South Bay Drugs

I just had my first dealing with Joey at South Bay Drugs and...colour me impressed! Total communication for the entire transaction and I just received my package. The packaging just blew me away! I called Joey when I first put in my inquiry for an order and he was so pleasant to talk to that I will *not* hesitate to call him again. The beer arrived in flawless condition and I consider the prices I paid more than reasonable. Will I do business again with SBD? You darn tootin!!

When in the future I think of buying some west coast quality beers, I'll think of Joey at South Bay Drugs and Liquors!

Reviewed on: 11-24-2007 17:35:32

Great beer store located in Southern California. Joey the beer buyer does an amazing job getting in special release beers from places like Port, Lost Abbey, Alpine, Ballast Point and The Bruery.

Not only does he get in great beers, he does an excellent job shipping them to states that would not normally get a chance to purchase these fine ale. Communication is always quick and easy. Very fair shipping prices as well.

As I said, great selection. These guys get in new beer almost every week. Well worth giving them a try. Highly recommended.

Reviewed on: 09-14-2009 21:18:57

The newest place added to my list of online stores to get hard to find stuff from out west. Alesmith, Russian River, Port/Lost Abbey, etc. Website is very straightforward, easy to navigate. Looks like the same people that did Beverages for less's website did this one. Prices are plenty fair, it's just expensive to ship across country. Didn't have a limit on Older Viscosity, which is not the case in most places. Of course, I only ordered 2 with the quality problems reported. Joey was very fast and professional to deal with.

Reviewed on: 08-31-2009 23:47:56

Ordered a shipment from Joey and was very pleased with all aspects of my transaction.

He has a great selection that I simply cannot get my hands on here in Florida. So, I was willing to pay to try some of these great beers I read about.

Joey was great to deal with. He was professional and prompt in all my communications with him. He also was very helpful and knowledgeable, suggesting other beers I may like based on my order. My order was shipped the next day after the order was placed! Now that is service! I received it quickly and safely. Everything was very well protected and all of my new jewels were safe and sound.

The price of the beer itself is very reasonable, but the shipping & packing fees are a bit higher than other online retailers. But when you are shipping expensive beer across the country, it doesn't pay to skimp on protecting them and Joey apparently does the shipping/packing at cost.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with my purchase and will definitely order from Joey again.

Reviewed on: 07-18-2009 13:06:31

Went here based on recommendation for a place to find great West Coast beers. Being from the East Coast I didn't really know what to expect but what a surprise. It's not the biggest store, but it does have a great selection in the beer cases. Offerings from AleSmith, Lost Abbey, Ballast Point, The Brewery, etc. and almost all the popular/hard to find West Coast beers. If you're looking for stuff made outside of CA it's just average, but I wasn't looking for that stuff anyway. The prices were right around what I expected...not many beers there over $13 for a 750ml bottle! Joey, the owner, definitely knows his stuff and can help you find pretty much anything you are looking for, if he doesn't have it already. Definitely worth the trip there to find some great West coast brew.

Reviewed on: 05-22-2009 23:23:00

it's somewhat unfortunate that this is considered one of the best stores in san diego. their selection is good (for san diego), but it's far from amazing. it's just SO small! they've definitely got some harder to find stuff, but if you're looking for that really rare stuff be prepared to get it immediately cause they have a tendency to sell out way quicker than a lot of other places. joey is great and he'll help you with pretty much anything you ask. if you're looking for a particular taste he'll steer you in the right direction. he hooked me up with a founder's double trouble (unfortunately i didn't think it was that good) which was pretty awesome! even though it's got it's drawbacks it's a very good store that i try to go as much as i can.

Reviewed on: 05-15-2009 17:50:05

I have made several online/phone orders from SouthBay and have to say I am inpressed. I have orderd from several other places where shipments communication was lacking and prices were high.

Joey's prices are reasonable and shipping is reasonable also. They have a great selection of beer's there at the store and keep accurate account of stock levels. If a particular hot item is out it will be updated on the website or you will be informed threw email. Their weekley emails of new products are great and informative. They have a great lineup of rare bottles and will release an email as soon as they are out. The packaging is top notch and great to reuse as well. Communication is great also and shipments are prompt.

Reviewed on: 05-06-2009 14:17:55

This place is 10 min. away from my house so I go here about once a week. Like it was mentioned before, there is nothing spectacular from the outside but once you get to the cooler, astonishing. Averys, Alesmiths, Stones, Lagunitas, Russian Rivers, Lost Abbeys, Green Flash, Boulevard....why say more and just go to its website and see for yourself. They also have their specialty glasses for most beers. Joey is THE guy to ask for recommendations and does not tell you what he likes, he asks you what you look for and then recommends. For a larger quantity go to ASHUR LIQUOR which is like 1/2 a mile from here, BUT you wont find the quality that this place has...the downside...this guy runs out of things quick...Consecration sold out in ONE day...

Reviewed on: 04-16-2009 05:54:31

Joey's place is a one stop shopping paradise, especially for beer hunters on the road. I stopped in here on my last full day in SD last week knowing that he would be able to ship my purchases home. Joey is a beer geeks, beer geek. He is in it for the beer just as much as a business. He's also very helpful if you are interested in trying lesser well known WC brews. Based on what you like, he'll make great suggestions. I'm well travelled, but even I don't know every beer from every nook and cranny (not yet anyway).

He has at least 6 cold case coolers and a smaller selection of bottles out on the floor. He has an extensive selection of LA beers, he does get in a good quantity of the special release beers, but be fast as he has a loyal following. Sign up for his e-mail list if you dont want to end up shut out.

But the capper is Joey's willingness to ship and his very reasonable shipping costs. A case of 22's/750's was under $40 to the east coast. He does not add anything onto the actual FedEx costs, and his shipping materials are solid and well worth the price.

All in all, it is definitely worth the drive down to Imperial Beach to see Joey, and best thing is, is if you arrive with a hangover from the night before, you can pick up what you need from the drug store part of the store, then hit Carl's Jr on the way back to the Highway ;-)

Cheers!
Brian

Reviewed on: 04-04-2009 02:11:06

Mail order, though I'm sure I'll stop by whenever I make it to San Diego.

Quality - Joey doesn't offer any crap, and the beer arrives well-packed, in fine condition. Plus, the beer got out of San Diego very quickly - that was very impressive.

Service - Helpful and responsive, to say the least.

Selection - lots of great West Coast stuff some of us can't otherwise get, some great Belgians some of us can't otherwise get. You've found your West Coast hookup, in case you didn't already know.

Reviewed on: 04-01-2009 16:17:09