While we were out in Pennsylvania last week we paid a visit to a very respectable bottle shop in Reading. I had been contacted by the store’s manager weeks earlier, inquiring if we would like to check out their thousand-plus bottles available for purchase. What’s that Dave? Over a thousand bottles? No more needed to be said, and I informed Mari and Dave that we would be there sooner than later.
When we first walked in I was a little overwhelmed. A huge cold box wrapped around the back end of the store and rows upon rows of single bottles sat proudly in the middle.
Instead of starting on the outside I jumped right into the middle section of the store to see what I could uncover.
First thing that caught my eye was the row of Stone Vertical Epics. Mari’s had bottles going back as far as the 2007 batch.
If you drink craft beer in PA chances are you know about Philadelphia Brewing Company and their smooth-drinking Kenzinger.
The amount of Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey here is unreal. I hope we start to see some of these other brews in NJ real soon.
Not a fan of Port or The Lost Abbey? How about some Speedway Stout from Ale Smith in San Diego.
Maybe you prefer Russian River?
Belgians anyone?
I really loved the Rogue display. They had every single brew you could imagine from them, including brews that they only brew at their brew pubs in Oregon. I picked up a bottle of the 100 Meter Ale for a later post.
Continuing my walk around the store I kept finding more and more bottles from breweries I hadn’t heard of before.
Making you own six pack is encouraged here at Mari’s, which will land a sweet 20% discount and very likely keep you coming back week after week.
Mari does whatever she can to bring the beers her customers want. She hops in her car and scours the state for breweries like Fifty Fifty, Pretty Things, Cigar City the list goes on and on.
You don’t just have to buy beer at Mari’s. You can sit down and enjoy a pint and get a growler fill too.
Might as well get in a round of darts and shoot some pool while you are here too. It’s really cool to see a store like this housing nothing but beer, as it gives the locals a place to congregate, sample some brews, and have a good time. We could have easily stayed here all day but had to hit the road. A big thanks for Dave and Mari for having us out. They have an awesome spot and it is a must for beer drinkers in the area. Stay up to date with Mari’s 6 Pack-N-Mor on Facebook and Twitter; they are constantly updating their patrons on the latest and greatest to hit their shelves, along with information on regularly occurring tasting events.
-Brian