Farmer's Harvest

dagubna

California

5/5  rDev +5.3%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

The guys down at Farmer's Harvest have everything you'll EVER need for any of your beer needs. I LOVE the tastings, and Mike McCullah knows everything there is to know about beer, he can answer all questions and is the most competent beer salesman I've ever met and it's instantly obvious he's been in the business for decades. They always manage to bring in the best breweries and their best beers, "The Bruery," is one that comes to mind, and some very rare beers were featured. They also debuted Great Divide breweries to South Orange County and hosted a killer Stone 10.10.10 party. If all that wasn't enough they have over 500 beers on hand at any given time and they even carry those hard to find allocated beers like Pliny The Elder, Just Outstanding, and many of the brews in the Russian River line.

11-01-2010 06:23:53 | More by dagubna

fadzero

California

5/5  rDev +5.3%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Where do I start?? When I heard that the old bookstore (Bookman 2) was being converted into a grocery store in the strip mall behind my house I was like, hmmm OK? I wondered how such a small space could support a grocery store. I was thinking it would be more like Farmboy or something. Well, they certainly did more than that... The place looks awesome!! Kind of a mini-Sprouts or Whole foods, it actually Reminds me of a store that used to be here in HB in the early 80's called Bells California Farms. Farmer's Harvest has some pretty cool features, 3 self-serve peanut/almond butter machines, and a self-serve juicer for OJ or Tangerine juice. A cool little tasting area for beer, wine, and champagne. The produce section is insane! They sell all the basic produce plus a lot of hard to find items such as lychee, dragon fruit, rambutan, etc. They also carry grocery items, a nice dairy section, flowers, lots of candy, gourmet cheese/sausage, and a newly added meat section!!

Ok, this is beer advocate so i'll cut to the coup de gras of FHM (for me anyway) the ENTIRE east wall of the market is dedicated to beer!! (there's also a nice wine section but I'm not a wine guy so I don't know much about that) Mike runs this section and is very knowledgeable (i heard he comes from Hi-Time, another well known store in the area) They sell Lost Abbey, Bootlegger's, Russian River, avery, Caldera, to name a few, as well as many great imports. I was even lucky enough to be there one night and get my hands on a bottle of PtE (first time i ever had it)!! About twice a week they have beer tastings which helps me because I'm fairly new to this scene! They arrange the beer by style, not brewery, which is kind of cool. All the beer is sold in singles which makes it easy to mix and match. THey offer discounts for 6, 12, 24, etc.. They've recently added some 12 packs of more common beers like Blue Moon, Pacifico, Steinlager etc.. But that's not their primary focus as CVS is right next door.

The service here is outstanding!! These guys really go out of their way to help. The Owners are always willing to drop what they're doing to steer you in the right direction on produce, wine, beer, whatever you need help with. (I've even seen Joe bagging groceries on numerous occasions!!) Yesterday he gave us a little mini-seminar on their new meat section, that was pretty cool!! They also take a lot of customer feedback/requests and are very thorough about meeting Those requests (within reason of course :) So I highly recommend this store to anyone in the area who truly want's an exceptional shopping experience!!

06-30-2010 18:49:27 | More by fadzero

CRQuarto

California

5/5  rDev +5.3%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $

Found out about this place by accident, and finally decided to check it out today. The guy who runs the beer department previously was in charge of the same at Hi Times Wine Cellars, so needless to say the man knows beer. Outstanding selection, great prices, and extremely helpful staff. I was amazed at the cleanliness of the store as well as the wonderful organization. The beer is all loose bottles (no six packs here, which removes any excuse you had not to try something), and organized by type, rather than brand, which made it much more fun to pick out new beers. This place will be a regular stop from now on. Heck, I'm even going to grocery shop there, it gives me an excuse to go more often!

08-11-2010 02:46:07 | More by CRQuarto

msmezher

California

5/5  rDev +5.3%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Farmer's Harvest is easily the best grocery store/liquor store to buy beer in Huntington Beach, maybe even in Orange County. Hi-Time is the only other place I would recommend, and that's not really a comparison considering Mike at Farmer's Harvest used to order beer for Hi-Time. Everything is refrigerated and sold in single bottles (discounts for 6 and 12 pack purchases of 5-10cents/bottle) and their selection is huge. A strong range of styles and prices, ranging from a dollar or so up to 20. Beer tastings are also held in store, and from what it sounds like these events will be top quality (think Pliny good). Oh, and there's a high end grocery/produce store somewhere inside, i'm not too sure where.

09-14-2010 08:08:14 | More by msmezher

MiloHoP

California

5/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Where can I begin to describe this store. First off I have shopped other shops but all seemed distant with interactions with staff. When I first stepped into this store was greeted with smile and "how can I help you" from staff. Wasn't till I met a good friend now Mike (the beer guy). I make sure to visit the store and Mike once a week, he always has some secret surprises waiting every week. He keeps the beers stored correct in fridge and always has them stocked. You can find all the standard and limited releases here guaranteed. If you are in the area make sure to make a stop and say hi to Mike and staff at Farmers harvest.

08-22-2011 16:58:12 | More by MiloHoP

Rjhami

California

5/5  rDev +5.3%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

This store has an excellent selection of brews. One huge perk is you can mix and match your 6 or 12 packs with any single, allowing you to try a lot of different beers. I have picked up Russian River Pliny the Elder, Alpine Pure Hoppiness and Kern River JO to name a few. The owner Joe is extremely knowledgeable and friendly as are other employees. I have not taken part in any tastings or events but I am sure they are a great time. Prices are as competitive as I have found. The store also has a nice wine selection and fresh produce.

01-09-2011 20:08:54 | More by Rjhami

dan72beerster

California

5/5  rDev +5.3%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Farmer's Harvest is an excellent place for beer. They may not be as large as some of the "mega marts", but they sell their beers in singles so they can have a much larger selection. This is also an advantage, because as stated previously you can mix and match your beers to try different selections. Both owners, Joe & Joel, are beer fans and knowledgable. "Beer guy" Mike really knows his stuff. He'll help you find something new, give you a run down of some of the ingredients, the proper way to drink certain types of beer, and even recommend some food pairings.
Their tastings are awesome also. You can enjoy the football games while trying some great beers.
I've gotten everything from Alba Scots Pine Ale (awesome), I think all of the Oskar Blues, several Bootlegger's and Bruery beers, Noble beers along with several seasonal and limited edition specialties.
They also have a good wine selection along with organic produce and other specialty foods.

01-15-2011 20:50:20 | More by dan72beerster

maxportman

California

5/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Honestly I'm not a beer connoisseur but I must say that Farmer's Harvest beer tastings have helped me take enormous strides in the right direction. I've followed Mike (McBrewdude) McCullah from his former employer to FH's Huntington Beach tasting corral to help further educate my pallet. His personal experience and history in the liquor trade make Mike a true expert. If I only develop a small percentage of his knowledge I'll consider myself lucky.

As for the beer lineup, it's second to none. There are a number of core brewers that makeup its heart and soul. No JV beers here. IPAs being my personal favorites. What keeps me coming back is that I can count on finding new and exciting entries into the market. Stop by, odds are if you love beer you won't be disappointed.

03-04-2011 04:12:43 | More by maxportman

beersoaked

California

5/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

Farmer's Harvest has been my secret spot for beer ever since it opened up. It's a little farmer’s market with fresh produce, natural foods, and over 300 craft brews along their refrigerated beer wall. Ask for Mike or Elie, both will help you to choose some unique beers from their huge selection.

They recently closed down their tasting corral to make more room for groceries. But according to Mike McCullah they are working with the city of Huntington Beach to get permits for parking lot tasting events. I went to a bunch of the in-store tastings and am anxiously waiting for the next tasting event. Until then you can find me wandering up and down the beer wall looking for the next great beer.

08-11-2011 23:59:41 | More by beersoaked

opwog

Minnesota

4.85/5  rDev +2.1%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Let me start with something short for the short attention span crowd by saying...WOW!

Now as far as Farmer's Harvest, I have a feeling that there are going to be two different customers that they will have. 1 - people who care enough about their produce that they don't simply pick it up at the grocery store and they then may also grab some good beer. Then there is customer type number 2; which is me and probably more likely anybody reading this review on Beer Advocate...people who want a great beer selection and who may also pick up some snack mix or veggies that their significant other may need to complete dinner.

But as far as the beer, these guys have gotten into this about as full blown as anybody I have seen. There is a very impressive selection already (only been open for a few months) and the pricing is consumer friendly. The one thing that I saw here that I rarely see is that the beer is completely laid out by style. That means that it does take some getting used to when searching for specific beers, because breweries are split up all over this long cooler. I would say that if we could turn back the hands of time, this would have been the better way for all beer shops to lay out their beer, but now it is a matter of retraining how we look for beer. Only time will tell if this lay out will work or not for most customers. I like the idea, but if Joe wasn't there helping me find certain beers, I would have left with only half the haul that I went in intending to buy.

The staff there are all incredibly helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. On my first visit, they didn't have a beer that I wanted, so the clerk noted it. That beer was there on my next visit! Also, they have price breaks at different quantities on many of beers, so definitely look closely at the price tags of your favorite beers. This is a must stop for people living in or visiting HB.

06-09-2010 09:00:30 | More by opwog