Beertopia

climax

Missouri

4.5/5  rDev -4.3%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

It's a hole in the wall just outside of downtown Omaha, but don't let the size fool you, the beer is packed in there. As far as the Midwest goes, this is about as good as it gets for a beer store. The staff is knowledgable, and can help you find what your after.

No garbage beer in the store at all, only microbrews and some more popular macro-microbrews. Excellent selection of singles, especially imports. Prices are good, especially the fridge that has all 12oz singles for $1.60. And don't forget to stop into the bar next door...

08-23-2010 16:17:37 | More by climax

PPOmaha

5/5  rDev +6.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

This is certainly the best place to buy craft beers in Omaha. The employees are always very knowledgeable and helpful. By far the best selection of Belgian beers in Omaha and the surrounding areas. If you order early enough, you can get pretty much any keg beer that is distributed in the area within the week.
They are always adding new beers so be sure to check out their website.

It also doesn't hurt that they are attached to the Crescent Moon next door which has over 40 craft beers on tap at all times.

The only bad thing that I can say about this place is that parking is sometimes a pain on Friday or Saturday nights when the Crescent Moon is packed but someone will always help you carry beer to the car.

03-29-2012 16:30:06 | More by PPOmaha

pigc

Nebraska

4.94/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Atmosphere - Beertopia has a cool, friendly vibe in their somewhat cramped, small space but make the most of it using nearly every square foot available.

Quality - All the top craft brews available in the area.

Service - Top notch. Very friendly and knowledgable about all styles. Willing to talk about beer at the drop of a hat.

Selection - Very good selection. If it's available in Omaha you can bet that Beertopia will have it or get it. Great selection of Odell, Ska, Mikkeller, Great Divide, and many many others.

Food - Not available at the Beertopia but next door at Crescent Moon has a decent selection to soak up the beer of your choice.

01-09-2012 21:28:18 | More by pigc

Whadawookie

Nebraska

5/5  rDev +6.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Beertopia is a wonderful treasure for beer nuts (of the human variety) in Omaha. Packed in all directions with more beer than I will ever get to know intimately. The employees also are great help in finding you a beer you are looking for if it is overwhelming you sifting through that large of a selection.

Great deals abound there too. I laugh when I go into a store with a lot of buying power like Hy-Vee and I see them trying to sell certain craft brews for sometimes 10 to 20% more than what Beertopia has it on sale for. Not only are the beers great prices, but you can get a plastic card that keeps track of your reward points you earn (1 point per $1). I think you can start cashing in rewards around 50 points for anything from gift certificates to merch or glassware from various breweries around the world. If you save up enough...a paid trip to Germany (the amount of money spent on beer would easily pay for the trip and more, but still!)

The staff is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about brews. I got in a conversation while checking-out with the manager about homebrewing and found out he was a homebrewer himself. Without me even asking, he offered to let me borrow this recipe book he had without even asking for my name or number.

Cheers to Beertopia for all they've done promoting good beer in Omaha!

11-09-2011 01:23:40 | More by Whadawookie

SurlyDuff

Oregon

4.78/5  rDev +1.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

What can I say, other than this is the best bottle shop in town.
It's easily on-par with someplace like Belmont Station in Portland OR...except for the sales tax part, grr. Stock seems fresh and the place is fairly popular, so don't expect old beer. I'm sure, based on the interactions that I've had, the staff would take back bad bottles, seems to be a cool community place.

The staff is amazing, open to requests and happy to talk beer at the drop of a hat.
Prices are fine, though some 22s and 750s reach past $20. They get new inventory in on a regular basis, so expect to be surprised every week or so.

09-01-2011 15:06:32 | More by SurlyDuff

pBRale

Iowa

4.94/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I live in southwest Iowa where there is very limited selection for beer lovers like myself. I have been to Omaha many times but never noticed beertopia before. Wow, what I've been missing out on!

The place is small, actually cramped if more than a few customers are browsing at the same time, but no space is wasted. There are shelves from floor to ceiling absolutely packed with beer. The selection is great--you can find a very wide variety of beers and a large selection of brews within each beer style. Prices are very fair--I didn't see anything in the store that I had seen elsewhere for significantly less, and in fact most of my purchases were the cheapest regular prices I had seen around.

The staff was very knowledgeable and offered great suggestions to suit my tastes/what I was looking for.

I was very pleased with my beertopia experience and plan to return many, many times. After all, with their customer rewards, how could I turn it down?

08-18-2011 03:55:48 | More by pBRale

Midwestbeerpro

Iowa

4.9/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

I recently drove up to the city of Omaha in search of the best beer establishments. My goal was to discover the following:
1) Best establishment for the largest selection of beers.
2) Best establishment for employees with beer knowledge
3) Best establishment for the concept of selling, supporting, and developing the craft beer market
4) Best establishment of an overall experience.

With a little research on where to go I went to Omaha. I went into a local grocery store and was very dissappointed in the selection of craft beers. So I asked, where can I find the best places to buy craft beers. The young man told me go to Beertopia or some specific Hy-Vee's. So, I headed to Beertopia. Where do I start; Wow. What a great concept. They have a retail shop with an awesome selection. I did go to Hy-Vee's and a place called Brix when I was in Omaha. I will review them seperately. All I can say is if you are serious about craft beers, or specialty imports this is the place to go in Omaha. The people have great knowledge, they are promoting the beers as well. Want to taste a seasonal or specialty beer? No problem, they have many on Tap next door that you can explore. I didn't have the chance to meet the owner. The gentlman told me his name is Bill. So if you go there tell him thanks for me. I was in heaven here. I learned that they hold beer classes, bus tours of a small local brewer, and also host the city and states largest beer events. I see that they truely focus on beer knowledge while hosting the events. They run winter, summer, and other seasonal only beer events. Oh, and I was told to come back in the fall for their Oktoberfest. I think I will.
As I mentioned before, I did go to a few other places, they were in West Omaha. From the looks of the Hy-Vee's I went to; they do have a nice selection of beers. The Hy-Vee I liked best was on 96th and ?? You can tell they have a nice business going in here. Another place I went to was Spirit World, a fair selection of beers. But not a main focus. In the far west of Omaha I drove to a place called Brix. When I walked in I realized this was a wine store. Tucked back in the corner they had a wall of beer coolers. Ton's of empty holes in there. Wasn't sure if they were down sizing their selection or what was going on. No one was around to help or ask questions. I did ask a person up front if they could speak about beers with me and the answer was not now. They do not promote beers on tap next door. Not a real beer place. But a great place for fine wine shopping. While driving I did manage to find 2 local brew pubs. Upstream and Lazlo's. I had a couple of samples at each. Both places offered friendly smiles and a quick explanation of their beers.

Overall, Beertopia/Cresent Moon are by far the best places in Omaha to buy beer, sample/drink beer, and has people that can and love to tell you about their beers. All they really need to be the best thing since sliced bread is actually brew their own beer. Oh, and if they ever do...You can bet that like everything else there...It will be fantastic. I will try to explore and do a review of their Oktoberfest this year.

Next best place to go in Omaha? Hy-Vee. I know they don't all have the same selection as I went to two of their stores. However, they had some great pricing, size selection and the latest finds of seasonals.

07-14-2011 14:26:59 | More by Midwestbeerpro

mdcrouser

Missouri

4.64/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Every time I'm in town visiting the in-laws, I always try to stop by, seeking out a few beers that we don't find in Kansas City.

The front section is stocked with a pyramid of seasonal and oft-purchased six-packs from a variety of breweries. There is also a small cooler adjacent, filled mostly with bombers and other single bottles.

Past the counter are five ceiling to floor shelves, filled with a variety of singles and sixes. Directly across from that is a cooler with much the same.

The selection is pretty decent, featuring everything you might expect in a good Midwest beer store, plus a few fun finds from regional, national and international breweries.

Helpful staff pointed me to a few of their favorites, recommending beers based on what I was looking for.

If in Omaha, and have the means, I highly recommend it.

07-06-2011 02:02:59 | More by mdcrouser

antlerwrestler19

Nebraska

4.7/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Beertopia always offers a good selection and the brews I buy are at acceptable prices more often than not. There have been a few selections that hit the wallet hard but they were big beers and well worth the purchase in the end. The people running the joint (regardless of who it is) are always extremely knowledgeable and helpful. They're always willing to help find a beer and even bring you a cold version of your selection from the cooler. Definitely my favorite place to purchase beer, it's like Toys-R-us for adults!

06-25-2011 00:36:43 | More by antlerwrestler19

mondegreen

Georgia

4.94/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

This place is really cool. Lots of good beer, locals and imports. A bit cramped, but well organized and easy to navigate. I'm on a quick trip, so I could only pick up a few bottles, but everything is very reasonably priced, and the staff are very helpful. I asked a few questions about the beer and glassware, and the staff was spot on.

I picked up some Boulevard, Odell, and Goose Island. I saw about 100 other bottles I would have taken home given the chance.

This place is a gem. Highly recommended.

05-01-2011 09:12:19 | More by mondegreen