Trader Joe's

Freshie

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -2.5%
quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3 | $$

It's a supermarket with good food and beer. A rarity in this blue law state.

Not a great selection, but a decent one. Magic hat, BBC, Chimay, Ommegang, the plethora of TJ brand beers.

The service is always good. The place however is always packed, and I always feel like pushing over people who refuse to move away because they need their organic granola and they need it now!

Sunday mornings will find the beer selection under the clever, and unstoppable barrier of fish nets. No liquor sales till noon.

Parking sucks, so walk or take the Green line (C train)

Yet, a convenient and handy stop off the C line.

08-20-2008 04:02:23 | More by Freshie

BostonHops

Massachusetts

3.3/5  rDev -8.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5 | $$

off the top, giving food an N/A here; they have some tasty pot stickers and a free sample stand, but i'm unconvinced that this sort of thing applies. as for the beer: not bad. the usual locals (sam adams, harpoon, wachusett, etc), a few trader joe's exclusives, and a handful of offerings from breweries like sierra nevada, smuttynose, unibroue, and chimay. a couple lindeman's lambics on the top shelf. everything reasonably priced. grabbed some SA noble pils, smuttynose barleywine (from the "big beer" series), trois pistoles, and a wachusett green monsta sixer. definitely not a place you'd go out of your way for (beer-wise), but if you're here buying your granola or have been shanghaied by your wife (*raises hand*), the beer department is respectable. type of place where you might grab a sixer or bomber to complement dinner, but if you need a larger selection look directly across the street: coolidge corner wine and spirits.

09-05-2012 21:50:52 | More by BostonHops

calebkeen

Massachusetts

2.7/5  rDev -24.8%
quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 3 | $$

This location is selling 22 oz. bottles of Smuttynose IPA for 5.99 as a 'Big Beer'. When I showed the manager that the regular IPA is not a 'Big Beer' while a Wheat Wine is (which I put next to the IPA bottle for demonstration purposes i.e. it says 'Big Beer Series' on the Wheat Wine bottle) I was told that I was wrong because 'That's what the computer says, and it's always been this price in the computer and this price came directly from the brewery.'

The manager clearly doesn't know the beer that exists in his own section. I tried again. I pointed to the 6-pack of Smuttynose IPA for 8.99 and asked him why anyone, in their right mind, would pay 5.99 for 22 oz's when they could get 72 oz's for only three dollars more? He told me that, yes, the 6-pack was the better buy but, sorry, the 22 oz. were 5.99 and I was wrong.

Idiots.

08-20-2010 17:59:00 | More by calebkeen

Duhast500

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +11.4%
quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $

This place did surprise me when I walked into this smaller grocery store and found rather good craft beer selection. There was some pretty interesting choices to be had with some Sierra Nevada beers and a Stone or two to some imports that looked really great. What I was really surprised about was the amount of beers that were exclusive to Trader Joe's. Not sure if these beers would end being any good but they looked like they could be worth a try and the prices were really good. There was essentially one person that seemed to know a little about the beer there but that would be enough for the amount of beer that was there. Worth stopping by.

03-12-2010 04:23:52 | More by Duhast500

FrankLloydMike

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +7.2%
quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $

Because why not get a beer while you're getting your food? This Trader Joe's is right across from my favorite beer store, Coolidge Corner Wine & Spirits, but that doesn't stop me from buying the occasional beer here.

The selection is fairly good, carrying a decent selection of some more well-known American microbreweries and a pretty solid selection of singles, including the Smuttynose Big Beers. Of course, they also offer their brands of beer, which are good when you're feeling cheap. The selection is clearly better across the street, but if you're in here for food and don't have time to run over, you can easily make do.

Service in general is excellent, and I've found that a lot of the people working here are pretty knowledgeable about beer, which is definitely nice in a grocery store. Still, it is a grocery store, not a beer store, so unless you know what you want or are willing to take a risk, you're better off going across the street.

09-24-2009 21:31:49 | More by FrankLloydMike

leif86

California

3.45/5  rDev -3.9%
quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $

Trader Joe's is great in general but just alright as far as beer is concerned. Not a great selection to choose from but the beers that they do have are certainly not your run of the mill macro brands. Plenty of Magic Hat, Young's Double Chocolate, Beamish Irish Stout, and their own brand of beer are just some of the beer they offer. Definitely worth a look, especially because of the very reasonable prices, but don't expect to find bottles kept in great condition or anything that will blow you away.

06-10-2008 23:47:34 | More by leif86

jaygates

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +7.2%
quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | $

Trader Joe's? Hell, yeah! This place is awesome! Quality meat (even the frozen variety!), non-guilty snacks (mmm, flax seen tortilla chips!), fresh produce... oh, and beer? Yeah!

Quite the little selection for a grocery/natural food store. Sixers of Smutty, Magic Hat, Sierra Nevada and Sea Dog (which is the bargain of the day at 5.49 a six pack!) I've seen people break up sixers and mix and match as well. Also, sometimes they have singles set aside. They have a pretty decent variety of bombers too. I've seen Smutty, Rogue, and a few others I can't think of off the top of my head.

Get your belgians here, too. 8.99 for Duvel and I believe Allagash White was 3.49.

Also pick up some Chuck for the wife/girlfriend.

Word for the wise- DON'T go on the weekends, it really is a madhouse. And avoid driving if possible. Take the T, or park somewhere on Beacon Street, as the parking lot out back can be
chaos.

10-04-2007 12:34:49 | More by jaygates

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev +11.4%
quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $

Whenever, i go to the States, i always swing by Trader Joe's. Good selection of micros like Mendocino, Rogue, etc. Also, imports like Sam Smith (counted 3 or 4 different ones). What i like about them is that you can break a case of 6 or 12 & they don't mark it up. So for 6 different singles, paid around 7$! That included some Mendocino, Sea Dog & others. Also, staff is very helpful, especially when it came to deciphering my Canadian ID. If you've never been to a Trader Joe's, you must check it out.

08-20-2007 19:20:18 | More by papat444

Dogbrick

Ohio

3.7/5  rDev +3.1%
quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

Stopped in here too early on a Sunday to be able to buy beer, but I still snuck in and checked out the selection. Located on one of the main streets through Brookline, Trader Joe's has a tiny rear lot that is well-policed. Otherwise you have to hope for some nearby street parking, or walk from a hotel like we did.

The interior is similar to other Trader Joe's. It's a grocery store with a pretty decent wine and beer selection that caters to more upscale products.

The beer selection is decent, as is the norm for this chain. Some regional fare like Geary's is available, as is Stone, Avery, Rogue, Allagash et al.

Service here is dependent upon who you happen to run into. However my requirements for beer knowledge at a grocery store are much lower than elsewhere.

Overall this is a good place to shop for beer in the area. The small liquor stores I either visited or passed did not come close to the variety I found here, nor did they seem to take as much care in stocking and presentation of the beer.

06-20-2007 04:04:32 | More by Dogbrick

morebeergood

Massachusetts

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

I am not a huge fan of going grocery shopping, but if it has to be done, I'd prefer to got to Trader Joe's. There are not many grocery stores in MA that carry any beer as it is, so one that has an OK selection is a bonus. There are a good sized selection of six packs, and about a dozen bombers to choose from. I find the prices here to be very good, such as $5 Ommegangs, Rogues, and Smutty Big Beers. I like that they let you mix and match a sixer too. Shopping for veggies, cheese, and wine is always better when you can pick up a nice beer at the end of your trip.

04-23-2007 22:39:46 | More by morebeergood