Sam’s Bottle Shop

Although it came after, Sam’s Bottle Shop is like the mature, well organized and clean older siblings to Sam’s Quik Shop, the younger, dirtier hipster version. What Sam’s Quik Shop lacks, Sam’s Bottle Shop makes up for: brightly light interior, patio seating, a variety of beer, wine, non-​alcoholic drinks and drinking apparel/​accessories in addition to twenty-​eight beers on tap (compared to Quik Shop’s ten draft beers).
What you should know walking into Sam’s Bottle Shop: there are two «beer stations»: upstairs and downstairs. Both have their own drafts, so make sure you visit both before deciding. Also, look for the free arcade game, bottle floor in the back. Although both Sam’s in Durham charge an average of $ 6/​pint (you’ll rarely find a $ 5/​pint but $ 6-​$ 8 are more common), they do offer specials on $ 2 off all drafts, typically on Sunday, Monday and Wednesdays, check their social media sites! So, if you’re looking for the reason that they call Durham Dirty, visit the Quik Shop, but if you’re looking for an all around enjoyable beer experience, place to sit and drink and an inviting atmosphere, definitely pay a visit to Sam’s Bottle Shop.

Sam’s Bottle Shop is similar to Sam’s Quik Shop, but newer and more of a modern feel to it. Like many bottle shops around this area, you can drink and shop for beer in the same location. They always have a selection of beer on tap downstairs and upstairs (the selections are different down/​upstairs).
The selection of beer here is pretty good! There’s always a beer on tap that sounds good and worth trying, and they will even have some rare finds now and then. As for the bottles, it’s a very good bottle selection with many options to choose from, probably one of the larger ones in the area. However, I have found the stock can vary drastically depending on when you visit. There have been times when the store was completely stocked with every beer and other times when it seemed like there was nothing on the shelves. I do wish it was more consistent.
As for seating they have an outside patio area where you can sit and enjoy your drink. If you want to sit inside, you’ll have to go upstairs. The seating options are very limited here, there’s about 5 seats available at the bar, and then 2 tables with 2 chairs each. I didn’t find the upstairs area to be very inviting or cozy and didn’t want to spend a whole lot of time there. There are definitely other bottle shops out there with better seating options if that’s what you’re looking for.
The benefit of this shop is definitely it’s bottle selection! It’s also in a very convenient location, off of 54, and an easy stop to make if you’re grocery shopping or doing anything in this area really. The staff is helpful as well if you’ve got any questions or need recommendations!

Great draft list! I love that this is both a bottle shop and a place to grab a beer with friends. A lot of bottle shops offer drafts too but I find the space not a welcoming to more than the 5 or so people that managed to grab the stools by the bar. Here, there is room for drinking both downstairs and upstairs. You don’t have to get a whole pint either which allows you to sample a few 4oz before making your bottle purchases. All this to say, I approve of the layout of this space. As far as bottles and cans go, it too has a great set up. There’s a local section, a couple of growler options, and some hard-​to-​get bottles as well. I especially like that I found some Hoppin Frog bottles here (my hometown is Akron and I love their brewery!). I plan to stop back at Sams very soon so I can bring some local NC beer home for the holidays :)

this place has a very wide and encompassing selection of awesomeness.

Always a good beer selection with 20+ taps. There’s a patio upstairs for sitting and drinking, and there’s plenty of beer to go as well.

Date.. .. .. .. .. …5.16.15
Type.. .. .. .. .. .Bottle Shop
Location.. .. .…Durham Suburbia
Prices.. .. .. .…Normal
Tap Selection.…Extensive, 20+ local craft
Bottle Selection. .Large, 400+
Full Bar.. .. .. .. .No
Samplers.. .. .. .Probably
Full Pours.. .. .. .Yes
Beer Level.. .…Very Good
Food Level.. .. …None
Staff.. .. .. .. .. .Knowledgable, Personable
Growlers.. .. .. .Perhaps
Noise Level.. .. .Quiet
Décor.. .. .. .…Industrial, Cold, Open Spaces, Clean, Gray
Kid Friendly.. .. .No
Dog Friendly.…No
Parking.. .. .. . …Private Lot
Cash Only.. .…No
Recommended. .Yes
Comments: Great place for trying local beers on tap plus perusing an extensive selection that focuses on US craft beer but has quite the array of imports with some previously unknown French ciders catching my eye the most. About half of the selection is refrigerated including beers you are most like to buy in 6-​packs on the regular. Bizarre, expensive, large format singles sit on wire shelves. Great place to look through a large selection if you are seeking out rarities, but also a great stop for daily beer. Prices I thought were a tad more reasonable than what I’ve been used to in the past living in DC, LA, and San Diego. Fun discovery.

I really liked this place because I thought it was unique – in San Diego, there really aren’t many places that both sell bottles and have a bar, so this was different and fun. The bartender was friendly and willing to offer suggestions for new beers, and the beers we ordered were great.
The upstairs & inside seating area doesn’t have too much space, but they’ve got a large balcony right at the front of the shop. We didn’t spend much time out there due to the heat, but I’m sure it would be very nice either at night or in the cooler months. Also, it was fun to just roam the aisles – they’ve got quite a selection, and this would be a great place to go if you wanted to expand your palate.
I would definitely go again!

I thought the selection was amazing. I found white street IPA in the bottle which was awesome. I use to live in Wake Forest and now I live right outside of Charlotte. I miss White Street and bottles keep better than a growler does. Finding that made my day!
I thought the draft selection was good, but I didn’t know any of the names and what they were like. A description of the draft beers would have been nice. It would’ve helped me with my selection.

Sam’s has an incredible selection and remarkably helpful staff. They host tastings almost every Friday afternoon (usually from 4−7pm), with a different brewery each week. Enjoy $ 2-​off drafts on Sundays and Mondays.

I adore Sam’s. I just starting coming here about a month ago, and the summer timing was perfect. There’s nothing better than having an extremely cold beer on their outdoor balcony patio.
I am actually not a veteran beer drinker. Before coming to Sam’s, I knew I liked Duck Rabbit Milk Stout and any dark, chocolatey nitro pour. I hate hoppy beers, though, and was hesitant to try any lighter brews.
Because Sam’s has such a fun and expansive draft menu, I branched out and learned that I love shandies and sour beers, too. Seriously, this place feels like a taste playground for adults. The bright lighting, wide aisles and laid back but excellent service reinforce that «grown-​up playground» feel. I also really like being able to create a mixed 6-​pack so I can try even more new beers at home.
Sam’s: I’m glad you guys exist, and I’m *really* glad you’re just five minutes from my house.

This is the second bottle shop belonging to Sam’s after the original location (Sam’s Quick Shop on Erwin Road). The location on 54 is great and is very accessible to Hope Valley Road and 751. The shop is right next to Advance Auto Parts and there is plenty of parking. As you enter the automatic doors (only enter on the right), you will see a big chalkboard that shows all the beers on tap. You can find those beers either on top in the upstairs tap room or if there is an asterisk * by the name, that beer is on tap right at the registers. There is an outdoor patio upstairs and Sundays and Mondays are the best days to get a beer on draft. All draft beers are $ 2 off so that makes most of the options about $ 4 a glass.
There are coolers and racks with all kinds of beer from all over the world and many local options for all the NC breweries. Sam’s carries most of the popular beers and you can also mix and match and make your own six pack and look at the single prices on the labels. They carry some matching beer glasses and most glasses are $ 2.99 unless otherwise marked. The staff is very helpful and can look up beers if you can’t find what you are looking for. The prices are on point with other bottle shops in the area and the shop is very clean and new. My recommendation is to go check out Sam’s and then head across the way to Mattie B’s for more beer an awesome food.

Nice facility with a great selection of specialty beers you won’t find in the cooler at the BP. I managed to pick up some Port City Monumental IPA I’ve been looking for at a retail outlet for months. The store is clean and attractive and encourages wandering to check out all the options. They also sell cigars and have an upstairs bar area, with both an interior bar and a patio outside that overlooks… well, a shopping center and a busy intersection, but whatever.
The caveat: the staircase is something like the demilitarized zone. There are a lot of rules about what can be upstairs and what can’t – if you buy a six-​pack on the first floor, you can’t take it upstairs to have a pint, you have to leave it at the check-​out area. Also, there are 28 beers on tap with twelve being downstairs and the rest upstairs. That may just be because of tap space, but it seemed to confuse some people. However, with 28 beers on tap, you’ll have plenty to choose from and these are not your Bud Light/​Coors kind of drafts, so it’s a good chance to sample something different. I found the staff to be incredibly knowledgeable, particularly when advising customers about putting together flights of four different beers. I’m not sure how often they rotate the beers on tap, but I do plan to go back and find out!

Well organized, well lit, and I’ve found the employees to be helpful with «I like this. Can you help me find something else I will like?»
I also appreciate how much stock they keep cold. Prices are fair and I could get in and our really fast if I could narrow down what I would like.
I like this a lot better than the original location because of the layout and the parking lot. I’ve not really taken much advantage of their entertaining space or sampling area, though. I’m usually in a hurry to get what I want and take it home.
Would be nice to have a frequent buyers’ card or club or something.

Best beer shop in the area by far.
Their selection is extensive as far as I’m concerned, but I’m not really a beer snob. Anyhow, they had 5 different beers from Unibroue, and a whole part of their walls for Belgian ales, if I want it, they have it.
Also, they have the 5L minikegs, Warsteiner 5L was only like $ 17. Usually these specialty beer shops hike up prices because they have a bigger selection but the beer here is various and cheap.
They also have a bar upstairs but I’ve yet to try that out.

This place is awesome! I can’t wait to bring out of town guests to check it out.
They have beer tasting on the first level, where you can also buy pretty much any beer you can imagine. It’s great when you’re looking for a hometown brew, or something you’ve tried in another state. They have single bottles, cans, six packs, cases, and growlers.
On the second level, you can buy pints on draft. You can drink the pints there, on their balcony, or on the first level while you’re browsing the beer selection.
I’d highly recommend checking the place out. The only thing that could make it better would be a food truck in the parking lot!

I have to say, I had high hopes for this place particularly because it’s located down the street instead of a sketch-​tastic little corner of Durham like the Quick Shop. Still, the reviews made me wonder and those Unilocalers were pretty spot on.
While it’s a nice place, and we did visit on the day of World Beer Fest, where it seemed most of their workers were, they were generally not all that nice or helpful. I can see this being a cool place to rent out and have a little get together, but they’ve gotta work on the customer service angle. I just got a beer snob vibe and it wasn’t all that appealing.
Also, they fill only a couple of growlers so we ended up going to Growler Girlz which was WAY better and around the corner. That’ll be our choice next time a tasty beverage is in our future.

Huge selection, much nicer employees than Sam’s Quik, no chairs/​seating, no samples.
It’s tough sometimes to take a gamble on a full pour, but that’s what you have to do at Sam’s Bottle Shop. It’s nice to walk around with a beer and look at the selection. I’m also a fatass and I like to sit and drink my beers.
Turning in is a bit awkward if you come in from Hope Valley. Overall, I look forward to going back.

Sam’s Bottle shop is a newer, more spacious version of Sam’s quick shop located in a gas station off of Erwin Road. it doesn’t have quite the «charm» per say as that location or the uniqueness, but they have the same huge variety of beers to choose from.
I asked the staff for some recommendations for some Summer beers and they were very helpful and friendly in pointing me to some of their more popular offerings. I was informed of their beer tasting on Friday evenings with discounts for the brews being marketed. I plan on returning for one of those events and hanging out on their seconds floor patio, which looked really cool and inviting!
Note: They also offer some beers on tap you can imbibe on while in store. Limit 3 per person.

I like the vibe here. The less sketchy version of Sam’s with just as great of selection and a little bigger space. You can order from the 20– some taps both on the ground level and upstairs. Bartenders are friendly and know their beers but apparently you should know what number tap your selection falls under (maybe they rotated them too fast to memorize).
Great shopping for singles and packs. Good choice of refrigerated items as well. Some wines and few other mixers. I discovered a little freezer of no other then my favorite– locopops! Score!
Nice space upstairs with a wide open patio. Good design cool hangout spot! Perfect because it’s so close to my place.
They do ask a 3 beer max because they like to encourage support of the other local pubs but I’m sure after 3 beers it might be wise to walk there.
All in all a good concept. Glad I don’t have to drive as far to get such a great selection

Was VERY pleased with the new bottle shop when I got to stop in for the first time after the grand opening last week.
I’m a big fan of Sam’s Quik on Erwin (it’s right down the road from my apartment, the bottle selection is amazing, you can drink in the store while shopping, hole-​in-​the-​wall feel etc. etc.)
The only issue with the original store in my opinion (and its debatable whether this is really an issue), is that it doesn’t give off a ‘come here and hang out’ vibe. I love meeting up with friends there, and obviously so does the rest of Durham on Friday afternoons because it gets super packed, but that limited space can make it a bit crowded, especially in the store.
The Bottle Shop completely addresses that «issue». Same great selection that you get from Sam’s Quik, but add in two floors, increased floor space for easier in-​store maneuverability (critical to shopping with beer in hand), more beers on tap, and the outdoor patio.
The patio is SWEET. Great view up there, and will be a staple for me this summer I’m sure.
That is strange about the tables and chairs comment from the previous review. Not sure about that, but places to sit up there would be nice. Even still, a great new space for Sam’s and I’m happy to see a Durham beer institution spreading it’s wings and expanding within the Bull City!