September 23, 2011
Popped by here on a Friday night to hunt for some Maine micros and other rarities. I found most of what I was looking for, but had to wade through a throng of college students with armloads of Keystone Light and Coors. The staff occasionally mocked these kids but were probably making a buttload of money off them. Anyways, my timing could have been better. The store is quite small with narrow isles and stock stacked quiet high. It has a very run-down-convenience store feel with a worn floor, unfinished surfaces and beer posters/lights everywhere. That being said, they make the most of the space. Lots of hard liquor and wine. A great selection of US craft brews like Stone, Rogue and Dogfish with many local and regional selections as well. Got some Allagash and DFH for my trouble. Staff was knowledgeable about their stock and beer in general and helpfully provided me a box to carry my treasures. Not a huge number of imports here, but the was on tightly packed shelve. Lots of generic macro cases in a couple of coolers for the college crowd. Overall, a bit out of the way from Bangor proper, but you might score something good for your trouble.

March 27, 2011
The beer selection is adequate here. I was disappointed when I could not find many imported beers I’ve come to expect at specialty stores but they have a descent amount of everything. More importantly they have a great liquor selection. It is the only place I know of in Maine, other than RSVP in Portland, where one can find an extensive single malt selection, or anything beyond the basic agency store selection. Also they have better hours than any specialty beer/wine/spirits store I’ve ever seen. You can get a keg until 11:30 PM on a Saturday night. They also keep sub premium kegs in store(you don’t have to order a keg of Rolling Rock or Natural Light, they’ve got it in stock) All in all, not the best place to find your favorite beer, but an excellent liquor store in all other regards.

July 25, 2009
Decent selection, upon seeing what they carry it frustrates me a little to not see very much local (maine) brew. They have growlers and 22s of Bear Brew beer, made just down the street, the standard Shipyard/Gritty/Seadog selections, Peak Organic sometimes. I wanted to see the harder to find locals, Oak Pond and Belfast Bay and whatnot. I occasionally buy beer here but it’s not my first choice.

October 18, 2006
I love Burby and Bates for the selection, wine tastings and service. The selection of beers is always growing. As soon as it becomes available in Maine, it’s available here. There’s a wine tasting about every other Saturday with a good selection of wines from local distributers. As for service, this is a little more hit or miss. If you get the owner or Jeff, they can order anything for you or tell you whatever you need to know about any beer/wine/liquor available.

June 12, 2006
I love Burby and Bates, it’ll always have a place in my heart as "the store" i discovered good beer in. I’ve spent a lot of money here and i’m glad they’ve gotten the stuff they have. They have a rack of Belgians, a rack of English Beer, a lot of the Maine micros, and all sorts of random stuff comes in. Burby’s rules. If you go to UMO this is where you get good beer.

March 25, 2006
WOW. What a selection. I was floored by just which beers I found there. Local Micros like Bear-Brew, Bar Harbor, etc. Lots of hard-to-find Europeans (Germans and Belgians), Asians (They had Lion stout! I was pretty impressed), and they have wines and macros to if that’s your thing. Friendly enough service too. Pleasantly surprised. I’ll be swinging by whenever I’m in Orono.