I'm back home (the UK) for a bit next month and I'd like to visit a couple of decent bottle shops. The only one I'm familiar with is Bacchanalia in Cambridge. I'm based in Cambridgeshire and I'm willing to travel, within reason. Your recommendations please.
Beers of Europe has probably the largest selection and being in Kings Lynn is no more than 40 miles/1 hours drive from Cambridge http://www.beersofeurope.co.uk/
Also in Norfolk is the Real Ale Shop a bit further along. Although spending my summers a few miles away from these two I haven't visited either because there are masses of good pubs which are all willing to take my beer money. http://www.therealaleshop.co.uk/norfolk/
If you fancy the road trip, Beers of Europe is a heady experience. Just for pushing a trolley up and down the aisles and filling it full of stuff. Yeah, they deliver anything from a bottle to a container-full for about sever quid, but it's worth the trip for the experience. Real Ale shop just outside Wells is OK, bit pricey and most of the beers on offer you'll find at BoE. But if Teddy Maufe is around - the owner of the shop and the farm next door where many of the beers on sale source their barley from - it's worth the trip. Bacchanalia, as you know, is stuff of legend. I'd give a weekend loan of my right testicle for a place like that close to me. If the sun's up, take a run out to Wells-next-the-sea, drop by the Adnams Cellar & Kitchen shop there for their great food / wine / limoncello, drop by Teddy's place then scoop a few crates from BoE on your way back. And enjoy
The other one at Wells is in a rather nice part of the world on the North Norfolk coast, a region full of good pubs, worth taking a bit of time out.And take your bathers with you
Their is a great bottle shop in Birmingham called cotteridge wines uk beer selection is is unrivalled anywhere and prices are the same
I got the impression from the OP that you aren't prepared to travel the length and breadth of the UK to score beers. However, as others are making far-flung suggestions I might as well contribute York has a great shop - Trembling Madness. A ton of bottled UK beers and a good selection from Belgium, the US and other places. It's also a quirky beer bar. See here: http://www.tremblingmadness.co.uk/ York's other shop is the York Wine & Beer shop - their beer selection is smaller but interesting and well-appointed. Mostly UK brews with some Belgian and a smattering of others. They also do fine wines and cheeses, in addition to take-away cask (often Timmy Taylors). http://www.yorkbeerandwineshop.co.uk/beershop Site/contents.html Other northern beer shops include Beeritz in Leeds, and also in Knaresborough. Might be handy if you ever find yourself up this way.....
Thanks for all the responses everyone. Jazzy jeff, I'd love to go up to York but it's not possible in the short time I have here. I went to Bacchanalia in Cambridge yesterday and was very disappointed. There's one in Leicester I'm going to try next week. I hope they have a more thorough selection.