Best beverage store in the area!
Alright, perhaps I'm a bit biased because this store is such a short driving/ walking distance from my house and perhaps frequented by yours truly far too often BUT I'm here to tell you that you won't find a better combination of selection, prices and unique charm than Latham beverage!
Sure the place is run by a bunch of Siena kids that who obviously throwback cheap light beers instead of the IPAs they claim to have knowledge of ...but they are always friendly and always suggest expensive beers for me to purchase. "$20 for a 12oz bourbon aged stout? I dunno".. "It's dope dude! So good".. "Hmm..ya sold me ok!".
Are there times I come in here and there is literally no staff to be seen? Yes, all the time but they have a wonderful selection of craft beer which rotates regularly and often there are great deals on out of season beer!
I'll also freely admit that the manager seems to be drunk most of the time perhaps from sipping off the growler filling station in the back but I believe product sampling ensures that kind of in depth firsthand knowledge that you just can't get anywhere else! In fact, well... it's pretty obvious most of the staff is sampling the product in back. But clearly the manager here has taken a synergistic leadership approach and gotten the whole team involved. Don't forget your work environment isn't just a building, it's a culture!
Driving by you might notice some seemingly convincing signs reading - "We want your empty bottles and cans" but in truth I think that by "want" they only mean the obligation by NY law to accept them.
Returning bottles here means you'll need to count and categorize everything you are returning before organizing them neatly into separate bags and boxes. One does not simply drop off a bag of bottles and expect to receive cash; one must first separate glass bottles from plastics and cans, and then sub-categorize those glass bottles into separate colors, before ultimately counting the total number that one is returning... or so I was advised numerous times by the friendly (oft-inebriated) guy who accepts the empty bottles in the back.
Yes, I've ultimately decided that for the time it takes me to organize all of my empty bottles it's not worth 7-10 dollars I get back on the return. Don't forget time is money, and time is also drinking time for the staff who works here.
Also, I would be remiss if I did not mention the attached wine and liquor store. It's dark and dusty sure, often bottles of wine seemed to be stocked without any sort of methodology or system but they carry enough of the staples to get you through a dinner party pinch and some eagle eyed shoppers might notice some mispriced items from time to time. It's alright though, if you do notice something mispriced the kid checking you out will likely be too high to notice.
In truth, the wine store which, is staffed by the same employees as the beverage center attached purely serves as an outlet for Siena college students to buy large quantities cheap booze in plastic containers. I can't hate, I mean who doesn't like a good jungle juice from time to time?
What I've written might seem like an over exaggeration perhaps an embellishment on the facts but it's not, I freely admit Latham Beverage is just too good to be true.
Four stars. read more
