Cork ’n’ Ale-Oppermann’s

January 17, 2008
(Visited 04/2007): Opperman’s Cork ’N’ Ale is located in Saginaw not too far from I-75. It’s on a highway so you have to make sure you know roughly where it is so you don’t cruise by. They have a pretty good-sized side lot for parking. The store seems to be pretty evenly divided between cork and ale. On the immediate left of the entrance is homebrew supplies. Beer can be found in six-packs and bombers in a cooler along the left wall and on shelves in the middle of the store. As for the beer selection it is pretty good. Lots of local/regional beers such as Fletcher Street, Michigan Brewing, Dark Horse, Bell’s (of course) etc. I noticed several one-offs and limited-edition bombers here and there too from both regional brewers and more well-known breweries. Unfortunately you cannot mix and match singles so be prepared to drop some coin if you want to try a lot of different beers. Service here is good too. Despite not bending the rules on mixing singles, the proprietor was promoting an upcoming beer tasting and was helpful in pointing out area brewpubs. Overall this store is a nice find in one of the more sparsely populated areas of the state. Definitely worth a side trip to find some beers you can’t get elsewhere.

November 23, 2007
Decent selection of beer here as well as some homebrewing supplies, which was why I stopped in. The people working at the place seemed like total pricks though, I must say. They weren’t friendly, and acted like they didn’t want to be bothered to help anyone. I won’t be back.

August 16, 2007
Don’t mention ratebeer.com to some of the staff. They do have the best selection north of flint. The owner is a great guy and very nice but some of the people working there are very stuck up and arrogant. I’ve gone in with ratebeer print outs of beers I wanted to try, only to be laughed at and told these ratings didn’t mean anything since they were all skewed by people with multiple accounts and those who work for the breweries. Since I wasn’t a ratebeer member then I took their suggestions on what beers where the best and what were equivalents to the top rated. After a couple years and lots of beers I’ve realized that they’re just ignorant and stuck on themselves . I like people to have an opinion but only if they are considerate to other peoples views, which they’re not. If you’re a n00b you’ll think they are helpful and nice, but the more you learn from places like ratebeer.com the more you’ll see that they’re fascists living in their own little world.

August 6, 2007
Nice selection, especially of bombers. Michigan beers were well represented here. The belgian aisle looked well stocked as well. Staff was helpful. Probably the best homebrewing section I’ve ever seen in a beer store. A real gem given the fact it’s all by itself out there on midland.

May 7, 2006
Very friendly staff and a decent selection. Not much harder-to-find things, but a very broad selections of countries and styles. The real downer here is that they don’t sell any of their local (Michigan) brews in anything except sixers, unless they come as singles (a lal Jolly Pumpkin). Some rare Michigan brews (New Holland, Dark Horse, etc.)

December 8, 2005
Giant selection of beer and wine, with a nice offering of Belgians and local MI beers. I wish they would split sixers though. The manager said they were considering it in the future. Some gems to be found here.

August 2, 2004 [ Updated June 13, 2006 ]
Over 600 beers, including locals and Belgians, over 1200 wines, many single-malt scotches, and more. Many friendly staff members, and is probably the best beer store north of Lansing.