| rev:text
| - Born and raised in California, I was concerned that I'd have a difficult time finding quality craft beer in Tempe, Arizona. I checked out Tops Liquor and T's Liquor and was pleasantly surprised that I can actually find a lot of rare bottles out here that would be long gone back home.
I went to Tops first, and aside from the fact that it's difficult to find a fresh IPA there, I was very impressed with their beer selection. After having dinner at Four Peaks, I decided to walk over to T's Liquor and see how it compared.
I was excited to see a Firestone Walker sign in the window, indicating that they'd carry beer by one of my favorite breweries. Maybe this is where I could find fresh IPAs in Arizona?
The first thing I noticed is how hot and dry it was inside the store, so I knew it wasn't a great environment for aging beers. This may have very well been an amazing store for beer from 1997-2001 like another reviewer indicated. It was most likely an incredible store in 2010 as well. However, since then, this store appears to have given up. Nearly their entire beer inventory is from 2007-2010.
The next thing I noticed inside was that the labels for Ballast Point and Firestone Walker beers were the dated, old versions of their labels. I checked the freshness dates and saw they were selling IPAs brewed in 2009 and 2010. This is ABSOLUTELY unacceptable, these bottles should have been removed from shelves years ago. Instead they are routinely dusted and might appear fresher to a newbie than the dusty bottles at Tops that have been sitting there for only 3 months.
I decided to play it safe and look at Belgian style ales considering they age better. I found La Chouffe at a reasonable price - but expired in 2010. I found some rare Unibroue bottles I haven't seen before - but they also expired in 2010 or 2011.
I picked up a bottle of La Trappe's rarer Quadruple for 9.50. The cork was rotten, the beer was chunky, it smelled like red wine that had gone bad. The taste was of pure alcohol and it burned all the way down like a cheap shot of vodka. I should have known better but I wanted to at least try one thing from the shop. After wandering the aisles 3-4 times, this was the only thing I trusted and it was a bad decision.
Lastly, the dude running the counter was rude and didn't say a word to me as I checked out. He also didn't bother to check my ID or my girlfriends ID, even though she just barely turned 21 and I'm 24. Maybe that's the only plus to the place - if you're under 21.
Too long; didn't read?:
THIS STORE'S BEER IS 90% EXPIRED.
If it's not in their refridgerators and it doesn't have an expiration/born on date, do yourself a favor and don't buy it. Check out the store if you must, but then head over to Tops.
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