Saturday, February 6, 2010

Big Game Beverage Selection

The Patriots have been out of the playoffs for some time but that doesn't mean that you can't invite friends over to watch the big game. I admit my  Superbowl watching habits are traditionally more focused on commercials then the actual game, but I enjoy having some friends over and as the host I always look to supply the best in terms of beverages.

Next year I may try to time a Deja Brew trip to be completed just before the game but this year, like so many others, I headed off to the pick up supplies from a local package store.  For me this means a trip to Julio's Liquors.  I got to talking with my friends over at Julio's and asked if they wanted to star in this edition of the blog.  I use the word star as I shot a bunch of video that really conveys my points about Julio's and I wanted to include them in with this post.

Lets start with the beer...
As I mentioned I like craft beers. Unique brews that have some complexity. But in a store as vast as Julio's it is easy to get lost in the beer aisle.  Thankfully, there's a blog for that.  Lost in the Beer Aisle is a local blog tirelessly researching and evaluating beers.  When you approach a store like Julio's this blog can be a great help.  I for one appreciate the suffering "Lost" must endure to provide this service to all of us.  :-)  In all seriousness, there are a lot of beers out there.  It is hard to know what to choose.

Julio's carries an unbelievable selection of beers.  Imports, domestic, micros, and majors.  All side by side waiting to be chosen.  An I have gotten 1/6 kegs of Dogfish 90 and other less standard brews without pre-ordering.  Now if you didn't take the time to check in with Lost, you may need some help selecting the best option.  Luckily Julio's has Tom and Joe.  Guys who understand beer and care about matching your tastes.  On more then one occasion I have left my selection up to Tom, and I have yet to be disappointed.  See for yourself:


I sometimes enjoy a good cigar...
And if I am not at Havana House raiding their humidors, I need to find a place to buy great cigars.  Julio's smoke shop has over 300 different cigars kept at the perfect humidity.  I think the most impressive aspect to the cigar shop is Dan's (Julio's tobacco manager) willingness to add customer recommendations to the regular inventory.  It all comes back to service again.  I can walk in, tell Dan about a great cigar I had and if he doesn't have it he understands enough to recommend a similar cigar.  Then usually by the next time I am visit, he has my original request in stock.  This kind of commitment to customers explains why Julio's continues to grow.


But what about the community?
I started writing this blog because, among other reasons, I like this area.  I am proud of this area.  And I want to highlight when businesses in this area do good things.  I don't write a lot of negative blogs, unless the business is not serving the community.  We are a community, sometimes in competition, most of the time working together.  Julio's is partnering with a lot of the community.  They like the Vin Bin have picked up the Original Beer Cookie.  They also support several other local companies by carrying local vodka, local cheese spreads, and local condiments.  This is huge to me, you can be part of a chain or a private business, supporting other local businesses is important to me.


As I was shooting these video I took a moment to really look at Julio's.  I have still not tried or benefited from a majority of the store.  The loch and key society, the wine tastings, the burn center.  There is still a lot for me to try out.  I enjoy and respect the managers and the service they provide so I expect the same quality form these other departments.  Julio's knows the community supports them and shows their support back.  I put together one last video trying to capture the major departments.  It is available on the Boroughs Review YouTube channel.  I think I will finish off the Fallen Angel (The exclusively made for Julio's beer) that I picked up on my last trip tomorrow during the game.  And maybe I'll see you at a future tasting.

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