Beer Run

When you need to make a beer run…do I even need to finish this sentence? When in C-ville this is my spot. Solid selection, some singles, 10-ish taps. Can’t beat it in this neck of the woods.

This turned out to be the oasis I needed. Awesome beer and great food Don't be the limited by the tap list, the cooler's wide open for selections too. Burger was on point as well, Tasty and hit the spot. Awesome service. Whether to drink on site or eat or get to go, don't miss this place.

I haven't rated this place up until now for a reason. I'll explain later. It's somewhat organized, but there're also singles in many different places. My first stop is the dedicated singles shelf (next to the coolers) and I work my way down through the cooler. You'll also find some Virginia bombers and some random singles in the corner, also the half-moon cooler near the bar, the coolers facing the bar, and in the foreign room. Tons of bombers, oddballs I don't see elsewhere in town, shitload of 6-packs laying all over. Dedicated room to imports, which I usually browse but I've usually got about two cases of singles & bombers before I enter the room. Now, here's why I'm not in love with the place: the service has never been bad - everyone has been friendly, but nobody's helpful either... and the checkout process is a mess. One, it takes forever, two, I have no idea if the person checking me out is making sure a single scans as a single or a 6-pack. Some of them have to be manually typed in, and there's not a dedicated cashier - so it seems to usually be a bartender or waitress, and then you wonder about tipping because that's how they make their living, but there's not a tip line at any other beer store I've gone to. Summary: this place has the best selection in town (sorry Wine Warehouse, my first love and place I will always come back to, especially since it's on my way home), but it's a bit strange to check out, and I always feel a bit uncomfortable because I feel like I'm bothering someone to ring me up. I've been asked if I'm "having a party," because of all the beer I'm buying (rule #1 in a beer store - don't ask that). I've heard, "Wow, that's a lot of beer, hope you're not going to drink it all yourself!" (see rule #1). I've also heard, "I've only tried a couple since I've been here. I'm not a beer person." Hey, guess what. You're working in a beer store - yes, it's a restaurant as well, but I'm here for the beer store. No, I'm not having a party. Yes, I'm going to drink this all by myself (I have beer for sharing - this isn't it). So, that's why I haven't rated it - didn't want to sound overly bitchy. That's also why I don't go as often as I would if there was a dedicated beer-store cashier, person.

Really disappointing place. Not only is the selection weak, its unorganized and the staff doesn't know anything. The bartender didn't even know Aslin was from Virginia or able to offer any real recommendations of Virginia beer. Double Starfish was on tap, but come on. Not worth the stop.

UPDATE: Beer Run is expanding! Still under construction, they have taken over a neighoring unit. This results in more retail area for beer and wine, and an additional bar with 6 more beer taps and taps dedicated to coffee, kombucha, wine. Best bar in Virginia getting even better! Old score was 92.

This place has come a long way since opening. Good beer selection, weekly tastings, some glassware starting to creep in, a nice bar that features a few macros but also several nice beers. They will often get rarer things such as Starr Hill one-offs and the more rare draft offerings that come to the state. Food is tasty with a natural emphasis. This is a beer store, bar and cafe all at once. Definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area. I mean, how many beer stores do you know of that serve breakfast? There are rumors of expansion plans in the future. If they’re not careful, they just might end up becoming one of the state’s premier beer stops. The service is friendly and helpful to strangers but if you’re fortunate enough to get to know them, the service is that much better. I know I’ve walked in and found a rare beer in my hand before I knew what happened. Locals should come here and should do so repeatedly. Visitors should come here too as its one of the premiere stops in the area. The parking sucks. Other than that, this is a top notch place.

Update: as of November 2011, they have a whole new room for beer. The new room is the foreign beer selection and the original room is the American beer selection. It’s still a work in progress, but its already looking nice and should add to the already very nice bottle selection.

This is what a bottle shop should be. Really great selection, great tap list, and the service is very friendly and helpful. And the food is incredibly good!

Visited here the last day in Charlottesville before we went home after my wife and my mini-moon. Didn’t know what to expect. Restaurant is small, but appropriate for the size of the place. Bar is cool. Lots of bottles, singles, six-packs. Local, foreign, etc. Nice amount of cider viariety too. Staff was really nice, both in the restaurant part and in the store. Wow, I’ll be returning here next time I’m in town.

Visited 10.5.16 in the morning. Very cool place. Good selection on tap, good selection on the fridge, they let you open sixpacks. Friendly and knowledgeable staff that would let you sample what’s on tap and advise you on local bottles. Good selection of crisps and also ice cream. A little on the pricey side, but a very good place. Highly recommended.

A very nice place to finish up the night, I swung by here with Drake. Tucked away in a nondeScript strip mall, the place does not look like much until you start looking at the shelves. A great selection of locals, regionals, and national brands are a little on the expensive side but not too outrageous.

In addition to the bottles the drafts include about eight taps. At the time one of them was Stone Depth Charge. Looking over the availability this doesn’t surprise me - if you were looking for the best tap selection in the area it might be here. Just be prepared to pay a little for the privilege.

Overall this would be the first stop on my trip once I exhausted any brewpubs that I wanted to check out. Just be sure to leave some room in the car in case you are looking for a number of local ticks.

Big selection of local, regional, and nat’l/internat’l brews. The staff are highly knowledgeable and helpful, and the restaurant (separate space from the beer store) also has interesting food and good service. A must-stop in Charlottesville.