Burby & Bates

Store

7 Oak St
Orono, Maine, 04473-4098
United States

(207) 866-2533 | map
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.86
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
14
pDev:
9.07%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by ChugsMugs:
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Reviewed by ChugsMugs from Maine

4.15/5  rDev +7.5%
Burby&Bates has been my primary beerstore for my college years. As with any college town store most of the energy seems to be stocking the 30bricks of Budlight and PBR. With that being said they do make an honest effort at keeping a good craft selection. The owners and main employees have a true appreciation for a good craft beer. They keep the seasonal and limited edition Maine beers from Shipyard, Geary's, Allagash..etc and offer a nice variety of Eurobeers. Good selection of the popular bombers like Stone, Rougue, and keep a good Samuel Smiths collection. Due to low demand some of the beers tend to get old on the shelves(Ive noticed a few dusty Holiday beers from last year) They do carry the freshest BlackBear Brewery beer you can get. Also they are more than willing to make special orders for beer but you have to be willing to pay the price.
All in all I can't complain for a store this far north. Might be nice to see some beers from Canadian breweries coming south to get here as it's just as far as the trip to Boston.
Oct 27, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.44 by ChrisBryant from Maine

Nov 12, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by westcoastbeerlvr from California

Sep 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by smibar from Massachusetts

May 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3.23 by hockeypuck from Maine

Oct 31, 2013
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Reviewed by sespourteille from Maine

3.28/5  rDev -15%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
The only place to buy good beer in Orono. With a large college campus right next door, the location is perfect but raises the question as to why it is the only store of its kind in a 10 mile radius especially with the density of 21 year old college students living in the area. That being said, their selection leaves a lot to be desired sometimes. The beers don't seem to change but regardless its accessibility and uniqueness in the Bangor Maine area makes it a go to place for everything alcohol.
Dec 10, 2011
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Reviewed by Archemedies from Massachusetts

3.86/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
When I came back up in the summer of 2011 for my senior year their selection was much better than the previous year. The selection is very small however. It consists of only a few sets of shelves, but it is well picked for what is there. Most of what is there you can find in Bangor, but I have found this store to be cheaper sometimes, but not always. Every once in a while a few real gems come though here that other store in the area did not have. Great selection of locals. Good deals on macro stuff as well.

The staff is ok. Depends on who is working. Not everyone who works there knows about craft beer. Not a big deal because they have to cater to to the college crowd for business. One person there, the owner I think, knows whats he has got there.

Overall, Burby's is one of the best places in the area to find good beer. A few minutes from UMaine, it is a college kids delight. Nice cheep beer for the weekends, and a great, but small selection of craft when you want to have a nice beer.
Dec 09, 2011
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Reviewed by plat3lady40oz from Alaska

3.95/5  rDev +2.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5
When I first entered this store, I felt a feeling of euphoria. Not only did they have great beer, but great service, and a friendly mascot dog named Caesar. This is where I first fell in love with dogfish 90 minute. Not far from the local college campus of Umaine, it's a great one stop shop for all your liquor, beer, and tobacco needs. The only thing lacking in this store was that they did not carry Yuengling, which is a hometown favorite for me. I recommend this fine establishment to anyone in the Orono area or at the college.
May 01, 2011
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Reviewed by irishtjb11 from Maine

3.7/5  rDev -4.1%
Not a bad store at all. I'm pretty sure there are a lot of distribution issues regarding beers getting up this far. Burby's does well, for sure. One can't but be thankful of what they offer to the Orono area. Yet, they definitely leave things to be desired. At times, they are a bit of a tease. I love their selection of bombers, but at the same time certain aspects bug me. No one wants a Corona bomber, and if they do they should just get a six pack. There are too many beers in the bomber section that are two feet away in 6 and 12 packs. The bomber section, should be beers that are pretty much non existatnt for the most part in the area. I like their selection of Rogue, would like a bit more though. More variety, at least. I'm sick of the Stone. I feel as though Stone has become the super popular beer of craft drinkers, but it doesn't over a lot of variety. IPA to Bastard to Ruiniation, I feel is a bit repetitive. Would like less of the Cali hop bombs I suppose. I would love some Smuttynose from them. Also, some beers from Colorado, they have a great scene too.

Overall, a great store for the area, couldn't ask for more. But, wen writing one of these it's easy to get spoiled and hope for everything to be ideal. Burby's does it job for sure, but would like to see some new additions to the American beers. I feel they have the Euro scene down quite well.
Mar 06, 2009
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Reviewed by tkeHijacker from Maine

4.15/5  rDev +7.5%
If you are a college student int he Orono Area you know Burby and Bates. The local spot to pick up fro 30-racks. Rear of the store all the way to the right...

But whats this out in the open a whole cooler with things never seen before by most of the college crowd (and often avoided because of the price and unfamiliarity with these products). A large selection of craft brews at the reasonable price that you would expect most of the brews.

A large selection of Belgians, Lambics, and other brews that will catch your eye. There is some dust ont he bottles so buyer beware those high gravity brews that you may be looking to cellar may already have sat on these shelves for some time, and depending on who the drinker is they may appreciate the pre-cellar cellaring.

If you are a thirsty college co-ed looking to get wasted on a bottle of Orlof, a case of Boonsfarm or looking to play Edward 40 Hands, or a classy upstart looking for a bottle of fine scotch or a nice Belgian Quad you haev found your store.

A nice selection of wines as well as occasional wine tastings truly make this the best spot for your alcohol needs.
Sep 28, 2008
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Reviewed by deltatauhobbit from Maine

4/5  rDev +3.6%
If you're in the Orono area, this is most likely the place you will go to get your craft beer or wine. The selection tends to be the best in the nearby area and is much more convenient than going into the couple places in Bangor, especially if you are attending UMaine.

For the longest time this was the place that I bought most of beer needs, until I began to run out of new things to get (without resorting to expensive Belgian and other import beers, of which there are many). For the cheap beer though, this isn't the place to buy as major grocery stores tend to have slightly lower prices, but for everything else, their prices are comparative.

The service is good too, they have a very relaxed feel with employees that seem to enjoy working there.
Dec 03, 2007
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Reviewed by spiffysamurai from Maine

4.15/5  rDev +7.5%
This is a great place in my opinion. The reason why I think it is a great place is because as a college student, beer and drinking in general is frowned upon so its hard to get a decent beer in the place. But here at Burby and Bates its easy to get great beer, even if they don't have it in stock they'll get it for you. Plus the place isn't too fair from the campus. In fact its only about a mile away from the campus. Maybe a little less but its better to overshoot then undershoot. The service there is excellent, these guys really know how to relate to college students. Granted they have more then likely dealt with a large number of college students over the years, but they make me feel like i'm right at home. Its not too expensive either. For example I went there for some shipyard last semester and I found it two dollars cheaper then Hanaford was selling it for. The selection like I said was excellent and for the average college student its refreshing to know that people like that exist to open our eyes and world into good beer.
Jul 06, 2006
Photo of ViveLaChouffe
Reviewed by ViveLaChouffe from Georgia

4.15/5  rDev +7.5%
8/2006 Still good. Only disappointment is no Unibroue or Allagash 750ml bottles. But alot more Belgian beers, still some Maine Coast growlers, lots of Dogfish Head seasonals. Still a great selection of Maine micros as well. Got some Cadillac Mtn. Stout, Dogfish Head 120 Min IPA and various NE micros. Guy even cut me a deal on my mixed sixer.

7/2005 Same as it ever was and that's a good thing. Got some World Wide Stout there this time. Still good prices, the oppurtunity to mix your sixers and buy fresh growlers of Maine beer.

Burby and Bates is the last outpost in the wilderness, the last call for good beer heading north on 95 in the great state of Maine. Heading up to Baxter State Park for some camping? Further up to Presque Isle or Fort Kent for a bit of snowmobileing or dog sledding? You had better stop here and stock up. You can take a chance that you will find something to your liking at the local general store but do you really want to take that chance? Do you want to be up in your hunting lodge in T-34 sipping on Michelob Amber Bock because it was the best thing available?

This is it. Four miles north of Bangor in the small college town of Orono. If it's made in Maine they probably have it here. Allagash, Gritty's, Maine Coast (including growlers), Sea Dog, Shipyard, Carrabasset, Casco Bay, Kennebec Valley, Geary's are all well represented. Some varieties of Dogfish Head, Anchor, Sierra Nevada and Sam Adams. Generous quantities of Samuel Smith's, Youngs, Ayinger, Spaten, Paulaner, Lindeman's and other imports. Unibroue has its own shelf with Ephemere and Terrible being available in addition to old standbys La Fin Du Mond and Maudite. Very nice selection and quality, nothing was out of date that I could find. They'll let you mix a sixer for the regular sixer price as long as you keep all the bottles in the same price range (i.e. all bottles from 6.99/packs). When my wife was going to UMaine in Orono 3 years ago, I couldn't afford much beer. Nice to be able to come back and sample properly. Prices were good and posted prominently. The service was friendly and helpful.

The next good beer you may get is 200 miles north in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Do you really want to wait that long?
Jul 29, 2005
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Reviewed by bennybrew from Maine

4/5  rDev +3.6%
burby and bates is mostly a wine shop. but they also have cigars and beer. and a pretty good selection of beer. not only maine micros but many micros from new england and many english brews in cans and bottles. sadly, many beers are out on shelves (including clear bottle sam smith) but most are in a large walk in cooler. prices are decent and they have good help (great help if you're looking for wine).

UPDATE 11/03: a wider beer selection now. more english brews, more belgians as well not enough to update the selection score but it brings the quality up i think. also full liquor store, albeit a small one.
Nov 22, 2002
Burby & Bates in Orono, ME
Place rating: 3.86 out of 5 with 14 ratings