Tipple’s Brews of Gainesville

When I write reviews I usually give the good, bad, and the ugly. With Tipples I only have the good and bad to talk about.
One of the best things about Tipples is the ability to drink beer while you shop. Every time I go in I meet someone new and we end up talking for an extended period of time, drinking beer and connecting on a beer level.
I always recommend buying the folks that work there a beer of their choosing. In return they will turn you on to hidden gems of terrific beer. Beers you never would have chosen but are terrific. Well actually they will do that even if you don’t buy them a beer, but it’s great to drink a beer with them.
Another things that makes Tipples special is their ability to get almost anything you ask for. From speciality — hard to find beers like Sam Smith’s Stingo, cases of Pumking, to kegs of your favorite beer or cider.
I go a soften as possible and have never had a bad time there.
Now for the Bad about Tipples…
They close earlier than I would like and are located far from me. — Wait, that also may be good. Any closer and open any later and I might develop liver damage and have a empty wallet :).
Seriously I don’t have any real complaints. It’s a cool place to buy and drink great beer in Gainesville.

Tipples is a must stop for any fan of craft beer. The store probably has the best selection of any place I’ve visited, either here or back home. They’re constantly bringing in amazing beers to the store and if you follow their social media page they’ll let you know about exciting new beers that are in. The staff is laid back and very knowledgable. They have four or five different beers on draft available in pint or for growler fill. You can also crack open and enjoy any beer in the store while you shop. Simply ring it up at the end!

As an infrequent visitor to Gainesville, I believe that Tipple’s might be the only craft focused bottle shop in the area. At least that’s what my searching led me to believe. Regardless if that’s true or not, the important thing here is that you can imbibe in the actual store here.
If you’re from out of state and looking to snag some out of distro Florida brews while in Gainesville, this is your place to go to. It may be a bit cramped in the aisles, but I promise you that they can be navigated for whatever barrel aged wonder you are hunting. The prices are reasonable-​ish and the staff is always there to help you out.

Tipples is unique in the Gainesville community. It is mainly a store that sells beer and wine, but unlike other beer and wine stores, you can imbibe while shopping. This was a startling revalation when I entered. Torn between two beers one of the staff informed me that I could always try one in the store! It was a little freeing to pop the top on a beer and continue my beer shopping.
There was a broad selection of beer, most were American craft, but there were also European, and even Japan! There was an entire wall dedicated to Belgian beers as well which included trapist, and sour beers. I also came across their taps, and found out they did growler fills as well.
As I was checking out I noticed the other half of the store was dedicated to wine. From the flags hanging from the ceiling it looked like there were a wide range of wine available from France and Italy to South Africa and America. I will definitely be back!

Amazing beer selection, and it is great that you can have a beer while you shop! Employees are very knowledgeable and friendly. Ask them for advice.

Great selection with a very knowledgeable staff. I just wish that they had more indoor seating or even standing room for tasting.

Definitely worth the jaunt out here on Tower Rd away from Gainesville’s «downtown.» The store is very modern and clean with almost all beers refrigerated rather than aplace like Gator Bev with most beers except for Bud Light and Miller Lite outside on hot shelves. This place is not a beer depot that happens to have craft beer– it is craft beer centric and offers proper glassware, tasting taps, mix your own six pack, and a moderate wine selection. Great place to pick up single, large format bottles plus cold six packs. Usually stocks Cigar City and other Florida local beers plus more difficult to find imports. The store has a near identical layout to one of the best beer stores in the country: Healthy Spirits in San Francisco. Keep up the good work!

Fantastic place with great beer selection and friendly staff. You can pop any beer in the store and hang out and drink it. Must visit in Gainesville.

Great find in Gainesville. They have a wonderful selection and will order speciality beer and wine at no additional charge. the hubby and I frequent tipples and make our own six packs.

We recently moved to the area from California, a.k.a. wine country (and craft beer in many areas), and Tipples has to be THE best wine selection we’ve ever seen. Mind you, we’ve been to Napa, Paso Robles, Stone brewery, etc. a multitude of times and visited some of the most expansive wine bistros/​beer shops CA has to offer, and Tipples still remains the best… Not only do they have a comprehensive inventory, their staff is incredibly knowledgeable and kindly makes recommendations without being pushy. They’ve also honored multiple discounts and offered to credit us our loyalty points when we learned about the loyalty program late in the game. We always get the vibe that they are truly out to please the customer and simply expand our wine & beer knowledge and palates! We love to grab a pint of beer from one of their (3) on tap and browse the store. Our only regret is we didn’t find this place sooner, as we will be relocating very soon!

When the spouse and I last lived in Gainesville, craft beer was a rare and exotic commodity. On prior return visits to the city, things were getting better but still weren’t up to the standards we enjoyed in Atlanta and Raleigh. On our most recent visit, we found Tipple’s Brews — Gainesville, you have evolved! Not only were delicious beers on tap, but the shelves held a wide assortment of everything from unusual Flemish sours to smoked stouts from Iceland and anything in between you could imagine from the most pedestrian IPA to mead with an ABV approaching 20%. The staff were very friendly and helpful, creating a welcoming environment with room for the beer expert as well as the novice. Wines are also available, though I admit to not paying much attention to that side of the store as wine isn’t really my thing, and proper glassware of all types is also stocked. A selection of chilled beers and wines means you can grab and go as needed, though I recommend lingering to see what surprises you’ll find for your imbibing pleasure!

This is by far the best selection of beers in town and not just micros. Being able to drink while you browse is a bonus, but since I’m not a fan of Swamphead, it did narrow my choices. The prices are reasonable for what you find and much cheaper than I’ve paid in «restaurants» (no place in Gainesville). I can see myself spending a lot of money in here, but I don’t often have opportunities to pick up some of the Belgian and German beers I love, so it’s a sacrifice I’ll just have to make. Only downside is it’s on the opposite side of town from me!

Heaven!

Drink and browse an elite selection of craft beers. Must go if you’re in gville.

I don’t know how I ended up as a Duke here after two visits in two days while I was down visiting my brother. I guess Floridians just don’t use Unilocal.
The beer selection here is very good. It’s not quite as big as you would find at a beer superstore in other part of the country. However, what they lack in volume, they make up in quality. The best part is that you can partake while in the store. Now, I’m not sure if that is normal for Florida, but it is a bonus to a person from the Northeast.

One of the best beer and win selections in Gainesville. If you are looking for a micro brew from a specific area here is your best bet. If they don’t have it they can special order you a case. One of the best parts about the store is they have 4 beers on tap to drink while you shop. The make your own six pack is also a nice touch.

Great selection of beer. Love the atmosphere. Best part is you can have a micro-​brew on tap while you shop

I live just down the street from Tipple’s Brews, and it is definitely one of my favorite places to visit. As you enter the store, you’ll find it’s about equally divided up with the beer on the left hand side of the store, while the wine is on the right. There is also a small selection of cigars, cheese, chocolate, and their own house brands of hot sauces available.
In the far corner, there are two rotating taps so you can enjoy a nice draft beer as you do your shopping. This is one of my favorite things about the store as there is oftentimes something nice on tap, and I’ll hang out there with a buddy or two drinking as we peruse the selection. They will usually have at least one local selection from Swamphead Brewery of Gainesville or from nationally acclaimed Cigar City Brewery of Tampa. The Swamphead 10−10−10 Imperial IPA is one of the best when it’s on tap fresh! If what’s on tap doesn’t thrill you, then they are happy to open up any of the bottles for you to enjoy in the store as well. There’s a marble countertop at the checkout, but no stools for you to sit and linger there — you just have to stand or lean as you enjoy your beer!
Another thing I like is that all the beer selections are available as singles (except for the ones in sealed variety cases), so I’m not stuck buying a whole six pack of a beer that I just want to try out. You pay a bit of a premium for singles, but it is a great option in my opinion. They have a nice selection from US craft breweries available around here, most notably Cigar City, but also carry Georgia breweries like Sweetwater and Terrapin.
There are about 8 cooler sections with refrigerated brews along with a growing number of shelves stocked with packs, singles, and bombers of all types. There is also a nice selection of imports from Belgium, Germany, the UK, Italy, and other parts of the world. This is the only place in town that I’ve found Italian brewery Le Baladin’s rare Xyauyu. There is a very nice selection and variety of brews from all types of American craft breweries to all the imported Trappist beers (brewed by/​for Trappist monks) and everything inbetween from British best bitters to German weizenbocks to Belgian Lambics. And if you need some horse pee for your pee swilling friends, they even have Bud Light and PBR available! :-)
The shelf space and selection has exploded here in the last couple of months with a ton of new shelves having been built, so if you haven’t been by recently, you may be surprised by how much the selection has grown. The prices are usually pretty good, and they typically charge less here for beers you might find in the local supermarket (Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Dogfish Head). For example, the SA and SN 6 packs are usually $ 1 to $ 1.20 less than what they are at the supermarkets down the street from here.
I enjoy the occassional glass of wine with friends, but don’t know enough to comment on their wine selection, though it appears to be fairly good. The variety runs from the inexpensive to the pricey with bottles running from under $ 10 to over $ 100. They give a 5% discount off mix-​and-​match 6 bottles of wine and 10% off 12 bottles. There are also some nice local, artisanal, and imported cheeses available; I quite enjoyed the local Wainwright dairy’s sharp cheddar.
There is a small selection of branded beer glassware, probably most notable being the famous Duvel tulip. Most tend to be of the stemmed tulip or stemmed chalice variety. Additionally, they’ve gotten in a number of gift packs recently probably in preparation for the Christmas gift giving season.
Every now and then they host a beer or wine tasting that always sells out. They’ve also randomly had free beer samples sometimes, usually announced through Facebook. The owners are pretty nice guys and I’ve been the recipient of a number of free tastings, the most recent a vertical of Gale’s Prize Old Ale 1996, 1998, and 2000 vintages! If you have a question or need a suggestion, they are always willing to help the best they can.
The owners are friendly and always happy to help. I think I’ve lost count of how many free beers I’ve gotten from these guys, and I’m sure I’m not even close to being their best customer. This is by far the best store in the Gainesville area to do some beer shopping at. Hmm… after writing up this review, I’m jonesing to head over there and do some shopping…

Brand new shop specializing in boutique wine, craft beer, artisan cheeses, and premium cigars — similar to Dorn’s. Great selection and one of the only places in town to get beer from Swamp Head Brewery (they fill Growlers).