Beer is considered by some people to be a divine beverage; a fermented product made from malted barley, hops, water and yeast. Non-German heretics may add other ingredients, such as honey. Many American craft-brewers delve into a very wide variety of non-traditional beers such as IPAs.
Most grocery stores, convenience stores and drug stores stock beer.
Many bars serve beer. There are also a few ways to get free beer, but said prospect is difficult, especially if you are male. At some bars, buying pitchers of beer can be a way to save money.
Davis is blessed with a good selection of craft beers and imports. The Nugget has an excellent selection of both 22oz craft brews and imports. The Davis Food Co-Op also has a good selection of beers and often has six-pack samplers. The local liquor stores have a varied and plentiful stock.
Davis is also home to the Sudwerk brewery, where you can find annual beer-related events such as the Davis Beer Festival. Another beer festival in Davis, started in 2013 by de Vere's Irish Pub and Sudwerk is the Davis Bike and Brew Fest, benefitting the US Bicycling Hall of Fame.
There used to be a "homebrew" place in Davis called Brew-It-Up where you could go and brew your own beer using their equipment. This moved to Sacramento and has since closed. Other wiki users have reported success with supplies from the Original Homebrew Outlet, also located in Sacramento. Another choice is Woodland Homebrew Supply.
College students and Alcoholics can take comfort in forties. Out of state-ers may be unfamiliar with the CRV tax.
The Dollar Tree, being the mad note, sells Beer Steins for (oh my god!) a dollar. Fortunately they are quite sturdy and are fun to use. Unfortunately my friends and I have bought pretty much all of them out. -JohnDudek
UC Davis now has its own beer: Aggie Lager, brewed locally at Sudwerk.
Craft Beer
For those who would like some flavor in their bottle, a list of places to find good beer in and around Davis:
And for a column on craft beer in Davis (as well as other beer-related articles), check out Brewhaha on Davis Life Magazine.
In Davis
- Aggie Liquor — For a smallish corner liquor store, surprisingly good selection of craft beer ... both American and high-end imports.
- Cost Plus World Market — Carries many craft brews in the form of six packs, singles bottles, and large .75L bottles, from such breweries as Dogfish Head and North Coast Brewing Co.
- The Davis Beer Shoppe — Best selection of craft beer in town.
- Davis Food Co-op — Includes fairly extensive beer selection from breweries such as Mendocino, Green Flash, Stone Brewing Co., Russian River , Rubicon, New Belgium, Dogfish Head, Alaskan, Napa Smith, Hoppy, Mt. Shasta, many more.
- Davis Graduate — Large selection of craft beers on draft, including Deschutes and Russian River brews.
- Grocery Outlet — Selection is so-so and changes frequently, but they are known for carrying obscure brands at low prices. 12-packs of "Game Day Light" run at $2.99, making it the most terrifyingly cheap beer in town.
- Nugget — good selection of craft brews, particularly at the El Macero location.
- Sudwerk — Brewery, drink in or carry out a case. If you want excellent German-style lagers, this is the place to go. They include Aggie Lager, the UCD endorsed1 way to get snockered.
- Three Mile Brewing Co. - Brewery creating unique, high quality craft beers for Davis and surrounding area beer connoisseurs. Three Mile Brewing produces small batch (3.5 bbl) craft beers that are distinctive and vary with seasons and availability of fresh, local ingredients.
- Valley Wine Company — Great selection of lesser known brews, easy to miss because it doesn't stand out.
- Woodstock's Pizza — Smaller draft list than the Graduate, but with two rotating taps that are always decent to great.
- Whole Foods Market — Similar selection to Nugget.
Further Afield
- Ledger's Liquors - Liquor store In Berkeley, very extensive selection, lots of hard-to-find gems.
- City Beer Store - Liquor store in San Francisco. Lots of hard-to-find beers, several beers on tap for tasting.
Beer Related Events
Any event can be a beer related event, so long as an attendee provides their own malty beverage and contempt for the law. For those missing the spark of anarchy, there are several official sanctioned events in town.
- Davis Beer & Cider Festival - Late May
- Davis Beer Week - Mid August
- Davis Bike and Brew Fest - Mid August
- Clips of Faith - Early August
- UC Davis Brewfest - October