How to find good beer in Westchester County?

[James Kessler]

Where I live, in White Plains, NY, it seems impossible to find any store that sells beer with a good selection of "good" beer. By good, I mean small craft brews, artisan brews, and otherwise "gourmet" stuff. Of course I have no problem finding Samuel Adams and the like, but I've got a taste for more variety than that. I've been trying to find all kinds of seasonal beers around, but to no avail. It seems that in Westchester county, the law of alcohol distribution means that beer can only be purchased in grocery stores, gas stations and convenience stores and the like. Or, you can go to a beverage distributor, which sells larger quantities. The selections at these places is no better than at the grocery store. If I go to Whole Foods Market, I can get slightly better selection than at the Stop & Shop, but I still can't find what I'm looking for. In nearby Connecticut, one can find a fairly good beer selection at almost any "package store" which sells wine, spirits, and beer. Wine shops in New York state cannot legally sell beer. I can't believe that the entire state of New York does not contain any specialty beer shops which have decent selections. Please help.

[Rich Pawlak]

Where I live, in White Plains, NY, it seems impossible to find any store that sells beer with a good selection of "good" beer.  By good, I mean small craft brews, artisan brews, and otherwise "gourmet" stuff.  Of course I have no problem finding Samuel Adams and the like, but I've got a taste for more variety than that.  I've been trying to find all kinds of seasonal beers around, but to no avail.  It seems that in Westchester county, the law of alcohol distribution means that beer can only be purchased in grocery stores, gas stations and convenience stores and the like.  Or, you can go to a beverage distributor, which sells larger quantities.  The selections at these places is no better than at the grocery store.  If I go to Whole Foods Market, I can get slightly better selection than at the Stop & Shop, but I still can't find what I'm looking for.  In nearby Connecticut, one can find a fairly good beer selection at almost any "package store" which sells wine, spirits, and beer.  Wine shops in New York state cannot legally sell beer.  I can't believe that the entire state of New York does not contain any specialty beer shops which have decent selections.  Please help.

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My first thought would be to consult Lew Bryson's book, "New York Breweries", available in most decent bookstores and brewpubs in the Empire State, as well as contacting him through his website , www.lewbryson.com. Lots of information there, as well as from the writer himself.

[tavogels]

Moved away from Westchester about 2 years ago, so I've not been to this place recently...but I think they've been around a while, so they likely haven't changed much. I moved before WF came to the area, so I can't comment on how the selection compares. Versus what was available in the area before, this place was certainly a noticeable step above average. It's a bit of a drive for you, but Katonah's a nice town....

Katonah Beverage Barn

24 Woodsbridge Rd. (Route 117), Katonah

914-232-7842

Edited to add: Here's a link I just found...never been to the other places, but it offers a start.

http://www.nycbeer.org/westchester/stores.html

Edited April 20, 2005 by tavogels (log)