Over 2000 different types of beer pass through the doors of The Foodery over the course of the year. Manager Glen O’Neil and the other employees have tasted nearly all of them. How do they decide which labels to carry? Simple: “We pick the beers we like,” Glen tells us. (Current favorites include Sly Fox IPA, Breury Four Calling Birds and Founders Breakfast Stout.) At any given time, The Foodery stocks over 600 different types of beer in its Wash West location and more than 800 at the newer Northern Liberties location.

The Foodery opened at 10th and Pine in 1976, celebrating its 35th year anniversary this past spring. Back then, the wide variety of craft beers on their shelves was a true novelty; in ensuing years the citywide beer culture has played catch-up. The Foodery has almost any beer you can think of, and if the Center City location doesn’t have it, the Northern Liberties one probably does.

The new location at 2nd and Poplar opened in 2006 and boasts a full service deli counter in addition to its larger beer selection. The seating area means you can sit down and enjoy a nice beer and sandwich (and it also satisfied modern zoning requirements for individual bottle sales). The shops also occasionally host beer tasting events, which are listed on their website.

A make-your-own-six-pack deal gets you 10% off the cost of buying singles, which you’ll enjoy, since prices can be pretty steep. (Thanks to those antiquated Pennsylvania liquor laws, locations to buy bottles are limited, so beer shops can get away with big markups.) Expect to pay around $20 or more for one of these six packs. Additionally, prices aren’t listed, so make sure to ask if you’re on a budget.

The huge variety of craft beers makes The Foodery an essential stop on any Philadelphia beer-lover’s itinerary. You’re guaranteed to find something new within its shelves, and may even discover a new favorite beer.