and again as your pocket book will feel the pain. This is in an old grocery store in Iowa City and you have to know where it is to find the place. The staff is very knowledgeable about the beers that they have an can usually give some tasting notes to go with it so you know what to expect. This is where I go every year prior to Easter to get my husbands Easter basket. If you are in the area or willing to drive some distance this is a great place to go.

January 23, 2009
This is the best beer store I have ever been to so I am gonna rate it pretty high, I think there are probably better out there but I really like the old school grocery and deli charm. Their beer selection is great, it’s true they could have more stuff from the states but, its a fair trade for all of the european stuff I have yet to see anywhere else. It has been too long since I have been there, it is responsible for my first sampling of a Trappist beer as well as imperial stout and many of my other favorite styles. Their mix and match and singles sections are pretty nice and account for a good chunk of the total number of beer I have sampled. This place is almost the only reason I ever want to visit IC these days.

November 20, 2008
Definitely dug it. Unfortunately Iowa sucks and because of the liquor tax there they can’t get really high-end micro brews from out of state. But their selection of Belgian, English, and German brews is outstanding. I went in with the mentality that I didn’t care how much I spent, so I grabbed everything and anything I could find. The dude who worked there, even though it was his day off, helped me find stuff for about a half an hour. Great service, and if you’re looking for Belgian brews, this is the place.

October 28, 2008
Yep, I’m rating it that high. This is bar none the best place to buy beer in the state of Iowa, and one of the best I have ever been to. Yes there are some limitations in selection, particularly in regards to American Micros. But I have no doubt whatsoever that this staff bends over backwards to work as hard as they can to get whatever they can in this ridiculous state full of arcane beer laws. I rarely walk out of here with a bill under 100 dollars (which means I get a free glass) and they’re always getting more beers I want to try. The staff here is unbelievable, they have someone on hand all of the time to talk beer with and help you pick a few things out, which means I usually stick around about an hour longer than I plan to. I still get a titter whenever I walk into that beer room.

September 15, 2008 [ Updated October 22, 2008 ]
Impressed but not overwhelmed. GREAT wine selection but that’s for another site. Beer selection was good but now that I’m a few months into the beer experience, I’m rarely surprised anymore. DO NOT TRUST THEIR WEBSITE. Told me they had 4 beers I was looking for and I only found 1 (St Bernardus Abt 12). Great selection anyway and was really impressed with the glassware. Worth a trip to the worst city in Iowa.

August 29, 2008
In a very old neighborhood of Iowa City, this clearly started out as a neighborhood grocery, the kind that used to be in all those empty buildings on Chicago neighborhood corners. Just two aisles, jammed to the ceiling with product, cooler and freezer added wherever they’d fit, owners lived upstairs. Sometime back they took over the neighboring space and stuck in a beer store way beyond the comprehension of most college students. Plenty of display space for imports, Belgians especially. But for me the find was the local brews: not just the Millstream, Schell’s and Boulevard you can find at Hy-Vee, but also Sutliff cider and Hub City. Also was pleased to find Samichlaus Helles and Bahnhof Berliner Weisse. Just remember, the 5-cent bottle deposit, and the liquor tax on anything over 6%. Plenty of single bottles. They also had a list of keg prices and I noticed the policy is now that kegs are not returnablea resource for homebrewers? If I had been the beer geek back at Iowa State in 1980 that I am now, I’d have finally found something to be jealous of the Hawkeyes over.