La Bodega Wines & Spirits

hopjack13

California

4.5/5  rDev +2%
quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4

This *IS* the only place in Riverside when shopping for beer!
The selection is great, although it's not huge. They do a good job of keeping some good brews stocked. Alesmith, Stone, Allagash, Rouge, Ballast Point, Marin, Lagunitas, Victory ect...also a solid selection of imports , British, German and my faves the Belgian brews. they had four of the six trappist last time i was there. Achel, Chimay, Rochefort 10 and Westmalle Double and Triple.
Service is always friendly and helpful. They also have a good selection of of wine and liquor and a small selection of good cigars.
located 1 block north of the 91 on central.
Don't waste your time looking anywhere else while in riverside, this *IS* the place for beer! I happen to live in Riverside and if not for La Bodega i am certain i would have to relocate!
cheers!

06-28-2004 22:21:37 | More by hopjack13

KingSlender

California

4.35/5  rDev -1.4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5

La Bodega is a great place to supply yourself with the best microbrews and imported beers around. In addition to microbrews, Bodega has a great selection of wines and spirits, with "hard to get" bottles of Tequila being their specialty. I have another La Bodega close to my work in San Bernardino, but the selection does not even come close to the location in Riverside. Located right off the 91 freeway (and very close to Riverside Brewing Company) it's worth the drive for anyone in the Inland Empire.

02-20-2004 23:05:10 | More by KingSlender

Dukeofearl

California

4.35/5  rDev -1.4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4

La Bodega is the best spot in Southern California's Inland Empire that I have found for quality beer. It does not have the size and selection of some of the more famous Southern California establishments (such as Hi Times) but the selection is more than I can drink at any one time (good enough for me!), and they are constantly changing to get new and different things. I came back from Belgium with a wish list longer than my arm, and they have been more than happy to help me work my way through it (up to their ability to get things through their distributors).

About half the square footage is given over to wine, with a couple of walls of a very nice selection of spirits (I always went there when I was trying to be a Tequila snob!). Only about 1/3 of the store is beer, and they have a good, but not huge, selection. As stated, I am currently in my Belgian research period, and they typically have aboout 20 or so different Belgians at any one time. But they also have equal representation of Germany, Great Britan, and elsewhere around the world. They are on top of things,and I have seen new brews there before they were discussed here on the site (such as the Sam Adams Chocolate Bock). They also have a decent American selection, but it really isn't much bigger/better than the import selection (which is kind of surprising).

Staff is friendly and helpful (they are very good at helping me spend my allowance).

Currently, they have two 3-liter bottles of Corsendonk Pater for about $55 each, if anyone wants to get me a belated Christmas gift!

02-01-2004 21:30:49 | More by Dukeofearl

ChappyCubsFan

California

4.5/5  rDev +2%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5

Located off the 91 freeway at the Central Avenue exit in Riverside, CA, about a block north of the offramp. This place rocks. And they listen to their customers. Just recently, in fact, they started stocking the AleSmith line. But you can find a wide variety of beer and wine and cigars. Other notable products include Ballast Point, Marin, Victory (including Hop Devil), Rogue, Lagunitas, several lines of Belgian beer (Ommegang for one), Stone Brewing Company, a good selection of English ales, Sierra Nevada, Nude Beer, Speakeasy, and the list goes on and on. A friendly service and people who know the business and know the customer.

01-20-2004 00:20:40 | More by ChappyCubsFan

rayzorwit

California

5/5  rDev +13.4%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5

True, they don't have everything. I'd lsure like to see the place that does. When I lived in Riverside this was the only place I'd go to buy a brew. They also have a good wine selection. The staff is knowledgeable. I still go there when I go visit my folks. They'll do special orders and they also do kegs.

07-05-2003 00:19:24 | More by rayzorwit