Party Source Beer Store

Bare shelves and only one or two packs of maybe 25-30 different beers. Most of these were in broken 4 & 6 packs and from breweries I've never heard of. About 18 beers (most 8-12+ months old) to choose from in their "make your own" 6 pack selection. Singles are sold by breaking packs so there are several partial 4 & 6 packs on the shelves. Six imports; 1 Canadian, 1 Polish, 1 Chinese, 1 British, 2 German. They had some beers on tap for filling growlers, but the names were handwritten and faded so I don't know what was available.
The place is just sad and not worth a trip.

 

Best craft selection in syracuse, good prices, excellent customer service, samplings almost once per week.

 

Syracuse is the ugly friend and Party Source is Kate Upton.

Love this place. Large selection, friendly & knowledgeable staff, reasonable prices.

Good selection. They have 5 taps for growlers fills and usually they have local breweries on tap. Twice a month they do tastings on a friday. Knowledgeable staff.

 

 

 

To clarify: this store is under new management. I have been here a few times since my extended visit to the area, and there is no mean old man who doesn't want you to be there. There are a few different employees, but mostly it's been one really cool guy in his thirties who clearly knows beers and is eager to help. There's also a girl there sometimes, mid-20s, who doesn't seem to know as much but is plenty friendly. Prices are even to what I've seen in the area. The selection is very good. I do wish more was available for mix-a-six, but that's because I'd like to try as much local stuff that I can't get where I am and those sixers can't be split by state law. They still have enough single 12 oz. options, but it is primarily bombers, 750s and 6-packs. There is a growler station with 6 taps. This place is worth stopping and checking out, and they do get the good stuff. It's easier to just find Kashmir, the international market that's easy to see the signage for from the street. Currently, that store is gone, but the sign remains.

 

I have been going to Party Source for several months now since beginning my studies as a grad student at Syracuse University and have had mixed experiences. For the most part, I have appreciated the decent selection of beers and have been really happy that they have recently offered Allagash from Portland, ME which I haven't seen since I was actually in Maine on an internship. I always feel appreciated when I shop for beer here. I also like the fact that they offer beer tastings every few weeks or so. Today I was lucky enough to accidentally stumble upon a free tasting of 8 beers from Sierra Nevada which were all fantastic.

All in all, this place offers a solid selection and reasonable prices. I will continue to go to this place for beer as it easily has the best selection in 'Cuse. I would recommend this place based on the beer selection and environment which is certainly supplemented by the beer tastings and friendly store patrons.

 

RE-REVIEW:

My faith has been restored in this store! It's under new management and has been completely redone. The manager Josh is a real beer aficionado and is super accommodating. This has gone from my 'in a pinch' bottle shop to my new 'go-to'. The previous review was for a previous store and the only thing that's the same is the location and the fact that they have beer.

Cheers to Party Source!

OLD:
When you walk in you realize that decor and overall interior aesthetics were the last thing on the owner's mind when designing the place. The entire left hand side is reserved for a few palates and is mostly just a barren concrete slab. On the other side however hugging the walls is a whole sleuth of 4/6 packs for you to choose from and they span the entire globe in terms of selection it isn't just limited to BMC and locals. One of the other great additions to the place is the mixer-sixer (cost per bottle inflated vs. pack) This is an awesome service that is unique to stores in this area however the grumpy old guy will ALWAYS gripe just for you picking up the mix-six packs to start one. This is where the company takes a turn for the worse. The management is downright terrible, he is crotchety and never wants to talk beer which I can get past but he wont even acknowledge you half the time if you do try and say a simple hello. I could understand if all I were to do was peruse and never buy anything but i've dropped a pretty penny there on numerous occasions and my last trip there was the final straw. I was the only one buying and I had a single mix six. He goes "oh great" when I walk up and then calls the attention to others that they can simply go ahead of me (they werent in line) because apparently this would take too long. Two seperate customers that were called over (again not standing in line) were let ahead of me and then he began to grit his teeth, sigh and slam my bottles on the counter for giving him such a mundane task as to take advantage of a service they offer.

For the cost, selection and service I would choose brilbecks and the ONLY thing this place has on it is the availability of mixer-sixers.

In a pinch and want to try a single beer. Go for it. Care about being treated like a customer and not a burden on their day. Go elsewhere.

Hi there,

This is my first review of anything on here, after reading Edwaka's review it spurred me to write one. Ed - I'm not sure if the person who was working the time you were there was an older (>65 year old) gentlemen, but I had almost the exact same experience to a "t".

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY GOING TO THIS STORE

I was the only customer in there and the old guy behind the counter could not had been a bigger a-hole if he tried. Didn't ask if I wanted help and I just got this overwhelming feeling he didn't want me there. When I asked if they had Ommegang Blond Ale he made an obnoxious "I can't hear you" gesture and just exuded a really shi**y attitude. They didn't have the Blonde Ale (the ommegang selection was poor imo) and he just said "We don't have it", no offers for a similar beer. So I ended up buying Souther Tier LIVE (which is amazing btw) sort of because I felt obligated just to buy something. Walking out I remembering saying to myself, wow that guy must really hate his life to make paying customers feel like crap.

The place is clean, but the selection is weak and I don't recall them labeling areas of where the beer is from. Service was one of the the WORST I've experienced anywhere (including places like NYC and LA - you'd think people in CNY would have a better attitude), and honestly Wegmans has a better selection of beer.

Also to note, even though I stated the establishment is "clean" I only gave the atmosphere a 1.50 rating due to the beers being slightly disorganized and the HORRIBLE ATTITUDE of the older gentlemen working behind the counter, which put a huge damper on the overall experience.

-Chris

WORST experience ever.

I heard horrible things about this place - read the rest of the reviews for validation.
I went anyway ONLY because I come from oneonta/cooperstown where there is excelent brewing, but not much retail selection. Stopped here despite the aweful reviews, hoping to find at least one cool beer. I was horrified.

Wednesday. They open at 10am. I came in at 10:20. Was the only customer there. Literally less than 5 minutes of walking around.
I'm standing in front of the domestic/American craft rack taking mental notes of things I'd buy, and I hear the guy behind the counter mutter 'under his breath'..."buy something or get the fuck out!"

REALLY?

I start walking wordlessly and emptyhanded toward the door and as i near it he yells - "Is that all!?"

So I stopped and gave the guy a piece of my mind telling him I was about to spend a bunch of money in the store and he just lost it all to his competitiors. He acts like a schoolchild in the principals office about how he didn't say it...and then about how it was so quiet he barely heard it....then he admits to saying it and how he was sorry and didn't mean it.

He lied for a few minutes about saying it then finally admitted it. Said he was sorry but what the hell good is that?
I told him to fuck off and to expect a call to his manager/store's owner ASAP.
I called back to ask for management later, and he told me he was "so sorry" and wanted to extend an offer for a free case (which didn't mean much considering they didn't have a stellar selection). At this point I was across town and wasn't about to drive back over. Guess one paying customer and all of BA doesn't mean much to them.

I don't want the person to lose their job in this economy, so I didn't actually call back and rat them out to management, but I do hope they shits bricks all day thinking that is the case.

If you're a Syracusean, you know who I am talking about.

Brilbecks is about 10 minutes away and has an awesome selection. Galeville grocery is the same distance with an equally good stock of beer. Ideally I'd like to see Party Source do well, but as an owner/manager, you sign your own death certificate by keeping a person like this in your employment.

Went to the Party Source last week while in SYR.

This place obviously used to be some kind of convenience store or something similar. Seems to be a lot of dead space in here. On to the good stuff. They carry a lot of domestic craft from the likes of Cooperstown, Ithaca, Rogue, Full Sail and Great Lakes. The items are clearly marked with 6 pack prices as well as prices for singles. Prices here are very fair, the seleection is good for domestic craft, not so much so on the import side of things, though they do carry favorites such as Duvel, Delerium Tremens and Chimay. I did find Full Sail Wassail, which was a huge surprise considering when I was out on the left coast, I could not find this, so I had to break and buy a 6 pack of it. As for the service, no one really asked if I needed help, which was fine with me as I could navigate things well on my own. Overall, it's worth checking out.

Past reviews have rated the place as having a "weird" atmosphere, but they are now under new management, I believe. The "big, empty" half of the store that previous reviews talked about has now been replaced by an Indian food store, so Party Source beer store part is much more intimate. Also, the new staff is much friendlier (in my opinion), and they have an active twitter feed that keeps you up to date on what's new (that's how I found out about their DFH 120 min delivery). Is it worth going out of your way if you're closer to one of the other Syracuse bottle shops? Probably not, but they have a decent selection if you're in the neighborhood and/or also need a keg, definitely stop in. They ALSO have the advantage of being able to mix from most any of the six packs on the shelf. Some other stores in the area have make your own sixers, but you can only choose from certain loose bottles. Here they price individually too.

Re-reviewing this, because I visited recently and it was much improved from the last time I'd been there.

Atmosphere is pretty average as far as beer stores go, though it's much improved from the last time I was there. The other half of the space they were in appears to have been remodeled and it's next to an Indian grocery store now; Party Source feels appropriately-sized now, not uncomfortably roomy and with a decent set up, spatially speaking.

Service, of course, is much improved. Two guys were working there, the older gentleman behind that counter that most people here have complained about (not without reason, of course), and a younger guy that was helpful and friendly.

Selection was about like it was before. Lots of sixers and some bombers / 750s, with a handful of taps. Local stuff on the lines, I think three of five were just Empire Brewing Co. (from downtown Syracuse). What was REALLY great was that they allow you to mix-a-six with anything in the store, so long as you don't have to break the packaging to do so (like with canned sixers or 12-packs, that sort of thing). That was really, really awesome, because they're the only spot in the Syracuse area where you can do that. The price of anything in the mix-a-six is whatever the bottle is proportional to the package, too, not marked up at all. Also great. Beyond that, there was a decent selection of domestic craft, a few imports (and mainly good ones) and some NY State brews -- always happy to see more local beer in the stores. Not nearly as much as Galeville on that front, but not bad, still.

And finally, the prices are reasonable now. Party Source used to be a bit pricier, and that combined with the bad service and off-putting interior was a big turn off. Now, it's reasonably laid out, reasonably priced, and the service is adequate. Add the very versatile mix-a-six policy (again, only place in the area), and Party Source suddenly became a store I'll go back to in the near future -- a huge improvement from the "never again" association I had with it before.

Every time i go into this place I am "greeted" (as in a quick glance upon entering) by unwelcoming D-Bags. I have been confronted about not purchasing items and always seem to note a completely outdated/out of season beer selection (ie Aprihop in late August).

Asking for help makes me generally uncomfortable by how rude both the owner and help tend to be. Do not go to this store with questions about beer, they will probably be incredibly unhelpful.

That being said, they have a decent selection, including a mix and match your own 6 pack. At one point they did have a small growler filling station, it will apparently return after alleged and long over due renovations. The place looks and feels like a warehouse, yet these are no wholesale priced items. Beers are typically 1-3 dollars more expensive in this store than they are at Wegmans/Tops. I was able to catch a tasting at their store, which was a 100% planned outing, and it went fairly smoothly as the tasting did not require my interaction with any of the staff.

*** just an update, this place is under new management and I visited again on Dec 6 2011.. much better than before, fair prices, better store lay out, worth revisiting for those who have reviewed poorly in the past. (although the bitter old guy is still there sometimes.. I think he just sold the business to his kids)

After reading some mixed reviews, I decided to visit the Party Source the other day. When I first walked into the store, I was on the look out for the 'grumpy old guy' that I'd heard so much about. I guess it was his day off, there was only a few younger guys working. The place is fairly large, but there is a lot of open floor space that is not being used. One the left side they had stacks of 30 packs of Bud/Coors/Miller etc, on the right side they had a 60 foot rack of craft beers. And they let you break up the packs if you just want to buy singles. However you will pay an inflated price. For example, a 4 pack of DFH 90 Minute was 9.99, but a single was 3.49... still not to bad. Most of the beers I looked at had pretty fresh bottled dates; I didn't see anything that was expired. If it wasn't for the new 'mix 6 section' at the Wegman's I visited, I would have thought this place was incredible. The staff isn't the friendliest, and it isn't the most visually appealing store to shop at, but it's still worth a visit.

Under new management - the post below is from the former. There are updates to the store and the staff is far more helpful. Still a little pricey but way better than before.

RUDE RUDE RUDE - I will keep this brief - I live no more than a 3 minute drive from this place and would drive 20+ to the next best beer store to avoid the service here, or lack there of. I have asked for advice on beer and recommendations only to be looked and treated like a burden even after giving them several tries. I have always thought that beer people were the friendliest in the world but these guys really missed that lesson. In fact I was there for a beer tasting during beer week and the person behind the desk came right out and said to the other worker (sitting on cases while we all walked around) "that guy who just left is such an a**h***..." If I ever said that about a customer in front of another customer not only would I be mortified but I would be looking for another job. So I lied, this is not short, but unless you are a college kid picking up multiple cases or kegs for your weekend blitz skip this store - you are better off at Wegmans...

Probably the most depressing beer shop I have ever been in. Selection is crappy, except for a rare find of vintage bottle conditioned ales. However, even those you must be wary of due to the large amount of light that constantly comes through the giant store front windows. Most bottles are past date or just about there, major problem for the IPA's or seasonal stuff. I have found one good thing there in over 5 visits. Staff is just cranky and does not want to talk about beer or aid a customer at all. I basically was going to buy at least something just to be nice, a bottle of Ommegang I think, but when I went over to the counter it felt like I was a disturbance. Therefore I left the bottle there and put my money away. This place is really only good for fueling the frat houses at SU not for beer advocates looking for a good place to shop.

I stop by here everyone once in a while to see what is new. Inventory mostly remains in the same place each time I visit but every once in a while something interesting comes through (fresh case of Bitches Brew last visit).

The store front has huge windows that let it a lot of sunlight so stick to the bottles in the shade. The store has the feeling of a loading bay, with half of the sales floor devoted to pallets of Natural Light and Keystone for the SU frats.

The micro selection is interesting and they do allow the purchase of singles so that you can try a few new brews. There are a lot of NY and other northeast breweries well represented here. The also have a few taps regional growler fills.

Staff generally hangs out behind the counter listening to sports on the radio and would rather you didn't bother them.

Prices are consistently higher than the competition but it can be a nice compliment to other selection in the area.

I have only been in this establishment twice but over those 2 times I was severely let down.

I went in and made my own 6 pack which consisted of 2 bottles of the seadog hazelnut porter. Now mind you this is years ago and I was but a fledgling beer drinker not know very much about it.

The porter was delicious, to this day one of my favorites so I rushed back the next day to purchase a 6 pack of it and was told it never existed. I politely argued explaining that I had purchased it the day before and eventually was told to leave the store.

Aside from the impolite stubborn staff the selection was great and the prices were ok.

Some things are little dusty, but none of what I picked up here was off or past its prime.

Service was polite and friendly. I couldn't find a large box to put my purchases in, a staff member was happy to go look to see if they had some larger cases in the back.

Wide variety american craft beers, with a good selection of belgian imports as well. Good selection of Unibroue and Samuel Smiths offerings as well. Place had Magic Hats current Odd Notion available as a growler fill.

Some products are more expensive than Brilbecks, some products are less expensive than Brilbecks. Prices seemed competitive with the other places I've shopped in Syracuse (Brilbecks & Wegmans).

If you're looking for a store in Syracuse with great variety, The Party Source should be your first stop. It has, without question, the most extensive selection around. They're just about the only place in town where you can buy individual bottles and mix and match your own six pack sampler. Their beers span the globe, and it's the only place in town I've ever seen Trappist Rochefort 10 available for sale. They are always well stocked with seasonals and difficult to find limited editions. The staff is not overly friendly anytime I've been in, but at least they leave you to browse their stock in peace. Was a bit disappointed to see they stopped selling cigars, but beggars can't be choosers. The selection is nowhere near what you'd find at The Halftime in Poughkeepsie, and you'll find better prices at Wegmans, who are slowly creeping up the ladder and challenging for beer selection supremacy, but Party Source still holds onto the top spot for CNY beer stores.

I should first tell you that I consider you, and I don't mean "everybody not me, you" but "you, personally, you" to be the source of all that which is party. No, really, it's true. When I show up at a party, I'm looking around, asking around for you. If you're not there, I deem the scene "beat" and tip. It happens quite frequently, but I guess you already know that. It's just not a party unless you show up. Seriously, it's all about you. Par-ty...

Too much beer in the back room for me to come party here just now, but Gumballhead & Alpha Kings abound, and I will be passing through the nest of interstates twisting around the 'cuse. Big bright green & blue building just off the exit. Counter island in the middle of the room from which they survey all that is theirs. The left side of the room is empty save a few piles of macros but it's otherwise strangely bare, and the right side of the room is where the action is. Racks along the far wall holding micros mostly, but some imports German, English, Belgian, further down, and racks of this and that, specialties, 22's and 750's riddled about the floor. At least 5 dozen micros, with a good collection of (surprise) New York State beers from end to end (Ellicottville, Flying Bison, Southern Tier, Ithaca, Wagner Valley, Saranac, Sackets Harbor, Middle Ages, Cooperstown, Ommegang, Brooklyn, Blue Point, Southampton). All the New England and Mid Atlantic micros we see downstate, but some Midwest offerings like Dark Horse, New Holland and Three Floyds (The Alpha King was long gone and I scapped the rest of the Gumballheads) that we really don't see.

Coolers to the rear if you want it cold, and they've got growler pours (Southern Tier Phin & Matts Extraordinary Ale, Magic Hat Odd Notion & Redhook Copperhook, when I was there).

Also, cigars and stuff. Service was good, just a bunch of guys hanging around the counter talking beer, they seemed to know their game. Solid store Syracuse.

Third & final stop in my brief visit to Syracuse.

When i came in, i could see this place was different than the others. For starters, concrete floors & lots of open space make this a warehouse. But then i went to the beers & yes!, i can break up 6packs! I am in beer heaven. They have all the same beers plus a couple of others i didn't see anywhere else. Now this is where i should have come first! Every 6 or 4pack is available to break up (expect for those in the coolers but those are, for the most part, available also at room temp). I bought among others some Heavy Seas, Stoudt's, Great Divide & others. Prices i found were reasonable for singles (on par with buying singles here in Quebec, maybe even better)
Service was curt & to the point but that didn't bother me too much, was too busy drooling over which beers to buy.
Overall, best selection & beer store in Syracuse, IMHO. Next time i come in the area, this will be my first & only store i'll visit. If you want to buy single bottles, this is THE place to come. Highly recommended.

Best selection is Syracuse from my experience. Galeville has better prices but at the Party Source you don't have to wait in a cramped line for 10 minutes waiting for everyone to buy lottery tickets. The store is kind of ugly and in my experience the old man hasn't been mean, just "unenthusiastic" about your presence. The other guys that work there are nice, however. Their prices are what really holds them down from being the only place to go. I can get a good variety of Middle Ages, Ommegang, Stone and others at the supermarket (wegman's) for at the very least a dollar cheaper for a bomber. They keep sucking me back in though because there's nothing they don't have that somewhere else in Syracuse does.

The Party Source management must have read some of the negative comments as things are different now. They have an excellent selection of local and regional brew, but their international beers are still their weak point. Each of the beers is available in 6 pack or individually. The young helper asked me right away if I was looking for something special "or just having fun". The older clerk gave his opinion on each of my beer choices; he was quite knowledgeble and showed a real interest in the beer. The prices for individual beers were reasonable.

The Party Source has some of the best selection I have seen in the Northern New York area. It is a very big and spacious store but they have all the beers sitting on top of each other. Packed in on shelves. There is also a good amount of cold beers in the refrigerators. Both kegs and growlers are available. There also always seems to be some pretty good specials. The old man running the place is ornery (As we say in the South) as hell. He’ll help you as you needed and give you some advice but he ain’t coming to you. He got real mad when I asked him about mixer sixers. If he has loose bottle he’ll let you do it but it gets pricey but he warns you about that too. The prices aren’t bad. I haven’t left empty handed yet.

We left Montreal early, and the road to Syracuse was pleasant, if rainy. The border guard asked us why we were going there and to Cooperstown, when we all answered in unison “Beer fests”, he laughed and waived us through. After securing our hotel room near the campus, our next priority was to score some Beer, and Party Source wasn’t too far from the downtown core and an easy drive on Erie Street.

As mentioned by the others, this place is pretty no-frills. A few displays and racks of Beer but most cases were on the floor. The fridges were in the back, a small growler filling station that didn’t look very clean and an island checkout counter in the center. A few brewery flags and banners, that’s it. It reminded me of Costco. Nothing wrong with that, the Beers didn’t seem too dusty.

Interesting selection from all over, nothing that really made me stop and say wow, but plenty of west coast brews, good local rep and decent variety of imports. Some Beers in the coolers were not in the room temp section (Brooklyn Monster ale was one) so keep an eye out. Selection seemed pretty up to date, they had seasonals and one-offs that I wasn’t sure were available around here yet (Stone 7.7.7, DFH Festina Peche).

Prices were pretty steep, but then again I’ve noticed that they have gone up generally everywhere. No way was I going to pay 18$ for a 750ml of Allagash – but I’ve seen it elsewhere for the same price so I won’t blame them – and 6 bucks an Orval is an absolute rip-off. Most imports seemed overpriced to me compared to other stores I’ve been to recently, so I stuck with regionals that were more reasonable.

Service was another issue. I wasn’t expecting them to bend over backwards for us, but it was lackluster even by convenience store standards. I’m not an expert in the service industry, but when a foursome of obvious tourists walks in your store, coming over to say “hi, don’t hesitate to ask if you need help” would have been the minimum. We bought for over 150 bucks worth of suds and we even had to beg for a box, forget about a discount, a glass or whatever. I suppose they were sulky because they had to work on the day of the festival downtown.

An ok place when you’re in the area, but they could use some improvement in every aspect of their game.

Interesting place. Probably the coldest, most aesthetically unappealing place I've ever bought great beer. Cold cement floors, lots of open space (half of the store is vacant, which doesn't help), but the selection is good. Lagunitas, Stone, DFH, The usual Belgian, German and UK stuff, tons of NY/MA/NH/etc. east coast breweries, which is very cool...and there was stuff in the refrigerated section that I didn't see out on the shelves. Service is minimal, but the older gentleman running the show was helpful and knowledgeable enough when I needed to know something. He also offered to help me carry out my purchases.

The place ain't pretty (inside OR out), but it has lots of stock on locals, other US micros, and enough great imported stuff...tough to leave empty-handed or disappointed. Prices are decent, but they do vary. Biggest bargain: $7.99 bottles of DFH 120...or maybe it's $8.99, can't remember exactly and don't have receipt handy, but it was the lowest I've seen yet. Hallelujah.

I've stopped here a half dozen times or so and thought it was time to do a review. I agree for the most part with what some of the other reviews have had to say, but I think some of the other reviewers are a bit harsh. So anyway...

An interesting thing about the Party Source is that they have a good sized building but only use half of it. All of the micros, which there are a good amount of, are jammed into one rack of shelving. The organization isn't bad but there are so many in a small space that I've missed things that were right in front of me that I've been specifically looking for. I think a better use of the space would be helpful.

Overall, though, I will keep coming back to the Party Source because they have a good selection and the prices are pretty reasonable. You can find all the NY breweries here - Middle Ages, Sackets Harbor, Ithaca, Wagner, Southern Tier, Bluepoint, Brooklyn, etc. Also most of the big NE breweries - Harpoon, Smuttynose, Magic Hat, Otter Creek, Sam Adams, etc. Also Dogfish, Stone, Rogue, Oskar Blues, Anderson Valley, and some other mountain/west coast breweries. A decent selection of Belgians and some British beers, although not much in the way of other European countries (Germany, etc). Overall there is plenty here to keep you busy and there is always new stuff when I come in. And they sell singles, which is a big plus.

The owner, who is a quiet older man, has always been there when I've been in. He doesn't go out of his way to see if you need help, but every time I've asked him a question he's been polite and helpful. I don't need someone to hold my hand, I just need them to answer a question when I have one. This isn't the mecca of beer stores by any means, but it's not that bad either.

** 11/26 edit** This place keeps getting better and better. The selection has really expanded over the last year, and they seem to be doing a really good business so for the most part stuff turns over very quickly. I've upgraded my selection rating to 4.5 because I'm really impressed by what they have.

Not really impressed with anything here. There are definitely better places in the city (Brilbecks in Tip Hill and Galeville in Liverpool). Party Source seems to have out of date beers with a good amount of dust accumulating on them. They do offer singles which may be the only positive thing about this place, but make sure you check the date before purchasing. They don't have much in terms of cold beer either. The service here is poor, not much knowledge and they don't really offer helping you. Decent selection of NE brews, but not much beyond that. This is a last resort place to go for beer, go elsewhere.

edit: since my initial review they have changed a few things. They now offer growler fills from three rotating taps and the selection has improved quite a bit.

The Party Source is the only place, that I know of, that sells singles in Syracuse. It is probably the best beer store in Syracuse, which is not saying much. It certainly does not compare to Olivers in Albany or Beers of the World in Rochester. There is certainly a business opportunity in Syracuse for someone to open up a first class beer store. Galeville Grocery in Liverpool probably has a better selection.

The craft beer lines the right hand side of the store as you walk in. The left hand side is all cases of macro swill.

Service is terrible. The meathead workers don't know anything about craft beer. The owner seems grumpy.

Good selection of New York and regional craft beers. All of the beers that you would expect, few that you would not expect.

The Party Source almost always greets you wtih a grumpy, unfriendly staff unwilling to help you find what you're looking for or offer any customer service whatsoever.However, they have a fairly dependable selection of craft brews from around the world. One of the few places in CNY that I've been able to locate Stone Six Packs and Harpoon by the case. A bit overpriced on many packages, but a safe bet if you live in the city as many other venues for purchasing beer have very limited selection.
Cheers!

Not impressed.

Here's the deal, these guys hold some weird license where they are both a distributor and a store. It only takes about 5 minutes to realize what these guys care more about. I've been in a few times and its not that they're always grumpy, just usually. They have a pretty good region selection but thats it. A few west coast offerings and almost nothing from across the pond. Their only saving grace is that they do have singles.

If you're in Syracuse go to Galeville Grocery in Liverpool. They have the same stuff, but they're much nicer and are almost always fresh. If you have want to drive a little further, go to Finger Lakes Bev in Ithaca. Best CNY beer store I've found. Screw these guys.