Hope Valley Bottle Shop

Finally made it over to this place and it was not where I thought it was. The selection was so-so, good beers but all stuff I can get much closer to me. Selection is small and limited to 3 or 4 shelves. This place is mainly a wine store. I had to pee really badly when I walked in so I immediately asked to if they had a bathroom I could use. The dude abided (like any dude would, ’the dude abides’ afterall) asking if I was paying customer. I said I would and quickly rushed in. Did my biz, and lo and behold on a small table is two green and orange Orval bar towels. Dude let me buy one for 5 bucks and I bought an Orval (ofcourse!) and a bottle of a new-to-me Cava. Great prices too, especially for this area where everyone jacks up already high craft beer prices. Cool store, hopefully the selection will improve but I’ll be back.

I’ve stopped in here a few times over the last year or so and have been more impressed each time. It’s more of a wine store than beer, but the beer selection’s grown steadily. The selection is quite large, and very well chosen. They don’t have the massive selection of Sam’s, but what they have is well chosen, including imports, American crafts, and locals. I’d prefer they stocked more NC beers, but with the limited space, they’re doing a good job. The owners are extremely friendly and knowledgeable regarding beer and wine. They are more than willing to make recommendations and answer questions. Excellent smallish high-end beer store that’s run really well. It’s not quite up there in selection with Sam’s or Carrboro (Tyler’s) Bottle Shop, but it might be the 3rd best bottle shop in the Triangle.

Stopped in since I was on their side of town and was pleasantly surprised to find this nice little shop tucked away in an otherwise nondescript shopping center. Dark lighting, dark wood, wine shop vibe - somewhat along the lines of Norms in Vienna or From the Vine in Columbus. Appears to be a very good selection of wine, but the back of the store is largely devoted to beers. Not as comprehensive as Sam’s, but they had a nice selection of Belgians and both local and national micros (including some new releases from Hoppin Frog and Stone). Selection is certainly comparable to anything you’d find in Raleigh, and maybe just a notch below Carrboro Bev. Pretty good, and the guys working there were super cool.