Jimmie Garant's Party Store

Store

1226 W Chisholm St
Alpena, Michigan, 49707-1620
United States

(989) 354-4366 | map
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.23
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
11
pDev:
16.08%
View: Place Reviews
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Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.72/5  rDev -12.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.75
When in Alpena, this is probably one of your best bets in this town. Not much else around for miles. I mean, it's a fairly clean place. And service is good. Selection has a lot of Michigan brewers ie Bell's, Founder's, Witch's Hat then Oskar Blues, New Belgium, Stone, Ommegang, Boulevard, Unibroue and Rogue were the ones I remember. The staff is pretty chill in this place.
Aug 06, 2018
 
Rated: 4.75 by BellsFan from Michigan

Jul 29, 2017
 
Rated: 4.93 by Aaron197 from Kansas

May 31, 2016
Photo of cptbenjamin
Reviewed by cptbenjamin from North Carolina

4.02/5  rDev -5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4.25
I made the 45 minute drive up from Oscoda and it was worth the drive. Nothing rare per se but an incredible selection of MI beers. Worth the drive because nothing else is around!
Jul 24, 2015
 
Rated: 5 by Doogie-Hopster from Michigan

Aug 31, 2014
Photo of sm0key
Reviewed by sm0key from Michigan

4.08/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
For the area (far north east Michigan) the seletion is amazing. Not a lot of european beers, but they usual suspects are there. Michigan is represented very well. all the seasonal were there, as well the Bell's one of batch release, and Founders one run specials.

Prices are pretty good, i got a 4 pack of backwoods bastard for 9.99 everywhere else, I've seen this has been over 12.00! The staff is friendly, but not the person I talked to wasn't into the craft beer scene...

My "goto" place when I'm in that part of the state!
Nov 09, 2012
Photo of frazbri
Reviewed by frazbri from Ohio

3.95/5  rDev -6.6%
Jimmie Garant's Party Store is on 23 in Alpena. This place is packed to the rafters. Beer from Michigan, Belgium, and around the globe are in abundance. They have the biggest selection I've seen in northern Michigan. I found beer from Short's, Founders, Bell's, North Peak on my stop. Coolers line the left wall and hold a pretty hefty selection of cold beer, but there wasn't much in the walk-in fridge out of the ordinary.

Service was good. They seemed to know their stuff.

The store isn't without flaws. There is so much beer, that it was tough to move around, and there are some past-prime bottles on the shelves. Like any store, you do have to pay attention to what you're buying. Overall, though it's an excellent store.
Jul 28, 2010
Photo of wingedeel
Reviewed by wingedeel from Indiana

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
Jimmie Garants has a really nice selection of micros, particularly for the struggling town of Alpena. Great coverage of Michigan brews,including some limited releases, and a nice selection of other micros, many limited releases included once again. Import selection, particularly the Belgian selections, were many, and quite interesting. The only knock on the place was that they had beer everywhere, piled on the floor, in the cooler, on the front counter, and on various shelves. You could barely walk in the place.It was a little difficult to find things, but well worth the effort.

Prices were really great, much better than other places I have stopped in the state.Some of the bombers of limited release beers were a couple of dollars cheaper than in say, Grand Rapids.

Service was polite, knowledgeable, and friendly. The place to go in Alpena.
Nov 24, 2009
Photo of spbays
Reviewed by spbays from Michigan

5/5  rDev +18.2%
This is the place that all other beer stores strive to be!! For a port on the east side of Michigan that is struggling through a slow economic downturn the Garant brothers (Mick and Jim) have created a first class establishment that hasn't forgot its working class roots that go back over 50 years.

With prices on the major brewery brands that are compatible with the big box stores and service that far exceeds them, the boys have brought in a stunning array of craft and micro brands that any store in the state would be hard pressed to match. Their blue collar ethic on business has transcended into their high end brands which are, many times, dollars cheaper per 6 pk than their downstate competition.

A big Thunder Bay BOOYAH to Mick, Jim, Alma and all the young people (where many of them got their first jobs)at JIMMY GARANT'S PARTY STORE.
---Here's To Beer---Scott and Amber Bays----
Jan 25, 2008
Photo of nicholasb
Reviewed by nicholasb from Michigan

4.35/5  rDev +2.8%
This is my neighborhood hook-up. It also happens to be in a working class town so Jimmie's keeps 30-packs stacked to the ceilings, but if you proceed past the magazine rack you'll find a really nice selection of craft brews.

The staff is friendly, know their regulars by name, and even buy them a beer from time to time, but they are still in the process of learning about their inventory.

The selection of American craft beers is vastly superior to The Cracker Barrel and includes: Avery, Rogue, Founder's, Stone, Stoudt's, Dogfish Head, Bell's, Great Divide, Breckenridge, Great Lakes, Victory, Jolly Pumpkin, New Holland, and so on.

Belgian ales include: Chimay, Westmalle, Orval, LaChouffe, Duvel, plus Ommegang and some Flanders ales.

They also carry a small and elecletic assortment of European/British beers, most of which I never bother with so I'm working from the dark recesses of my memory. I know they carry Young's, Ayinger, Samuel Smith's, St. Peter's, Lion, Weihenstephaner, Jacobite Traquair, and quite a few other odd novelties.

When seasonal brews such as Founder's Kentucky Bourbon Breakfast Stout and Victory's Hop Wallop are released, you can rest assured that a few cases will find their way to Jimmie's.

Indisputably the best selection in N.E. lower Michigan.
Nov 18, 2006
Photo of nota
Reviewed by nota from North Carolina

2.6/5  rDev -38.5%
I am editing my review because after visiting this store now for 3 years I have made some new discoveries which has changed my opinion. When you first walk into the store you can't help notice how jam packed it is with cases of beer. The selection to the eye is impressive until you start looking at freshness dates and you will realise there is plenty of outdated beer to be found. My last purchase I bought a Schell Caramel Bock with a bottle date of May 2007. They are still trying to sell Samuel Adams Brown Ale at full price with with best by dates of September 2008.

Am I glad there is a Jimmie Garant's-YES. I would not of drank so many new beers that I could not find anywhere else. But I have learned to shop wisely and carefully looking for bottling dates. If it don't have a date or I can't understand the code I pass it up. I will never again purchase a beer 451 days past its freshness date and pay top dollar.
Sep 10, 2006
Jimmie Garant's Party Store in Alpena, MI
Place rating: 4.23 out of 5 with 11 ratings