The Epicurean

The first thing I’ll say, is that the Epicurean is the perfect place to go to for your Christmas gifts!
I am, unfortunately (no matter how much I try), not a beer drinker. This has resulted in me avoiding buying beer and ale for people before, largely because I have no idea about the stuff!
Simon and his staff are obviously perfect people to go to for the likes of the uniformed beer drinker, and are more than happy to help. They stock such a wide range that you’re definitely going to find something that would suit a variety of tastes.
So if you’re a beer drinker enthusiast, a beer drinker’s wife, or something in-​between… Then head down to this lovely little joint on Burton Road.

They’re a self-​proclaimed «temple to the sacred alchemy of water, hops, barley and yeast» and that’s absolutely correct.
A dazzling selection of ales, beers, lagers and cider can be found here and the times I’ve visited, the staff have been really helpful making suggestions.
A large proportion of their range is British, American, German and Belgian but they also have a few obscure ‘World’ beers. Basically I’d want my cellar (if I had one) to look like their shop.
Whenever I’m in West Didsbury I’m finding myself popping in here now after buying wine at Reserve. Personally I think Burton Road should be renamed Alcoholics Avenue.
Tip: they have three and four bottle gift boxes available. You can choose their ready-​made selections or create your own.

This is an updated review to highlight experience gathered from my regular custom compared to the first time I went there. Working close by I frequently get my weekend beers from the Epicurean and I satisfyingly never know what to get. There’s always a new Brewery or a new Brew from your fav brewery kicking about.
But more than just stocking good beers in a tidy little shop, I realise you can get practical help on more than just beer choices. They saved me a couple of the Jaipur X from Thornbridge when they were running low and more recently it seems they can sort me out with a few kegs for my wedding. Simon, the owner, is always happy to help.
It’s a great little shop, in great little community and they stock great beers at good prices.

If I was to win the lottery, the Epicurean would be what my garage would look like! No joke — the walls are absolutely rammed with some of the finest beers on offer in the Greater Manchester area and it’s somewhere that’s obviously been set up by craft beer heads on a mission to make the place totally awesome!
The nice thing about this place is that they have the ‘amazing but standard’ selections from breweries on this and that side of the pond but also stock all the different special varieties of the brand. For instance there must have been about 7 different types of Sierra Nevada on offer and closer to home the same amount from breweries such as Buxton, First Chop and Thornbridge — while still loads of room for smaller more boutique breweries!
Ok so craft beer is never going to be cheap (with the news that hops are starting to run out and farmers can’t keep up with demand, it’s probably never going to go down) but I don’t see the prices at the Epicurean being any more expensive than similar stores in Mancunia (you can buy cases in store of more generic craft beers like Longboard if you’re having a bbq etc and want to save some cash)
I went for the Buxton Imperial Black IPA — £2.75 — well worth the purchase, super rich and super hoppy and the FCB from First Chop which is another favourite at the mo — pretty good for £2.40! My wife was also pretty happy with her Timmermans Framboise — so it ticked all the boxes for our quality boozy weekend :-)
Next time I’m in West Didsbury, I’ll be popping in and picking up a few special bottles to enjoy!

Burton Roadites had previously been able to buy a few select bottles of decent ale from the wonderful Reserve Wines, but the Road had really been crying out for a craft beer shop. Enter Simon and Rob! These two beer lovers have gone with an elegant, minimalist aesthetic for their shop front, embracing the scene’s move away from old-​school design and towards something far more stylish. But don’t worry, lovers of rustic chic — they’ve got comforting wooden shelves and crates of German beer stacked around the place, striking a nice balance between tradition and sleek modernity.
This balance is reflected in the beers they stock — you can pick up all of your old favourites, while also choosing from a range which would get the hearts of hop-​fiend beer nerds racing. Brilliant British beer, local ale, hop forward Americana, German lager, Belgian beer, Welsh cider, sweet fruit-​flavoured beer, homemade pies, cordials… There’s something here for every palate.
The Epicurean has only been open for a couple of weeks, but already it feels like it’s been on the Road forever. They’ve already hosted a couple of Meet the Brewers, so keep an eye on their Twitter and Facebook for upcoming events. Simon and Rob really do care about providing people with great beer, and, as the sign says, if you particularly want something that they don’t have, they’ll do their best to get their hands on it. You can’t say fairer than that.
(For a more detailed write up, you can pop over to my beer blog for a previously published full post about The Epicurean:
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I love a good bottle shop and The Epicurean has opened right on my door step. It’s exactly what Burton Rd needed after the craft beer renaissance that has taken over the street. The store itself looks great, exposed brick and untreated wood, boxes of beer laying on the floor and quirky hand written labels around the bottles on the shelves. It fits right in on Burton Rd and feels like it has been there for years.
They have a pretty decent selection with plenty of craft beers from US, European and UK breweries. They also have a small selection of beers from German and Belgian breweries. I think that the Belgian beer selection could be increased, especially with the Summer approaching a couple of Belgian Saisons will go down well! It’s still early days after being open for just over a week now so I’m sure the beer selection will evolve with time.
Another nice touch is they sell fresh handmade pies and quality snacks. They will also be holding tasting events and meet the brewer events.
Being on Burton Rd it is naturally pricey. Some of the beers I saw in there on opening night are double the price you can get them in other speciality beer stores in the surrounding areas. It will be interesting to see if this was an oversight and will come down as they settle in and get to know the market or if it’s just the fact that it’s on Burton Rd and rates are higher.
Overall it’s a great little shop and I’m glad to see it on Burton Rd. Due to the prices it probably won’t become my go to shop for large purchases. There are other shops a tram/​bus ride away that offer similar beers at a better price. For now this will be end up being the place I go for one or two special bottles that are not available in other stores that I really want to try. I’ll keep my eye on this place though as it has a lot of potential.