Banksville Beer

Store

3025 Banksville Road
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15216
United States

(412) 561-2011 | map
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.82
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
17
pDev:
13.09%
View: Place Reviews
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Photo of Ricochet
Reviewed by Ricochet from Ohio

4.28/5  rDev +12%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4
Whenever I'm in Pittsburgh, this is the place I stop. Nuff said. End or story. The last few times I've been in there they seem to have less of a stock of independents, but they stock different stuff and never disappoint. I always buy the 24oz "Ziggy Zocky" Pabst cans there and usually buy a 12 pack of Sierra Nevada's Torpedo in the can as well. There is enough cheap beers to make me buy Genny Cream Ale flavored or Lion beer or buy 4 packs of Brooklyn's double chocolate stout or Hop Stoopid... but always the reliable choice for buying beer.
Apr 18, 2020
 
Rated: 3.83 by Octoberist from Pennsylvania

Sep 16, 2018
Photo of Craighead
Reviewed by Craighead from Georgia

2.86/5  rDev -25.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 2.5
Vibe: The vibe here is okay. There is a six pack / bomber selection, some chilled, some not, and the rest of the place is cases, which is typical for a distributor. It's well lit.

Quality: The quality of the stuff on the shelves can be a little outdated, but they do have some fresher beers in stock. They do sometimes have a "discount" section (of singles) where they try to get rid of these dusty ones.

Service: The service here is fine, they don't bother you. Honestly, I think most people are AB buyers and in and out with their usual selection.

Selection: Typical beer distributor in Pittsburgh, there is an okay selection of craft cases, but some are just collecting dust. There isn't anything here that stands out from the crowd.

Overall: I would like to fix the trend for Pittsburgh when it comes to BeerAdvocate and Google Reviews. There are a lot of people giving beer distributors and breweries extremely high ratings when most places are middle of the road at best. Is this place "Very Good"? No - it's okay. Is it a place to stop if it's on your way and you need some beer? Honestly, it depends on what side of the road you are on. It's honestly not worth it if you are going inbound to the city. I suggest showing the inventory online.
Jan 25, 2018
 
Rated: 4.64 by JakeWarrenPgh from Pennsylvania

Mar 08, 2016
 
Rated: 4.04 by Dogleg from Pennsylvania

Sep 14, 2015
 
Rated: 3.53 by Dcbelkot from Washington

May 20, 2015
 
Rated: 3.87 by greg4579 from Pennsylvania

Jan 10, 2015
Photo of StevensBrewing
Reviewed by StevensBrewing from Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -21.5%
It is a beer store plain and simple, no frills and I find that ok. The staff is friendly and helpful if you're looking for something in particular. They have a decent size selection of craft brews but a limited amount of each case in stock, some times at no fault of their own, I went in looking for Spaten Oktoberfest, the worker said he had ordered 15 or so cases and the day before only received 2, so it can be hit or miss, but an overall good experience and a nice lay out.
And those little shopping carts!!
Oct 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by beatlefan56 from Pennsylvania

Feb 15, 2014
Photo of thecrizza
Reviewed by thecrizza from Ohio

3.96/5  rDev +3.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3
So I have to say the Prices at Banksville is the reason I go back time and time and time again. Even when they know a consumer will pay the premium for a case, they don't bump the price. They carry most micro's and will order you anything they don't have. They always have a quantity of seasonal selections, and if it is not on the shelf check the cooler. It might not be the most accessible place due to the divided Banksville Road but worth the hassle if you live in the south hills.
Jan 29, 2013
Photo of dabruddah
Reviewed by dabruddah from Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -14.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 4 | selection: 3
Even though I do a lot of my beer buying here, Banksville Beer is nothing more than average. If you're from Pittsburgh, then BB is above average, but that's only because every other store in the metro area is so far below average. If you're from out of town and looking for a place to score some seriously good beers, well then...keep driving.

But I don't want to knock the place too hard. The guys that run it are great and they will do their best to order you whatever you want. They even have the ability to pull in some hard to get seasonals, but typically, they can only get their hands on a couple cases so if you're after a hard-to-come-by beer, get your name on "the list" early.

So, for most of my regular beer needs, Banksville Beer is fine. I can swing in, pull some Victory products off the shelf and go home happy. But when I'm stocking my fridge for the winter with all my favorite Trappists and serious craft beers, I have to go to...Chicago. I suppose BB's biggest problem is that they are located in Pittsburgh -- and that's not their fault. If the state of PA would change their laws then I'm sure BB would grow into an A+ store.
Aug 02, 2011
Photo of Kolsch
Reviewed by Kolsch from Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -21.5%
After leaving Duffy's Pop n Beer in West Mifflin, I decided to check this place out as I see it has good reviews.

Location: off of busy Banksville rd, with a very small and tight parking lot. Careful backing out of the place.

Atmosphere: Small store with shelving on both sides of business. Not a "Beer Warehouse" by any means.

Selection: was pretty minimal with craft scattered throughout right side of store. They had the standard beers of Great Lakes, Sierra, Bells, Troegs..nothing you can't get anywhere else. No organization that I could see. Did have an OK import section on back wall. Kegged craft beer was non-existent with the exception of 1 lone SNPA sixtel.

Value: did not buy anything but prices did not look too bad.

Overall: Not sure this deserves anything better than a C rating based on selection. Drive the extra 6 miles to Duffy's for a truly better beer selection.
Dec 19, 2010
Photo of IronCitySteve
Reviewed by IronCitySteve from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
Q: They beer on the shelves is usually quite fresh. I have not purchased a case their and thought it was past its life.

Ser: Always quite courteous and willing to answer questions. On one visit, bought 4 cases for a nascar trip and the guy working there carried some of the cases out for me. My wife has also purchased beer there and they always ask her if they can carry the case for her.

Sel: Not the most abundant selection of craft brews, but it is fairly decent. Various styles and seasonals are all available.
Aug 20, 2010
Photo of cpetrone84
Reviewed by cpetrone84 from Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +6%
I visit this place quite frequently. It has pretty solid prices and quite a case selection for Pittsburgh. You can get pretty much anything available in the burgh area and they are better than most of the other distributors that sell cases. The prices are very solid and this is one of my go to spots if I am buying cases. They also have a cooler for just craft beers, and one for macros.

The guys that work there really don't know a thing about beer, though. However, they can look up any information you may need on the computer and they are typically nice guys.
Jan 17, 2010
Photo of ZimZamZoom
Reviewed by ZimZamZoom from West Virginia

4/5  rDev +4.7%
In town visiting relatives for Christmas, and I decided to see if they had a decent beer store in the area since WV does not have any. This place was just a 5 minute drive from Mt. Lebanon where they live. Decent selection of American micros, I did not see any imports but I was kinda focusing on the micros, looking for Victory in particular.

I'm sure everyone has already listed what you can buy here anyway. I called ahead to see if they had Victory, the gentleman who answered was polite and knowledgeable. Seemed like the same guy who rang me out, nice pleasant chap. I would go here again when I had more time to shop around.
Dec 24, 2007
Photo of powerpop
Reviewed by powerpop from Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +17.8%
I hadn't been to Banksville Beer since last summer ('06) I think, mainly due to my limited # of case purchases. My friends get together and mix cases together, and we usually head to McBrooms due to their vast selection. Let's just say that Banksville Beer's selection rivals that of McBrooms. The 4 decided-upon cases this time around were Bass Ale, Magic Hat Hocus Pocus, Great Lakes Commodore Perry, and Troegs Sunshine Pils. Banksville had them all, and reasonably priced. They carried them out to my car and helped me to load them in my trunk. They have snacks, they have PA lottery, they may even have cigarettes (not sure). They have tons of macros, and a nice selection of imports, and cold beer at no extra charge. This being PA, they don't have the "bottle shop" license. What more can I say? If you live in the south hills, give them a call...they should have what you're looking for.
May 10, 2007
Photo of MikefromDormont
Reviewed by MikefromDormont from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +4.7%
Banksville Beer is a beer distributor located in the South Hills section of Pittsburgh. Even though I live less than a mile from Banksville Beer, I'd never stopped in to check their beer selection. Their craft beer selection is not as extensive as Pittsburgh area stalwarts Mellingers, McBrooms or Save on Beer, but for what they had on hand, I was pleased.

When one enters the distributor, the craft beer cases (this is PA) are located to your right. They had a number of single beer cases and variety cases from a number of craft breweries including: Penn Brewery, Great Lakes Brewery, Bells, Troegs, Victory, Southern Tier, Saranac, Oskar Blues, Boulder, Stoudts, Weyerbacher, Church Brew Works, Dogfish Head and others. Purchased up a Bell's variety case, which cost $28.97 plus the 7% PA sales tax. When I departed, I picked up a beer price list which showed most of the beers that they stock. Summit Brewing was not on the list, but I spotted a Summit variety case in stock.

I'm glad I decided to stop by and it's nice to know that I have a local distributor that I can use if I don't feel like traveling to get good beer.
Jul 10, 2006
Banksville Beer in Pittsburgh, PA
Place rating: 3.82 out of 5 with 17 ratings