Off State Road 580 near downtown Dunedin, a mountain of beer joy lies in a rather unassuming strip mall. Luekens Liquors is rated by Beer Advocate as one of the best places to buy snobby brew in the Bay Area. A quick survey of the copious beer selection reveals that inventory is scattered everywhere, with no apparent organizational system whatsoever. Wild Blue is shelved between Christmas beer and Boon Gueuze; the same beer is displayed in five different locations. Browsing the shelves of this brew Wonderland is similar to digging for vinyl records. In order to find the good stuff, it is often necessary to look at every single item. In some ways, that aspect adds to the charm, at least for someone like me. Exploring in this manner is way more interactive than simply buying a six pack. Here’s what I found on my treasure hunt through Luekens.

As a sour beer fiend, the first thing I noticed was the huge range of tarty goodness. Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales brews spontaneous, wild beer, all obscure acquired tastes and generally hard to find, but Luekens has some of the rarest beers from the Michigan brewery — $15 bottles of Fuego Del Otono and $10 bottles of Bam Noire, Biere de Mars, La Roja, and ES Bam. And despite the brewery’s name, the flavor profiles of these ales have nothing to do with gourds. It’s all about the Brettanomyces. Luekens also carries large bottles of sour delights like Duchesse du Bourgogne, Reinhart Wild Ale, the Signature DeProef / Port Brewing Collaboration, and the DeProef / Allagash Collaboration. Extremely rare bottles of Cantillon, the Kriek and Rose varieties, sell for $20, and Lindeman’s Cuvee Renee is priced at only $6 for a 12 ounce bottle.

The collection of current and past seasonal releases at Luekens is entirely awesome — a dream come true for limited brew enthusiasts. Boulder Beer Company’s early February release Mojo Risin’ Double IPA is on hand in 22 ounce bombers or 4 packs. From Avery Brewing, bombers of Maharaja, Ale to the Chief, and Collaboration not Litigation go for $8 or less. The assortment of unusual Terrapin beer is also notable – Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout, Side Project #2 RoggenRauchBier, and Terra Rye’zd. A 25 ounce bottle of Left Hand Rye Bock will only set you back $13, and the best seasonal find of all — the exquisite Left Hand Smoke Jumper Smoked Imperial Porter.

Everywhere I looked, I saw reasonably priced limited releases from Dogfish Head – $5 bottles of Immort Ale; World Wide Stout or Raison D’Extra for $8; the extremely rare (and strong, 21%) 120 Minute IPA for $9. Burton Baton 4 packs are marked $15, and Chicory Stout 6 packs are only $10. Luekens also stocks several of Dogfish Head’s 25 ounce barrel conditioned brews — Black and Blue, Red and White, and Fort, the world’s strongest fruit beer.

For Bell’s Brewing rarities — $2.50 will buy a Java Stout or Double Cream Stout, Hopslam and Expedition Stout singles are $3, and the 3rd Coast Old Ale and insanely delicious Cherry Stout are priced at $4.

I came across every beer Weyerbacher has ever made or thought of making, including $8 bottles of Insanity and $3.50 bottles of Imperial Pumpkin leftover from the Fall seasonal collection. For all the professionals out there, mix equal parts Imperial Pumpkin and vanilla vodka. Knock it back and follow with a shot of Bailey’s. Pure excellence.

It’s hard enough to find products from Bison, an organic brewing company from California, let alone the crazy selection at Luekens – singles, bombers, and six packs of the IPA, Chocolate Stout, Golden Bock, Barleywine, Belgian, Red, and large bottles of Farmhouse Ale for $4.50.

You can also find all the good stuff from Maine brewery Allagash — Hugh Malone Belgian IPA, the Belgian-style Quadrupel Four, Musette Scotch Ale, and the superb Grand Cru. Shipyard, also from Maine, is well represented at Luekens, especially with the Pugsley’s Signature Series Barleywine and Porter, each priced at $8 for a 22 ounce bottle.

There’s a ton of rare and limited Christmas beer too — Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale, Gouden Noel, Delirium Noel, Kerst Pater, and several of the higher ABV varieties from the Ridgeway Elf Series. Without a doubt, the best deals are 25 ounce bottles of Corsendonk Christmas Ale for $8, large bottles of 2007 Nice Chouffe for $9, and 2007 Anchor Christmas 6 packs for $10.

I didn’t dig very deep, but I spotted several other enticing vintage finds — 2004 and 2005 Edition Unibroue, 2007 Samichlaus 4 packs, 2006 Thomas Hardy’s Ale for $5, and large bottles of 2007 Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence Stout.

Brews that aren’t regularly distributed in this area are still available at Luekens – 25 ounce bottles of Rodenbach Flemish Ale for $8, Thames Welsh ESB for $4.50, Melbourne Brothers Strawberry or Apricot for $5, Petrus Key to Heaven Mixed Packs for $20, or pick from a variety of Petrus singles for $4.

Most inspiring — the assortment of Mikkeller brews. These beers are all reliably impossible to find; I usually have to harness the power of the mighty interwebs to keep Mikkeller labels present in my fridge. When I visited Luekens, I discovered $10 bottles of All Others Pale Ale, $11 bottles of Stateside IPA and Big Bad Worse Barleywine, and Beer Geek Breakfast, the glorious imperial stout brewed with coffee, priced at $14 per bottle.

Beer this magnificent should be accessible to people, and I have a heap of respect for beer bars and stores that don’t jack prices up to unnecessary levels. So, Cheers to Luekens for doing their homework and making some really excellent brews obtainable at fair prices.

Some final irresistible deals –
Olfabrikken Porter $10
Nogne O Porter $10
Saint Somewhere Saison Athene or Lectio Divina $8
North Coast Brother Thelonious $7
North Coast Le Merle $8
Unibroue Quatre Centime or Terrible $7

Yet, beer comprises only a tiny part of Luekens total inventory. The rest of the massive store caters to aficionados of cigars, wine, and liquor. So even if a finely crafted brew isn’t your cup of drink, judging by the quality of the beer selection, there will definitely be something at Luekens for your inner alcohol snob. Located at 944 Patricia Avenue, Dunedin, 34698.

This article appears in Mar 18-24, 2009.