Latest reviews from Santa Maria

“This place has a better selection now. They carry Almanac, Praire, and plenty of Bruery sours. The Manager Shawn, also takes great care of the beer section. Ask for him if you ever go in.“

OSU4 3152 days ago

“A remarkable variety of microbrews for a liquor store next to a CVS in tiny Orcutt, CA. Many of the varieties are California-heavy, but there are some from all over the US and abroad. Gus and Sam (Said) are not remarkably beer savvy, but are adventurous and willing to bring on whatever the distributors recommend. The beer cooler is nearly two-thirds of the length of the room and almost all the way across the back. They have a warm selection on the opposite side wall in the back third of the place. I was a very loyal customer here for the three years I lived in Santa Maria. I actually trained jiu jitsu with Said. They are good folks who consistently knock it out of the park with variety and quality.“

DocJitsu 3410 days ago

“As the other reviewers of this fine establishment have pointed out, this is a pretty dumpy place. A bunch of pretty big name Brewers like Anchor, Firestone, Alaskan, Rogue, and the like. Some stuff like Tap It and Goose Island as well. Some beer in coolers, but a lot of it just sits out on the dingy shelves. If you just want some beer you can buy anywhere, I guess it works, but the BevMo might be a better experience.“

brokensail 3419 days ago

“Stopped in briefly after a visit to the new Figueroa Mountain location down the road. Sort of a typical selection for a BevMo, particularly for the region. The usual big boys from Southern California like Stone, Lost Abbey/Port, Green Flash, Ballas Point, etc., as well as stuff like Lagunitas, Firestone, and the usual big name Belgian and German imports. Selection isn’t terribly big, but I guess it’ll do, particularly in an area that is not renowned for beer.“

brokensail 3419 days ago

“Visited September 14, 2014.

Interesting spot. This is a little liquor store at the end of a strip mall on a frontage road by highway 135. I actually overshot the street and was in the right turn lane to get on 135 thinking that was Orcutt Rd. Luckily there was no one behind me to impede my questionable three point turn in an intersection. Once inside I was pleasantly surprised. He’s got 5 doors or so of better beer. What I found interesting was the fact that there were very few imports present. Probably 95% of the beer in the store was domestic. This isn’t the first time in recent months that I’ve seen this in a store that has a lot of beer. I don’t know if it’s a new trend or it’s just owners carrying the same couple of imports they always did and simply adding all the US beers that are available through the distributor. In any case they have plenty of San Diego beers, some of the newer central coast stuff (Barrelhouse, Figueroa Mt, and Tap It), and some of the nationally distributed stuff like New Belgium, Dogfish Head, Bruery, Sierra Nevada, etc.

I ended up buying a bottle of the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp DIPA and a Reese’s. I also snapped a picture of the S’more vodka. I got a kick out of that. If you haven’t seen it already go to southparkstudios.com and watch season 3 episode 14. Smore schnapps, good stuff.“

t0rin0 3519 days ago

“Visited January 19, 2014.

There are a dozen places around Santa Maria that have been added over the years, most of which don’t really deserve to be on the site but maybe they were the only places around 5 or 10 years ago. I’ve made it a point to pick off one or two every time I come through the area. The first rating here describes this place perfectly. Dumpy and for some reason they had some vintage Alaskan beer, though I saw a 2009 porter. I guess they buy the stuff but don’t move it, which is sad since there are so few people in the central valley that bother to stock good beer.

Prices were a bit high and the service was friendly enough. All I ended up buying here was a Coke. Oh and I pissed off some yokel when I turned into the parking lot. I made a left into the store parking lot (which probably isn’t even legal right there) and at the same time this guy pulled out into on coming traffic to pass me (rather than just going around on the right). Some honking and swerving ensued and then he was gone.“

t0rin0 3757 days ago

“Visited December 22, 2013.

I heard about this place a few years back but since Orcutt is half way between my usual destinations I’m normally pissed off at my gas drinking, piston clinking, air polluting, smoke belching buggy from Detroit city and just continue to keep on driving. Glad I stopped though since of the five or six rateable liquor stores in the area this one is probably the best, including the new Bevmo.

When you walk in the fridges are all on the left side of the store and half a dozen of them have beer in them. The first couple are full of macros but the last couple have some good stuff. Not an amazing selection, just the usual stuff liike Stone, Ballast Point, Bear Republic, Sierra Nevada, and the common imports. Then I turned around and saw the entire wall of un-refrigerated beers. Bruery, AleStmith, Coronado, Manzanita, Moylans, Clown Shoes, Port, Ninkasi, Marin, Firestone, Strand, Santa Cruz Mountain, each with it’s own little cubbie-hole. The top row is all imports. Good selection over all.

Prices are decent and it’s in a large shopping center so parking is easy as is finding this place. If you don’t see it right away look to the right of the CVS and look for the banner out front from Figueroa Mountain.“

t0rin0 3786 days ago

“Typical BevMo located right off the 101 in the Costco shopping center. Most of the product is not chilled, per the usual at a BevMo, but that’s expected. Prices are decent and the staff tries to be helpful.“

Thrillhouse35 3847 days ago

“Good selection of domestics and Belgians. Unfortunately, only about half are in coolers while the other half are on shelves on the other side of the store. By far the best selection from San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara.“

Thrillhouse35 3868 days ago

“For Santa Maria, he gets some interesting and different beer items. Nothing extraordinary. He will pick up some rarer things (FW X) occasionally. His place is nice because the beer scene is not remarkably active in Santa Maria. So the good stuff he has, stays on the shelf long enough for me to wonder by and grab it. He knows a fair bit about beer and is motivated to get what he knows is popular and sought after. Good dude. Likes to chum and joke. Learns his customers’ habits and appeals to them.“

DocJitsu 3944 days ago

“Visited June 9, 2013.

Made it in just before closing on a quiet Sunday night heading back to LA. The place was very empty but it was a Sunday evening. Not everyone is out rating places at this time. The beer selection was small(ish) but not bad. Pretty standard for a Bevmo. Lost Abbey, Bruery, Green Flash, some of the central coast stuff (Firestone and Tap It), and the usual suspects from Europe. Not much to say about this place other than it’s a Bevmo, next to the freeway and an In n Out, and is Vitus Positive.“

t0rin0 3979 days ago

“Dumpy beer joint, but wait - thgere are some gems in the cases, They’re worth a look-see. Three bombers of 2008 Alaskan Smoked Porter - $10. There is some treasure here.“

thewheelman 5085 days ago

“For beer selection, as good as it gets in Santa Maria. Actually located in Orcutt.“

thewheelman 5086 days ago