Riverside Beverage Company

Riverside Beverage CompanyRiverside Beverage Company
Riverside Beverage CompanyRiverside Beverage Company
Homebrew, Beer-to-go

600 Manufacturers Rd
Chattanooga, Tennessee, 37405-3702
United States

(423) 265-2337 | map
riversidewine.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.81
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
25
pDev:
13.65%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by TPSReports:
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Reviewed by TPSReports from Alabama

3.45/5  rDev -9.4%
***UPDATE June 20, 2007***
It's sad to report that high ABV shelves were only 50% full. I had many beers on my list, but found none there. I was looking for Belgian style ale. I did purchase a couple of large Duvels and a couple of dogfish head's attempt at dark ale. I think I need to find a new beer spot in Chattanooga.

All of that said, it is a very friendly place to shop. Douglas was there again very nice to deal with.



Orginal Review, 6/27/05:
I made a trip to Chattanooga over the weekend to visit some friends and had scouted out this place ahead of time. They even faxed me the stock list!

I was dealing with Douglas who was extremely helpful and offered great service. Unfortunatley, the beer selection good on the low ABV side, and lacking on the high abv side. Specifically, I was looking for Belgains, Stone and Dogfish. They had a few Belgain, especially lambics. All of the Stone was boxed up for a customer that was going to buy all they had. kinda strange, but whatever. There was no Dogfish in stock.

Also, I would say that more than half of the stock list was not on the shelves. Douglas did offer to special order for me, and I think I will take him up on the offer prior to my next trip up there.

Cheers.
Jun 22, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.25 by benloho from Utah

Aug 06, 2014
 
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Jun 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by travismiller80 from Tennessee

May 31, 2014
 
Rated: 4.15 by mecmd from Tennessee

Oct 25, 2013
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Reviewed by witster18 from Tennessee

3.93/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.75
small craft brew store is an extension of what was a thriving wine store(now next door).

The plus's are the staff is nice and now somewhat knowledgable, and the store is clean and organized(albeit small). "Trey" has gone on to bigger and better beer things - too bad, that was the best guy manning a beer store ever! If he was still there I'd give the service, atmosphere, and quality scores a 5. Thanks Trey!!! You are missed! Staff is still above average, but Trey really brought an energy and service that is unmatched when you walk-in today.

The have about 6-8 beers on tap, and while it's not the biggest selection, they have a good idea of the best to have on tap.

They sell singles, and it's only about 8 bux to fill a half gallon growler if you have the bottle... 13-14 if you need the bottle.

I like the store because the staff is friendly.. often playing decent music when you walk in. I also like it because from the driving to the perusing - you can get in and out of this place quick, and it's basically downtown(just across the ol' jotty bridge from the baseball stadium).

Not gonna dock this place too many points for carrying everything they can in tennessee - it's the states fault they don't have even more.

The prices are very fair... you can get ayinger's for 3-3.50, rogues for 5.50-6, and just about every good craft six from 7-12 bux. The also have every domestic in case you got lost on your way to bonaroo:) everything from stoudt, marble, terrapin, avery, rogue, left hand, and a huge hunk of german offerings.

one down side is they must be under-staffed because this place locks the beerside door OFTEN and you often have to get someone to walk over during the day to let you in(after 5pm usually somebody is manning the beerside)... It's something they could fix(even a door ringer to save the short walk would be a plus).

the best craft beer store in chatt, tn, but that's only because Beverage World is about a 15 minute drive south of downtown(near ft. oglethorpe ga), and because they have no other 'serious' competitors.

worth checking out... if you're staying downtown - it's your only decent option.
Sep 10, 2013
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Reviewed by Nuke77 from Tennessee

3.66/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3
This was my only real source of quality beer and spirits until my recent discovery of Beverage World just across the state line. This store is divided into two with beer on one side and wine and spirits on the other. There is a fair selection of microbrews and there are always some selections on tap for filling growlers. It is a shame that there is not a Founders or Bells to be found thanks to the distribution gods. I will continue to make purchases here but if I travel another 20 minutes I can be at Beverage World so Riverside will get my spirit dollar but not my beer dollar.
Nov 15, 2011
Photo of doopydoogle
Reviewed by doopydoogle from Canada (NS)

3.61/5  rDev -5.2%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5
I went in here to check out some beers in the area. They do have growler fills available, which is quite nice, with a good representative selection of brews. Overall, their selection is pretty good. They have a good stock of beers from all over the states and a pretty good selection of imports as well. The place is just pretty funky and the beer area smelled like rotting beer and old yeast. Staff was not too helpful really, just pretty basic folks staffing a place. If you can get over the decor, its a decent place though.
Sep 02, 2011
Photo of hippityhophead24
Reviewed by hippityhophead24 from Tennessee

5/5  rDev +31.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Riverside Beverage Company is right down the road from Greenlife Grocery. They have two stores, one for beer and one for wine, liquor, and high gravity beers (TN's cap in a beer store is 6.3%). The wine side has a large selection of great liquors, wine, and champagnes for any lover of the spirits. They probably have the largest selection in town. They also have a great selection of higher gravity beers above 6.3%. I go there often to pick up some of those. The beer side of the store has everything ranging from Budweiser to small brew craft beers. The best part is the growler station. I believe they have about 10 brews on tap and they are reasonably priced. Great place
Aug 15, 2011
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Reviewed by dsauter from Indiana

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4
Like other's have said, this is your best bet insude the Chattanooga city limits. The low ABV section in the beer store has a pretty good selection of what you'd expect for the SE: Terrapin, Sweetwater, Yazoo, BBC. They also carry Rogue, Victory, SN, Avery, Stoudt's, and a number of Europeans. The biggest knock on Riverside is that it's not Beverage World, but a couple noteworthy breweries that Riverside does carry are Caldera and Marble (great addition to their selection). They also have about a half dozen taps to fill growlers, and they rotate pretty well.

Tennessee is one of the states with goofy laws, so the higher ABV brews are next door in their wine store. Stone, Moylan's, and a decent selection of Belgians are there, but my experience is that freshness is an issue, so take a close look before buying a bottle.

Prices are pretty reasonable. Lighting is poor. I used to get excited about walking in and having a good conversation and getting solid recomendations, but it has not been the same since Trey left a month or two back. Nevertheless, I'll continue to buy at Riverside and encourage others to check it out.
Jul 09, 2011
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Reviewed by mactrail from Washington

3.05/5  rDev -19.9%
First I have to say that two out of several ales I bought on the high grav side of the store were spoiled: the Sue from Yazoo and the Atwater Voodoovator. They were happy to give me credit, but not a good batting average.

What I found odd was how few southeastern regional beers they have. Vermont, Michigan, New York, not to mention Avery from Colorado in abundance.

Still, it's a lot of different beers. Other thing I didn't like was on the low grav side the lighting is so bad, you have to take beers out of the cooler and find a patch where a bulb is shining to see what is what. A few singles available on the low grav side, very few on the high grav.

Beer guy was jolly. "Take your time, you got all day."
Nov 18, 2010
Photo of freakpower
Reviewed by freakpower from Tennessee

4.5/5  rDev +18.1%
Hands down the best beer store in Chattanooga. Good selection, and the staff are beer geeks who know their stuff - they'll bring in just about any quality beer they can get their hands on.

The ten or so taps for growlers are, I think, unique to Chattanooga, and they rotate through the selection pretty regularly, so there's always something different. My only complaint is the flat $9 price. Works out for more expensive or otherwise unavailable beers, but isn't that great of a deal for beers that sell for under $10 a six-pack. On Friday afternoons, there's usually a promo with a discount and/or swag.

A huge plus is that they've recently expanded the high-gravity selection on the liquor side and hope to add even more. Used to be that you had to drive to Georgia for a big IPA, but not so much anymore. Again, if they can get it, I think you'll see it on the shelves.
Jan 28, 2010
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Reviewed by Likeburning from Tennessee

4.2/5  rDev +10.2%
I was in town to visit a friend who is also a beer lover, and he took me to Riverside. First of all, I was pretty damn impressed at the growler filling option. I haven't been to very many beer stores (in the state of Tennessee at least) that have this option.
Despite our 6% law, this store had a really good selection. About a dozen taps, lots of different bottles organized by origin, and a decent number of bombers as well. I've heard this is the best beer store in town and I don't doubt it.
I've been spoiled a but by Bruisin Ales in Asheville, but they don't have the percentage handicap that we do in Tennessee. Working within these restraints they've put a great store together. The local AB distributor even had the Kona Brewing Company sales rep in today. I know it was just good timing on both of our parts, but it was still a nice touch to see one of those guys there.
Overall, I would recommend this store to friends, and I will shop here again when I'm back in town.
Apr 02, 2009
Photo of n00tz
Reviewed by n00tz from Georgia

4.35/5  rDev +14.2%
This review comes after two visitations within close succession.

Clean store, both sides (ridiculous TN law).

When I visited the high-gravity side (liquor, wine, hi-grav beers) there were two attendants, both were eager to assist in helping me find what I was looking for. I ended up buying a small bottle of vodka (Ciroc) that I had recently found to be quite enjoyable. Their high gravity beers were in desparate need of restocking with many holes on their shelves, but an obvious array of a selection available though limited in comparison with other stores I've been in.

The beer side had a seemingly wide selection, though needed some restocking when I passed through. I think the cases could use a little better lighting, but that's just me: maybe they were after that environment. Everything was labeled appropriately that I could tell. I bought a couple of select bottles and had a 1/2gal growler filled with one of the 6 selections available at the time. The cashier was unintrusive and filled my growler reasonably fast.

They've won me away from the liquor store I had been going to in service, though I will be making some price comparisons to know which to go to for what.
Sep 05, 2008
Photo of ectomorph
Reviewed by ectomorph from Tennessee

3.66/5  rDev -3.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
Stopped by after work and was able to purchase a 1/2 gal glass screw top growler and have it filled with Highland Kashmir IPA for under $13. The guy working threw in a Big River pilsner glass free of charge, always nice...

They are adding additional taps for growler fills to the 6 (I think) they already offer. Today they had: Sweetwater 420, Highland Gaelic Ale and Kashmir IPA, UFO Hefe, Ft. Collins Rocky Mtn. IPA and Choc Stout.

I had previously visited Riverside Wine and Spirits (built in on the left) and was only 'meh' about the service/selection. Riverside Beverage (on the right) made up for it today. I will be back often.
Aug 21, 2008
Photo of tiger88
Reviewed by tiger88 from Alabama

2.9/5  rDev -23.9%
On the liquor/wine/high gravity side, you have one section of the back wall that houses a "little less than decent" selection of higher gravity stuff. The high point was they stocked 4 different Trappist beers: Chimay, Orval, Westmalle and Rochefort. All were a little pricey but for TN, that is to be expected. Also picked up some Duvel and a bomber of Stone Ruination. The beer side of the store had a decent selection of Rogue and New Belgium bombers as well as "growlers to go." The personnel did not come from behind the counter and were not very interested in the clientelle until they approached the counter. If you're in Chattanooga and you MUST stop for some beer, this is an OK place to stop. There are a couple places about 15 minutes south in Georgia that have a better selection and not as expensive.
Aug 14, 2008
Photo of Bavaria1516
Reviewed by Bavaria1516 from Tennessee

3.5/5  rDev -8.1%
As of Dec. 19th, the selection on the wine side (high abv's) has doubled and is now two complete shelving units. Things I remember seeing: Duvel, Rochefort 8 and 10, a few Dogfish Head Raison D'etre and 90 minute IPA, Westmalle Tripel and Double, Delerium and the usual Arrogant Bastards and Stone Ruination. Looks like they had just stocked the shelves before I got there. Prices are always in line with the surrounding stores so no complaints there. The low abv side was well stocked, probabley the best selection I've seen so far in Chattanooga with plenty of beers to choose from tomake your own sixpack. Guy working the low abv side was nice, helpful and cared about selling good beer. Thumbs up so far
Dec 20, 2007
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Reviewed by MMAJYK from Georgia

3.35/5  rDev -12.1%
I visited this store the day after Thanksgiving. I called ahead a few days to make sure I could pick up some Duck Rabbit offerings and some Stone. They tole me on the phone that they had more Stone brews that what they actually had. All they had was Arrogant Bastard. That was on the wine side. The beer side had a nice selection and did have my Duck Rabbit. The store was disorganized and cluttery. The service was decent. For a Chattanooga store, the selection was good and the price was right. Glad I tried them out, will go back!
Nov 30, 2007
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Reviewed by Poser from Alabama

2.65/5  rDev -30.4%
Since Georgia changed their beer laws, their selection gets dimmer and dimmer. The above 6% side of the store carries one shelf of beer. The below 6% side carries a decent selection. Basically I judge on the above 6% mostly, because that's what you can't buy in Alabama. They had some Stone and some interesting things, but it was pretty basic overall.

The staff were friendly on both sides but didn't know much about beer. Riverside was the best place I found in Chattanooga, and it helps that they have a duo so you don't have to drive around because of their imaginary line of "dangerous beer" (TN law says <6% beer CAN'T be sold in liquor stores while >6% beers MUST be sold in liquor stores).

I won't say I was disappointed -- I'm from Alabama after all.
Aug 16, 2007
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Reviewed by barefootbrewer from Mississippi

3.85/5  rDev +1%
This was the best beer store that I found in the area. They carried several different micro-brews but were hit and miss on high gravity/imported beers. The staff was friendly and helpful – even more so once we got into a beer discussion. Talking seemed to help, as some gems were found after it was established that I was looking for really good beer (not general macros or run of the mill micros). I’ve definitely seen bigger stores/selections in other states, but if in the area…can’t beat this place.
Jul 30, 2007
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Reviewed by ArrogantB from Colorado

3.85/5  rDev +1%
This place is indeed split into a "liquor" store and a beer store. Anything over 6% is in the liquor store. The selection of high alcohol beers was not good at all but I found a Mendocino Black Eye blended ale that was pretty tasty and I saw some sinebrychoff porter that I should have grabbed. Prices looked decent. The "beer" side was a lot better as they had a good selection. I was able to mix a six pack for $10 and got to try six new beers. Service was pretty good but I just wish they had more high alc beers like the Duck Rabbit seasonal beers and such.
Jul 12, 2007
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Reviewed by Enola from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +5%
First of all, my reveiw is based on the liqour side only. So this is nly for the higher abv beers. This is because I am an idiot. I looked so forward to going to the most reccomennded beer store in Chattanooga only to have a brain fart and drive away from the place without even going to the beer and wine side. Here in NC we don't have split stores so I am not used to this type of layout.

Anyways, the store is easy to find. From downtown go across the Tenn. River and get off the first exit. Go down the ramp, take a left and the store is on your left. The selection was good as there were several Stone's and Belgiums. I bought Delerium Tremens here for like $8 a bottle. I have never saw that in NC. I also picked up a couple more Arrogant Bastards. So the trip to Riverside wasn't a complete wash. The service was fair as I was asked a couple times if I needed help. I will come here again sometime and explore the other side more thouroughly.
Oct 12, 2006
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Reviewed by Graebner from Germany

4.5/5  rDev +18.1%
Riverside is *the* package store in Chattanooga. Not only do they have beers that you can't get anywhere else in town, but the staff knows their stuff, and the overall feel of the store beats everywhere else, hands down.

The store is split into two halves (per Tennessee law), with the beer on one side, and the liquor, wine, and high-gravity on the other. The beer side has quite a good selection, and they get in new beers every month or so. They also offer a $10 mix n' match six-pack, and a $5 mystery mix n' match. The $10 lets you pick any six beers, while the mystery lets them select it for you. Also, every beer they have is available as a single.

The high-gravity side features a wide variety of Stone products, as well as several Trappists, various craft microbrews, and sundry other rare and odd beers. Try the Burton Bridge Empire Ale...it's fantastic.

The staff is very friendly and also very knowledgeable. They will be able to make recommendations based on what you tell them you're after, and I have found them to usually be spot-on. The owner actually teaches wine tasting classes at a local college, and some of the staff are knowledgeable about the wines as well. Basically, these people give a damn about what they're doing.

Selection-wise, they almost always have at least a few that I've never even heard of, and they usually have at least a few that I just heard about and want to try. They also have a great selection of wine and a decent selection of scotch (both best in the city, as far as I know).

For all that, they're not overpriced at all. I've never done a sixer-for-sixer comparison, but I've never felt like I needed to. The prices are not noticably different from anywhere else in town.

Overall, this is the place to shop.

www.riversidewine.com/beverage
May 04, 2006
Photo of Southernbrew
Reviewed by Southernbrew from Georgia

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
Good sized store divided into high alchohol and low alchohol sides. High alcohol had basic Stone offerings and DFH's Brown Ale. Good selection of Belgiums but that was really about it. The low alohol side had a good selection and had a large single selection for making your own six packs, always nice. Some things I hadn't seen before but nothing that blew me away. Service on the low alcohol side was nice and pleasant but the guy on the high alcohol side was kind of quiet and weird. Probably the best place I stopped in while in the area.
May 11, 2004
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Reviewed by FormatKid from Tennessee

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
Pretty big place seperated into two halves. All your beers over 6.0% abv on one side, below 6.0% on the other.

MANY belgians on the liqour store side, as well as the standard offerings from Stone, they have started to carry Stone limited releases now as well, and a couple choices from Dogfish Head.

Beer side has many offerings from Rogue, Sammy Smith, Local breweries, Organic Beers, etc. A create your own six-pack environment is set up with the singles. I'm glad to see this because now I can try some new stuff without blowing all my money on six-packs. There are some home brew supplies on the beer side as well, and what they don't have they can order for you (they place orders twice a month).
Beerwise this place has improved nicely since all things beer there have come under new management.

If you had to stop one place in Chattanooga this would be it.
Apr 18, 2004
Riverside Beverage Company in Chattanooga, TN
Place rating: 3.81 out of 5 with 25 ratings