We all know about the plethora of options for places to grab a beer around here – you can get out of work and stop by the Barley House, Penuche’s, Dos Amigos, The Red Blazer, The Draft, etc. – but what about good places to stock up for the weekend?
We thought you’d never ask.
It turns out that there are quite a few places to pick up packs of cold ones around here. Pretty much every grocery store and convenience store in the city sells some type of beer, but that’s not a very helpful bit of information.
What we wanted to do was highlight some of the stores that you may not know about or think of when you think of buying quality craft beer. Many of the best places, it turns out, aren’t the biggest ones in the busiest parts of town. In fact, if you’re looking for the best selection of tasty, crafty, sudsy goodness, your best bet is to avoid the major, big-name stores entirely.
One of the sweetest finds in Concord is Riverhill Market. This country store is pretty tucked away on Carter Hill Road, but it’s well worth the trip. Riverhill stocks dozens of varieties of craft beer from all over, including many New Hampshire companies such as Concord Craft Brewing Co. and Lithermans Limited. There are also some craft ciders to choose from.
There’s also a butcher shop inside, so it’s the perfect place to grab dinner and drinks on your way home.
Another surprising craft beer store is South Main Quick Stop, by McDonald’s and Vinnie’s Pizzaria. Formerly Tedeschi’s, which was formerly Store 24, the latest iteration of this shop is now a craft beer destination, with varieties like Shipyard, 603 Brewery, Founders and more. Sometimes there are even tasting events – what other convenience store offers that?
A place we’ve written about before but which bears repeating is Local Baskit. The meal kit store in the Concord Center on Ferry Street is always on top of what’s hot in the craft beer scene, keeping a constantly changing inventory on hand (including beers from Concord Craft and Lithermans Limited). Like South Main Quick Stop, Local Baskit is no stranger to tasting events, so follow their website (localbaskit.com) to stay up to date.
Based on its name, it should be no surprise that Capital Beverages on South Main Street is a hot spot for craft brews. The majority of the space inside this store is actually covered with cases of beer, so you could easily spend an hour or two just poking around at all the options. But for the sake of the shopkeeper, try to make a decision a little quicker than that.
