How to keep your Buzz in downtown L.A.

Buzz's well-stocked beer cooler. (Buzz Beer Wine Shop Facebook)

A customer planning on buying a pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon at downtown L.A.’s Buzz Wine Beer Shop should prepare to be mocked. He’ll find the PBR in the cooler labeled “piss beers,” along with Budweiser, Miller High Life and Coors Light. The rest of the shelves hold imported Belgians, German hefeweizens—even an organic and gluten-free beer. The staff members are always willing to make suggestions. One, an outspoken brunette with retro chopped bangs dressed in a khaki jumper with her name—Molly—embroidered on it like a car-shop uniform, assists customers in the subtleties of beer selection. The employees’ passion for fine drinks shows. “A man’s not a real man unless he drinks good beer,” said Molly, swapping stories about men who drink light beers with three twenty-something female customers as she makes recommendations.

Buzz is about more than beer. It also sells sake, champagne, and wine. Employees use a tall library ladder that glides along the wall to reach more than 4,000 bottles of wine on the floor-to-ceiling shelves. But don’t get intimidated—a brochure outlining the right bottles “For a Special Someone,” “For the Boss” and “For the Host” helps even the most wine-illiterate customer. The store’s relaxed attitude stems from its owners David Bakhshi and Scott Kamalski. “We found it difficult to readily find unique and fun bottles and were bored with the options and the dull retail experiences” downtown, Bakhshi said.

Located on the trendy intersection of 5th and Spring streets, Buzz has Bolt Barbers and The Last Bookstore as neighbors. Close proximity to downtown lofts and bars keeps the shop busy. Employees ride a modified bicycle with a big wooden storage box to deliver to locations between the Hollywood, Santa Monica and Harbor freeways daily until 2 a.m. www.buzzwinebeershop.com, 213-622-2222, 460 South Spring Street #C, Los Angeles