Southern Illinois Liquor Mart

SI Liquor Mart in Murphysboro boasted the largest selection of craft beer in Southern Illinois. So, I naturally wanted to see what all the hype was about. Half their store is mismanaged space but the real problem here is the staff. When I came in with another patron he needed to use the restroom. When he went off to go do that they looked at me and said "That’s not a public restroom"...as if that’s my job to tell him. Anyway, they have an extensive craft beer selection with plenty of Bombers as well. The problem? There are a couple. They are on the high end of price and then they do not offer a mix-a-six. I could not believe that they would not offer one. They had some pre-mixed boxes, but who wants pre-mixed? As someone who has had over 400 craft beers I want to make my own selection. I also do not want to spend 10 bucks on craft beer because there are some that I do not like. So these guys boast such a large selection but they don’t mix-a-six. That’s terrible. After being disappointed by that, I decided I would get one of my cheaper beers that I drink with some friends called Stag. I could not hear exactly what was said, but one of the guys at the register said "...Stag!" The tone was mocking me for the selection. So naturally, I will NOT be coming to this store again and telling others not to come.

Not a bad place. Good lighting and a lot of open space. Kinda seemed a little run down and dirty, but it was in the middle of a busy Friday night. I was in there for about 20 minutes before the clerk asked if I needed any help, but he didn’t really seem to know much about craft. Good selection, much better than I though it would be. A good majority of the cooler space was devoted to craft but a lot of them are the mainstream ones. Leinie, Boulevard, Sam, Sierra, Magic Hat and New Bel. I was hoping for a bigger selection of bombers but I did pick up a Mikkeller Monk’s brew and a Unibroue Trois Pistoles so there are gems to be found. Value was about average with most other stores in town. Overall, pretty good store. I’ll probably be back every so often to see what other gems I can find.