Tower Beer Wine Spirits - Doraville

themonk

Georgia

3.08/5  rDev -17.4%
vibe: 2 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.25 | $$$

I went out of my way to visit the Tower in Doraville in February, 2013. I probably won't be going back. They had a few good beers, Lost Abbey, Clown Shoes, Lips of Faith, Big Foot 2013. Those are good, please don't misunderstand, but it's definitely nothing special and nothing that I can't find elsewhere in Atlanta. The german selection was larger than most, but that was counteracted by their lack of pricing on half of the beer in the store. The actual building is massive but their selection is underwhelming. Prices were about on par, or maybe slightly higher. Again, it was hard to tell since many bottle had no price labels. The staff was courteous and willing, but the knowledge was lacking. If you visit, you can find some beer that you like, but be prepared to be underwhelmed.

03-01-2013 21:27:17 | More by themonk

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

3.6/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

I went to both Tower locations, and this one had a much smaller craft selection than the one on Piedmont, and was a lot busier. Two security guards roaming the parking lot....probably due to the bail bonds location attached to the store. Yeah, that's weird. Found a couple of gems though, specifically a Le Terroir, a '10 La Folie, and a NB Sahti. Also picked up a 12 pack of Sweetwater. The cashier who wrong me up seemed very questioning of my out of state ID and credit card, and it was a little offputting. I preferred the other location.

08-13-2011 22:38:17 | More by bigfnjoe

mikesgroove

South Carolina

3.85/5  rDev +3.2%
quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Finally getting a chance to start reviewing some places in Atlanta. Luckily I will be able to see a lot of places in the city of the next few weeks. My first priority is going to be to try and stop in a bunch of these stores to check out the local selection as I know there are things I can get here that I cannot get closer to home. This was the first stop for me and it was pretty decent overall. I got to see my first taste of some different things when I ran into a rack of Laquinitas, this was actually a good thing as it was one of the ones I was looking for, lots of stone, Avery and left hand greeted me as well. Overall this store was pretty good and the prices seemed about right, I did not purchase much as I had just gotten into town and had a few more stops to check off, but I would defiantly make a trip back one day.

11-29-2007 00:24:12 | More by mikesgroove

Georgiabeer

Georgia

3.65/5  rDev -2.1%
quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

This place is really in Doraville, not Atlanta. As others have noted, it is located in a very diverse area and also has a lot of good, hard to find liquor.7 different Cachacas! The beer selection isn't as great, but they do have some interesting things others don't have. Besides a craft brew section that tends to hang on to some stuff that others either don't get or ar long sold out of (Druid Fluid and Wailing Wench come to mind), there is a very nice import section.Pretty weak in the Belgians, although there are a few. More Germans and English but also better selections elsewhere. The real reasons to come here are to search for crafts no one else has left, and to look for beers from the international beer hinterlands. Plenty of Russian and other North Eastern European beers, but also beers from Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Korea,every country in Central America, and more.Not much of this stuff is all that great, but many people come in for thir "national" beer and it certainly is exotic. Pretty helpful staff - at least they are eager to help. Beer seems reasonable wellkept, and much is refrigerated. I stop here about once a month to see what'son the shelf.

07-19-2007 18:40:39 | More by Georgiabeer

DrinkinBoy

Georgia

3.9/5  rDev +4.6%
quality: 3 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $

The Tower Package on Buford Highway is one of the largest package stores I have ever been in. I am not positive, but I do believe it is one if not the biggest package store in the Atlanta area, based on volume sold.

The store is located in a culturally diverse area. Although the armed security guard at the front is a little alarming.

It is obviously a bit old, with tight aisles made usually from displays of beer, liquor, and wine. The store and bathrooms are very clean considering the age of the store.

Their service is great. There are many employees to answer questions, and while you are in there you constantly hear announcements on the PA to bring things to customers.

The selection is great, with six pack aisles that have beers from around the world. There were very few beers that I could think of, which I could not find.

Tower's obviously gets many of its twelve packs and cases on bulk deals, allowing for great pricing for the customer. But you might want to bring cash if you want to save a few quarters on the extra charge for paying with credit card.

06-27-2007 02:09:47 | More by DrinkinBoy

BeerSox

Virginia

4.3/5  rDev +15.3%
quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

I'm new to the Atlanta area, but compared to what I have seen in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, this place is pretty impressive as far as selection goes. They have a lot of craft six packs in coolers and even more sitting out on the floor. They also have a "High Alcohol Beer" section that is full of singles and six packs, as well as your occasional four pack. Of course, this store also has your selection of liquor and a big wine section.

The store was busy when I was there on a Saturday night. I think the service depends on who you get. One person wasn't helpful at all, and didn't seem to care about helping people with beer questions, and another person was eager to help.

I have to say this is a great place to visit for the selection, although it may be better to get there when it's less busy for the sake of walking space. They have so much product on the floor you can barely walk around. But I'm not exactly complaining about that!

05-27-2007 01:20:00 | More by BeerSox

Cyberkedi

Georgia

4.85/5  rDev +30%
quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

Excellent! If you can't find a certain variety of liquor here, you probably can't find it in the Atlanta metro area. They have all sorts of potent potables - not just beer and wine, but all sorts of tequila, whisky, schnapps, rum, vodka, gin, and more. They have not just every day varieties of liquor, but high-end stuff as well, some of which comes in very interesting looking bottles.

Their beer selection is something else! I have found beers here that I have not seen anywhere else in Atlanta. They have plenty of the local brews, such as Sweetwater and Terrapin, and a lot of craft brews. Their selection of imports is phenomenal.

The personnel are helpful and knowledgeable. If you have a question, they will answer it quickly or find someone who can. The stock people are always working - they have to, because this is a busy place. You never have to wait overly long to get service, even during high-volume times such as New Year's Eve.

02-21-2007 02:31:25 | More by Cyberkedi

Onibubba

Kentucky

3.25/5  rDev -12.9%
quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 3.5 | $$

I always seem to end up here while in Atlanta. While I do most of my pruchasing at Greene's, I do occasionally find a few things here. Not a huge Belgian selection, but reasonable on most other things. They do have Green's beat on price. St Bernardus gift sets were about $2 dollars cheaper here. Definately worth a quick stop if you have the time.

One warning - The beer guy will be on you like white on rice as soon as he spots you looking over the shelves and he loooves to talk. This is your cue to quickly make your selection and run for the cashier :)

01-11-2007 14:27:31 | More by Onibubba

rudyarmand

Georgia

3.78/5  rDev +1.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

I have been purchasing my beer at this store for about a year now. They have a great selection for Georgia and I have been able to buy Affligem, St. Bernardus, and many other German and European beers that are not available in supermarkets. I work nearby and I find the store to be fun to shop at and the prices to be less than other stores. They try to stock new Belgian products whenever they can get them and people should realize that Buford Highway is the home of many diverse nationalities and does stock many Mexican and Caribbean brews for those customers as well as an impressive Asian beer collection. It is not a Belgian store. Atlanta is not Belgium, and many Atlantans buy their beer by the suitcase and devour them as quickly as possible. Not everyone is a maven. Stores cater to the entire marketplace.

Update:
This store went through an extensive remodelling that made the beer section even smaller and although it has a lot of fine brews, it is no longer one of the best stores for craft beer lovers.

06-04-2006 16:41:26 | More by rudyarmand

doubleipa

Georgia

2.85/5  rDev -23.6%
quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5 | $$

One would think that a place this big would have a much, much better selection of craft beer. While they do have a great selection of domestice case beer and I'm not talking about the macros, they don't have a great selction of Belgiums and high gravity beers. When one first see's the big display in front of the beer cooler (the really big beer cooler) one would think they have a great selection. But upon a further review, the selection is unimpressive. I rarely go here any more. They don't carry anything I can't get at Green's, Sweetware Package, or Beverage World.

12-14-2005 21:23:50 | More by doubleipa