I remember the year Kurt Cobain died, I was 14 years old. This year also saw the emergence of a new…read moreoff licence in the area called Michael's Drink Stop. To commemorate Kurt's talent, my friends and I decided to get very drunk. Now given that Kurt Cobain's death was due to drugs, this probably wasn't the best way to remember him, but we carried on regardless. We asked my cousin, who was and still is 4 years older than me to buy us some booze from Michaels' so we could drink it in Shirley Park. He agreed and my memories are quite blurred beyond this point. The last thing I remember was finishing off a bottle of Vodka. My next recollection of events was my cousin carrying me home by piggy back. I was in a very bad way and I never touched drink again. (at least for a few weeks) The off licence still stands to this day and does a magnificent trade; it has never faltered over all the years it has been in business. The selection of drinks is awesome; they have so much it needs to be seen to be believed. They stock a wide range of wines, spirits, liqueurs, beers and ales. Next time you feel like commemorating a dead rock star, come buy your alcohol from Michael's. They cannot be beaten on price or selection.

Although it may look like a fairly bog standard off licence from the outside, don't let appearances…read morefool you. Laithwaites is actually an extremely well stocked, very nice wine shop, not dissimilar to chains such as Majestic Wine Warehouse. The inside is very professional, with wines grouped appropriately, making whatever you're looking for specifically very easy to find. If you're not entirely sure what you're looking for, then fear not, because their friendly, approachable staff clearly know what they're doing and can advise you what wine to serve with certain food. The prices are competitive with the likes of Majestic, although if you're looking for a sub £5 bottle just to give to an acquaintance or what have you, you may be better suited going to a supermarket such as Tesco. Highly recommended.

We popped in here one Friday night for some wine and it was empty! This was good and bad because we…read moregot personal chatty service but the staff kind of watched our every move which was quite off-putting. They also kept asking if we neede help when we just wanted to look round. They have a good variety of wines of all sorts and prices. The cheapest bottles were about 6 quid and this was in the sale so it is not for you if you buy cheap wine! Prices went up as high as £20 a bottle and they also had a selection of champagne and sparkling wines. We treated ourselves to 4 bottles which were very nice. I doubt we'll use this shop much but it is handy if you've been in the Wetherspoons nearby plus there is parking outside.

The shop has great selection of fresh fruits and veg and good choice of groceries and chilled food,…read moreflowers : always clean with really friendly staff - a great centre for the neighbourhood. The gaffer has been there a number of years and runs a good place.

Without doubt the worst experience I have ever had in a shop!…read more There milk split in my pushchair in the shop I mopped it up never said anything regarding the very thin cartons etc. Collected a replacement and left. Never mind I thought! I returned to the shop today on one of my twice weekly visits, only to be approached by the very rude and clearly gready owner asking me for £1 yes you read that correctly the owner of the shop felt it fit to ask me for the money for the split milk that he believed to be my fault. I won't be shopping there again!!

Needing a fathers day present I popped into this wine shop looking for a basic bottle of red. I…read moredon't know too much about wine so thought it best to ask the chap behind the counter. If you are looking for people who know all about wine especially their own stock, including some wonderful stories about the production then these are the chaps to go and visit. I got much more than I was looking for and my Dad got a very special bottle of vino. The wine connoisseur who helped me select just the right bottle talked me through nearly all of their red stock. We alighted on an Argentinean red that is made in a traditional style. He had even visited the winery to see the production methods for himself. They stock spirits and a new range of over 100 lagers and beers. They also have a shop on Livery Street near Snow Hill Station. Of real note are their wine school (£15 per session or £80 for the term) and tastings (£15 each).

Great to support local independents more places like this needed in Solihull, fantastic selection…read moreof wine with an impressive spirits collection and a growing beer choice, weekly tastings both wines and spirits. They now offer cheese on the 2nd Friday of the month to go with the great wines. The team have fantastic knowledge and will help you pair the bottle with your food. its a Friday evening regular

I first visited Stirchley Wines when a friend of mine had moved to the area and, having been told…read moregreat things about it, insisted we went to grab some alcohol from here for a night in catching up. I wasn't disappointed. Being a craft beer fan this place is an Aladdin's cave, with bottles from all over the world, in different styles, strengths and flavours. I've been with friends who love beer and those that aren't so keen but everyone managed to find something they like. I live above a BrewDog in the city centre and Stirchley Wines had more variety of BrewDog beers in stock that the bar itself!? I managed to grab the infamous My Name is Vladimir protest beer released to coincide with the Winter Olympics in Sochi. They of course have beers from all the big craft beer breweries as well as some of the smaller lesser known ones. They even have a few beers on tap and the guys there are happy to help if you need some guidance on what beer is best for you. It's a great place to pop into before you go to a curry house, as I have done, as a lot of the places nearby are BYOB. Stirchley Wines as the name suggests also sells a lot of wines and a great variety of spirits that you most likely wouldn't find elsewhere or in very small amounts, so I encourage you to take that trip south of Birmingham into it's suburbs or if you're in the area be sure to pop in, you won't regret it.

How do you turn a boring high street off-licence into something special? For the answer to that…read morequestion you should visit Stirchley Wines....and you don't even have to go there to do that. The beauty of Stirchley Wines is that they will tell you about their interesting new stock on Twitter! They'll post photos and reviews of new wines and beers online and, what's more, they are witty and informative with it. Follow @stirchleywines to find out more. Not only are they the world's first social media savvy off-licence, and not only do they have a really, really, really good and varied selection of beers that you wouldn't find elsewhere - think of it like an independent record shop for booze - but they have also recently teamed up with acclaimed local bakers Loaf to produce a different Beer Bread each week. A message is posted on Twitter when the bread arrives...but you need to be quick. Alongside all the usual other stuff that you'd expect (tobacco, snacks, soft drinks, mixers) there is also a really good whisky selection. Prices aren't the cheapest on some brands, but the selection more than makes up for that. The main reason for supporting this place, though, is that they are keen to support other local businesses in the area, and that's what makes a community. So, next time you want a 4-pack, or a bottle of wine, don't bother with the supermarket - head down here and so what they might have for you. Alternatively, tweet them and ask.

A five star review for an off-license might seem a little unnecessary, but when you're so spoilt…read morefor choice on Raddlebarn Road it's probably important to try and separate the wheat from the chaff. Wine Stop is just around the corner from the top of Dawlish Road (if you were walking or driving up Dawlish, you'd take a left) and is opposite Selly Park. Wine Stop offers a much better selection on everything that the busy Bristol Road shops usually won't have (to be fair, the average student probably isn't looking for anything more than the cheap stuff, so it works). I particularly enjoy ogling the cool bottles of spirits placed high up on shelves and tucked behind the counter and can quite happily stare for a while as the supremely nice guy who owns the place is happy to chat about anything. Usually I shun small talk in shops and find it uncomfortable, but the fella who owns Wine Stop not only knows his stuff, but he's always got a good anecdote or two. I made the mistake of going with a friend who brews his own ale and launched into a long and in-depth conversation about the brewing process and qualities etc which went on for a long time and felt a bit left out, but it's always worth the journey. The variety of wines, beers and ales is enough to give you plenty of choice but not so much that it is a baffling and confusing process. This, in my opinion, is exactly the right approach: No one wants to try something different but eventually give up because of too large and too obscure a selection and an unapproachable proprietor. That's where Wine Stop fortunately gets it just right.

Between Winestop and Stirchley Wines a mere mile and a half down the road, the standard for off…read morelicenses this side of Birmingham is ridiculously high. I think that out of the two, Stirchley Wines has a better beer selection whereas Winestop has the better spirits selection. High quality Tequila is hard to come across in this country but Winestop stock several brands as well as the standard stuff, and there's loads of different whiskies in exotic packaging which I will probably never be able to afford. That's not to say the beer selection is bad, there's a wide range to choose from including well respected but hard to find names such as Brewdog, Wye Valley and Shropshire favourites Hobsons. The service is incredibly friendly, with a proprietor who seems to genuinely love talking to his customers. There's also a very nice park across the road if you're looking for somewhere to drink your purchases. Great stuff.

South Birmingham is spoiled at the moment for beer. Cotteridge Wines has been the Best Bottle Shop…read morein England for 4 years running and just down the road you have the second best, Stirchley Wines. You can see why when you walk in to Cotteridge Wines. Two long aisles rammed full of beer, bottles and cans from all over the world. There's apparently more than 1400 beers on site. They also have a taproom at the back of the shop with seating and a patio area for warmer days. I met some friends there before we headed on to Akram's for dinner. I had time for a couple of beers before we had to leave, and I had time to pick up a few more for the road too. In the taproom I tried Brew By Numbers 08|07 Stout Coffee & Milk and Magic Rock Brewing Sour Passion. Both of these beers were great in their own way. The BBNo beer was great for a cold evening. The Magic Rock could easily keep you going for a session sat in a hot beer garden during the summer and I could happily have sat there all night trying the remaining taps but we had to be off for our reservation at Akram's.

What does the word 'Beer' mean to you? If its 6 cans of Becks Vier for a fiver, you probably arent…read moregoing to be particularly plussed about Cotteridge Wines (though they will happily provide such tipples). If on the other hand beer means wierd, rare and wonderful brews from breweries around the world from Double IPAs to Saisons to Chocolate Imperial Stouts, then Cotteridge Wines will be your Nirvana. A choice of 12 cask ales to be taken home in your 'growler' (or sampled on site in their tasting room / speakeasy), a wall of american, belgian and scandinavian beers and a huge selection of british ales make this possibly the best off license in the UK. They stock beers from brewers such as The Kernel, Mikkeller, Evil Twin and Siren Craft, some of which are seriously difficult to track down in the UK. The beer here isn't cheap (limited quantities, import tax/costs, high quality ingredients, but the prices are very reasonable for what you get, they often beat many mail order companies on price, which is an impressive feat for a 'bricks and mortar' shop (they even sell bottles of certain Brewdog beers at lower costs than the brewery themselves!).