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| - Personally, I think you should avoid Cellars at all costs.
I feel that this gravy train that Mickey Salem has going at Cellars can't last forever, so the fewer people that go there, the better for ME!!!!! :)
Seriously, I don't understand how Mickey can do this, so any craft beer enthusiast should go there ASAP to check out the wide variety of offerings. Mickey is obviously a very intelligent, savvy, and extremely resourceful manager, but he lacks the buying power of the Big Box stores. So how can he mount this INSANE growler fill station at prices 40%, 50% or sometimes even 75% below the Big Box prices? Low overhead may help, but it can't be the whole answer. I chalk it up to voodoo and magic, or maybe he has some really, really embarrassing dirt on the CEOs of all the local distributors. Whatever the case, I count my lucky stars everyday that Cellars exists, and that Mickey is managing it.
Here are a few examples of the unsustainable insanity at Cellars I've seen recently, or over the years:
- 6 pks of a well known San Diego craft beer for 2.99. CRAZY.
- Dogfish 4pks for 3.99. Dont want the whole 4pk? Fine, he sold singles of the same for $1.
- Ommegang 3 pack boxes with snifter glass for 7.99. LOL, Big Box was selling the SAME BOX SET for 39.99. I saw it with my own eyes!
- Hey, I just filled a 64 oz growler with outstanding craft beer for $8. I wonder if Mickey would go even more insane and let me take a couple craft bombers for $1.99 each? Answer = YES.
- Occasional craft growlers at 4$ for 64, and 2$ for 32.
- Out-of-season, high ABV bombers from top notch breweries for 2.99 or 1.99 (i.e., a pumpkin ale in summer, or a winter ale in fall, etc.) He does this sort of thing all the time.
Now, I'm not saying any of those particular deals are active or current, but you can expect similar craziness and similar deals at any particular moment. Go in, see for yourself!
The selection madness goes way beyond growlers and traditional cans/bottles, by the way. The place may be called Cellars, and it obviously has a respectable selection of Wine and whiskeys, but Mickey really shines when it comes to extremely hard-to-find and unique bombers from across the globe. When you are are browsing the craft coolers, its hard not to get whiplash as you keep doing 180 degree spins to see the 4-5 rows of growlers directly behind you. Its truly a wonder.
Aside from the ridiculously large selection at ridiculously low prices, a big part of the Cellars experience is your interaction with Mickey, who apparently does not sleep and is always there ready to answer your questions, or to recommend beers according to your particular tastes (without so much as a hint of 'upselling'), or gossip about rumors of upcoming releases. Mickey is not afraid or reluctant to share every bit of his industry insider knowledge with you. And over time, he has built up a very reliable network of knowledgeable friends and insiders from coast to coast, so he is very much in tune with craft happenings from Vermont to Washington to Arizona, and beyond.
Cellars also has all of the amenities a person may want on a late night beer run...ice, snacks, sodas, and so forth.
There is one thing I think could be improved. THE NAME. The owner should know that "Cellars" is not steeped in history, nor does it's name resonate with the customer base of this store. When I tell people about Cellars, and then they realize what store I am talking about, they almost always say "Oh, you mean Mickey's? Its actually called Cellars? I didn't know that." LOL. the customer is always right...and your customers want the name changed to MICKEYS! Or maybe Salem's. Nice ring to it.
Viewed as a whole, Mickeys (ooops I mean Cellars) really is an amazing thing, and Mickey is downright inspirational. He took a DYING unit in a DEAD strip mall, and converted the tiny space into an elite oasis known throughout the valley, a true craft beer mecca.
When life gives some people lemons, they make lemonade. Life gave Mickey some lemons, and he crafted us a gold medal Unfiltered Citrus Saison Ale aged on Kentucky bourbon staves @ 8.7 ABV 54 IBU. Well done my friend.
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