Garys Beverages

I like Gary’s. They have great prices on beers but unfortunately I think I just figured out partially why. Just bought two cases of beer yesterday and for kicks opened up the case in the car to check the «best-​by» date. Turns out it was almost three months ago, January 2015.
I figured they’d have no problem exchanging the beers or giving a refund, or something. Instead both employees told me sorry, they didn’t know what to do or say. No refunds or exchanges.
Prices and selection cannot be beat but I’d recommend double checking the expiry dates before purchasing beers from Gary’s.

Great place if your into different types of beer. rira bartender referred us here, from a two minute convo he really had my taste pinned

This place is NH all right. Nothing fancy but great beer selection. Close to the downtown hotels

Not the nicest place, but unbelievable beer selection. Staff is very helpful. My go to place for beer in the area.

This is a truly funky store. Great for beer and wine and tobacco (if you’re a smoker). We’ve gotten some really good deals there, especially if we’re having a party or friends over. I highly recommend them (and go in the back room — yes, you’re allowed in there) for more great deals. They are also the only folks I know who still carry Michelob Ultra Amber (my fave beer)

Is it pretty? No. Are beer distributors supposed to be pretty? Not in my world. Gary’s has a lot of beer and really good prices. The staff is a bit rough around the edges, but they were friendly and they brought the 8 cases that I bought to the car for me — even though the guy was suffering — it was only 8 in the morning and he hadn’t finished celebrating St. Paddy’s day until about 5 hours earlier.
This is not a place to come to brouse and discuss the nuances between various craft brews. It is a place to come when you know what you want and you want to pay as little as possible. I called ahead two days before and they had my order waiting for me.
This will be my regular stop to stock up on beer from now on.

HORRIBLE SERVICE BY THE OWNER. I would never patron this place again, and would encourge everyone to stay away. We got two kegs for a party and were given the wrong tap — it wouldn’t function at all. As all our guests were arriving for the party, we ran to the local convenience store to grab cases of beer. When we went to return the kegs, the OWNER told us we should have left in the middle of the party, driven the one hour round trip to the store, and he would have fixed it that night. Since we didn’t do that, he told us «too bad» and wouldn’t give us a refund. He was a total jerk and AWFUL businessman. Don’t give him your business.

I’m a fan of no frills and good prices and if that’s your game Gary’s is the place to go. It has a good location in Portsmouth for a shop of its kind and the selection is huge. The aisles are literally a joke (I’m not sure I can even call them aisles) and I would call this place more of a warehouse. Service is nonexistent, lighting is sketchy, no guarantee that the person behind the counter speaks great English (owners are Indian) but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you need to buy a case of beer (or a few bottles of wine) at a good price for a party in downtown Portsmouth, this is the closest place. The aisles are narrow because there’s a huge selection and I don’t think the prices would be much cheaper anywhere else. If you go on the day before a party day (4^th of July, labor day, etc.), expect to wait in line.