Beer Baron

buddha5050

5/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$$

Just got back from my maiden voyage to the Beer Baron in Livonia,MI. This place is awesome! They had everything I was looking for and more! The staff know's what they are talking about, which is a huge plus in my book. They are a little pricey, but you get what you pay for and that is quite a bit! Today I picked up a mixed six pack and a bomber for $28 bucks...

The six pack included Great Lakes Nosferatu, Shorts Brewing Bloody Beer, Bell's Porter, Bell's Kalamazoo Stout, Dark Horse Percolater, and Founders Breakfast Stout, the bomber that I picked up was Southern Tier's Pumking! So all and all I'm realy happy and can't wait to pop the top on these bad boys.

10-03-2012 20:02:01 | More by buddha5050

RblWthACoz

Pennsylvania

4.64/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

By now, everyone knows that Darren is the man at the Beer Barron. I will just add that, yes, the dude is one righteous brother. Chill, personable, and ready to help. The beers are definitely Michigan centric here, as they should be. I don't think I had any quality issues, as I found with another place. It's a bit out of the way, if you are visiting Detroit. But hey, it's worth the drive. At least, I think so. I walked out with two cases full of beers that were new to me. Anytime I'm back in the Detroit area (if ever), this will be a must stop for me.

They also had all of New Holland's distilled spirits right behind the register, which is an added bonus, I think.

08-30-2012 17:27:57 | More by RblWthACoz

Lawl3ss

Texas

2.21/5  rDev -53.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 1 | service: 2 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

I don't generally rate beer stores that I go to once, but in this case I felt I had to, just to balance out the ridiculously high scores that led me to waste my money here.

Atmosphere is meh. Neither particularly dingy nor well-kempt. My biggest gripe here is the lighting and arrangement of the beer- macrolager in the refrigerator and the good stuff on shelves in direct sunlight. I realize that the nearest shelf to the door is twenty feet in, but I went in here at around 6:30, and the west-facing windows allowed in enough light that I had to shield my eyes while looking at the shelves. The mix-a six pack area has two or three deep empty sixers taking up the first foot or so of floor near the shelf, although they are conveniently placed. The liquor wall and well-loved feel of the interior redeems it a bit.

Quality- Here is where my biggest problem is. There should be no reason that I drainpour 2/3 of a $20 six pack. Perhaps I made a mistake selecting only from the mix-a-six pack area, but I wanted to try a few things I hadn't seen before while I was in town. I stayed away from obviously dated beers, but once I got back I discovered that all of the beers that should have had printed dates on the bottles themselves had had the dates rubbed off. A missing date on one bottle is plausible; four different bottles from the same store is less so. I'd also grabbed an Anchor Humming Ale (one of my favorites, I figured what the heck) that turned out to be about sixteen months old once I looked up their obscure labeling scheme. Closer inspection revealed the dreaded floaties, so shame on me for not being more careful. Unsurprisingly, everything but the one canned beer was skunked. I realize that old beer happens, but like I said there should be *no* reason that I pay 20 bucks only to pour most of it down the sink.

Service was ok (as in no attention, but I wasn't expecting any) until I asked about glassware. the gentleman behind the counter pointed to the back of the store and I had overlooked the few dozen glasses down by the end of the counter. A plain unembellished 12 oz. weizen glass for $8 wasn't in the cards, so I passed. I didn't appreciate when he tried to push it on me again. He did take the time to mention that I had saved $3 by buying a full six pack. I'm mostly docking this one because it appears that someone that works here took the time to wipe the bottling dates off of the old stock.

Selection- The selection was decent, stuff from the East to West coast, a decent number of MI beers, plenty of bombers and imports, and a number of things that I hadn't seen before, although I haven't purchased much beer in Michigan.

Prices ranged from slightly over par to extravagant. As I mentioned, my mix-a-six totalled $19 and change after a $3 discount, and I don't think I picked anything too crazy- four Michigan beers, a Sixpoint, and an Anchor. The Sixpoint was a pint can, but in general I felt everything (craft singles, sixpacks, and bombers) was a dollar or two more than it should have been. If I based the value on "my overall impression of the prices vs. what I got." as the category suggests, it would probably be in the $$$ range, as I really got one $2.25 can of beer and a few skunky sips for $20, but I'll go on the average prices in the store vs. what I'm used to.

I won't be coming back here if I'm in the area again, after discarding my original purchases I looked for something different at a grocery store called Hiller's in the area and was pleasantly surprised with the selection. I don't really know how the Baron gets away with this kind of business.

08-25-2012 03:32:51 | More by Lawl3ss

Sixt9coug

California

5/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $

I will review this as a Californian that makes it out to Michigan a few times a year for work. Coming from a state that has excellent distribution to begin with is great. However, there are many beers that we cannot get hold of out here. Shorts, Bell's, Founder's Southern Tier to name a few are seemingly out of reach for us all of the time.

So this is why Beer Baron is such a treat. A huge availability of midwest forbidden fruit is amazing. Darrin is a great guy to deal with and he is always up for a good beer chat. You really have to appreciate it when someone really loves what they do, and the pride in his beer knowledge certainly shows. Unlike many other beer stores, he is no snob, but quite the hardcore enthusiast.

Beer Baron is a must stop whenever I am in Michigan. They are very reasonable with prices, and I just love this place. If you are into more than just beer, they also have a great selection of mead too. This is another thing that we don't get much of out here in CA.

Great job guys. I'll be back in September!

08-06-2012 03:44:23 | More by Sixt9coug

Rogee64

Michigan

5/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $

Probably the best beer store in Michigan, Nice helpful owner. If your looking for something rare this is the place to go, the owner is well educated in all that is beer. If you want to get something reserved just look them up on facebook or send an email and the beer baron will provide. Huge beer selection, very impressive single selection, mix and match your own 6 pack and recieve a discount. One of the few stores that have every beer they sell avalible as singles. I make it a point to stop in a couple of times a week just because you never know what new beers they will get in because they get it all. Best beer store in Michigan.

02-15-2012 21:47:52 | More by Rogee64

3morley

Illinois

5/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

As far as Michigan goes (where distribution tends to favor in-state brews, and not enough West Coast or Southeast breweries) this place is as good as it gets. They have an outstanding selection of Michigan brews, and have a great selection of European beers as well.

Their greatest attribute is the ownership which is very eager to hear from their customers, maintain a great Facebook page about incoming deliveries, and (at least the son) are beer geeks too. They seem very willing to search for hard-to-find or seasonal brews and are refreshingly open about the difficulties of distribution in Michigan.

I often go out of my way to visit here. They're a bit pricey, but such is the lost of craft brew in Michigan. A gem for the area.

02-06-2012 03:55:29 | More by 3morley

sjdownie

Michigan

5/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

The first time I went into the Beer Baron in Livonia, I was completely blown away. I had never seen such a wide variety of good craft beer. That was just over a year ago. Now, it blows that store from a year ago out of the water. The craft beer selection has seemed to double in size.

Not only that, the owner and the employees are all extremely helpful. They will gladly give you good suggestions on all sorts of stuff, not just their beer. Plus, you can "Like" them on Facebook, and if you request a certain type of beer, if they are able to get it in Michigan, they will attempt to get it for you.

The prices are not bad at all, and if you build your own six pack, you get 10% off.

If you even live remotely close to this place, I HIGHLY recommend it.

02-06-2012 03:33:26 | More by sjdownie

travMI13

Michigan

4.86/5  rDev +3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This bottle shop has built quite the following in a very short period of time. The selection of craft beer here expands monthly. The owner is very committed to supporting craft beer on the whole, and I think he does a great job at helping people of all levels of craft beer knowledge.

The Beer Baron has a good selection from a couple of breweries that many of the other local bottle shops don't carry much of: Dieu du Ciel! and Mikkeller. As you would expect, there is a full selection of Michigan beers, all available by single bottle or mixed six if so desired. Pricing is in line with local industry pricing, and is on the less expensive end many times. Mixed sixers get 10%(?) off single bottle price.

A final note that I think shows the owner's commitment to the craft. I was incredibly impressed with his handling of the CBS release last year. He took every name down and drew the names randomly. When notifying of being selected, he also asked if you had already gotten a bottle elsewhere. I was thoroughly impressed. Even though I was the one relinquishing a bottle of one of my favorite beers, he really made me feel like he was doing all he could to take care of as many customers as possible. In my opinion, this type of care is great for the craft and doesn't happen often enough.

A final note is how well the selection is updated on Facebook. This is incredibly helpful.

I will continue to support the Beer Baron as one of my go-to bottle shops in the area.

01-08-2012 17:13:54 | More by travMI13

IlPostino

Michigan

5/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

As a newbie in the world of craft beer exploration, I am happy to have found this place early on. The selection is unbeatable, especially compared to the weak number of shops offering singles in the metro area. The staff really takes pride in their shop and the quality of products they offer, so you're very unlikely to find a bottle that has been sitting on the shelf longer than it should.

The only downside to this place that I can think of is that it isn't located on the eastside... But I'm seeing myself as a regular here for some time to come, despite the distance.

12-09-2011 17:48:32 | More by IlPostino

jonp5150

Arizona

4.94/5  rDev +4.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I stopped in to the Beer Baron, as I am back in Michigan for Thanksgiving. They have a really good selection, especially singles. I was able to get 2 six packs of singles and its 15% off the bottle price. Plenty of locals to choose from (so many, I will have to wait until my next trip back to try more).

I also grabbed a couple of bombers (Southern Tier), and I am kicking myself for not grabbing a third. Maybe I'll make another jaunt up there before I leave.

Great Place, I definitely recommend it!

11-21-2011 18:50:54 | More by jonp5150