This small, high street off-license stocks a decent range of alcoholic beverages and cigarettes,…read moreand benefits from impressive prices and friendly staff. The store's owner is polite, welcoming and talkative and the shop's interior is remarkably clean and inviting, making every shopping experience here a pleasant one. On my visit, I purchased a large bottle of Jack Daniels for £19.99, which I felt was very reasonable, especially as the Sainsburys Local just opposite was charging £23.99 for the exact same product. Boldmere drinks store may be small, but what it lacks in size, it certainly makes up for in value!

To view this off-licence as a handy, pre-curry port of call is fair but doesn't entirely do the…read morebusiness justice. Boldmere Drink Store is, unto itself, a well-stocked outlet fronted by friendly staff - a nice combination that is unexpected, thanks to the rather bland name. Beer-wise it has plenty more than the usual supermarket-friendly brands and, while it may not have the widest range reflecting all the corners of Europe and Asia, a deep chiller makes up for it, full of competitively-priced tinnies and bottles. A tenner goes far, perhaps encouraging you to splash out on a curry after all. To top it off, where similar establishments branch out into crisps inside garish pipes, this place sells tomato-flavoured Snaps. Its booze may be bang up to date, but it must get its snacks via a rip in space-time. Even if the prices can't be 70s, this is surely the next best thing. All in all, this should be your booze-bet ahead of the national stores just doors away.

This has recently re-opened and seems much better for it. Im not sure if its under new management…read moreor not but certainly the shelves are better stocked now than they used to be. There is a great selection of weird and wonderful beers, local brews, real ale etc and you can pick up some good wine too on 3 for £10 offers and the like. Very convenient for the Indian takeaways across the road and there is usually parking outside too. They sometimes have bottles of champagne and nice bottles of wine ready gift wrapped and often they are quite competitively priced.

Drinksville in Moseley manages to finely walk the balance of being a great off licence without…read moretripping over into an upmarket, high end wine or spirit shop. The place is very down to earth, with all your usual cheapest booze choices (Glen's vodka anyone?) Brilliantly it also offers some very good quality alcohol. So you can get a decent bottle of wine or even champagne. They stock a wide variety of international lagers and many real ales. The staff are always super friendly, you know even if you are already half cut. Just watch out for that plastic screen. I've seen many a friend plough into that ...

Nothing to complain about with Drinksville, it's a great off-licence…read more They have a large varied stock, really reasonable prices and friendly staff too. And I bet they have to deal with some right drunk numbskulls being situated right in the heart of Moseley village too, but it doesn't seem to sway them. A much better option to stock up here rather than the supermarkets around the corner.

There is parking outside the shop but not much and they do not have a dedicated car park…read more They sell all kinds of alcohol and have a good selection of lagers and beers. Most stuff is on the shelves, but there is a fridge with beers, wines an alcopops in if you want something chilled. There is a wide variety of white, red and rose wines including wine boxes. In addition, there is also an aisle with snacks, chocolates and soft drinks so everybody is catered for. If you want spirits you need to ask as they are behind the till with the cigarettes. Beware that they do charge you for a carrier bag so take your own bags in to carry your goods!

In case you're wondering no this place isn't owned by someone called Michael, but maybe it was some…read moretime ago? Either way this is the usual place my friends, family and I purchase alcohol and soft drinks. Mainly because there's a wide range for a good price, there are always deals on plus it's right on the high street in Shirley. For example, on my most recent visit, there was a deal for a crate of bear for £15.00 pounds. Not bad eh? I don't encourage consuming large amounts of alcohol or sugary drinks but if you're planning on purchasing a lot then handily there are baskets and those trolleys you have to put a pound in to use and there's street parking right outside. On the other hand I know the Government are clamping down on the drinking age but sometimes I get a suspicious vibe from them. Or maybe they're just being careful because (and don't take this the wrong way) I look quiet young. Either way, what keeps me coming back here to stock up the cupboards, fridges and cater for guests and parties is the range of drinks and the value of money for them.

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.

Drinks World is a surprisingly well stocked off-license on Harborne High Street that sells a big…read morerange or real ales, foreign beers, luridly coloured liqueurs and Cuban cigars. They also do a large selection of ciders, perrys and cheap to mid range wines. Although if you opt for the latter I wouldn't rely on the advice on the staff who work there - asking for a Rijoja the other day resulted in much confusion, but in the main they are helpful. I also like the minibar sized spirits they do at the till and the range of premixed drinks - gin and ton, vodka and coke etc - haven't seen those for ages.

There's something a bit weird about an off-license on a high street. They tend to be more of a…read more'local' thing, tucked away at the end of your road, rather than next to travel agents and health food stores. These days I suppose there is call for a more specialised booze outlet selling high end goods like whisky or wine (and for specialised you can also read expensive, of course) so it's a further surprise that Drinks World keeps going as it is pretty much just a standard outlet selling a bit of everything intoxicating - much like the old Victoria Wine chain of stores used to do. There's a fair selection of wines and beers on offer here and the prices are ok - neither cheap, nor expensive - and the staff are friendly and willing to help, which is pretty much all you need if you're nipping in for a 4-pack. Fair play to them, then, for making this work when Vic Wines clearly couldn't - they are clearly doing something right.

If you were to pass by Drink Stop, you'd be immediately attracted to the copious amount of beer…read morethey have stacked up against the window, crates after crates for all to see. The stock available at this particular shop is unrivaled by many if any around this Halesowen/Blackheath area. Not only do they have large amounts of drink at their disposal, they also sell the majority of it in bulk, with numerous crates being made a much worth purchase than say four or eight. The policy there makes Drink Stop the ideal destination if you were to be having a party or if you were in need of large amounts of beer/wine, fast. The friendly staff there are always accommodating and even give you a hand carrying your heavy load out to the car, which is always a plus. The deals are plastered across the window, in what make seem tacky to some, but genius to others.

My husband was very excited when he told me about this place. He started hatching plans to create…read morehis own artisanal micro-brew and told all his mates about it. As it stands, he has brewed nothing more than a cup of tea, but watch this space. The arrival of Brew Monkey to Cradley Heath High Street is good proof of independent retailers coming through to offer niche products not easily available elsewhere. They sell everything you would need to start home brewing, including DIY kits for your first dabbles with ale-making and numerous varieties of hops for when you are confident enough to go off-piste. The staff know their stuff and are delighted to help budding-brewers out. It is a great place to get unusual presents and you can order online, with the option to pick up from the store.

Bottled Cove, coming soon…read more I got some moonshine cooking and its all thanks to Brew Monkeys. Selling all you need to brew your own... well whatever you want. Its abit like the back of a science lab in there but the staff know whats going on and always tell you what you need to know about what your buying. What is it with Cradley and monkeys anyway? They don't just sell the equipment they also stock different herbs for you to try out, its definitely worth spending some time with the shop keepers though to make sure your on the right track.