Belmont Station / The Biercafé

Bouleboubier

Pennsylvania

4.43/5  rDev -0.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

aside from State Line in MD, this has to have the best bottle selection of any shop I've been in - they could easily go toe-to-toe....

bottle shop on the right/front, taproom in the back/left... kinda has an unfinished workshop feel, but it's very clean and comfortable

no kitchen but you can order food from a cart next door - Philly people - how ideal! sandwiches named after streets in South Philly, had the Passyunk (Baked Eggplant with Roasted Peppers & Fennel, Homemade Mozzarella & Pesto)... pretty dang good

enjoyed myself.... bartenders weren't busy but weren't necessarily chatty, paced around a lot, looking into the bottle shop portion (there was a tasting going on at the time...)... could be a different vibe each day....

too much sunlight was coming through the main front windows of the bottle shop - close to making contact with the first couple rows/shelves of bottles (I think the fridges were safe), the guy working the register let me keep some of the bottles I was buying on the counter while I shopped some more - problem was, he placed the bottles right in the path of a fat, warm sunbeam - what's up with that dude?! (I was later relieved to find out the windows are covered with a UV-blocking film) - to his credit, he did do his best walking me around the shop pointing out bottles I'd potentially dig as I was looking for non-hopped, herbed/alternatively-spiced beers, and they did have quite a few interesting selections...

if this joint and BeerMongers could have a lovechild, I'd marry the bastard

05-15-2013 17:46:14 | More by Bouleboubier

AxesandAnchors

Oregon

4.24/5  rDev -5.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Bring Cash! They charge more for using your credit card.

This is a great bottle shop, even though it may seem small they have quite a lot of beer packed in the space. I think it's the quality of the beers that they carry that really elevates them though in my book. I often walk out of there with a considerable amount of beer, whereas some of the larger shops seem to have more junk filling their spaces. Sometimes they bring out cellared beers which is cool, although they seem to charge quite a bit more than other shops I've picked up cellared beer from. They have a nice glass assortment (for purchase), which for some reason isn't very common for bottle shops around here. Staff is pretty friendly.

The taproom is pretty small but usually has some great beers on the list. I've gone to a few events there when they break out some extra special beers (cellared and/or verticals).

A must for anyone looking for some great bottles.

11-24-2012 20:20:32 | More by AxesandAnchors

Mebuzzard

Colorado

4.58/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

One note: bring cash. Prices are cheaper if you pay cash, probably about 40 cents per bottle. If you're buying an ass load of beer, keep this in mind

Jumper Jebus, this place is deceiving. A small corner store--with horrible parking--connected to a small cafe type area. It's a beer store. Beer. And lots of it. My ideal shop.

Coolers on either side, maybe 6 or 7 doors per side. Aisles in between, maybe 4 of those. So, not all that big, but beer sits everywhere. Stacks, coolers, shelves, floor. A lot of small time Oregon brewery brews around here, which is very nice.

Dudes working there like beer and are helpful. Next door is the cafe, with beer...to drink. That's enough for me, but it goes a step further and offers some rarities and goodies.

Wish I had more money and time to spend in here. Walked away with a case plus a mix 6er for just over $100. Gulp

07-22-2012 22:44:06 | More by Mebuzzard

BigB415

California

4.64/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

This review is for the bottle-shop, not the bar.

I just got back from an Oregon brewery road trip where I drove up from San Francisco and spent a couple days in Portland checking out the sights again and going to breweries I didn't go to last time I was there 3 years ago.

I decided to go to Belmont Station since I was driving so I didn't have to worry about shipping back home. I was not disappointed. It's a little place in a suburban neighborhood in Portland and I managed to get a spot on the street right in front considering I went on a friday afternoon about 2:30/3. You walk in and the coolers are lining the walls and the stuff not in coolers is in the middle. There is also a huge selection of glassware to the left when you walk in.

I cruised around a little bit spotting a good variety. I found some Southern Tier which I was really surprised by since I thought it didn't make its way this far west. I found some Great Divide and ended up buying some Oak and Chocolate Yeti's. Also to my delight I found the last 2 Dogfish Head WWS and snatched those up. They had a couple cases of Stone Ruination 10th Anniversary so I got one for my dad for fathers day. They had PtE and it was a 1 bottle limit per customer and according to the clerk they only get one shipment of it every six weeks. It didn't matter to me though since I live so close to the brewery in California.

All in all, it's a nice place that I would go back to next time I'm in Portland. The prices were reasonable and the help was efficient so I was pleased. Next time I'll check out the bar.

I forgot to mention about the payment options. They charge more per bottle if you pay with credit card versus if you pay with cash. I thought it's weird but I guess they are trying to get people to pay with cash since it's easier then doing the credit thing. I payed with cash so I wasn't affected by the higher prices.

06-19-2012 03:18:52 | More by BigB415

dirtylou

Washington

4.36/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

rolled in here on a Sunday afternoon on a recent trip to PDX - Belmont station is split into 2 rooms - a killer bottleshop and a small taproom with 16 taps

My review will focus on the bottleshop as I wasnt in much shape for drinking during my visit.

Coolers line the exterior walls with lots of dry storage in between.

The selection of imports, primarily Belgians, seemed to be a bit more diverse than in Seattle. Other highlights of the selection that are not available in Seattle included Alesmith, Anchorage, Jolly Pumpkin and some of the smaller Oregon micros.

Prices were all fair and sometimes $1-$2 cheaper than I see locally in Seattle. A marginal discount is available if you pay cash.

Sweet place - will try to swing through at the conclusion of future portland weekends to ensure my beer stash remains at an excessive level

03-26-2012 22:17:38 | More by dirtylou

RMDuff

Kansas

4.6/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Compact place with alot of quality! Much better selection than Beermongers, this weekend anyway. I'm from Kansas, was visiting a daughter, yet found cases of Boulevard Chocolate Ale here whereas in KS/MO it sells out in 1 week or less.

The help was friendly and knowledgable, he took the time to show me around and quickly found the North Coast Grand Cru I was looking for.Had some good Russian River finds like the sour, my one disappointment was they only had Stoic out of all the Deschutes Reserve stuff I had on my list. Maybe because I'm old, but I had no trouble getting a box from them to carry out my treasures.

It is in a suburban neighborhood, but I found on street parking easily within 2 blocks.Definitely a place to check out if you're visiting from out of town like I was.

03-25-2012 23:03:16 | More by RMDuff

ajramirez1

Washington

4.43/5  rDev -0.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 1 | $$

My favorite place to buy single beers in bulk. Place is low key, looks small from outside but inside its beervana...place is crowded when theres 8+ peeps looking for beer. Cafe section is tiny, but big enough. Heard they bought more land so hopefully expansion compliments more seating room & spread the beer search.

Excellent beer selection. Staff is fairly friendly, but theres acouple douches. Always go in there & buy in bulk & go to the same guy for a faster search. Good prices.

Recently went to johns marketplace for comparison. Johns is spread out like Belmont Station should be. Johns way overstocked with skunky beer. Belmonts quality seperates everyone. Belmont Station is the best beer shop in Portland hands down.

A-

03-18-2012 21:52:54 | More by ajramirez1

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.36/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | $$

Yeah this place is a real gem. If you're not from the area, I'd imagine a GPS is needed to find it, as it's right in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, with no other shops really within a block or two. The shop isn't that huge, but somehow they manage to Tetris in an amazing selection of beers; many rarities abound. The biercafe next door keep a good selection on tap...obviously the owners know a lot about the beer scene, and make their choices appropriately. I interacted with much of the staff, and they ranged from surly/snobby to friendly/accommodating, so I suppose I'd say service is hit or miss. Can't really complain. Of course a lot of the beer is pricey, but the prices are reasonable if you look at them in a relative sense. Definitely a must-hit venue if you're in the area.

12-30-2011 16:52:47 | More by Rifugium

Franchise

Oregon

4.63/5  rDev +3.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Located in a suburban area of Portland it can be hard to spot as the outer look blends into the surrounding homes and buildings. With outdoor seating in the warmer months you can usually see people enjoying a beer out front.

Parking is a bit limited as they don't have dedicated parking but I never seem to have an issue parking around the corner. As you walking into the store you notice that it is very neat, well organized and great beer paraphanalia all around.

I noticed an adjacent room which is where the biercafe is located and you can get "jar" fills no growlers here of most of the beers on tap.

There is two sections the first is all the room temp beer with a great mix of local OR beers and of course Californian beers plus the usual suspects from Europe. In the fridge, you'll notice they have organized it by Local offerings then moves to offerings outside of Oregon.

The beers are nicely picked, if your from outside of OR this is a place to pick up a great mix of OR beers and if your from OR the offerings from out of state gives you a great variety to enjoy something new everytime you come in. I highly recommend!

Cheers,
Frank

11-18-2011 21:23:05 | More by Franchise

MilwaukeeCrusher

Wisconsin

3.8/5  rDev -15%
vibe: 2 | quality: 5 | service: 2 | selection: 5 | $$

I was told this was the place to go by others and they were right... a rather impressive selection. I started pulling bombers from shelves and coolers, leaving them in group so I could take up somehow together. Evidently this is a bad thing, as I seemed to get a surly remark when asking for a box to put them in... or it they have a maximum bottle policy for selling beers. Was happy to find bottles of beers of some of the smaller breweries I would not make it to, and stayed away from the imports. Spent between $100 to $200. I might go back again, but not if I learn of another couple places with complimentary selection with better service.

11-13-2011 08:43:26 | More by MilwaukeeCrusher