Beer Yard, Inc.

slander

New York

4.58/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This was one of those "Let's go to Victory for lunch and hit The Drafting Room and the new SlyFox while we're at it with a drop in at Beer Yard on the way" kind of day. Split Thy Skull's just around the corner and thems kegs ain't gonna be delivered to Brooklyn by no elves, you know. No, someone's gonna have to go and a-get 'em...
Beer Yard is a small gigantic building located behind that place which makes a consistantly shitty double espresso. Yes, small in size and gigantic in content. Just a row or two of cases and cases and cases and cases stacked high, but that's more than enough. An absolute wonderful representation of East coast micros from the New England, Tri State, Mid Atlantic states (Allagash, Geary's, Shipyard, Casco Bay, Atlantic, Smutty, Magic Hat, Harpoon, Sam, Lake Placid, Southern Tier, Landmark, Saranac, Dock Street, Brooklyn, Southampton, Flying Fish, Heavyweight, River Horse, Cricket Hill, Troegs, Stoudts, Victory, Pocono, Red Bell, Weyerbacher, Erie, Appalacian, Barley Creek, Straub, Lancaster, Yards, Stegmaier, DogFishHead, Clipper City, DeGroens, Tuppers, Frederick, Wild Goose, Old Dominion, Edenton, Weeping Radish), and beyond (Three Floyds, Bells, Flying Dog, Left Hand, Great Divide, Avery), and beyond beyond (Grants, Rogue, Anderson Valley, Anchor, Lost Coast, Sierra, Stone, Acme, North Coast, Speakeasy, Lagunitas). Yep, that's the micro aisle.
The other aisle holds a great selection of Belgian, German & English and a fine assortment of Belgian glassware to boot (yay!!!) And sodas and snacks and stuff.
Couldn't have asked for anything more 'cept another refill on my "in store tasting" cup (now that's service!!). Great damn beer store!!!
Matthead', you da' man!!

02-26-2005 22:58:07 | More by slander

laundryraccoon

5/5  rDev +7.5%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I love this place! They have a great selection and I never leave disappointed. Yes, the beer is stacked up high and sometimes it takes a bit of browsing to find what you want, but that's part of why I like it. Their prices are pretty good as well, and if a case isn't labeled you can just ask someone who works there to look up a price. Most of the cases are labeled anyway so that's not too much of a problem. The staff is knowledgable and have answered any questions I have with courtesy. I can also rely on them to give me their honest opinion about a beer, good or bad. They are conveniently located so stopping by is easy on my way home from work. They also have a good variety of glassware. All in all it's one of my favorite beer distributors.

01-30-2013 01:34:07 | More by laundryraccoon

orangesol

Pennsylvania

4.14/5  rDev -11%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Stopped in here for the first time a few weeks back to see what all the fuss was about. Really small space with cases of beer all over the place. There appears to be no rhyme or reason as to where they are. I found cases from Goose Island in two different isles. Quality and selection were pretty good. Nothing overly rare or anything but definitely some tasty beers to be had, if you are into buying cases that is. Service was good. They came around twice to ask if I was doing ok and if I needed anything. Not sure what to put for the prices as they appear to not want you to know them. I guess because they move the cases all over the place but at least put the price on the case so we can tell how much it is without having to go up and wait in line each time. Overall a very nice distributor to check out if you are in the area.

12-06-2012 17:59:32 | More by orangesol

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

3.81/5  rDev -18.1%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

Tucked away behind a Starbucks, this place is not too far away from Teresa's. So after you drink there, if you feel like putting away a case of something, this is a good place to look. And cases are all you can and will get here, thanks to archaic PA alcohol laws. It's a small warehouse, with cases crammed in every nook and cranny. The selection is great, but you might spend hours finding what you want because there seems to be no organization, no rhyme or reason to the way things are stacked in here. But the staff is omnipresent and helpful, so that's a plus. Prices are generally a mystery as most of the stuff is unmarked, so again, call up the staff before you make your choice and find out just how much you're shelling out. There are keg sales here as well.

I've never bought anything here and I probably never will, but if you're into buying cases and like working to find what you want, this place is for you.

09-26-2012 23:48:40 | More by Rifugium

redliner8

Pennsylvania

2.65/5  rDev -43%
vibe: 1 | quality: 1 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | $$$$

The Beer Yard is hidden behind Starbucks. Took me a few tries driving back and forth until I finally saw the little sign for it.

They have very good selection for a distributor & the prices, well who knows, they don't put prices on their beer...everything besides selection far below average. I'm actually surprised the rating of this place is so high.

I've never said this before, but unfortunately I will not be returning to this store unless they start putting prices on their cases. I'm not much of a complainer but this is a huge show stopper...and my biggest complaint (and I hope they take note). You heard right, they don't price label ANY of their cases. You can't look around, take your time, and compare pricing (which is all part of the experience, and necessary for the huge price range of $20 to $150). If you want to know the price, you need to remember all the cases you like, ask them for the price of every case...then try to remember & compare. Other cons; Beer cases are stacked on top of each other, usually 6 or more cases high and are intermixed with different styles. So you could find yourself wanting the case on the very bottom & have to dig it out (where's the shelving?). It's very cramped with narrow aisles, two people can't fit side by side in the aisle.

I wish they would fix the pricing problem, pleeeease (and buy some shelves), it's really a shame that everything, other than selection, is subpar.

01-19-2012 18:17:18 | More by redliner8

MDDMD

Pennsylvania

4.88/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$$

Not the easiest plce to find, but i live in the area so not much of a problem. They have a fantastic selection in spite of what appears to be a relatively limited space. The help is excellent and well-informed. The prices are about what you would expect for the area. If PA ever allows them to sell sixes, I think this place will be even better. They have free beer tastings every Friday which adds to the attraction of the place. They allow you to pre-order the more rare offerings which gives everyone a shot at the best stuff.

01-14-2012 02:31:14 | More by MDDMD

DaveHack

Pennsylvania

4.51/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

This place has everything! I usually stop here after I visit Teresa's Next Door in Wayne. They still had a case of Consecration bombers, until I decided to buy them, then they were gone....oh well. The prices are pretty good, maybe a touch higher than I'm used to, but you are in the Main Line so it is to be expected. I wish I could visit here more, but glad for the times I can. They always have something that makes you say "Ohhhh" or "Ahhhh". Definately check it out if you get in the area.

07-14-2011 22:17:15 | More by DaveHack

Seanibus

California

4.38/5  rDev -5.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Great place, though a bit hard to find since it is well off the street, behind the Starbucks. It is stacked floor to eye height with cases, only loosely organized by region and brewery, but the selection is amazing. The staff if very helpful and more than happy to help you shuffle the cases to get at something at the bottom of a tall pile. The selection is excellent - not as big as a behemoth like Shangy's, but great none-the-less. Prices looked decent, certainly competitive with high-end distributors like Bella Vista or Shangys. Well worth a trip if you're on the Main Line.

03-24-2011 21:27:02 | More by Seanibus

trags15

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -14%
quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$$

So i have heard amazing things about this place. My friends and I went here during college for the past 3 years, but I never personally bought a case here. My first purchase came about 2 months ago, but I have to admit, I was very disappointed...but not with what you will think.

The selection is amazing. The help, when you ask for it, is very good. They definitely know their sh*t. Even though the cases are literally scattered everywhere, if you ask for something, they will definitely find it for you.

I bought a case of Racer 5 IPA, and i was so excited to bring it home. I bought it for only $35 and I was a little skeptical at first because the price seemed extremely too good to be true.... and it was.

My case was skunked and I was extremely disappointed because i feel that they definitely knew it was, hence why they knocked the price down about $15 dollars. I called the store and asked to bring it back, but I live an hour away and work in NYC so I can't just stop everything and make it down there.

I'm going to be going there soon again, and i'm hoping that they change my opinion.

10-11-2010 17:25:54 | More by trags15

regspeir

Pennsylvania

3.5/5  rDev -24.7%
quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$$$

I have been here several times but after today's visit, I finally feel able to offer an opinion. As much as I love the people who wait on me there (and nope, they do NOT know my name or seem to care), I am not a fan (yet?). The prices are HIGH. No bargains here that I could see. And finding things - whew. That plus no posted prices and the people who wait on you BETTER be nice 'cause you have to ask them 5,000 questions and always feel like a pain-in-the-#$%@. I will go back if I hear anything changes, but until then there are better prices and easier-to-deal-with places nearby.

06-16-2010 22:40:08 | More by regspeir