Premier Gourmet

jahbulon

New York

4.85/5  rDev +9.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

a-great atmosphere, I'm a young guy in the beer community and I feel more welcome here than any consumers location that's for sure. I like the store overall as well, there are lots of imported items like chocolate, coffee, cheese, deli, spreads, olives, pâté, cookies, bon bon's, etc... and local items as well. They roast their own coffee beans there and just offer a real nice shopping experience on top of their enormous beer selection and devoted staff.

q-amazing! I've been coming here regularly for over 2 yrs and I'm still finding things just in their regular stock that I need to try. Then you add on all the seasonal and limited releases they get which is like once a week at least. Most of the stock is kept fresh give or take a few things and the draft system provides you with a more stable growler fill.

s-very good. I've gotten to know everyone who works there pretty well and they always let me know when something is expected to come in or if they have something new I may not have noticed. Any question you ask about any of their stock, if they don't know themselves, they will look it up for you. very nice gentlemen :-)

s-amazing as said before. always changing draft list and adding things to their shelves as well. There are probably over 1500 different beers to choose from, in fact I'm sure they tell you on their website. just go and see it if you haven't, and if you think you've seen it before, go look again and remember how spoiled you are.

f-there is a café, deli, cheese cave, home-roasted coffee beans, tons of kitchen tools, cocktail ingredients, etc...

v-people below have said that this place can both be more expensive than consumers and village beer and I have to say that they are very wrong except for when consumers puts something way overdue on sale. Every "big" beer like founders doom, boltcutter, kbs and FW sucaba were exactly $2 cheaper than consumers and except for doom, this was true for village beer merchant as well. Just sayin' cause I'm a shopper and I look at prices all the time and there is no way that either consumers or VBM are ever cheaper than premier.

05-17-2013 18:14:18 | More by jahbulon

merc7186

New York

4.71/5  rDev +6.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

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.

06-03-2012 21:41:02 | More by merc7186

tresmonos

South Carolina

4.63/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

I am from Michigan and work all the time in the GTA. If you have ever been to Canada, you know the queen is alive and well because she likes to pull your dollars through your nostrils via sin taxes.

So I make bi-weekly runs to this place. It's a must. Selection is superior to anything I've seen in the Detroit metro. Prices are reasonable. They sort their beers via brewery / region. I saw some Colorado / Western US breweries in here, which blew me away.

Service is fantastic. And next door you'll find whatever spirits you can think of.

I see Ontario plates in the parking lot whenever I'm there, so it's not a secret. This place deserves some sort of citizenship award for keeping me sane in Canada.

02-19-2012 22:51:18 | More by tresmonos

ThePorterSorter

New York

4.55/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$$

This is the place to go. Hands down.

Upon walking in you'd think this place would cater more to wine/spirits drinkers. However, once you browse around the beer section located in the back corner...you'll be convinced. Beer F-in Paradise of WNY.

Up until recently (it's currently changing ownership/moving/liquidating some stock) I have been blown away by this place's constant quality and selection. Absolutely incredible beers are always coming in and if you're expecting to find something in particular, you're usually not let down. I always walk in with an open mind and walk out with $50-100 spent, there are things in there you just can't resist.

Rare finds? Hell yes. But do expect a slight mark-up for older vintages (few dollars).

The food is actually not too bad either! They roast their own coffee beans and have a great deli/prepared food section. Sometimes I'll browse the beer aisles and then grab a bite to eat before checking out (to decide whether I actually want to spend what I'm about to spend).
And their prices aren't unreasonable. Just expect +$1 mark-ups over Consumers prices...

Check the place out if you haven't, but don't be disappointed if their shelves look a little sparse...I'm sure everything will be good again after the move.

02-08-2012 03:52:10 | More by ThePorterSorter

NODAK

Tennessee

4.88/5  rDev +9.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

There isn't really much I can say that hasn't been said already, but the selection here is flat out amazing. When I came here, I spent more in a single beer trip than I have ever spent anywhere else. I bought my fill of Ithaca, Lagunitas, Bear Republic, Troegs, and Redhook. Of course, they had tons more than that. If I had unlimited funds and unlimited time to drink them, I could have bought 10 times what I did. I also loved all the sampler packs they had on the lower parts of the racks; a great way to sample beers.

My main complaint would be that I didn't see the ability to mix 6 packs. It's a small complaint, because I've sort of gotten away from buying a lot of singles. I'd rather have a full 6 pack to really think about a beer and enjoy the beer rather than just one 12 ounce serving. A few years ago though, I'd have considered this a big deal.

Definitely worth a stop if you have the time while in Buffalo. You won't be disappointed.

01-18-2012 02:45:01 | More by NODAK

atomeyes

Ontario (Canada)

4.61/5  rDev +3.8%
vibe: 3 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$$

It was my first visit to Premier and, wow, was I ever overwhelmed.
The beer selection was ridiculously great (keep in mind that I'm coming from Toronto the Bad). It was almost overwhelming.
The prices on some items were a little higher than I expected, but not by much.

I've read posts about the service, or lack thereof. After browsing for 10 minutes, a younger gent asked us if we needed any help. He was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. Our basket size increased after his advice.

The issues: aisles are really narrow. you feel like you're in an obstacle course - always dodging carts and people. They're moving, so I assume this won't be an issue at their new location. I also think there is a substantial error on our bill (I am calling them this afternoon, hoping it can be resolved). So I won't say that's a negative unless they refuse to resolve it (mistakes do happen)

01-08-2012 14:43:08 | More by atomeyes

PeerlessMark

Ontario (Canada)

4.44/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Really huge selection certainly the biggest I've ever seen in one place. Ethan the beer manager is very knowledgeable in his beers and is successful in stocking some amazing beers, local and international on his shelves.

The store has a lot of food and wine and spirits to offer also, of course the beer shelves are what matter most. You can check their website for their beer list before you drive there to see what they have but if you want to confirm they still have it in stock it is best to call ahead and make sure it is still there for you.

12-26-2011 15:48:56 | More by PeerlessMark

Beejis60

New York

4.2/5  rDev -5.4%
vibe: 3 | quality: 5 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | $$$

Probably the best selection of beers in all of buffalo... the atmosphere and service shouldn't count in my review though as I would give this place an A overall. No one there seems to know anything about beer if you have a question, and the atmosphere just feels like a shotty gas station with the lighting in there. The selection, as aforementioned, is superb. A bit too pricey though, which is really frustrating in my opinion. They may be more expensive than Village Beer Merchant, hoenstly, which is kinda rough. There are far too many beers there that are WAAAYYY overpriced, so I hit up Consumers first, then Beer Merchant, then here if neither of the two places have what I want.

12-12-2011 17:59:28 | More by Beejis60

amc2341

New York

4.88/5  rDev +9.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$$

Premier Gourmet is aptly named as it is the premier destination for buying beer at the retail level in the Buffalo area.

Located right next to Premier Wine and Spirits (as NY has some weird laws that prohibit beer being sold in the same store as wine and liquor), Premier Gourmet is a specialty food store that in addition to great coffee, a bakery, deli, and other rare foodstuffs, has a huge selection of beer from around the world. The beer is located in the back corner of the store, organized by geographic origin. The selection is actually daunting... while WNY for the most part does a good job offering a wide variety of craft beer to its retail customers, seeing the sheer number of Belgians, Germans, even Italian and Japanese craft offerings at Premier remind you that there is SO much more out there. Not to mention the American section which offers an equally impressive spread of beer from all different states. The guy (or guys?) in charge of the beer at Premier obviously takes his job very seriously. They also have a large cooler in case you want to grab some stuff pre-chilled. The beer isn't as cheap as at Wegmans or at Consumer's... but the selection more than makes up for it.

10-12-2011 17:06:28 | More by amc2341

trxxpaxxs

New York

4.45/5  rDev +0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Hands down, Premier Gourmet has the best selection of beer in the Buffalo region. Their selection includes beers from around the world (organized by country), as well as domestic beers from around the country. If you are looking for WNY locals, or other east coast goodies, this place has you covered. Premier also offers a large selection of meats and cheeses, so it becomes a one stop shop for all your pairing needs.

If you are visiting Buffalo and looking for a place to pick up some brews, Premier Gourmet is a must! You would be doing yourself a disservice by, at least, not checking it out.

07-10-2011 14:08:13 | More by trxxpaxxs