Red, Wine, & Brew

AwYeh

California

4.44/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

An absolutely massive beer store, both by Ohio's standards and what I assume are the nation's; I walked in not knowing what to expect beyond a high quantity of beer, but was met by cooler after cooler of tasty and mostly hard-to-find beers (and all the beers are refrigerated, always a plus). Divided into sections by origin (separate coolers for UK, Belgian, and American beers), I spent quite a length of time just scanning everything they had, being familiar with many only through the internet and never through personal experience. Many of the imports were entirely new, and I wish I had a phone with internet capabilities to guide me through my selection process. One brewery I remember in particular was Cantillon, being especially hard to find in Ohio, but well represented here.

The store itself is great just to be in, carpet everywhere and very easy on the eyes, even with the rows of beer packed in on one another to make room for everything. I was met with several requests for help throughout my time searching, and at checkout when I said it was my first time being there, was taken on a tour of the areas I hadn't looked in, particularly the wine ones. On that note, to my untrained eye, the selection of wine appeared to be just as good as anything I had seen to that point, even though expansive rows and shelves may be less common for wine. Great tobacco selection too, in case anyone is interested.

Some concerns about freshness have been noted, and I agree that it's something to look out for, but the same can be said for many beer stores with much smaller selections. A benefit of this lies in being able to find a good number of aged beers throughout the selection; if beers are dated or limited, it's not difficult to find at least one vintage selection (even if a bit dusty and in light, the coolers lead me to believe they have been stored better than comparable "old" beers at other stores).

If you're in the Cleveland area and get a chance to stop in here, definitely take advantage of it... just make sure your wallet is prepared for the journey.

01-31-2011 08:40:39 | More by AwYeh

whiterabbit

Ohio

4.64/5  rDev +7.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

The Holy Grail of Beer and wine stores. Period. If they don't have it, they will do everything in their power to get it, and there is not much they don't have...Always spend more than intended, always there longer than I should, but will go out of my way to go. Well worth the trip. I can get bombers, specialty glassware, great selection of imports, and nice selection of micros, both popular and obscure. Like a kid in a candy store, only the adult beer loving kind of kid. And if wine and / or cigars are your thing as well, you will really enjoy this place. leave yourself PLENTY of time to look around...

03-13-2012 01:15:08 | More by whiterabbit

BB1313

Ohio

4.16/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I hit this place up alot last year, but for whatever reason stopped. Just recently hit it up again. This truly is a very underrated store, it's one of the best kept secrets in NE Ohio. First off, this place is HUGE. Lots of coolers for beer. Exceptional selection.. you can probably find anything that you can think of. Last year I saw KBS just chilling on the shelves like it was nothing, after its' release. Tons of bombers too. The place has a nice vibe to it as well, like I said it's huge. Service is friendly, but from my experiences, it seemed like no one was into craft beer, which is odd considering it's their main focus, along with wine. Pricing is reasonable, nothing ridiculous or out of the ordinary. I'm glad I came back, I'll definitely be back. This place is great! Make sure to check the dates on the beers, because unfortunately I've seen a few "older" beers. My only other complaint is that they lack singles.

If they had coolers of singles, this place probably couldn't be topped.

Recommended!

02-19-2011 20:58:27 | More by BB1313

sukhoi584th

California

4.5/5  rDev +3.9%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

This place has a massive selection of 6-packs, bombers, and 750 ml bottles. As mentioned below, do check the dates. Due to the large number of customers it seems like for the most part the beer is fresh. Prices are quite reasonable, and there are even some bargains like the 6-pack of Kostritzer I found for $5.99. Wasn't out of date either. I was even surprised to find a better selection of some California breweries than I normally see at home in California. I didn't talk to the staff about beer in particular, so I can't comment on how well they know the product.

12-18-2010 01:05:07 | More by sukhoi584th

gamwich

Hawaii

4.15/5  rDev -4.2%
quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | $$

Now called Red, Wine, & Brew this store has been recently remodeled, providing more space for beer coolers. The selection is impressive, with 2000+ facings of beer. Many offerings in bombers, as well as the most variety of Belgians I have ever seen in one store. The service is attentive, friendly, and helpful, but do not appear to know much about beer. In fact, they are often trying to push out of date imported beer that they have on special that is certainly skunked.

The perennial concern over freshness is assuredly factor here, although they get a lot of business. If you know what you are looking for and how to check for freshness, this place has more good stuff in one place than I've seen locally.

11-21-2010 05:22:46 | More by gamwich

Buggies

Pennsylvania

4.1/5  rDev -5.3%
quality: 3.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

I found this place on suggestion by my bro-in-law. By the front of the place, you would think that this was just one of those discount smoke shops where you'd pick up a carton of Jacks. After walking in, I was trully shocked to find a treasure trove.

First off, this place is dominated by wine. Isles and isles of wine. The beer is kept to the rear of the store.

Upon entering the store, I was immediately greeted by the store keep. He asked if I had been there before and he asked what I was interested in. I said no and beer. He then offered to take me on a tour. He proceeded to take me directly to the beer section of the store and gave me the grand tour.

During my trip which lasted nearly an hour and a half, he made several visits with me to make sure I didn't need any help. He also offered boxes to carry my beer. Service was an A++.

The selection was good. A lot of bombers and 750 ml bottles of the usual greats (too many to name but off the top of my head): Southern Tier, Troegs, Southampton, Avery, Rogue, Stone and numerous others.

They also had a huge selection of imports most of which I can't pronounce or spell. I'm sure there are bigger selections elsewhere, but for the beer newb like me, it seemed amazing!

I'll make several more visits... that's for sure. The store keep also threw in 2 12oz bottles for free (a Bells Oberon and a Rogue Mocha Porter). That isn't much, but I certainly appreciated the gesture. The only bad thing I'll say is to make sure you check dates. Of course I always check dates, and this seems to be an issue no matter what store you visit.

07-10-2009 00:19:12 | More by Buggies