A beer shop (also referred to as a beershop or beer store) is a retail store where

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

and other goods related to beer are sold; it is a specialised type of

liquor store A liquor store is a retail shop that predominantly sells prepackaged liquors – typically in bottles – usually intended to be consumed off the store's premises. Depending on region and local idiom, they may also be called an off-licence (i ...

. Beer shops can be found all around the world, but there are many located in countries where beer is a major cultural product, including Belgium, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Scandinavian countries, the UK and the US. Beer shops range in size, and may be located along streets or in shopping malls. Beer shops usually offer many different kinds and brands of beer and malt liquors, and may also have a selection of wines, cheeses, and other products. Some shops offer only regional beer brands which are famous or well known in their region. Others offer a wide range of beer from around the world, and some items may fetch fairly high prices, as with fine wines. Due to the increase of craft brewing companies, many beer shops purvey craft beers from local or international

microbreweries Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

, and some such breweries have their own beer shops for selling their own wares and sometimes those of partner breweries, either in regular bottles or in growlers, large, reusable jugs used to transport beer. Some beer shops also offer beer tastings,

homebrewing Homebrewing is the brewing of beer or other alcoholic beverages on a small scale for personal, non-commercial purposes. Supplies, such as kits and fermentation tanks, can be purchased locally at specialty stores or online. Beer was brewed dom ...

classes, and speciality goods like beer jam, beer mustard, beer chocolate, craft cheeses, and hop hard liquor. The shops are usually staffed by trained employees, sometimes even

beer sommelier A beer sommelier, also called a cicerone, is a trained professional, working in the hospitality and alcoholic beverage industry, who specializes in the service and knowledge of beer, similar to a traditional wine sommelier. The knowledge required ...

s who have a broad knowledge of the topic of beer.

Regulation

In most places, beer shops require either a full liquor licence or a beer-and-wine-only limited licence, and may only operate during certain hours (typically the same as

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

s/ bars, or even fewer hours). In some countries, beer shops are more strictly regulated by the government. In Norway there is also a strict control over the hours at which beer can be sold, and beers above 4.75

ABV Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

are only allowed to be sold by the national monopoly ( Vinmonopolet). In Sweden the national

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek el, μόνος, mónos, single, alone, label=none and el, πωλεῖν, pōleîn, to sell, label=none), as described by Irving Fisher, is a market with the "absence of competition", creating a situation where a speci ...

( Systembolaget) is the only agent allowed to sell any kind of beer, and it even has some degree of control—also argued to be censorship—over the appearance of the labels. At the same time, the EU court sentenced in 2007 that individuals are allowed to order craft beer online within the EU without having to pass through national monopolies. Somewhat similarly, parts of Canada only permit take-home alcohol sales from province-operated or specially licensed venues; e.g., in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, hard-liquor bottles are only available at government-operated liquor stores, while beer and wine are available at those and at a chain of privately owned shops, an effective monopoly named

The Beer Store Brewers Retail Inc., doing business as The Beer Store, is a privately-owned chain of retail outlets selling beer and other malt beverages in the province of Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1927, it was owned at its inception by a consortium of On ...

(however, regularly licensed bars/pubs and many restaurants also provide on-premises alcoholic beverages of all sorts).

References

{{Beers of the world, state=collapsed Beer Retailers by type of merchandise sold Alcohol distribution retailers

Regulation

See also

References