Big Ten Party Store

jim102864

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +22.5%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$$

Part of my Michigan beer junket while away on business for my soon-to-be former employer, this non-descript liquour store moments away from the campus of Michigan State University (who will lose in a bad way to the UCONN Huskies today in the semi-final game of the Final Four) turned out to be one of my best experiences in a liquor store. Great service from the young beer dudes who gave me a "tour" of the well-stocked coolers and gave me some suggestions for brews outside the expected (Founders, Bells) for purchase. Total craft enthusiasts who know their stuff and know customer service. Loads of top notch MI brews and also select out of staters. Nice Belgian selection though there focus isn't there (and shouldn't be). 10 percent off on mixxed sixers like I did. A small store but crammed with quality. An enthusiasts wet dream, particularly for MI brew selection.

04-04-2009 12:00:30 | More by jim102864

granger10

Wisconsin

3/5  rDev -26.5%
quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5

This store was located next to a gas station and seemed to blend into the other buildings, i.e. it was hard to find. The people working there offered no help and were actually too busy talking about their lives to each other than to offer help. The selection was smaller than I was expecting but they did have some beers I hadn't seen before (Leopold Bro's, some Avery products, Sam Adams DB, etc) I didn't notice any Belgians which was upsetting. I'm not sure if the turnover is too good either. Not really worth it unless you drive right by the place.

06-09-2004 17:45:04 | More by granger10

marburg

Michigan

3.7/5  rDev -9.3%
quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5

First, a big thanks to sakaroo for directing me to this place when I was in town. I made the people in my car stop there with me en route to a wedding because I figured the distribution for Lansing was probably different than Detroit/Ann Arbor.

And fortunately, that was the case!

They had some beers I'd never seen before, which was a pleasant surprise. They had a few of the Rogue beers I haven't seen anywhere else in Michigan -- Shark Tooth, Seahorse, and a couple others. Long story short: The selection was great. Primarily, I was happy because it seemed like they didn't have the hundreds of beers I've seen and tried before. They just get different things there than the folks in Detroit/A2 (Merchant's, Cloverleaf, Main Street Party Store, Merchant of Vino, et cetera) get. And that was a nice change of pace for only being an hour or so away. Picked up some obscure Rogues, a couple wonky beers I've been wanting to try just for their "uniqueness," a couple neat saison beers, some good Michigan micros (Dark Horse), and Celis White -- which I'd only been able to find on tap until now despite its being produced in my own damn state! So I can take home my favorite wit-styled orgasm-in-a-bottle now and not just have it at the bar.

Only complaint: The guy behind the counter seemed certifiably insane. He mumbled a lot (no joke) and interrupted a conversation between my friend and my fiancee to crack a bad joke. Then he continued to draw on the joke for at least 5 minutes to the point where we all felt exceptionally awkward. It was REALLY strange. I'd definitely suggest you just get your beer and get out if you go.

04-13-2003 19:22:39 | More by marburg

jale

Michigan

4.28/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Best beer store in the mid-Michigan area. Very large selection of most beer styles. You can buy just 1 bottle of everything that comes in 6-packs. All of the singles are in the cooler. They normallly have most limited release Michigan beers here. The staff are very familar with beer geeks and can answer most questions. They will place your name on a list for up coming releases. The staff call you as soon as the beers you request have come in. They cater very well to the beer crowd, and I have never been unhappy anytime I stop here.

09-04-2011 19:02:16 | More by jale

david131

Michigan

4.05/5  rDev -0.7%
quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Between Goodrich's and Oades Big 10, you should be all set for awhile. The beer selection (along with wine and liquor) is pretty astounding, and was a little overwhelming for awhile. The Belgian selection alone is worth the trip- although something I find weird is the amount of Trapistes Rochefort, but no St. Bernardus. Oh well- not a big deal at all. This is a great place to come for beer singles, and they even offer a discount if you get a 6 pack. The service is alright, you get help if you ask for it but that's about it. Plenty of Rogue, Dogfish, Victory, Bell's and Founders to go around. A lot of the micros are in fridges too! This place is not cheap though- but with their selection, who can blame them?

Also, take notice of the "wall of fakes"- don't bother trying if you're underage.

11-01-2006 20:10:28 | More by david131

nortmand

Virginia

3.75/5  rDev -8.1%
quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5 | $$$$

The selection is great, but sometimes a little dusty. Service is OK, when you ask for it. The only time I was offered service, I was shopping for a 750 of Lindemans and the guy seemed more interested in my wife than in the sale. In fact, she was a bit uncomfortable.
Most of the stuff tastes fine, but stay away from clear and green bottles, as the immense amount of flourescent light quickly skunkifies them. Also, prices are often exorbitant, but I figure I'm subsidizing the stuff I can't get elsewhere, so it doesn't bother me too much. It's also a great place to put together a gift for a blossoming BA, as you can get 10% off mixed sixers, making the prices a little more affordable.

06-01-2004 18:27:44 | More by nortmand

Mitchster

Michigan

3.25/5  rDev -20.3%
quality: 4 | service: 1.5 | selection: 4 | $$$

These guys have probably around 500 singles available (all refrigerated), most of them also available in 6'ers. They have a wide range of brews available in different sizes, and their circulation is pretty good so you can be assured you are getting a fresh brew. Prices are higher than average...you get 10% off when making your own 6'er, which slightly offsets their rip-off tactic of jacking up prices on singles. Some of the staff are knowledgable when it comes to beer...the majority of them are not. One clerk in particular is an angry beer snob- re:imagine "Oberon used to be really good when it was Solsun, until Kalamazoo sold out." (said while the sales clerk rolls his eyes into his head and flutters his eyelids). Very pretentious. The best brew selection in Lansing that I've found.

Recently, I've had a few situations with less than friendly sales staff and they will be getting less of my business. I.E-A guy wouldn't sell me $80 worth of beer because the first time he swiped my card it didn't go through and he wouldn't swipe it again, knowing full well that the card was fine. AAMOF, I had to get cash from their in-store ATM where (surprise surprise) my card worked fine.

02-03-2003 16:32:30 | More by Mitchster

CortexBomb

Michigan

4/5  rDev -2%
quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

aka: East Lansing's craft brew emporium.

The outside of the building is nondescript, but inside Big Ten offers a fine array of craft brews, both foreign and local, and all of them available as singles.

The stock seems to be relatively fresh, or at least dusted. I didn't notice anything particularly out of season. The newest locals were available, and the selection seemed to be across the board good with a large array of beers from most of the major micro breweries in the US. The foreign selection pales a bit in comparison, but it is still decent. If you're interested in single malts and other liquor, they also have a decently large selection of those as well. I also have to say, it's hard to go to a smaller place like this after living in GR, Kazoo and Ann Arbor; while Oade's have a fairly solid selection, there are little things that they absolutely never get in that would otherwise be in my regular rotation (i.e.: Kuhnhenn brews, special Unibroue offerings, random stuff like North Coast's Old Stock and the JW Lee Harvest beers) that were regularly stocked at the big beer stores in my other homes. Make no mistake, for Lansing they're amazing, but...

Friendly, seemingly knowledgeable staff, easy to talk to.

Prices were a skosh high, but I'm willing to pay a bit extra for mixed sixers from a store like this, because though many stores are willing to do it, few have the kind of selection that Big Ten does.

Overall: pretty much the place to get beer in this city. A pretty wide variety of brews and a huge array of singles. Minor niggles aside, this is a quality place, thumbs up.

09-10-2007 18:31:40 | More by CortexBomb

BMoney575

Michigan

4.15/5  rDev +1.7%
quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Oades Big Ten is one of my usual stops. They have a good selection, with more breweries than I could mention. Some are: Bell's, New Holland, Victory, DFH, Great Lakes, Dark Horse, Rogue, and many others. They have alot of the more rare things, like Rogue 10000 and DFH Golden Shower, but these are a little on the pricey side. Where Oades really excels is in the mix-a-six area. They have almost more singles than sixers, and you can mix and match your own. They also give you ten percent off six or more beers! The staff is very helpful and friendly, but don't forget to bring your ID. Recommended.

05-02-2007 00:05:25 | More by BMoney575

drxandy

Michigan

4.7/5  rDev +15.2%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

Ahhh Oades! Surprised I haven't reviewed yet definitely the biggest selection in the area - loads of single bottles in coolers and empty 4/6 packs waiting to be filled at 5/10% respectively off their marked prices. Prices are normally a little higher than elsewhere due to the selection of singles and trying to maintain a business, so it doesn't bother me too much.

They carry a lot, only place to find jolly pumpkin around here and they usually have 3-4+ varieties depending on season, dark horse, founders, arbor, arcadia, avery, stone, bells, victory, lagunitas, shmaltz, dogfish head, stoudts, flying dog, north coast, mad river, clipper city, new holland, goose island, great lakes, brooklyn, great divide, southern tier, all the sierra nevada and sam adams line ups, quite a few belgians, umm, theres loads more and usually more on the way.

They usually have copies of great lakes brewing news and every now and then ale street news for free - an excellent service to the beer community and if you get really lucky sometimes they even put out sweet beer swag like bumper stickers and other promotional goodies.

I find myself stopping in oades at least a few times a month, but it usually ends up to be more for something or other. The regular staff are all awesome, friendly, and a majority are beer geeks willing to chat it up. I always enjoy their service and will regularly ask for suggestions of things or if they've tried so-and-so or when they anticipate getting this-and-that in.

If you're in the area you owe it to yourself to see if they have anything that may interest you :D

12-26-2008 06:16:08 | More by drxandy