April 20, 2012
So happy to have this gem of a bottle shop in town! Though the prices can be on the steep side, this is THE place to get your beer hook-up. I can’t even begin to describe the enormous selection. Everything is organized well, so finding your genre of beer is not hard at all. Decent keg and growler offerings as well. A must-stop!

April 7, 2012


Just off the bat this is the GO TO place for Winston when it comes to craft brews. Total Wine in Winston is nice and way cheaper but has a less of a selection. I have been going to this place for a while know and here are my thoughts.

Ambiance: A little small but overall good, has a nice beer with great beers on tap at a decent price that are nice to grab as you browse.

Service: The old guy that I think owns the place is minimally helpful at best. The two younger guys that are there regularly in the afternoons and on the weekends are extremely helpful and always a joy to work with.

Selection: As stated earlier they tend to have the best selection around when it comes to craft beers and Winston. I do not recommend their growlers as I have had multiple (I think) skunked growlers because they tend to sit there in an open glass window for a while. I also question how long some of their yest/hops have sat in their fridge in the back.

Value: This is the ONLY reason I dislike this location. Everything is overpriced (except the beers on tap). Expect to pay a couple bucks more than anywhere else for things. I also STRONGLY recommend not buying singles as buying a single of a beer is close to half the price of a 6-pack. If they dropped their prices by 2-3 bucks per beer (for most but not all) it would be perfect. HOWEVER, when they have sales they are very worthwhile and a must whenever they have their bi-annual Tent-Sale Event.

Overall: This is my go to place for beers in Winston, the service is great as long as the older gentleman is not working there alone. The store is overpriced in general which is a huge drawback but the selection is wide and the atmosphere is pretty solid. They do tastings every Saturday which is a huge plus. Overall it’s a decent place but could be awesome if they brought their prices down a bit.

March 13, 2012
Great place. Super knowledgeable folks working there. Especially like the layout by beer type rather than alpha. Cool room to the left just full of great hard-to-find stuff. A gem of a store. Another mecca for NC beer geeks.

February 15, 2012
This is a great store for anyone living in the Triad. A huge selection of beers with a bar that has like 5 taps.

November 10, 2011
Big shop with a nice sitting area and a large selection. Kind of cramped, disorganized, and hard to navigate, but if you’re in Winston, this is your place. Pretty heavily trafficked place, but plenty of parking. Service was OK. I don’t think it is in the same league as Bestway or Sam’s, but definitely the best in town.

October 23, 2011
Great little shop not far from Foothills.

September 1, 2011
I love that this place opens up at 9AM. Why? That means after we got inside Foothills -- for both regular and BA Sexual Chocolate this year -- we’re able to sit down and have a coffee when they open at 8AM and then stroll over to City Beverage at 9 before the bottle sales start. The only drawback to this approach is missing out on the draft selection inside the beer store. Very cool atmosphere inside the main beer area with a bar with several draft lines off to the right and a nice assembly of shelves with plenty of beer. Really nice import selection and plenty of glassware to go along with it. Service has always been great. While I haven’t asked specific questions about their selection, whenever I’ve started chatting with an employee they’ve always been very enthusiastic about beer and have been enjoyable to talk to. The only caveat I have to all of this is that the homebrew selection is fairly weak. I get this impression it’s kind of an extra service, so I won’t complain too much, I’d just say that if that’s what you’re looking for -- rather than a top-notch beer store -- I’d go elsewhere. That said, if you’re looking to pick up some bottle caps or some rice hulls during a beer run, this is an added convenience.

October 24, 2010
Rolled in after the Foothills BASC release, a bit bleary after a fine evening. Low ceilings, dark wood, and a precariously dense stock arrangement could reasonably be described as "cozy" but I thought it was a bit confining. Aside from the general clutter, however, it was a very pleasant store. No real service whatsoever, which suited me just fine (gentleman at the register was quite friendly, but no silly questions on the floor). Stock was excellent overall, with a very good representation of what’s available in NC (latest Stone, New Belgium, Founders, and imports). Good sales and discounts, mixed sixers available, and it’s definitely worth stopping in for Olde Hickory and Pisgah beers, which aren’t available further east.

July 12, 2010
Best selection in Winston-Salem. When I arrived they had local farmers tasting customers on cheeses. The beer guy was tasting customers on an about-to-expire and heavily marked down bottle of beer. Their selection was amazing. I drank a Fat Tire on tap/ in correct glassware, poured correctly so their was a big pillow of foamy head on top that resembled a fat tire! I left with 2.5 cases of assorted craft brews, bombers, etc for $150. They had a huge book listing all the brews they carried. Big Boss out the whazoo, tons of Founders, and Dogfish head Specialties. A must-go if you are in the Winston Salem area looking for a bottle store.

March 22, 2010
Had heard of CB for a while but had not been able to get there! What a SELECTION. My only complaint was trying to figure out their filing system. Seemed somewhat scattered for a first timer. Found some really great beers there! Prices seemed a bit high, but they also had some of the top end beers that cost an arm and a leg too! That was good to see! I WILL be back!