re: Gas station/convenience store beer

I almost never buy beer at gas stations. I know there are some that have a good selection and even the average ones have some pretty good local beers.

Portland may be progressive when it comes to beer, but the breweries are behind time when it comes to dating their bottles/cans. I don't trust the gas station inventory to be fresh, and I don't buy there. The selection is much better at the bottleshops and there are so many of those nearby that I do most of my shopping at them. Even the bottleshops don't always have the freshest beer, so I make it a point to ask the staff what's new.

Those of you on the FBD board probably have noticed that I am a hop head and don't drink a lot of bottled IPAs. I prefer the beer at the taprooms, where I'm fortunate to have a lot of choices for fresh IPAs.

Because of this, I haven't really sought out that hidden gem of a gas station that has a great selection of beers.

Another thing about Portland - gas stations aren't easy to find. I don't know if they limit the number of licenses, or if the limited number of stations is due to the fact that the stations have to hire people to pump gas for you, but I would bet Portland probably has half as many gas stations as other cities of it's size.