Discount Liquor

Discount LiquorDiscount Liquor
Discount LiquorDiscount Liquor
Store

919 N Barstow St
Waukesha, Wisconsin, 53186-4601
United States

(262) 547-7525 | map
discountliquorinc.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.99
Reviews:
16
Ratings:
30
pDev:
13.53%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by sweemzander:
Photo of sweemzander
Reviewed by sweemzander from Illinois

3.55/5  rDev -11%
I figured I would visit both locations of this beer shop.
Both have basically the same selections of BMC and local offerings and the like, however this location fails in comparison to what the Oklahoma location brings in in terms of imports and a worldly selection of craft beer.

This location has a much bigger wine area which prob. is why the beer area is 1/2 of what the other location has.

Granted, what they have is good, just far far less to choose from.
Still worth visiting though.
All the BMC took up almost half the store!
I guess it comes down to demand or the location of the store
Jun 16, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

3.93/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
Discount Liquor is a beer shop which you could smile about when entering. While the Milwaukee location is larger, this Waukesha location leaves me happy whenever I shop here. The biggest flaw here is the organization; the store has multiple sections of beer scattered throughout the store. It's not cohesive. But with that said, there is a fine beer selection where you can find the likes of Uerige, Ayinger, Saison Dupont, Rodenbach, and a more than decent glassware section. There's even a section filled with strong imperial stouts which you won't find at every shop. My most recent visit brought me Yazoo, which is new to Wisconsin, Odell Harvest Fresh, and Deth's Tar. A pair of cashier at front with no wait, pricetags matching nearly every beer on sale; that's a nice cherry on top of a beer store most beer nerds will smile while visiting.
Dec 08, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by BarrelAgedG from California

Aug 27, 2022
 
Rated: 4.97 by BubbleBobble from New York

Dec 25, 2016
Photo of adamranders
Rated by adamranders from Wisconsin

3.94/5  rDev -1.3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
exactly what you would expect from a liquor store and more. huge well organized wine selection. great beer selection and good prices all around.
Oct 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4.36 by Hendrick24 from Wisconsin

Sep 24, 2015
 
Rated: 3.95 by muskiesbadgersnbeer from Minnesota

Aug 17, 2015
 
Rated: 4.12 by MuFugga from Wisconsin

Jul 15, 2015
 
Rated: 4.58 by RJB66 from Wisconsin

Jan 10, 2015
 
Rated: 3.98 by Lucular from Maryland

Dec 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4.8 by NealPaisley from Wisconsin

Nov 30, 2014
Photo of mikebcpa
Reviewed by mikebcpa from Wisconsin

2/5  rDev -49.9%
The real issue with this place is that it's dirty and poorly organized. Hard to move within the aisles and look at the selections. Staff is almost nonexistent. Good selection and prices once you figure things out, but the Milwaukee location is way better
Nov 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.28 by Cubatobaco from Virginia

Oct 09, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Shluffy from Wisconsin

Sep 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by Dexterityviking from Wisconsin

Jul 15, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by TX-Badger from Texas

Jun 10, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by BrownAleMale from Wisconsin

Apr 08, 2014
Photo of beerwolf77
Reviewed by beerwolf77 from Wisconsin

4.1/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
Found myself out in the Shaw with some time to kill. I figured what better way to spend it than a beer store.

It's been years since I stepped foot in this place. Well let's just say it's still the best beer store west of Milwaukee. From the outside it looks like any other liquor store. Once inside though you know you're dealing with a totally different animal. The selection is just a hair smaller than the Milwaukee location but just as impressive as a whole. Full isle of imports save for the Belgians. Those have an entire section to themselves. A nice Wisconsin section along with a full American craft section. Not quite as many bombers as the Milwaukee location but plenty to choose from.

I didn't ask for help and none was offered. Not that I wanted any. Plus the place was packed so the workers were all busy helping those in need.

Overall a great place to get just about anything Wisconsin gets. Especially if you are west of the city.
May 13, 2012
Photo of jmp485
Reviewed by jmp485 from Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +4%
When I moved to Waukesha in 2006, I quickly discovered this place and it has become the first (and usually last) place I need to go to when looking for any craft beers. As was stated in the other reviews, the BMC offerings take up a huge amount of the floor space allocated to beers, but they service a pretty huge rural area and thats what their customers demand. But if you're looking for local micros, imports and regional/national craft beers, they have you covered.

Customer service is decent to very good depending on who you talk to. Some of the employees know a lot about wine and nothing about beer, but if you ask for the "beer guys" they will set you straight.

They seem to have vendors handing out samples just about every week. Sometimes its a beer vendor, other times wine. Either way its like getting those little snacks at the grocery store, only better.

Prices are very good for the area, except for the very limited release stuff. They've gotten into the habit of selling limited release beers (ie Founders Nemesis) as singles instead of 4-packs or 6-packs at jacked up prices.

I go to the Oklahoma Ave store from time to time for their bigger selection, but this place will always be my go to spot for just about everything I need.
Sep 23, 2010
Photo of DownDaHatch
Reviewed by DownDaHatch from Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +4%
I stumbled upon this place when I was visiting relatives in Waukesha (Birthplace of Les Paul). This place is pretty cool. While I was there a rep from Bell's was there giving out samples. Pretty cool since we can't get many in Illinois ie (Two Hearted Ale). Prices were more than reasonable. I am used to shopping at Binny's in the Chicagoland. They seem to have them beat on price by more than $1-2 a six pack. I didn't find a dating issue on beers that other reviewers found. The dank and dark floors and walls and potentially homeless people gathering around to buy a 40oz.gives the place a bit of character. Not only will I stop here when visiting, I know what to have the in-laws bring when visiting Illinois. It can certainly make a visit a bit more palatable.
Jan 09, 2009
Photo of bound4er
Reviewed by bound4er from Wisconsin

3.45/5  rDev -13.5%
Discount Waukesha is a nice stop if you are looking for recent releases or you are picking up a brisk seller. My problem with them is their lack of attention to beers that have been sitting unsold for long time periods. Most beer stores will offer a reduced price to get a slow mover sold. Not Discount. On my most recent visit, I found a 4-pack of North Coast Pranqster from 2005 waiting for some unsuspecting consumer. I purchased a 4-pack of Allagash White in late summer that had clearly seen its better days many months ago (the heavy dust should have been my clue). On the positive side, their selection is hard to beat and their prices are reasonable.
Jan 01, 2009
Photo of ebit
Reviewed by ebit from Wisconsin

3.35/5  rDev -16%
Probably the most diverse selection in Milwaukee and probably the highest quality now with Murray's out of the picture.

Some of the beers are of questionable date however so be wary on some purchases. An example is Three Floyd's, even though they no longer distribute to Wisconsin there is a surprisingly ample amount of stock from the brewery. While I would still purchase a Three Floyd's, the fact that they are still stocked has left me a bit wary of some of the other lesser quality brews that are meant to be consumed fresh.

Service is unimpressive unless the woman who essentially runs the beer section is on hand. Unless someone is there checking prices there is usually no help at all.

Value is above average for Milwaukee and although prices have increased as of late, it's to be expected due to the hop shortage.

Overall the expanse of the selection should make this your one stop shop for Milwaukee.
Apr 12, 2008
Photo of guthrie
Reviewed by guthrie from Wisconsin

4.2/5  rDev +5.3%
I always stop here when I go visit my BFF in "The 'Shaw". A real nice selection of beer, of course more could be added. (Only have the Lindeman's geueze, and no other kind of Lambics) Although I'd make sure to check the dates (if available) on the bottles because their main clientèle seems to be people buying suitcases of Miller or 4-packs of weird malt stuff. But other than that, it's for sure the best selection in the area.
I never see any staff around, but it seems like they leave the people looking at the "good" beers alone because they figure we must know something about beer since we're in that area anyhow.(?) If I did have a question I'd know where to find them though...
Overall a must-stop if you're in the area.
Also (way off-topic, but just trust me here) if you make a trip out there, stop by this crazy restaurant called Jimmy's Grotto, up the road on Main St. They make these huge things called "Ponza-rottas" that are like calzones, except they're DEEP-FRIED!! Pure artery-clogging deliciousness.
Apr 04, 2008
Photo of chiapete
Reviewed by chiapete from Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +0.3%
This has been my home town store since I started drinking.I think they have a very good selection of beer including craft styles. Sometimes seems you have to wait for a beer to arrive that has been on the market for a while.

Customer service is very good. The employees seem to know more about the wine selections than the beer.

A little hectic during weekends and holidays but most liqueur stores in Wisconsin are.

Prices seem to average to slightly above for most items.

I've been to other stores that seem to know more about the products, or have more selection for the size of the store but I will still go here to get most of my choices.
Feb 20, 2008
Photo of Homerbag
Reviewed by Homerbag from Wisconsin

3.65/5  rDev -8.5%
I've been driving past this place for years and finally made an effort to stop in. First, as big as it looks on the outside, it's not as big as you may think on the inside. The aisles are not that big and the place is old and out of date. But this is a busy liquor store, not just a beer geek treasure chest. I found myself getting in the way of people going back and forth from the stockroom to the front, but thats only because the beer section is by the stockroom. As far as the selection goes, I was very impressed. The amount of hard to find craft beers, Belgians, and other Europian beer made up for it. The prices were right also. If you shop around, you'll find some things cheaper, but the overall value is good. This will be part of my beer hunting trips.
Oct 14, 2007
Photo of brdc
Reviewed by brdc from Wisconsin

3.15/5  rDev -21.1%
I was a bit disappointed with this one after reading all the comments.
It is a very ugly place, very disorganized and difficult to find what you are looking for, although the selection is good (although missing a few VERY important stuff, both american and imports for such a large store).
I am also concerned with the temperature control, the amount of light hitting the beers and the time they have been on the shelf (thick dust).
Staff is atentious but don't know a lot about beer.
Prices are great.
Will update this note as soon as I find out if the beers I bought are in good condition despite the poor care.
Jan 05, 2007
Photo of rhoadsrage
Reviewed by rhoadsrage from Illinois

3.85/5  rDev -3.5%
When you walk into this place it looks a bit like a run of the mill liquor store but when you get to the back they have a pretty good selection. To the left was all the BMC in a wall of coolers and that was where most of the people were shopping. Straight in the back was a nice cooler section of craft beer and to the left was the imports and more warm beers.

They had an interesting deal on several beers in the case that came with a free glass when you bought the case. They had more glassware down an isle with some nice beer glasses. They had a nice shelf of vintage beers from 04 and 05 with things like world wide stout to 6 bottles of Sam Adams Triple Bock. They also a good wide selection of 750 ml bottles from the Midwest and east and west coasts. I just stopped and spent a moment with the large selection of Bell's before I headed back to Chicago. They also had a good selection of beers from Wisconsin so I stocked up on lots of beers. I thought the 6-packs were a bit pricey with an average price of 13 dollars for many of the seasonals I bought but it was worth it.
Nov 16, 2006
Photo of aaronsl8
Reviewed by aaronsl8 from Wisconsin

4/5  rDev +0.3%
This store is definitely the best beer/liquor store that I have seen in SE Wisconsin. Has a very extensive selection of beers and the prices are quite reasonable (thus, the name). There are so many beers and they are spread out all over the place, so it can be somewhat overwhelming the first couple of times that you go there. They also have a lot of glassware and there are beers-of-the-month that come with free glass(es). My only complaint would be that they don't have too much beer in the coolers, other than the mass-produced brewers (Miller, Bud, etc). A walk in cooler would be a welcome addition, but that is a very minor complaint.
Oct 10, 2006
Photo of brewQ
Reviewed by brewQ from Missouri

4.15/5  rDev +4%
Only one review here in 3 1/2 years!!!
This place, like the oft reviewed Oklahoma Ave. Location in MKE, is a gem.

Best Wisconsin selection you will find- all brewers and a variety of sampler and special packages. Lots of east coast- DFH, the illusive (to me) Belgian made Ommegang, others.

The coolers are packed with good beers in six packs, mostly. Singles on the shelf may get a bit dusty but this is a great shop.

Help was eager to please but many of them not very experienced, I'd say.

If you travel I94 between MKE and Mad Town this IS worth the stop.
Head down Main Street to where it hits Barstow.

My 21 year old son has an apt. here- great neighborhood location as far as I am concerned.
Aug 11, 2006
Photo of cokes
Reviewed by cokes from Wisconsin

4.15/5  rDev +4%
This place is unbelievable. Equal parts liquor store and museum.
Selection is unparelleled in my experience. Just tons and tons of beers, especially Belgian and British brews. Loads of US specialities as well. Prices are untouchable.
Staff was friendly and interested, though not entirely able to answer some questions I had. Nevertheless, they did enough to help make this the single best beer store I have seen. I doubt many top this.

Update: I'm going to downgrade this slightly. It still a great liquor store, and all of what I said above is true. But there are some improvements that could be made:
-Much of the stock is uncooled.
-There are hardly any WI (or US) singles
-The stuff present no longer seems as rare (this is primarily because my home town selection has improved).

This remains a "must-stop", and is even worth going out of your way, but its not the be-all end-all I once believed.
Jan 14, 2003
Discount Liquor in Waukesha, WI
Place rating: 3.99 out of 5 with 30 ratings