Palmer's Beverage Center

Palmer's Beverage CenterPalmer's Beverage Center
Palmer's Beverage CenterPalmer's Beverage Center
Store

3375 Indianola Ave
Columbus, Ohio, 43214-4132
United States

(614) 263-7444 | map
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.11
Reviews:
50
Ratings:
70
pDev:
15.09%
View: Place Reviews
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Photo of cratez
Reviewed by cratez from Canada (ON)

3.42/5  rDev -16.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.25 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
What I bought: Sixpoint Bengali Tiger, The Brew Kettle Old 21 Imperial IPA, Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale, Bell’s HopSlam Ale, and Sixpoint Resin.
What I liked: Grabbed some nice finds and everything was very fresh, so I was certainly happy with the quality of my purchases.
What I disliked: LOTS of empty space on the shelves, took about 15 minutes for the cashier to ask me if I needed any help, smaller selection than Weiland’s with seemingly higher prices, just okay in comparison to other U.S. craft beer stores.
Would I go back? Maybe.
Overall Rating: 68
Jan 29, 2020
Photo of dcotom
Reviewed by dcotom from Iowa

4.28/5  rDev +4.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4
Although this is a small corner store without a ton of room for stock, the selection is high in quality. Quite a few Belgian and UK offerings, plus many Ohio brews. Staff were very knowlegdeable and helpful and seemed to enjoy talking about the state of craft beer in Ohio. Very enjoyable visit, and the proprietor has a friendly dog who greets customers as they shop. Take the time to visit this place - it's worth a stop!
Oct 17, 2017
Photo of HerdNo1
Reviewed by HerdNo1 from West Virginia

2.59/5  rDev -37%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 2
I really wanted to give this place a higher rating as it was one of my introductions to craft beer. Unfortunately, it seems to have declined dramatically in the quality of the selections, the quantity of the selections, and the knowledge of the staff. I'm only in the Columbus area occasionally and haven't been in to Palmer's in a few years. There used to be a dog that greeted you when you walked in. OK. Nothing to do with beer but it certainly added to the ambiance. More importantly, the staff could tell you something about nearly every beer they had in stock. There selection might not have been quite as extensive as something like Giant Eagle but they more than made up for it in the quality of their selection and the service of the staff.

Unfortunately, that has changed. I went into the store on May 30, 2017 and the selection was pedestrian at best. Most shelves were, at best, 3/4 stocked and some were less than half full. I saw a total of two Belgian beers and I don't recall any other international offerings. There were a couple of beers on the shelf that I asked about and the person behind the counter had no idea about either. I would much rather support a local business like this than one of the big box stores but I honestly see no reason to go back until they upgrade both service and selection.
May 31, 2017
 
Rated: 2.3 by mlockman from Indiana

Jul 23, 2015
 
Rated: 3.97 by Cynic-ale from Texas

Feb 09, 2015
Photo of burkat
Reviewed by burkat from Ohio

1.78/5  rDev -56.7%
vibe: 1.5 | quality: 1.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 1.5
I've read and heard great things about this establishment and decided to check them out on three separate occasions over the past two months. I was not at all impressed with this store. The store had a musty/moldy smell and the shelves were bare on all three visits. There were entire isles that only had about a half dozen 6 packs or bombers on the shelves spread feet apart from one another. The selection was nonexistent and pales in comparison to your average Kroger or Giant Eagle grocery store selection.
Jan 09, 2015
Photo of nhirsch04
Rated by nhirsch04 from Ohio

2.5/5  rDev -39.2%
Not what it used to be. Lots of empty shelves and poor overall selection.
Dec 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by NorthCoastPranqster from Georgia

Dec 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Well from Ohio

Oct 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by JeffONeal from Ohio

Aug 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by sethpezar from Ohio

Aug 11, 2014
Photo of Lightman
Reviewed by Lightman from Ohio

2.4/5  rDev -41.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2 | service: 3 | selection: 2
Kept reading all of the great reviews so was extremely excited to stop by and check it out. Finally stopped in before the holiday. Store had almost no selection, shelves were empty and what was there was very typical grocery store pedestrian offering. Very disappointed.
Jul 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by vrbulldog22 from Ohio

Jun 29, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by Lynn from Ohio

Jun 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Jmitchell3 from Arizona

Jun 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Austinmschauer from Ohio

Apr 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by MuscleConfusion from Ohio

Apr 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Sam_Gladieux from Ohio

Mar 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by JimmyT19 from Ohio

Mar 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by kvnklingler from Ohio

Feb 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by falcon1 from Ohio

Jan 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Fabiand from Texas

Dec 16, 2013
 
Rated: 4.75 by crashdavisinoh from Ohio

Nov 04, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by riemster from Ohio

Oct 15, 2013
 
Rated: 4.25 by BeerBucks from New York

Oct 09, 2013
Photo of Photekut
Reviewed by Photekut from Tennessee

4.21/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 3.75
A little more expensive and a little less selection than at Hyde Park WS, but the service was great.

I was able to find all the best IPAs in Ohio as well as some Jolly Pumpkin, Bells, and Founders.

I will for sure be back each time I pass through. If stores were like this in TN, I would be a regular.
Jun 29, 2013
Photo of AleWatcher
Reviewed by AleWatcher from Illinois

3.94/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
This is a decent little shop-- I found many of prices to be cheaper than Pace High.
In my opinion, the selection is better as well.

Usually when reviewing beer shops in new states or towns I prefer to check out several places before I review any of them...
We first hit Pace-High, then came here, them went to Amderson's General store. I do this so that I can compare the selections an prices.
Anderson's was the best shop, but this was second place, well ahead of Pace.

This particular store didn't have Rivertowne Lambic (which was one I had been looking for), and the employees didn't seem to even know what I was asking for. There was some Tilquin available, so all was not lost.

This would certainly be a decent stop to grab some locals, but the 15 minute drive to Anderson's is worth it in my opinion.
Jan 23, 2012
Photo of Bung
Reviewed by Bung from Michigan

3.86/5  rDev -6.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Darker interior with wood shelving makes it feel fairly cozy. Also looks like this is a fairly old establishment. 2 guys working, one older, neither seemed too interested in me. I prefer to not have anyone bother me though. At the same time absolutely no conversation at checkout, meh. Even the cashier at the Total Wine usually has something to say.

Good selection of US micros. Foreign stuff looked good too. Coming through looking for stuff not available to me in NC, this pretty much meant Ohio locals, Alesmith, Troegs and 3Floyds. More interesting 22s and 750s but some local sixers. Really wasn't blown away by the selection of stuff I was looking for, but maybe I just came at a bad time. Still a quality selection. Alesmith well represented, grabbed a couple along with a Flying Mouflan. Black Sun was the 3F, which I had and is good, but I find 3F to be higher priced to buy repeats.

I think there must be a real dearth of stores in the Columbus area. This place was fine but really was a step down from the "top rated" stores in pretty much every other state I've been in. I personally found Wieland more interesting. Would pop in though to see if anything interesting was around.
Jan 06, 2012
Photo of pBRale
Reviewed by pBRale from Iowa

4.74/5  rDev +15.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Palmer's beverage center may look average from the outside, but immediately upon entering the store it is obvious that this is an outstanding store. The atmosphere is good, the selection is awesome, and the prices are fair. The only downside is that they do not have any singles to make your own six pack, so I had to leave the store with a lot less variety than I would have liked. They do have an excellent selection of bombers and most are very fairly priced. The 6-packs were a good value as well, although I did see a few here and there that were overpriced. On the whole, the value is great though. The employees were very helpful and very knowledgeable, and I was able to pick up Stone vertical epic 2010 that was properly cellared for the past year to go with the 2011 I bought as well. It is a great store and a great place to find good beer.
Nov 19, 2011
Photo of fantasyroach
Reviewed by fantasyroach from North Carolina

5/5  rDev +21.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Stopped in here driving from NC to Detroit after check to see what places got good reviews along the way from Beer Advocate and could not have been happier to stop in. Lucky for me I showed up on beer delivery day, so not only did I have the option to pick from their wide variety of beers, I had the option to pick from beers right off the truck. Emily was very knowledgable of all their beers and was a big help in my selection. Top notch place and if you're in Ohio and get the chance, you have to stop in here.
Aug 14, 2011
Photo of warbird07
Reviewed by warbird07 from Michigan

4.34/5  rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Happened upon this place in my many travels for work....what a cool place, with about four aisle sides and a couple end caps, and numerous cooler doors devoted to different brews..clean and pretty well organized accroding to domestic and imports..and a great selection of both indeed.both in bombers and sixers..I am used to Michigan shops, and I know what is distributed in MI, so what is available here jumps right out at me..Alesmith, Green Flash, Hoppin Frog, Two Brothers, etc, I was pleased..and the prices were fair..The woman behind the counter was friendly and knowledgable, and was quick to inform me what was new in this week(it was also written on a chalk board as well...I also picked up a couple glasses from a nice selection..at 3.99 a piece...It was a great place to go that I will go too again...
Aug 08, 2011
Photo of smithm1970
Reviewed by smithm1970 from Ohio

5/5  rDev +21.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Palmer's is one of the best beer stores in the Columbus area. I always know they will be able to access the hard-to-find beers that make their way to the Columbus market, and I have found them to be very knowledgeable about their beer selection. The place is well-maintained and the staff are always willing to offer to help you in any way they can.

They carry an excellent selection of Belgian beers, and I always know they will be able to have an decent amount of midwest brews when others are only given limited quantities.

If you plan to visit Columbus to buy beer, you should definitely add Palmer's to your list of places to visit.
Jun 01, 2011
Photo of BigDRS
Reviewed by BigDRS from Ohio

4.14/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Stopped by this past Friday after reading reviews here on BA.

Place had a great selection, far better than any place I've come across in the year or so I've been living in Columbus. There were about three small aisles of beer. A good amount of singles were on the shelves. In addition to those aisles, they have an ok selection of beers kept refrigerated along the wall. About half of the stuff in the cooler was BMC products, the rest was Great Lakes, Sierra Nevada, etc.

Employees were really friendly. There was a girl cleaning up who asked me if I needed any help, I declined as I prefer to browse on my own. A couple of guys were hanging out behind the counter watching "The Office" on a TV located near the door - made for a pretty chill environment.

This place is a bit out of my way for where I'm living at the moment, but I'll be back for the awesome selection. I didn't see the dog that others have commented on ... maybe I'll run into it when I stop back.
May 28, 2011
Photo of lancehenry
Reviewed by lancehenry from Nevada

4.58/5  rDev +11.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
I had to stop in here due to all the good reviews they've gotten. I must say, I was quite impressed! It seems to be an older store but fairly maintained. My girlfriend loved the dogs. She's not a beer lover so it was nice that they kept her entertained while I shopped. They have several aisles of bombers, singles, sixers etc, and them several coolers full of beer also. I walked away with some Maharaja, Duvel, Hoppin Frog Boris and a Hippie, which I can't wait to try. All in all, a great little shop.
May 17, 2011
Photo of BeerBuckeye
Reviewed by BeerBuckeye from Ohio

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Was actually on my way to Weiland's when I decided to hit Palmer's instead today.

Wow, I was impressed. I told the cashier that I was having some sensory overload, because the selection was outstanding.

(disclaimer, I'm not huge into Belgians/German beers, so I can't attest much to the import selection). But as far as American selection goes, I was not disappointed.

Great selection of sixers and bombers from all the great breweries, and even ones that might be a little more difficult to find. And they only had a single cooler of BMC =)

Not really many singles to speak of, but that was okay.

The pricing was amongst the most competitive I've seen in Columbus. All their stuff was as least as low as I've seen at other beverage places, and some was even a couple dollars cheaper.

Staff was very friendly and helpful.

Honestly, the fact that Weiland's and Palmer's are so close together can basically make them a single store. Hit these two places and you probably have hit the best selection in Columbus.
Apr 18, 2011
Photo of SaCkErZ9
Reviewed by SaCkErZ9 from South Carolina

3.85/5  rDev -6.3%
In my opinion, Palmers has the best selection of beers in Columbus. I didnt get a chance to visit every store, but this one stood out as far as selection goes. The gentlemand working at the store wasnt very approachable and seemed kind of mopy, but his dog was cute. Palmers was a mix between Brawleys in Charlotte (because of the dog), Sams in Durham (because of the look), and City Bev in Winston Salem (because of the layout). Prices seemed extremely reasonable with everywhere else in town. Perhaps my memory is fading, but I swear all of the Bruery beers here in OH are nearly $5 cheaper than in NC. Due to the super easy and convenient location, this place should remain quite popular.
Jan 19, 2011
Photo of zimm421
Reviewed by zimm421 from Ohio

4.25/5  rDev +3.4%
Anytime I get paid, this is the first place I go. Being a broke college kid, I get in here probably 3 times a month. They have a great selection, and I love finding something new that I'm not expecting.

The shop is well organized, sorted by brewery and it makes things fairly easy to find. They have coolers stocked with beer as well, but the selection in there isn't nearly as impressive as what's on the shelves. The back half of the store is all wine, and they have a pretty nice selection of wine as well.

The service is fairly good. If you need anything, you just have to ask and someone will help you out. This is definitely my go to store. It's fairly close to campus and has everything I could need.
Aug 20, 2010
Photo of Spider889
Reviewed by Spider889 from Ohio

4.14/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Just recently made my first trip here after all my years in Columbus.

They have a very large selection of bombers, to the point of near exclusivity. There are some six packs of the common bells and bigger breweries you could get at the grocery store. As well as many seasonal 4 packs. (They had a ton of Breakfast Stout when others were running out).

The best reason to come is that they often have more limited beers that many stores around town never get. Some stuff from Mikkeller/Brewdog, limited Hoppin' Frog, a ton of Jolly Pumpkin, BA Gonzo, and even a handful of 1.5L bottles of Thirsty Dog BA 12 Dogs.

The prices are on par for the most part, but I did notice that some things were about $1 more a bomber/4pack than some of the competition.

Recommended stop for sure, you'll not walk out empty-handed.
Aug 05, 2010
Photo of jimbus
Reviewed by jimbus from Ohio

3.7/5  rDev -10%
Stopped by here today for the first time. Better selection than most places I've been to locally. Lots of bombers to pick from, a good amount of 6 and 4 packs. They don't let you mix and match to make your own 6 pack though. Attendant working was less than friendly and seemed annoyed by beer related questions/conversation.

I haven't much gotten into the Belgians & other imports yet but it seemed that they had a pretty impressive selection. Impressive selection of local beers, including lots of Hoppin Frog. I prefer Pace High but will continue to stop by here to check out what they have.
Jun 02, 2010
Photo of bevdaddy
Reviewed by bevdaddy from Massachusetts

4.11/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5
I stopped in here on a trip through Columbus based on the reviews here. I was very pleasantly surprised.

There is a wide selection of great beers, mostly in bombers. I saw Avery, Founders, Goose Island (Nightstalker, no less), Troegs, Stone, etc. There is also a cooler selling cold singles of decent beer.

The reason I stopped in was to try to find something VERY local to Columbus. After spending a few minutes speaking with Emily (who I think is in charge of the beer section), who was awesome and very helpful, I decided on a four pack of Elevator Brewing Horny Goat, which ruled.

Great place, great people, great selection, and very reasonable prices.
Apr 24, 2010
Palmer's Beverage Center in Columbus, OH
Place rating: 4.11 out of 5 with 70 ratings