Amex Wines

I love Amex. Mainly for its easy location and its stocked shelves of all things boozy. ‘Just popping to Amex’ is something I hear round my friends’ house at least twice a day. They have cans of Dr Pepper for 55p so I was sold straight away. Not 100% convinced on the political correctness of part-​owner Abdul but he’s always a friendly face. They sometimes have random things in bulk all stacked up around the counter, which last time I checked, was industrial-​sized packs of toilet paper. My friend who was new to the area thought the interior looked like something inside of an old ship; I guess it is a little strange. They sell these fizzy snake things for 10p and even though I never go in with the intention of getting one they always seem to entice me. You don’t need to plan ahead with Amex around the corner, it satisfies all your house party/​quiet night in/let’s get lairy needs.

In this off-​licence the beer is stacked to waist-​height, so you feel like you might encounter a lager-​loving Minotaur as you navigate through this boozey labyrinth. As well as stocking a big selection of standard beers, wines and spirits, Amex Wines seem to be able to source some gems that evade other off-​licences. Singer and songwriter Tom Waits used to sing the praises of a beer called Mickey’s Big Mouth. Amex was where we tracked it down, in grenade-​shaped green bottles. They also have good range of premium spirits including Parisian and Bohemian absinths/​es, and some rums that you might not see in many places.
Balsall Heath’s tiny and authentic pub The Old Moseley Arms is just down the road, so combine a visit to one with the other.

I’ve always been a fan of this particularly off-​licence and continue to use it even though I have moved out of the area. The main reason for my repeat visits is that The Old Moseley Arms is a few hundred yards away, so this is the perfect spot to pick up some tobacco. The other reason I continue to use it is the fact that, having lived just down the road for 5 or 6 years, the guys in the shop remember me and we always have a chat about this and that. It’s a proper local store, in other words (even though now I’m technically no longer a local).
There is a decent and, more importantly, COLD selection of beers and soft drinks in the fridges, a fair to decent wine section and a few spirits. They accept cards, so you don’t need to worry about schlepping up to Moseley for some cash.
The final, final reason I still drop in here from time to time is that it is one of the only beer shops I know that stocks DAB, which is a really nice German lager that doesn’t seem to have made much of a dent on the UK market and so is sometimes tricky to track down.