Amherst Beer Guide: Your Amherst guide to beer, beer bars, breweries and brewpubs

Latest reviews from Amherst

78 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“What a huge selection of beers, outstanding. You can grab anything you want (ok, no Utopias) and with very good prices. Must be.“
peponi 2189 days ago
86 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Great selection for area. More cities need to ship to Buffalo. We drink and appreciate beers alot. As far as good goes there are tons of sauces and spices from all over. The wine and spirit selection is vast. There is something here for everyone.“
Keydiddy 2499 days ago
94 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“This place is the real deal. It might not look like a beer store from the outside, but it most definitely is. Massive selection of bottles, in addition to a growler station. The bottled offering is vast, with a wide array of non-US beers from all the big hitters. The US selection is outstanding. Tons of regional NY stuff, random things from all over the place, big craft brewery classics. It seemed like most beers that were sold in six-packs also had singles available, which is great. I didn’t have a ton of time here, so I basically just grabbed a bunch of cans to bring back to London. But if I had more time, I probably could have spent well over an hour just browsing their shelves. I don’t really care too much about service in bottle shops, but it is worth noting that a guy asked me if I needed any help within a minute of my starting to scan the selection; so, the service here seems pretty good. This place feels like an upscale market. The beers are neatly laid out. If you are even remotely close to this store, you should try to get here.“
Leighton 2587 days ago
84 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Big free dedicated parking lot. Big box store atmosphere, it was clean. Selection was very good. Quite a bit of nice European bottles I was looking for, some Canadian bottles I was looking for, Captain Lawrence, and many others. Pricing was good. Service was very good, I had a guy helping me stock up. I bought over a case. They has some taps, but nothing I was looking to try. Really nice bottle shop I will try and come back when in the area.“
weihenweizen 2965 days ago
88 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Épicerie de produits fins située en périphérie de Buffalo. Superbe sélection de bouteilles (1500 selon eux) en plus d’un kiosque de growler où 20 choix sont présentés. Les prix sont plutôt bons, moins sur les bouteilles plus rares. Le service est plutôt typique d’une épicerie, mais ils ont des employés attitrés aux bières.“
Whatup14 3231 days ago
80 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“A big box store with style. Although large and cavernous, this is high end with a great selection of many different things. Service was pleasant and tried to be helpful. Selection is huge and I could spend lots of time and money here. They have a cafe, but I didn’t eat. Pricing is reasonable, make sure you get a value card for the special discounts. A great stop that I would happily frequent whenever I am in the area.“
Ferris 3571 days ago
88 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Another recommendation to me by a fellow RB member and this is one I will visit every time I make the drive out to Buffalo. The selection here is insane and you can spend a lot of time browsing. Prices are pretty good, but some stuff is a little too high for me. It’s very hard to get the limited release stuff, but there is so much to choose from I always leave happy. Just wish the rare beers were easier to get there and I’m guessing many get bought up by the employees first. Overall though this is one stop you need to make in Buffalo.“
bigda83 3593 days ago
94 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“It might just be because I’m a long-suffering Ontarian living under the iron hand of the LCBO, but I love this place. The website touts that they have1500 types of beer, I didn’t do the count, but there were lots, and lots of choices here. Definately a few I can’t get in Ontario (ie Tripel Karmeliet) plus lots of local US craft beers, and vintage bottles. It’s tucked into the back corner of a much larger Gourmet Store, which I didn’t pay the slightest attention to. The staff was quite helpful both during my most recent trip as I looked for a couple of stragglers off my list and to my wife who on a previous trip just handed my whole list over. Can’t comment on value as their beer was cheaper than that in Ontario, but compared to other US locations, I’m not sure. The only real negative I had was their website. It didn’t list all the beers that they had on shelf, and really wasn’t searchable. I put in Ommegang and got no results, but by viewing all beers and scrolling through to page 16 there is the list.“
Helsdon 3744 days ago
88 /100 4120 MAPLE RD
“Brick oven pizza is amazing! Booths are very comfortable since they are like sitting in your couch! A very diverse beer selection.“
RichieBoy 3800 days ago
94 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Visited: 6-3-12 Thet have moved into their new location and it is better than it was before. Even though the beer sector is roughly the same as the previous location, but they now have a 20 tap growler fill station and a good sized walk in cooler. A: The Gourmet shop has a nice atmosphere and the place is very clean. They also will feature a small cafe area which is nice because you grab some gourmet delicacies while there too. Q: They have lots of different beers from different states and countries...plus get all of the rarities that come to the area. S: Ethan and his team are very knowledgeable and will make great recommendations for any style you inquiry about. There is always someone there to talk ask questions. S: Thee best selection in the Buffalo area..is doesnt even come close. V: They are very reasonably priced compared to consumers or village beer merchant and is always the cheapest when it comes to rarities. Overall, if you are from out of town and post a thread about what bottle shops to hit, this one is always at the top of everyones list. No Comparison.“
merc7186 3863 days ago
74 /100 3160 NIAGARA FALLS BLVD
“Big, bright store. Not quite the selection of Premier down the street but if something sells out there it might be here. Prices are usually pretty decent.“
Johnsense 3934 days ago
82 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“buffalo’s best selection, in my opinion. Fairly large gourmet food stop with a big selection. Tougher bottles (KBS, BCBS, etc) go fast though. Good selection of imports but a bit pricey. Fantastic selection of cheeses here to go with your haul.“
Johnsense 3934 days ago
80 /100 3160 NIAGARA FALLS BLVD
“typical consumers, bigger than most but pretty much the same selection. chap behind the counter was friendly enough.“
UDBeernut 3935 days ago
80 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Last stop on the way back home. Huge warehouse style place (the kind of place my girlfriend likes to call the "booze barn"). Ridiculous selection of beers, but amazingly left empty-handed. We’d already picked up so many bottles on this trip, I was looking for something crazy impressive or rare. Still can’t dispute the great selection, although if you try to look at every bottle in the place, you may get a sore neck from looking high and low.“
JaBier 3985 days ago
94 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“THE place to go for exotic foods, coffee and craft beer in Buffalo. Growler selection is always top notch, plus they infuse CO2 into the container so it can keep longer before opening.“
ATTWNone 4035 days ago
90 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“HUGE selection from all over the globe. Good prices, huge state of the art growler station. Can’t say enough about the selection. Only frustration is that the rarities usually go really quick, most likely to the employees.“
Miked1687 4114 days ago
84 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“My first stop after landing at Buffalo airport. Well worth the 15 minute drive. This place is clearly world class in many ways. Great selection of domestic and international beers, including several right from my wants list. Plus, although I did not really check it out, they fill growlers! Pretty impressive.“
bytemesis 4205 days ago
74 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Big place with a huge selection, close enough for me to make the trek from Canada, lots of variety for a good price“
Studentofbrrs 4212 days ago
76 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“I drive a long way to get here! Loyalty card and growlers available. Great selection fo all types from all over and well within reach for Canadian consumers.“
SoberDave 4214 days ago
78 /100 3025 SHERIDAN DR
“The draw is their growlers. Decent selection of bottles, but not too big. I always buy a few bottles, and a growler or two.“
AGAquino 4305 days ago
92 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Visited their new store. Excellent inventory, even go to go into their cold storage room. The addition of the growler filling station is a plus. Some sort of pressurized contraption for hands free filling of several growlers simultaneously. Prices and selection of taps is great; from $10 Founders IPA’s to $20 Celebrator doppelbocks to $33 Mikkelers. I even joined their growler club.“
AGAquino 4305 days ago
84 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“New location is bigger and a bit nicer than the old one, though more out of the way from the other Buffalo beer sites. Solid selection of American and European beers. We rarely leave here without spending more than originally planned. With some of the imports it would be nice if they started date stamping them upon arrival, particularly the hoppy stuff. Growler fill station is pretty cool, and I like that they will fill 1L growlers as well since full sized ones can be a but much. Prices are generally reasonable, though six packs and cases of more widely available stuff can sometimes be found cheaper at Consumers, or Wegmans.“
jercraigs 4314 days ago
74 /100 3025 SHERIDAN DR
“Nice, place, probably as good as any of consumer beverages, some good beers here, Worth a look if your on your way or were just at premier, prices at consumers in gen are use a bit cheaper.“
Ontbeertaster 4321 days ago
80 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“The new location with the Growler machine is awesome and pretty up to to date on the website. For bottles, still the same selection as the old store pretty much, which is pretty darn good though, mix of local craft and international and Belgians as well.“
rob6239 4349 days ago
54 /100
Wegmans - Amherst (Grocery Store)
675 ALBERTA DR
“Another beer friendly Wegman’s. Most noteable is a mixed 6-pak for $9 with many local choices plus others such as Sam Adams seasonals and Great Lakes. A choice selection of bombers. Decent prices.“
Sammy 4351 days ago
72 /100 4120 MAPLE RD
“Right next to red robin, this place has a large open space with bar, comfortable booths and a large fireplace. Also an outside patio with fire pit. Feels like a chain but everything in side is nice an modern. Deffinatly a nice atmosphere to enjoy a brew. Food is standard pub fare but well prepared, get the tots. Service is good but lacks in the beer knowledge department.. In terms of selection, 2/3 are macros including blue moon. The rest are great lakes, southern tier, ithaca, victory, flying bison, and ommegang. They do have cask on at all times. Over all a nice place.“
UDBeernut 4383 days ago
92 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Update: got a growler today $3.50 for the vessel, 20 beers to choose from including 120 min and oak aged yeit. Selction gets huge bump. Large store with two sides. One totally dedicated to wine and booze. The other is dedicated to beer, some gourmet food, and cooking impliments. this review focus just on beer selection. Everything I would expect of a quality beer store. Nothing terribly out of this world. Beers on tap. I did pick up a bomber of southern tier oak aged cuvee series 1. It has the selection of half time (look it up) but about 1/4 of the size. Prices were reasonable, even down right cheap. Maybe I am just used to the eastern NY BS.“
UDBeernut 4393 days ago
68 /100 3025 SHERIDAN DR
“IPFreely summed this up pretty well. Its a step below the top Consumer’s stores like Transit and Orchard Park, but not by much. Offers the same growler fills and solid bottle selection as the rest of the franchise. I would go here to pick up some large quantities of macro beer or a quick growler, otherwise the new Premier Gourmet location is just down the road.“
frylock 4396 days ago
58 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Blows away anything I can get in Canada, but I found the ambiance hard to take, prices were a bit high. Selection was probably pretty solid for the area.“
rejtable 4443 days ago
72 /100 3160 NIAGARA FALLS BLVD
“Nice, shiny new store on the Blvd. on my way into Erie County. Considerably larger than some of their other locations, but about the same size as the location on Sheridan Drive. The overall feel of the store is nice, but it’s almost too bright in there and their coolers are all a little too well lit. I don’t know if it’s because they’re new, but their workers are far more engaging and beer savvy than their counterparts at the Niagara Falls location that I’m used to. Similar selection as the vast majority of their stores, although I think the Transit Road still has all of the others beat. Reasonable prices, decent growlers and it seems that they’re filling 32oz growlers now too. Very nice store overall“
IPFreely 4562 days ago
78 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“I drove over from Rochester to check this place out, and maybe pick up a few beer that Beers of the World never seems to have in stock. I was shocked by how small the beer section of the store was. Upon further examination, I found that even though the beer selection is small, it is still comparable to Beers of the World because Premier Gourmet does not carry a shitload of crappy foreign lagers. What they do carry, is very high class beers. I left a rating for the food because even though it’s not a restaurant, there is a shitload of good food there (grocery store style). I will be coming back when/if they ever get Cantillon back in stock.“
MacBoost 4607 days ago
82 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Incredible selection of bottles. So many to choose from and so little time. Came home with 58 bottles of beer and cider from all over the world. It’s been a good day so far!“
bierkitty 4684 days ago
78 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“A very nice place to stop for beer in Buffalo just across the border. A nice selection of US, belgium and other brews. Staff, when you can find them, are knowledgeable and they usually get limited amount of hard to find brews. Great cheese selection and the pastries are also tasty. Fairly good value and the place to stop in to if you are in the city.“
pushkinwow 4771 days ago
92 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“This specialty food and liquor store has an extensive range of beers from around the world, all of which are sorted by their country and, in the case of U.S. beers, state of origin. Walk through the doors, turn left, and head to the back where you’ll find hundreds of high quality craft brews. I grabbed a Tröegs Nugget Nectar, Anchor Old Foghorn Barley Wine, Oskar Blues G’Knight Imperial Red and Ten FIDY, St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition, Hitachino Nest XH and Commemorative Ale, Kona Pipeline Porter, and Duvel Triple Hop, among many others. Compared to Village Beer Merchant, the prices are cheaper (certain beers are $3-4 less per bottle), the selection is larger, and some of the stock - like the Oskar Blues stuff - is fresher here. Service was very good as the clerks seem to know a lot about the products they’re selling (coffee, meats, bulk food) and the cashier jammed all of my bombers into a single case in order to avoid problems at the border. We also stayed for lunch since the deli sells various gourmet soups, sandwiches, and entrees. Overall, Premier offers a pleasant and sophisticated shopping experience with the best beer selection in the city. A mandatory stop when you come to Buffalo.“
cratez 4771 days ago
94 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Great store, and some of the best Lambic and Belgian selections around. The manager who runs the beer selection is also very knowledgeable and helpful. Some beers are cheaper elsewhere (like Consumers) but overall they are fair and they get a lot of stuff other stores don’t. I primarily go there when I need to stock up on some beer I can’t find anywhere else, but they also have great baked goods (Cannolis, Tiramisu for instance are outstanding) Lots of other meats, cheeses, dry gormet foods, etc.“
valgalder 4803 days ago
76 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Large warehouse with a great selection of coffee, cheese, deli meats and of course - beer. Good selection with a few things I hadn’t seen in NYC before. It’s a great spot - nice cheese selection as well.“
JoeMcPhee 4867 days ago
80 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Great selection and friendly staff. However quite bright lighting and have bought quite a few old and off bottles. Careful selection here is required. But a pretty solid retailer overall.“
JB84 4884 days ago
72 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“freaking amazing beer selection. you pay a little bit of a premium for shopping here though“
RayOhm 4905 days ago
84 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Good place to go for beer. Compared to other store this is prob one of the biggest I have seen. Nice place, nice staff often ready to help out. Will continue to shop here“
Ontbeertaster 4942 days ago
86 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“An excellent place overall for your beer buying needs. Premier has a huge selection of beers including many local choices. Food is high quality as well. Prices can be high for some but they make up for it by offering options other places do not have. Service is helpful.“
SlimEagan 4986 days ago
82 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“This is one of my local stores, and it’s pretty great. Ambiance: just average...not really much ambiance. It’s a big gourmet food store that just happens to have a huge beer selection. Service: pretty good, when you can find someone. Employees are always willing to go check the stockroom to see if they have something that isn’t on the shelf. Selection: superb...huge local selection, huge US selection, huge foreign selection. Best selection among local placed by far. Food: well, it isn’t a restaurant, but they have gourmet food, a nice deli with meats and cheeses, etc. Value: beer is average priced when compared to other local places. A great local place, overall.“
pete4999 5039 days ago
80 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“A little unsure of how I feel about this place - good coverage of the region, some goodies from PA and the PNW, and some excellent imports, but prices are only average and the store is somewhat cavernous and under-utilized. Though it loses to some of my favorite stores on mind-boggling quality and selection, it also maintains a very high standard and I’d be downright proud to have it as my local - so a big score. Next door does bring the mind-boggling selection on wine and spirits.“
ganache 5086 days ago
84 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Went here with the girlfriend while visiting friends. As far as selection goes, they have a very wide variety of beers and right by a deli, who would of thought that? There service was pretty good as the guy I talked to, after going through a number of beers on a list, knew mostly if they had it in stock. I say mostly because he told me they had no mikellar black hole and it turned out they did(thank god I looked around a bit). These guys seemed to know what they were talking about. There food selection is pretty wide whether your looking for hot sauce, poultry, or any kind of gourmet food. There’s about five shelves to walk down for most of the best micros and a few coolers housing the beers. If your not looking for beer they have a vast separate store for wine and spirits too. Overall this is one of the best stores around for everything beer in western NY hands down. There prices range from average to a little pricey though, but for the selection and quality its still very worth your while.“
MrBeerFanatic 5131 days ago
66 /100 3025 SHERIDAN DR
“In the world of Consumer’s locations, this one probably ranks above the locations on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo and their store in Niagara Falls, but still below the best location on Transit Road. That said, it’s a pretty large store with a solid beer selection with better prices than many of their competitors. This one also has a growler filling station usually offering some decent regional beer, some other American craft beers, and the occasional import.“
IPFreely 5223 days ago
84 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“This place is great! An excellent selection of great beers, along with staff who really understand their beers. I’ve received great recommendations from the staff on several visits and haven’t been disappointed yet. Especially good stock of American and Belgian brews. Most beers are available as singles and prices aren’t bad. Definitely worth a visit.“
neuromatt 5284 days ago
84 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Visit on a trip to western NY for a Weeding in June 09 - They carry several beers not available in my neck of the woods and most are available as singles so I was able to try several different brews because of this that a southern Illinois guy would probably never have the opportunity to enjoy - very clean store - I will definitely be back if I am ever in western NY again“
wwwdottom 5348 days ago
82 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“One of the best selections in the WNY area.“
socialistpete 5355 days ago
74 /100
Premier Gourmet (Beer Store)
3904 MAPLE ROAD
“Parking friendly store well located in an ugly commercial part Buffalo. The beer section is actually rather small in square foot but is tightly packed and uses high shelves. You really get a surprisingly large selection for so few square foot. Not really pleasant to shop at because it is so tightly packed. Standard NY state selection but it doesn’t compare to the best eastern NY state stores like Half-Time and New Beer in NYC. Even Albany has a better selection. It’s unfortunate that the eastern NY state breweries (Captain Lawrence and friends) do not make it there. Solid American selection (no rarities), medium Belgian selection, non-belgian import selection (English, German, etc.) is sub-par but who cares. Probably the best western NY state beer store by default.“
Glouglouburp 5379 days ago
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