Bauer Wine & Spirits

Xadoor

Texas

5/5  rDev +14.2%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I stopped in at Bauer during my first trip to Boston last week and I'm sure glad that I did. I wanted to find a few beers to take home with me that I couldn't buy in Houston (not hard since the beer selection is terrible in Texas). Conveniently enough, the store was only a few blocks away from my hotel. Considering the size of the store, they have an excellent selection of beer and the sevice was absolutely outstanding. Not only did fellow BA'er BeerPanther help me select some excellent beer to take home with me, but he also threw in some hard to find beer glasses as well. When he found out I was from out of town, he suggested several additional bars and brewpubs to visit. They were also having a beer tasting that night at the store, but I already had plans for the evening and I couldn't make it. If I lived in Boston, this would definitely be my regular stop.

07-18-2005 18:40:57 | More by Xadoor

growler

Massachusetts

5/5  rDev +14.2%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I discovered Bauer one day many years ago when my friend and I saw the sign for a wine tasting and headed on down. I rediscovered this place after I got into good brew. Since this store is not called Bauer Beer, they certainly respect beer and stock the coolers with plenty of tasty brews (and they post BA Shelf Talkers). Some imports you can find are: Trois Pistoles, Gouden Carolus, Aventinus. There are many varieties of American and regional craft brews in coolers and there are usually a few bombers on display in front of the coolers.

The friendly staff will go out of their way to help you. Nick, the Beer Manager will order something if he can get it and he will hook you up with glassware with a purchase. Nick remembers his customers and always makes great recommendations if you're looking to try something new.

Some may knock the selection saying they're too small, but you can't beat the incredible service and quality (which is especially hard to come by on snobby Newbury St). When I compare it to some of the larger beer stores that might be more convenient for me than driving into Boston, I just remember that in those stores I'm mainly just another dollar sign to the staff and the bombers are out in the light and occasionally covered in dust. That and you won't find one neon sign in this joint.

They also have Thursday night Beer Tastings, usually twice a month. Most recently, Stone unveiled their 9th Anniversary and gave Stone pint glasses to those who purchased. They're also branching out and having a satellite tasting (US Brews) at the Linwood Grill in a few weeks. Definitely try to go on a tasting night; everything you try is usually available to buy that night.

The prices are fair, selection is good and it's always rotating. But the personal attention and overall quality make it well worth the trip. Stop in and ask for Nick, you won't leave empty handed.

09-05-2005 05:05:13 | More by growler

warriorsoul

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +10.7%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5

I have been beermailing the beer manager over at Bauer, Nick Blakey for a couple months...finally had the chance to get over there to meet "the man" during a night when Harpoon was there promoting their 100 Barrell Series "Smoked Porter"....talk about timing.
For a place that seems to be ruled by wine, Nick does one heck of a job keeping this place up to date w/ the finest brews this area has to offer. The prices are better than most and the service is unmatched.
Anyone looking for a great place to pickup some rare local, national, or international beers...look no further. Go on by and say hi to Nick and staff...they will take great care of you.

03-08-2005 19:03:32 | More by warriorsoul

Sycodrummer

Massachusetts

4.85/5  rDev +10.7%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This is one of the few places nearby me that stocks a great selection of craft brews and has an very helpful staff to help you with just about anything. A good selection of local New England Brews from the standard Sam Adams to Tremont and Ipswich. Also a good selection of craft imports and an entire fridge and a half devoted mostly to Belgian and Belgian style beers.

Also, for most beers thay have the Beer Advocate overall rating for it, which means no more writing down notes to take to the liquor store to try brews that I read about because its all listed right there for you.

Staff is very friendly and helpful. They go out of there way to help you find anything from beer to glasswear even if they don't have it in the store.

Value is pretty good across the board. Between $6 and $13 for most 6 packs, $3.50-$8 for domestice bombers, and $5-$15 for imported Belgian's and domestics Belgian style beers.

All in all, you usually can't go wrong with a stop at Bauer.

05-12-2005 17:07:58 | More by Sycodrummer

Knuckles

Washington

4.85/5  rDev +10.7%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

As I recently moved my sister cross-country from Seattle to Boston, it became imperative that we find a beer store close to her house so she could be sure that she'd be supplied with selections other than just Harpoon, Shipyard or Sam Adams. Mercifully, she chose an apartment not five minutes away by foot from Bauer Wine & Spirits. Located on Newbury Street, which appears to be the Boston version of Fremont in Seattle but without the endless supply of good, cheap restaurants, this basement beer oasis is a find (it's also conveniently located underneath Newbury Comics, should you need the latest issue of 'Serenity' or 'Fables' to enjoy with a Triticus).

Truth be known, if BeerPanther hadn't been the beer manager there, I'm not sure if I would have stopped in. Just knowing it was close to my sister's new apartment was enough for me. But in we went, and I'm glad we did. Nick gets a wee bit hosed by the store, as the focus is definitely on wine and spirits. That said, what little space he gets in the back he definitely takes advantage of. He does have the obligatory BMC beers (for outrageously high prices, which gladdens my heart), but he also has a breathtaking selection of New England and East Coast craft beers that almost made me weep. I was so overcome, that I ended up only buying a Triticus (make a note, BAs, they don't have any at Harpoon's Boston brewery) that I proceeded to leave in Boston.

Some samples of the breweries that have made the cut with Nick: Franconia Notch, Offshore, Middle Ages, Heavyweight (dammit, I really should have bought some of that Perkuno's Hammer, I'm still kicking myself that I didn't), Allagash, Great Divide, Victory, Gouden Carolus, etc. As my brain is still in recovery mode, I'm coming up short. But suffice to say Nick made every selection count. If you live in Boston, or are just visiting, make sure you stop in here. Nick may not be given the space to have the largest selection of NE beers, but I'll be damned if the quality isn't the highest. He's done good work, and it should be visited and appreciated by all.

08-16-2005 19:14:18 | More by Knuckles

CAMRAhardliner

Ontario (Canada)

4.85/5  rDev +10.7%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $

Now this is a good beer store.

Its in the trendy Newbury area of Boston in a basement. The store is inviting and well laid out. The beer selection is kept in coolers and while its not massive its very eclectic and there were about 60 beers I wanted to buy. unfortunately, having to fly back to Toronto greatly limited my beer buying capacity. I decided on some Panil, Cantillon, Southern Tier enearthly DIPA, Avery Maharaja, St George Keller and others.

Without a doubt, the highlight of this place is Nick, he is so willing to please and genuinely wants to make you happy with your beer purchase. He went into the back and got some beers for me that werent even on display yet, he also replaced my chilled panil and cantillon for warm ones. Not only that, he advised me against buying several beers becayse they either werent stellar, or the distributors sent bad batches. What a guy, what beer advocacy BeerPanther. You rock!

Definitely a positive beer experience and a must visit for anyone that wants fantastic beer at a reasonable price.

04-01-2006 23:46:49 | More by CAMRAhardliner

cbl2

New York

4.85/5  rDev +10.7%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I must have walked past this place every other time I’ve been to Boston, and just never noticed it. However, when you are in town for the American Beer Festival, hosted by Beer Advocate, you look around more for beer (I also happened to Beerfly the place before venturing forth on my journey). This is located down a flight of stairs directly beneath Newbury Comics, on Newbury Street.

Upon entering the store, you notice a nice arrangement of beer glasses directly to your right, but the rest of the entrance, and approximately 75% of the interior is devoted to wine. At the back of the shop, however, are a series of coolers (roughly 6) stocked with perhaps the best selection of beer I have ever seen housed in the same location.

I had been going crazy recently because Stone has been having some distribution problems in New York state, and there was some fear that I would not be able to get my hands on either the 2006 RIS, or the 06-06-06 Vertical Epic. Bauer’s had both, and in large quantity. My jaw literally dropped when I saw this, and I immediately knew I was going to need a box to carry away all my treasure that day. So, I approached the front desk and politely asked if I could get a box to carry away all the purchases I was planning on making, and that is when I met Nick.

Many other people have commented on Nick in their reviews of Bauer’s, and I just want to chime in with my support and respect for the man. He knows his beer better than any other proprietor I’ve ever dealt with. He came with me to the back of the store, made a series of recommendation illustrating that he had intimate knowledge of every beer in the coolers, and even provided me with ones that had not been previously cooled if he had any on hand.

Their selection consisted of the aforementioned Stone, Great Divide, Avery, Lagunitas, an assortment of Belgians, an eclectic German sampling, and many others that are escaping me right now. If you are in the Boston area, this is a must visit if only to tap Nick’s vast knowledge of beer.

06-25-2006 17:43:02 | More by cbl2

Gregorious

California

4.85/5  rDev +10.7%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Horray for Bauer!

One day I was sick of the sixers in the ever-so-near liquor store and decided to skate around boston....looking for a good bar. I was going down Newbury when I remember that my old roommate and good friend used to rave about how Bauer had what he was looking for constantly. So i decided to take a peek.

Well...in short, I left with 5 bottles and a chalice.

They had everything I was looking for. If they didnt have exactly what I wanted they had something that would properly take its place.

I have heard of the infamous Nick...sadly whenever I am there he is not. I would love to steal some of his knowledge and use it for myself.

Regardless, this place is not to be missed...Its right under the Newbury Comics...now you cant say you dont know where it is..

UPDATE: I finally met Nick, and he did not dissapoint. I left with an IPA in a can, a 40oz malt liquor from dogfish head, and a new belgian strong ale to try... I was very happy with the 6-pack canned IPA and the Dogfish 40...who knew malt liquor could taste good?
Service up to a shiny 5 now.

07-08-2006 20:30:05 | More by Gregorious

Malted

Massachusetts

4.85/5  rDev +10.7%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

So many good things can be said about this place. At first blush it appears like a run of the mill liquor/wine/beer shop. Like a well crafted beer however, this place has so much to offer and only gets better with more exposure to it. First and foremost, as many people have mentioned Nick (the awesome beer guy at Bauer’s) goes out of his way to make everyone feel welcome and to point them in the direction of what they are looking for. I would also highly recommend being added to his mailing list as the emails he sends out are informative, keep you up to date in the beer world, and to top it all off, they are a lot of fun to read. I have only had limited experience with the rest of the crew at Bauer’s, but what experience I have had has been very positive. Nice people in a city that does not always take the time to be nice. Their selection is top notch for the space devoted to beer. I only gave it a 4.5 for selection as I can only dream of what they would do if they had a couple of extra shelves or coolers to devote to beer. What is there though will please any beer seeker. Over all, I would rate this place as highly as I can for any retail establishment I have been in.

09-25-2006 00:40:11 | More by Malted

SkinnyElvis

Pennsylvania

4.85/5  rDev +10.7%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Bauer's was my first stop on my quick "work" trip to Boston. It is easy to find on Newbury Street close to Mass Ave. My first impression was how little space is devoted to beer but then I noticed what they had. The beer selection is in the back & it is small but exceptional. B/c of the limited amount of space devoted to beer in the store, there were no clunkers in the selection. Thomas Hooker, Southampton, Bear Republic, DFH, Stone, great Belgians, Heavyweight plus the locals (Berkshire) were all to be had. Service was very nice at the store & they helped me lug my new hoard of brew in boxes up to the front. The prices were very reasonable and even cheaper what I am used to paying for singles in PA/MD.

By chance, I ended up sitting next to Nick at the Publick House later in the evening. He was extremely cool & offered me to beermail him with any requests when I am back in Boston for "work" in Feb. I will certainly be back.

Cheers.

09-30-2006 16:25:09 | More by SkinnyElvis