Hop City Beer & Wine: A Heavenly Beer Store

Oh Hop City, where have you been my whole life??  I stumbled into this gem of a store a few months back. A friend of mine had mentioned their incredible wine selection and reasonable prices.  And he also mentioned they sold beer.  Thankfully this place is not too far from work here in the Brickworks complex off Howell Mill Road on the West End.  So I ran over during my lunch break one day to see what all the “buzz” was about.

When I walked into the place, I swear I could hear angels singing in the background.  It was as if the clouds parted from above and the doors to Hop City opened.  The first thing you see is beer.  Lots of it.  LOTS OF IT.  And NOT that swill that is advertised at sporting events.  They have good beer.  No, they have great beer.  And they have beer you have never heard of, from breweries you have never heard of, in cities you have never heard of.  Hop City is a microbrew lover’s paradise. 

Hop City has a great staff of employees that are very helpful and more than willing to lend a helping hand.  Hop City also does a great job of organizing their offerings.  They break their beer down much like a wine shop does, by beer type:  IPA’s on one aisle, lagers on another, pilsners on yet another, stouts and porters together, and special type beers have their own aisle, etc..  Hop City also has a separate section where all of the high gravity beers are kept.  This makes shopping a breeze.  They also show grades and have profiles on many of the beers.  It makes for a great buying experience.  And the variety…..that is the real difference in this place versus your typical large liquor and beer store.  

For the home brewer, this is the place to come.  Hop City sells all kinds of brewing supplies.  I’ve only tried home brewing a few times with limited success.  But after seeing all of their great looking ingredients and hearing their employees help other patrons with their ingredients, the chef in me wants to give home brewing another shot. 

Of course I am totally ignoring the “& Wine” part of this store’s name.  They do have quite an extensive wine selection.  Unfortunately I’ve always been so distracted with their beer that I never venture over to check out the wines. I’ll make it a point to review the “& Wine” part of the store on my next visit and report on it in a different post.

For my beer needs, Hop City is my store.  Even though you are on my Banned List Blog, Hop City is definitely NOT banned.  Not even close.