Marcy Discount Beverage

Store

9270 River Rd
Marcy, New York, 13403-2069
United States

(315) 736-3993 | map
marcybeverage.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.35
Reviews:
17
Ratings:
26
pDev:
9.66%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by doubleipa:
Photo of doubleipa
Reviewed by doubleipa from Georgia

4/5  rDev -8%
I spent a year and a half commuting to Utica, NY from Atlanta. The job was great, but Utica sucks. However, the best part of my weekly travels was my Monday stop at Marcy Discount beverage to load up for the week and get 5 or 6 bombers to take home in my carry-on bag. The screeners at Syracuse always made a comment. Anyway, since we can't get Stone or Victory ot DFH in Georgia I was able to drink and more importantly bring back some real gems for the cellar. I thought the selection was quite good and the staff were always helpful. They would even let me know if they were going to get in something really special. There was always Stone Ruination, RIS, and Arrogant Bastard, as well as DFH WWS. It's kind of hard to find, but if you're travelling across I-90 between Syracuse and Albany you should drop by. If you have a growler, bring it and fill it up. There are usualy 5 or 6 taps of some great stuff.
Jan 18, 2006
More User Ratings:
Photo of ger37867
Rated by ger37867 from New York

5/5  rDev +14.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
This has been my go to place for a number of years in the Marcy/Utica NY area - great selection, friendly staff reasonable prices.
Dec 22, 2022
 
Rated: 5 by Crujones from New York

Aug 08, 2018
 
Rated: 4.94 by zenpolok from New York

Dec 22, 2016
Photo of timfelix
Reviewed by timfelix from New York

4.47/5  rDev +2.8%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
good place to buy beer. Best selection and prices in Central NY that I am aware of (Albany to Buffalo). prices are as good or better than anywhere, selection is better than anywhere.
Regarding staff lack of friendliness: they may not be outgoing, but if you ask them something they readily respond in a helpful way.
When relatives or friends from out of town have gone there, all have been favorably impressed.
Sure, some more variety would be nice, but there are a zillion beers in the country now, and thse guys can not possibly carry them all.
Nov 11, 2016
Photo of mirp1
Reviewed by mirp1 from New York

3.78/5  rDev -13.1%
vibe: 2 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5
The previousl reviewer has it right. Very good beer selection, with decent pricing to go with it. They are typically between 1-3 dollars less per pak than other sellers. As per my first sentence, there is only one employee at Marcy Beverage with beer knowledge and enjoys sharing it. Unfortunately, he isn't one of the owners, or the owners offspring. I say this because the hired hand with beer knowledge and social skills probably isn't appreciated by the owners for how he connects with customers, then again, maybe he is, don't know. In either event, it would behoove them to take notice. The owners and the future owners (the kids), have no interest or concern with peoples selections; whether it's a Radler, Schlitz Malt Liquor Bull, cider, Old Mil Light, or Parabola, their reaction is always the same. They are into the trade of money for goods, and that is it. When you ask them about the beer, not only do they know nearly nothing, they make it clear through body language that the question is not necessary. Their disposition reeks of "don't bother". At the same time, they are not rude or anything even close to that, just neutral, as neutral as one in business can be. So, if you want great beer choices and the feeling of being totally left alone, this is the place for you. I have been going there for 20 years, and they don't even know my name, while I only know two of theirs. Crazy stuff, but as innocuous and relaxing as hell. If you feel pressure by salesman, and want a break, go to Marcy Beverage.
Jul 04, 2016
 
Rated: 4.09 by Cooker_stp from New York

Mar 14, 2016
 
Rated: 4.39 by AMCimpi from New York

Mar 27, 2015
Photo of indianabeerman
Rated by indianabeerman from Indiana

4/5  rDev -8%
very good selection from all over . staff was very nice
Oct 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by MadScientist from New York

Jul 26, 2014
Photo of doldreo
Reviewed by doldreo from New York

3.8/5  rDev -12.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Only few people present. not greeted by staff. The 2 staff I spoke to didn't know much about the beers..one of which was made locally and another nearby. Very nice selection, good selection of New York brews. Numerous craft beers.stone, lagunitas, evil twin to name a few. Wide selection of foreign beers. Good cider selection. The greatest boon here was everything was priced with easy to read labels. I thought the prices were quite reasonable.
Jul 15, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by BChuck

Jun 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by DoubleMalt from New York

Jan 05, 2014
Photo of syrbeer
Reviewed by syrbeer from New York

4.88/5  rDev +12.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Best Beer store east of Albany and west of Rochester. No one compares to its selection, price and freshness. Will order anything I want that availalbe in NY state. Can't get over how many newe beers come in each month. the place to go for everything from high end beer to 30packs. Well organized. gotta check out the end of season deals, unbeatable. Also the king of Saranac beers, selection and price is unrivaled. Great Staff. would reccomend to anyone whos going to be in the area. Very easy to find and get in and out of. Only knock is there are no HOT girls behind the counter!!!
Oct 31, 2012
Photo of paintchip
Reviewed by paintchip from New York

4.46/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5
This place just keeps getting better. I haven't been in there for several months and they completely rearranged the store. I like having all of the craft beers up front as opposed to the scattered layout they used to have.

Atmosphere- Pretty average for a beer store. The people are all nice, but there aren't girls dancing on poles all around the store or anything.

Quality- All of their beer seems fresh. I have never gotten a bad beer from this store or noticed any beer that was past its sell by date.

Service- I have never asked for or received any help from the employees. They never even chat about the beers that I'm buying/looking at :( I would say this is pretty average. I gave them a 3.5 because all of the employees are really friendly when you do actually talk to them.

Selection- This is where they really stand out. You can't find a better beer selection in CNY, and certainly can't find this selection at a better price. Kraig's Kegs in Oneida is the only place that comes close, but they are much more expensive and half the size.

Value- Old Rasputin 4 pack for $8.49, Firestone Porter on sale for $2.99 a bomber. Good luck finding better prices than that around here.

Conclusion- I highly recommend this store. It's got a great selection and great prices. I don't know what I would do without this place and their wonderful craft selection. Probably just sit in the corner and cry while I sip on on some Red Dog. Blah!
Mar 07, 2012
Photo of Howitzer
Reviewed by Howitzer

4.28/5  rDev -1.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4
Atmosphere and quality of the place was good. Layout is good overall, doesn't take long to figure out which direction to head to find what you’re looking for. Good overall selection, have seen better, but not in Upstate N.Y.

Service is great; they always help me find what I’m looking for. Always have good recommendations as well. I’ve been filling up my Growlers there lately (they have about 8 beers on tap they rotate). They have yet to recommend one I didn’t enjoy.

Value is exceptional. Growler fills are $7.99 (I think?) for some really high end beers. I always pick up some regular domestic beer to keep the fridge filled as well. My buddies/brothers are always stopping over (and having a beer of course). $18.99 for a 36 pack (yes 36) of Miller Lite. You can’t beat that
Feb 29, 2012
Photo of Edwaka01
Reviewed by Edwaka01 from New York

4.1/5  rDev -5.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
First time in today, and left with a decent box of goodies.

Kinda messy as far as the layout goes. The store was clean, just hard to navigate, could have been set up in a way that made more sense. No labels denoting regional seperations, although they were sorted by country (German, Belgian, Mexican, Japanese, US).

This has changed from what I've been told. Guess they had just rearranged and they now have signs labeling beer locations.

I guess I don't know the difference implied by the two categories of quality and selection, as they mean the same to me when reviewing a beer store. Selection was decent, they had a bunch of DFH 120, but that was the only thing I saw that wasn't something you find in just any big beer store.

Service was non-existant till I went to check-out, and the guy there was nice enough. Also, I was there right when they opened, so they were still probably getting prepped for the day, and I didn't ask anyone for help, so I won't complain any here.

If you're looking for something specific, call. I checked their website, and it listed a few things they said they had, but did not. (Allagash)

I spent a lot of money, but everything was reasonably priced as far as I'm aware.

Highly recommended. There aren't many options for upstate NY beer lovers, so I'd definitely check out Marcy.
Jan 29, 2012
Photo of fmccormi
Reviewed by fmccormi from California

4.04/5  rDev -7.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Marcy is a diamond in the rough. I'm sure most of their sales come from kegs and domestics, but they have a surprisingly good selection for the size and venue. Some of the beers they have are past their prime, but considering the size of it and the market in upstate NY, that's not a huge surprise. They do, however, discount things they need to move, which is great.

Maybe most importantly, their prices are as good as I've seen anywhere in New York State. Check their website for what you can expect to find; and they periodically update their tap list (8 lines as of February 2011). Seriously though, Marcy's got to be my all-time favorite store, for the mix of selection, value, and accessibility -- nothing else like it in the Utica area.
Apr 15, 2011
Photo of chiefjames
Reviewed by chiefjames from New York

4.4/5  rDev +1.1%
This place is the mecca of Central New York beer stores. Rows and rows of your typical BMC products. They also carry all of the typical NY brews, and all of the big microbrews like Dogfish, Sam Smiths, Victory, Lagunitas, Troegs, Rogue and even Unibroue, North Coast, Great Divide and Kiuchi. You won't find too many "white whale beers", but the selection is still top notch. They do kegs too.

I've never had problems with out of date beer here, they keep their stock up to date. Growler selection is rotated frequently, and very fairly priced. Usually there's a Magic Hat or Saranac, then occasionally Great Divide, Dogfish or Cooperstown offerings.

Employees are somewhat distant and pretty much leave you alone when you're there, but I've never had problems when I needed help with something. Place is usually quite crowded, layout sometimes makes it difficult to look around.

Prices are out of this world and the real draw of the store. $5.99 Ommegang 750's can't be beat. You really need to keep an eye on their clearance section. I can't tell you how many amazing deals I've procured here, $2.99 Yeti bombers, $12.99 cases of Old Stock (yes, CASES), $2.99 Arcadia Cereal Killer bombers. They change their clearance selection constantly so its worth it to go back whenever possible.

Whenever you're in the area, make it a point to visit Marcy Discount. There may be stores with better selection, but you can not beat their prices.
Jul 17, 2010
Photo of sudzweasel
Reviewed by sudzweasel from Rhode Island

4.65/5  rDev +6.9%
I visited on 2/1/09 coming back from Syracuse from the Central NY Beer Fest and was impressed by the amount of great beer in the store. This place looks like a regular beer store with nothing special going on but the minute you get inside you can see racks of 22 oz. bottles of Sly Fox, Elysian, Middle Ages, etc. It was like Christmas all over again so I bought all that I cannot get in RI and had a great conversation with the son of one of the owners Craig Martel. He heads up the craft beer end of the business and has been given free reign to do what he thinks is necessary to keep the good times going. He was informative and rapidly gaining in his knowledge of the products he sells. He knows what moves and what does not and who his constant sellers are. They do the mixed six pack like others ..and they have a big selection of international brands as well. It was a great visit - you just don't get to see enough of Marcy, New York in the Winter.
Feb 02, 2009
Photo of SirSaranac
Reviewed by SirSaranac from New York

4.5/5  rDev +3.4%
If you live in the Utica area, this is the place to go for your beer selection. Many beers are available by the case, keg, or growler. I don't need to hype this place too much... if you're in the know then you're in the know.
My only complaint would be lack of cooler space.... a lot of the good imports are warm... a small inconvenience though. There's many hard to find microbrews available here though... Far more american microbrews than imports, yet still a fair share of both.
Stop by and by a couple 6 packs! I make this my goto brew palace.
Jan 16, 2008
Photo of tonytuffnuts
Reviewed by tonytuffnuts from Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev 0%
One of only two places I can run for a good selection near the Utica area. Service it great too. Workers are knowledgable and sociable. They're also responsive to my requests. Even before I started showing up a lot, they'd let me know when new shipments were expected. Can't believe they have no way of getting Southern Tier!?

Modest in size and selection as complared to Kraig's, but they're always unpacking new inventory. They have a growler station with some great beer on tap to boot! I feel like their prices are more than respectable, especially for local brews.
May 20, 2006
Photo of BEERBOY13323
Reviewed by BEERBOY13323 from New York

4.8/5  rDev +10.3%
Marcy Beverage is a decent size store located in Marcy New York I have been going there since they opened 30 years ago. They have a very good selection of Mircos, Domestics and Imports. Some hard to find beers I was able to find there like Lake Placid, Ommegang, Magic Hat, Brooklyn Ale and Anchor Steam. Also they had Rogue, Stoudt, Abita, Blue Point and Dog Fish Head,Victory, Stone brewing company, and acme just to name a few. The staff I found to be very friendly and helpful. I found there domestic prices to be very reasonable and they also stock lots of domestics that others do not carry. The keg selection I found to be impressive also. I highly reccomend giving them a call or stopping by. Recently they have added GROWLER FILLS. They have six beers on tap and alternate weekly. The current beers on tap are Lake Placid Ubu Ale, Brooklyn lager, Magic Hat Number 9, Sierra Nevada and varying seasonal beers. Each fill is 7.99 and a special runs for 4.99. I found that to be very reasonable. Just recently they added on a room dedicated just to microbrews. Also a pretty decent size shelf for just 22oz btls. I thought that was great. It is very impressive and worth checking out. It is really nice and well put together. They really know what they are doing.
Dec 24, 2003
Photo of EmoBeerGuy
Reviewed by EmoBeerGuy from New Hampshire

3.55/5  rDev -18.4%
This place has a decent selection. Most of it is the major Micro brews, Sierra, Magic Hat, etc. and a mixture of the major exports, Boddingtons, Spaten, Schiedner, to name a few.

Prices are very reasonable and the beer is fresh. If you know they have what you are looking for, this is the place to come. Its where I buy my Ommegang (3.49 for a 750ml...what a steal!). They also have a good single bottle collection that I think I'll start hitting up, although these are often a bit over priced.
Mar 31, 2003
Photo of Marty
Reviewed by Marty from Maine

4/5  rDev -8%
NOTE: The Mapquest directions to this store will throw you way off! They lead you toward the town of Maynard, which is farther east on Route 49. If you use Mapquest, get directions to the intersection of State Route 49 & Cavanaugh Road. Marcy Discount Beverage is near that intersection, on the right-hand side of the road if you're traveling east from the intersection on Route 49.

With that said, this place and Kraig's Kegs, located further south in Sherrill, are pretty much the only places to buy good beer in the Utica/New Hartford area. MDB is the yin to Kraig's Kegs' yang. While Kraig's has a slightly better selection, its turnover is a bit slower. Marcy, on the other hand, doesn't have as many different beers, but they seem to always be fresh. I've never bought a stale case or six pack from this place.

Marcy tends to have some great deals, particularly on Saranac's seasonal brews after the holidays. Two weeks ago I scored a case of Saranac Hefe- for $16. Wow. Also, while we're on the subject of great New York beers, don't miss the three varieties of Ommegang that they stock regularly (both in large and small bottles, individually or by the case or 4-pack). The last time I was there, they were selling Hennepin for $3.50, which is even cheaper than it costs at Brewery Ommegang! Prolst to that.
Feb 26, 2003
Photo of BittRnessabounds
Reviewed by BittRnessabounds from Colorado

3.7/5  rDev -14.9%
Medium sized beer store that seems to specialize in the lesser macrobrews. There are many rows of stacked cases of the like of Genny, Utica Club, Old Mil, and Pabst.

Luckily they also have a decent selection of microbrews and imports. You won't find anything here that is very rare, but you will find a good selection of pretty well known good beers. Some examples of the Micros are Sierra Nevada, Anchor Steam, Magic Hat, Saranac, Long Trail, Cooperstown, Middle Ages (from Syracuse), Ommegang and Harpoon. The imports include, Fullers, Spaten, Samuel Smith, Beamish, Old Speckled Hen and many more. They also have a few shelves of the more expensive beers such as Celebrator Doppelbock, and Orval that they sell by the bottle.

Turnover seems to be pretty good, as I have not had a problem with freshness.

The staff is friendly and helpful, and prices seem to be fair from the bottle all the way up to the keg. The big score is the 750ml bottles of Ommegang's offerings for under $4.
Feb 13, 2003
Marcy Discount Beverage in Marcy, NY
Place rating: 4.35 out of 5 with 26 ratings