buying beer in bethlehem just got better (years ago)
For my birthday, my mom said she was going to buy me a bottle of bourbon that I’d had on my wish list for some time. She asked me what it was, and I told her, but she lost the thing she wrote it on. I said, “Don’t worry about it. It’s hard to find anyway. I’d like a gift certificate to Tanczos just as much.”
Tanczos is one of our local beverage distributors, which is the kind of business you need to go to buy beer by the case in Pennsylvania. Buying alcohol in PA is weird. Tanczos is very, very good. They have a huge selection, friendly staff, and they’re well-organized. Newcomers to town are usually pretty impressed. (I’m told that Tanczos is often among the higest-rated beverage distributors in the state, usually falling just behind another local place, Shangy’s.)
I figured I’d do my usual boring thing and get a case of either Hop Devil or Hop Wallop from my favorite local brewery, Victory. Hop Devil is a nearly perfect beer, in my estimation. Before heading over, though, I had a look at Victory’s web page and discovered something I’d never seen before: WildDevil. It’s a wild fermented version of Hop Devil. It looked really interesting, and I figured I’d never see it unless I went down to the brewery, but when I went to Tanczos to get my beer, there it was, on the top shelf.
WildDevil is sold in cases of 12 bombers. A bomber is a 750mL beer bottle. That means one case of 12 bombers is about the same as a case of 24 ISBs. The case was $90, a little less than triple what I usually pay for a case of beer, but I was sorely tempted. I talked to Brian, who was interested in splitting a case three ways, and to Kip, who was also interested – but suggested that I try visiting Abe’s Cold Beer to see if they had it in singles.
I’ve seen Abe’s many, many times. It’s on Broad St. between my house and my parents’ house, and it looks a lot like a crappy convenience store that sells six packs. It turns out that they have an enormous selection of imported and craft beers, and you can buy all (or nearly all) of them singly. They also had Victory WildDevil (and Saison, and some other semi-rarities) in single bombers. I got a bottle for $8.75 and I mixed a six of some other beers I’d like to try. Mixed sixes are $11.75, unless they include anything particularly expensive – which isn’t all that much stuff. You can see my selection for today if you’re interested.
Abe’s is also in walking distance, at only a mile and a half away. I will definitely be going back frequently.