Baltimore Beer Retailers

There are lots of beer retailers in Baltimore City, but as is the case in most of this country, only a few of them know beer and cater to the demands of more educated beer consumers. Retailers are listed here only if they have a wide range of regional and national microbrewed products as well as a wide range of interesting imports, where "interesting" is defined as not Heineken, Becks, Guinness, or pale lagers from Japan, Canada, and Mexico. This is a tough area for me to know about since I stick to the stores I know sell good beer.

Baltimore

Broadway Liquors: 628 S. Broadway at Aliceanna (Fells Point)
Good range of microbrewery and import products. All of the local microbrews, Anchor, Sierra Nevada, and quite a few good English ales. Prices are reasonable. Excellent selection of wines as well. Mis-treated bottles of beer always a possibility here since most of the better beers are on exposed shelves under fluorescent lighting. Can be good, but know what you're looking for.
Fullerton Liquors: 7542 Belair Road (Overlea)
Best selection of imports and micros that I'm aware of. Many seldom-found products from the west coast and Europe. Count on finding a lot of California micros, including Anderson Valley, Mendocino, etc. Includes a homebrew supply shop. A bit of a trek from downtown, but not too far inside the topside beltway. Good prices.
Rotunda Wine and Spirits: 711 W. 40th Street (Roland Park)
Outstanding selection of micros and imports. Regional micros include growlers from Baltimore Brewing, Rappahanock Red (and the amber) from Potomac River Brewing, the full range of Blue Ridge beers, Grant's, Sierra Nevada, and many other west coast micros, Big Shoulders and other Chicago brews, Brasal from Quebec, the full range of Celis brews, a wide range of Belgian ales including Hoegaarden, Scaldis, Chimay, etc. Good prices. Stocks books like Michael Jackson's "Great Beers of Belgium" and magazines like "Malt Advocate".
Well's Discount Liquors: 6310 York Road
Wide selection of beer, wine, and spirits at competitive prices. Favorite among the local beer cognoscenti due to their huge selection. Located just north of Northern Parkway.

Suburban Baltimore Area

Four Corners Liquors

3439 Sweet Air Road, Phoenix MD, 410-666-7320
E-mail: fourcorn@access.digex.net
Large selection of microbrewed and imported beers. Good range of Belgian beers including Affligem, Chimay, Corsendonk, Lindeman, Scaldis, and others. Lots of English and German imports too. Also carries full range of homebrewing supplies. Occasionally hosts special events.

Grand Ritchie Liquors

Southdale Shopping Center, 52 Mountain Road, Glen Burnie MD
Located in a shopping center across Route 2 from Marley Station, it's about 3 stores to the left of the Hechinger.

Grand Ritchie Liquors was voted best beer & wine store by readers of "Baltimore" magazine. Excellent selection, comparable to Super Liquors but presented much better. Includes an entire wall (long!) dedicated to (warm) six packs and singles. Any beer can be bought as a single. Half the wall is American, half imports. Lots of Pacific Northwest beers. Imports include a lot of Belgians. Prices seem good. The back wall is an impressive cooler with lots of chilled sixes. Many thanks to Randy Schrickel for providing info on this place (August 27, 1995).

Super Liquors

5605 Baltimore National Pike, Baltimore MD (Catonsville)
Five hundred brands of beer, large selection of Belgian ales, 10% discount on Wednesdays. Doesn't look like much from the outside, more like the kind of place that sells Pabst Blue Ribbon and Mad Dog, but inside they've got a very impressive beer selection with some good bargains. Randy Schrickel was good enough to spot check the place on May 9, 1995, and found Big Shoulder Porter for $5.99 a six-pack, Tuppers Hop Pocket for $6.99 a six-pack, and get this....Sierra Nevada Bigfoot for $7.99---what a deal! Out of the way in a non-tourist-friendly area, but locals will do well to check it out. Has a large refrigerator in the front of the store dedicated to quality micros and imported beers---the swill is in the back of the store.

Read Dave Brockington's Review of Big Shoulder Porter

Did I Forget A Good Retailer?

If I've overlooked a beer retailer with a wide range of good beers, please tell me about it (email stevens@burp.org).

This section updated 7/1/97, Mark Stevens, stevens@burp.org