Oliver's Beverage

ommegangpbr

New York

4.65/5  rDev +7.4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

I lived in albany for quite awhile and never went to Oliver's during my time there.
Boy do I feel stupid.
I made a point of making sure I paid a visit there while in Albany visiting friends for a weekend. The beer palace that is Oliver's made the weekend a rosier time and place.
Excellent, excellent selection of beverages. Had a full line up of Belgians I'd seen and heard of before as well as those I hadn't seen or heard of before.
Had more Victory and Rogue beers than any place I'd been to before.
Some of the stock had more dust on it than it should have but that seems to happen in most places. Everything I had turned out tasting fine (though the Prima Pils I picked up was one day past its best by date... fortunately, that pack I picked up from their fridge, which makes me think they keep freshness dates in mind when stocking their fridge).
The prices fell pretty much in the same spectrum I've become accustomed to: some being much cheaper than I'd seen before (a little over $8 for 750 mL St. Bernardus 8 and 12), about the same as other places ($9ish for a six pack of Prima Pils, $4.50-$5 for most Rogue and Stone) and a couple brews for more than I usually see them for.
The guy at the register was very excited to see me purchasing some Storm King Stout; he seemed like he almost wanted to give me a hug when informing me he just got in a rather large supply of the stuff. He was also very mindful of giving me a box to safely and snugly transport my stash.
No reason I can see to avoid this place.
Plenty of reasons to visit.
It's a palace o' beer.

07-06-2005 03:43:46 | More by ommegangpbr

zoober911

New York

4.51/5  rDev +4.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 5 | $$

By far the best shop in the Albany area. The biggest selection and cheapest prices lend hand to this. They tend to get all the big beers that are coming through the area and that have all the hype. Especially much more recently it seems. Adding more shelving inside for the increased selection they are providing. I tend to shop their sister shop 9 times out of 10 purely based on convenience because they are closer to home. With that being said though, Oliver's tends to get the big beers in before Westmere does and have a slightly cheaper price on those beers. Overall everyone in the shop knows what's what and are willing to help when it is needed.

05-10-2013 14:48:59 | More by zoober911

MikePags

New York

4.21/5  rDev -2.8%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 5 | service: 3.25 | selection: 5 | $$

Best overall beer store for quite some distance in any direction. Growler fill up taps frequently changing with a varied and good selection of beer which rarely include typical or pedestrian quasi craft beers. Rarely disappointed with the selection, it is hard to leave without spending more than I planned.

04-01-2013 02:04:21 | More by MikePags

stalker5

New York

4.58/5  rDev +5.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I head over to Oliver's any time I'm in that area in Albany. It's definitely the best place in Albany, NY to get good craft beer and any beer really. Good quantities of an excellent selection and variety of beers. Climate control could be a bit better in the store as it does get quite hot in the summer. The service in the store is great. They know what they're doing and what they're talking about and are open to any suggestions you may make. The prices are reasonable and do have regular sales and a consistent flow of different beers on tap to fill growlers.

10-08-2012 15:01:42 | More by stalker5

jrnyc

New York

4.28/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $

I stopped into Olivers on my way back to Long Island from a concert at Saratoga Springs. I was hoping to find some beer that I can not get on Long Island. Mission accomplished, I was able to find a couple of good ones.

Olivers has a pretty good selection. Looks like the craft brews outnumber the BMC's there, always a good sign. They also have growlers.

The worker the counter was very friendly and helpful.

If you are in the Albany area, this is a good place to stop and pick up some craft beer.

08-20-2011 20:59:53 | More by jrnyc

potownbill

New York

3.85/5  rDev -11.1%
quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Oliver's has a very good selection with a strong international section. The domestic beers consists of brewers like Sierra Nevada, Goose Island, Left Hand, Rogue, Breckenridge, etc.. There was some dust on the bottles I purchased. Solid selection, but not a lot of great beers. There was a display of Southern Tier Choklat, along with some of the other higher end ST bombers. Didn't have a chance to talk to the help, because there was a line checking out. Not quite up to the level of Halftime, State Line, or Julio's, but very solid selection. Overall, definitly worth a second visit.

02-11-2011 23:16:42 | More by potownbill

smcolw

Massachusetts

4.8/5  rDev +10.9%
quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I was visiting Siena College with my daughter and decided to visit here based on the BA rating. I was not disappointed. They advertise over 1,200 different beers. It's easy to break six-packs. And then they take $3 off each mixed six-pack.

Speaking with the manager, I could tell the pride he has in making Oliver's the very best beer store anywhere. It is an informal place, like all true beer stores.

I was able to find 50+ beers that were not available in eastern Massachusetts. It was well worth the side trip; so, if you are in Albany, this place is worth a stop.

02-05-2011 03:21:10 | More by smcolw

AndyAvalanche

Massachusetts

4.3/5  rDev -0.7%
quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Went here when on my way to visit some family over the holidays. Kind of a warehouse setup inside, big shelving units stacked pretty high. Its somewhat organized, possibly with the busy holiday season they struggled to keep things together, you could find the same beer on 3 different shelves at times. The service was very good, despite it being very busy in the store, the staff was pretty attentive. The selection was very good. There was a big focus on NY breweries then the heavy hitters like Stone, Rogue, Sierra, Lagunitas and so on. There was about 8 or so taps where you could fill a growler. You can break up any six pack and get whatever you want. There was a very good import section and a lot of Belgian beers. The prices were very hit and miss. There were a couple of prices that I found good, but other stuff that I found more expensive. All in all it was a good trip, I'd go back.

01-12-2011 01:08:47 | More by AndyAvalanche

rlee1390

Indiana

4.28/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

The second best shop in the Albany area. I prefer Westmere, but this is still a great place.

Three aisles of craft beer, one for imports, a middle for micros and a third for larger micros (SA, Saranac, Magic Hat).

Recently have started using facebook to update customers about new arrivals. Often times will let you call them up and reserve a beer that they recently got in stock. I love this as I can check facebook during work/class call them up have a bottle saved and then go get later in the day.

They offer growlers to go with an ever rotating selection (never gotten one, but they offer them)

Employees are great at helping you find a beer that you a looking for.

They offer singles and offer a discount on a mix a six

The only two knocks are the prices and that sometimes they have outdated beer still on the shelves. However to their credit if they notice a beer has been sitting around for a while they will make it down.

Also they often have sampling events from local breweries (Ommegang, Brooklyn, Magic Hat, Saranac and Brown's that I know of)

A negative(?) is that they take an extra week or two to get shipments in, but nothing to criticize them for, just be aware of it.

My two recommendations would be more mix packs and more gift sets with glassware in them.

01-11-2011 23:42:56 | More by rlee1390

STEG

New York

4.45/5  rDev +2.8%
quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I go to this place almost every Friday. It's certainly the best place in Albany, it has the most available of any store in the area and in the largest quantities. It does get a little hot in the summertime and it isn't very well climate controlled. They have been open and willing to take suggestions on what they should carry and have gotten me things I've asked for. They are a bit slow on getting things but that could be the distributor they work with. Prices are reasonable and they have sales on things close to expiration (or not sometimes).

09-08-2010 18:01:57 | More by STEG