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Kalamazoo Beer Exchange
211 E Water St
Kalamazoo, Michigan, 49007-5823
United States
(269) 532-1188 | map
kalamazoobeerexchange.com
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Ratings by TheBear11D:
Reviewed by TheBear11D from Michigan
4.25/5 rDev -1.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
4.25/5 rDev -1.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
The atmosphere here is pretty standard for a bar. They have an upstairs and downstairs. The upstairs has tables if you are desiring to eat along with two bars. The downstairs has one bar, a couple pool tables and is mostly a standing area on the weekends when it is busier. If you come out on a weekend night be prepared to wait a little to get it. I do, however, believe it is worth the wait. Since I am a few minutes from the place I try to get here on a weekday when it is not quite as busy.
The food is quite delicious, but I think the food may be the slightest bit overpriced. I have had several different meals here and have yet to be disappointed.
The highlight of this place is the beer. Not only do they have a wonderful selection on draft that is rotated fairly steadily, the way the prices work makes buying your beer fun. I am a bargain hunter by nature so this especially appeals to me. Beer prices change every 15 minutes. The changes are based on if the beer is getting bought.
If a lot of people are buying a beer x during one 15 minute time block the price of beer x will go up in the following time block. If a beer is not getting purchased it will drop in price. Every beer has a base price it will not go under which varies depending on the beer, but if you are familiar enough with beer and typical prices you can drink pretty stellar beer well below the average cost of a pint at a bar if you buy at a price drop.
Occasionally, only on the weekends, there will be a market crash. They blow an air horn to signify the market has crashed. At this point all beers fall to their lowest price. Of course, everybody wants to purchase at that point, but the staff usually does an excellent job of getting all orders in.
This is a must try place for anybody who enjoys beer.
May 19, 2011The food is quite delicious, but I think the food may be the slightest bit overpriced. I have had several different meals here and have yet to be disappointed.
The highlight of this place is the beer. Not only do they have a wonderful selection on draft that is rotated fairly steadily, the way the prices work makes buying your beer fun. I am a bargain hunter by nature so this especially appeals to me. Beer prices change every 15 minutes. The changes are based on if the beer is getting bought.
If a lot of people are buying a beer x during one 15 minute time block the price of beer x will go up in the following time block. If a beer is not getting purchased it will drop in price. Every beer has a base price it will not go under which varies depending on the beer, but if you are familiar enough with beer and typical prices you can drink pretty stellar beer well below the average cost of a pint at a bar if you buy at a price drop.
Occasionally, only on the weekends, there will be a market crash. They blow an air horn to signify the market has crashed. At this point all beers fall to their lowest price. Of course, everybody wants to purchase at that point, but the staff usually does an excellent job of getting all orders in.
This is a must try place for anybody who enjoys beer.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by Pivopijak from Washington
4.51/5 rDev +4.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75
4.51/5 rDev +4.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75
In the heart of downtown. Modern, tall, glassy facade on a classic brick building. Taproom is down a half flight of stairs and room is lit by the big windows, just above. Not a big room. A fairly modern decor that is fairly dark at night. The beer exchange in the name is not just a name, but the electronic beer menu is a ticker listing of fluctuating prices, that are updated frequently and reflect the demand of the beers, the current top sellers, fetch a higher price than the recent, lower volume selling beers.i was told that there is an occasional market crash there and the prices go to a very low, even price, across the beer menu, as a market correction, then start to get back to the market driven prices. The lady serving at the bar, really knows the tap selection and is eager to recommend beers, according to customer's taste preferences. One beer that I tried was down in price and the other was flat in price and was a gift from the tender. Most beers at the time, were from the midwest and northeast. The music was really good indie rock.
Oct 29, 2021Reviewed by Dactrius from Netherlands Antilles
4.29/5 rDev -0.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4
4.29/5 rDev -0.9%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4
While cool in theory, the changing beer prices are actually pretty annoying. I don't like anything which makes me want to wait to order a beer. Food was good, tasty sandwich and exceptionally good friends. Service was weirdly friendly (my waitress's hard core eye contact and smile is still freaking me out a bit). That said, the beer selection was good enough that I'd definitely go back (and it's not like Kzoo is hurting for options).
Jun 29, 2017Rated by a_beckman25 from Michigan
4.65/5 rDev +7.4%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
4.65/5 rDev +7.4%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5
Great place. Awesome selection, very well kept , great food.
Dec 23, 2015
Kalamazoo Beer Exchange in Kalamazoo, MI
Place rating:
4.33 out of
5 with
68 ratings
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