The Davis Beer Shoppe

dertyd

California

5/5  rDev +8.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

Wow!!! I can't belive I been to davis many times and never seen this little piece of heaven. When you first walk in it looks like a little pub with big burbon. Barrels as tables and big chalk boards with diffrent styles of beers on them and about 12 diff taps that they change out daily.wow!!! Again once you walk from the tasteing room to the back they have so much beer and any kind you can think of over 600 beers and you can pick a beer out of any six pack or four pack u don't have to buy the whole pack wich is realy cool and if you pay the$1 corking fee they put it in a glass for you and you can drink it there this is one of the coolest places I've ever been to can't wait to go back

01-30-2013 19:35:09 | More by dertyd

FosterJM

California

4.14/5  rDev -10.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Was headed down from Sacramento. I heard good things. Had to stop on the work trip.

Atm- Located along a busy college street with some other food and drinking places. Nice hanging sign outside the door. Big windows to let a lot of light in. Some tables near the 4 seater bar.

Quality- A lot of beer in this store as well as glassware. Had some glasses Ive never seen before. The beers ranged from good imports to locals from the Nor. Cal region. Had 3F on the shelf as well.

Service- I browsed for a bit. Was asked if I needed help. I found a 21st Amendmnent I wanted and took the sixer up to the counter, I only wanted one and asked if he had more. Ripped the box open, charged 1.99 and I was out the door. Cool guy.

Selection- A lot of bottles to choose from. Most besides the locals & 21st Amendment I get in So. Cal. So wasnt really blown away. Did have a large selection of Mikkeller to drop a name.

Food- N/A

Value- All the bottles were on par for what I knew they should be. Didnt see a whole lot of gouging going on.

10-12-2012 18:44:17 | More by FosterJM

jbakajust1

Oregon

4.1/5  rDev -11.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Nice atmosphere, music is playing, kinda loud though, tables are made from old barrels which is a nice touch.

They have a great line up of glass ware, far better than I've seen at most craft beer joints, and almost all of them are for sale as well. Great draft selection, 8 to choose from, IPAs, hard to score saisons and sours, big malty beers, special releases, light and crisp. Draft is fairly pricey though, on the higher end. They also have a large bottled selection in the back with tons of rarities, lots of sours, and belgians, tons of glassware and gift sets. Prices are fairly comparable to elsewhere. No growler fills is a bummer, as well as the lame, no draft in the bottle area rule, so you can't enjoy your pour while you look for bottles to drink next or to take home. They also do free tastings or flights of different styles, breweries, etc.

The staff was fairly helpful, they know how to pour, had good info, and friendly. Glassware is still a huge plus in my book.

No food except a few snacks on the shelf, but you can bring in your own which is fairly cool.

If you're in the area, I would def hit this place up, I know I am going back every time I go home to visit the parentals.

01-11-2012 01:00:55 | More by jbakajust1

littlespeaker

California

4.84/5  rDev +4.8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

This is by far my favorite place to be in Davis. They always have something for everyone on tap (i came in with a bunch of strangers with different preferences and found something all of them really enjoyed), and their bottle selections are impressive. I always find 1 or 2 or 4 bottles of whatever I'm in the mood for to take home. Their flights are similarly varied and i always see a "can't miss" category per week. The staff are friendly and get to know you by name pretty quickly if you come in semi-regularly. Serving food is definitely in the cards (the owner let me try some imported sausages they're thinking of selling), but i think they're trying to "get it right" first. For now you can bring in your own food with no problem. The ambiance is wonderful... the music is always good, the place doesnt attract drunken bros, and the crowd is varied between those who come in to appreciate quality beer and those who will use one of the tables for a scrabble game!

This has become the go-to meeting place for my friends and I, and even my girlfriend who doesnt drink enjoys coming here. I suspect it's that way for many people in Davis by now, because seating is very limited at all times! Still, a table usually opens up somewhere within 10 minutes or so.

01-08-2012 22:53:43 | More by littlespeaker

flexabull

California

4.5/5  rDev -2.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Stopped in here after stopping at the Vacaville Oulets. The wife got to shop there, I got to shop here.

Cool looking little place in downtown Davis. Found parking only a couple of blocks away. Dark inside, with a seating area, bar/register area, and beers for sale in the back.

Quality was very good. I was very impressed with what i saw here, great US breweries like, Russian River, Alesmith, Midnight Sun, 50/50, etc... Also a ton of great Belgian, German, and other beers as well.

Service was good, I was greeted when I walked in, the guy behind the counter was pleasant to chat with as he checked out my purchases.

Selection was varied and good, they packed quite a bit in the small space they have.

Prices on bottles seemed very fair, and I noticed that tap prices were around $4-6, also fair.

I am pretty sure they don't have food.

All in all, this is a great place, and one of the best beer stores I have ever visited. I usually never have a reason to go to Davis, not anymore, I'll definitely be going back.

12-21-2011 03:07:30 | More by flexabull

lurpy1

Minnesota

4.64/5  rDev +0.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Much has already been said about this place. As an out-of-towner, in my opinion, the Davis Beer Shoppe is by far the best place to go in the Greater Sacramento area. The selection isn't order-of-magnitude better than the regional BevMos and Total Wines - in fact might be behind in imports - but seemed slightly more likely to have regional curiosities and at least on the day I stopped in, had a better selection of Russian River. Service is great in that the staff is helpful and enthusiastic. The tap room in front is a concept which doesn't exist in Minnesota. Good selection, and while I missed the Happy Hour "tastes" it looks like a very fun, themed concept. Food is sorely missed but it's still a great store and my opinion is if you are within 90 minutes of Davis, you should find an excuse to reach the Beer Shoppe.

11-22-2011 15:12:54 | More by lurpy1

jvillefan

California

4.8/5  rDev +3.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

A: Very friendly atmosphere. The owner and staff try and do create an amazing atmosphere with vintage beer posters decorating the walls. If you want to try something that is on tap just ask.

Q: They have never had a beer on tap that I have not liked. They always have microbrews.

Ser: Empty glasses are always cleared within a couple of minutes and the staff is very knowledgeable about the large selection of beer that they offer.

Sel: They always have about 7 beers on regular tap with one beer that is on nitro tap. In the back there is an amazing selection of microbrews, mostly from california, but the major ones outside of california are represented.

F: They have some packaged snacks like chips and pretzels but I have never had any.

11-07-2011 02:02:02 | More by jvillefan

Ynot2

California

4.94/5  rDev +6.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $

Amazing Little shop in a nice college beer town. The front of the sop has a few tables and wine barbells for seating, maybe 35 seats. The bar area has room for 5 or 6 people with I think 7 rotating taps, never k ow what is on tap, Pliny, Parabola, or a belgian sour, sure to find something to fit your taste. The back has a nice selection of bottles to take ome or drink on site. The staff are knowledgable and willing to help you pick out someting. I really enjoy the daily flights, it may be IPA day, stouts, or a specific brewery, always a great choice. No food served, but decent selections on the block you can bring in. Best prices in the Sacramnto to San Fransisco area.

Top notch place, if you are in Davis or traveling anywhere from Vallejomto Sacramento check them out.

11-05-2011 04:16:34 | More by Ynot2

BilbosNuts

California

4.6/5  rDev -0.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

I've been wanting to check this place out for a while and I'm glad I finally did. The front of the shop has seats and tables for drinking the 5 or 6 taps they have available or opening a beer from the many they have to chose from in their bottle shop. They rotate their taps usually once a week and they have varied styles to chose from. Their bottle shop is top notch with a large selection of German, British, and Belgian beers along with an impressive selection of American craft beers from all over. And they display prices which is always appreciated. I was very impressed by this place and will certainly be visiting again soon.

10-22-2011 18:56:33 | More by BilbosNuts

tony223366

California

4.88/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

This is by far the best place to go in town if you want to try some hard to find beers or just chat with the owner or most of the employees about anything beer related.

They have a great bottle shop in the back where you can buy and bring them to the "tasting area" to try with friends. They have a good selection of things you can't find anywhere else in town.

They have a rotating set of taps (around 5 - 7 I'd say). They buy smaller kegs that finish in a week or so depending on how good the beer is. This keeps things interesting for locals. They have had Parabola, 90 minute, pliney, sculpin and a lot of other great stuff.

The best part by far is the tastings though. They can be based off of style, region, brewery or just about anything. They're definitely creative and fair priced.

The only detractors is that they don't serve food, but they allow you to bring in food from elsewhere so this isn't a huge issue. They also can be very cramped at night, so much so that a line appears around 8 or 9pm. I usually hang out there in the afternoon and do some grading and enjoy the jazz they usually have playing.

If you're in Davis, California, I implore you to visit!

10-17-2011 08:00:10 | More by tony223366