Finger Lakes Beverage Center

Quite nice bottle shop in downtown, a 15-20 walk from several hotels, all sidewalks. Attractively large, but somewhat barren shelves. Still so much here though. I have never seen such a large & random cider or seltzer section before. Loving in NY, I still found 25 rates in single format in 10 minutes of perusing. Love that everything is broken up. Three long shelves in front, displays, side room for waters & imports. Back middle is all cider. I never got all the way to the back, but it looks like wall to wall fridges. Lots of duds, but just so much stuff. Service is quaint, but not super helpful. Maybe the owner/buyer wasn't there at the time. There's a growler station too with eight taps, but I didn't want to dust off some glass. Prices were pretty good, with only a slight markup for singles & cheap/supermarket prices for packs. Ambiance was whatever, but the selection is great. Sad nights in my hotel are made slightly better.

Located 1/2 a mile from Downtown, this place isn’t much to look at from the outside. Inside it’s got to be one of the best craft beer stores in this part of the state. Lots of local, regional, and national craft arraigned by geography, They also had a large selection of cider and mead which is nice to see. The staff was friendly and seemed happy to talk beer. I’ll definitely stop by the next time I’m in the area.

I’ve been to several stores in other states, including my native Michigan, that love to tout their best-of-someone’s list. I have to admit I did not appreciate what a great selection I had access to at Finger Lakes Beverage. I’ve honestly not been to a better store, which has kinda been a bummer when I go to high rated ones that don’t match up. I always found prices fair (competitive with the local grocery store, Wegmans) and was impressed that the owners drove to NYC to pick up some great product when it wasn’t accessible through distributors -- like Captain Lawrence and Pretty Things -- turned away old product grocery stores would shelve (near end-date IPAs), and would talk to distributors to get stuff I wanted. The store is in the midst of a huge remodeling (which actually temporarily brought down selection) and does a lot to improve the ambiance.

Nice, compact beer store with lots of goodies. Lots of singles, lots of New York stuff and even quite a few bottles you can’t find in the bigger stores. Friendly staff. They have some growler taps as well. Great if you’re in the area.

I don’t understand why all the high marks. Went in because the local Wegman’s didn’t have what I was looking for. It’s small but they have plenty. It’s hard on the eyes because it’s deliberately dark in there and the bottles and the prices aren’t clearly marked . In fact they are hand written and I took points off for that being a too difficult. They have a sign up front that say no refunds and most of what they have is pretty old. The imports section is dirty with dust and age and the few items I bought from it were stale. They are rude and do not help you with any reliable information as I asked if the beer I was purchasing was fresh and they said "yes" but the date on the bottle did not agree with them. It definitely wasn’t fresh. I tried to leave it at the counter and the woman tried to intimidate me to take it. She offered to show me the "date on the case." Right. . . Wegman’s will give you a refund no questions asked and with online mail order these guys are not on my list. In fact the most clearly marked sign in the whole store, says no refunds and the brew dog was dated best by January of 2013. I would not buy any imports from them..

Stopped here recently while in the area. Kinda a dumpy place, but they only sell beer and craft soda. I was looking to local stuff that I can’t get back in MA, but they seem to have just about something for everyone. Even growlers (which is a new thing for me - being from Mass.). Not much service to speak of, but I usually don’t need any as I prefer to look. Prices seemed about average.

Best bottle store in the state!

God knows how many beers are in this place. Pretty much, if it’s available for distribution in New York State, it’s here. Every employee seems to know where every beer is, so ask. So many Belgians, it’s esoteric. Growlers galore.

Great little beer shop in downtown Ithaca. Tons of local selections and some nice imports - about four-five beer aisles in total. Friendly service and the prices weren’t bad for local bombers - cheaper than in NJ.

If you’re staying in or driving through Ithaca, this place is a must stop. Their singles selection may be the best that I’ve seen with an endless selection of local bottles in addition to cool limited stuff like Cigar City Guava Grove, Rodenbach Vintage, and the Hanssens experimental lambics. Simply amazing beer shop.