I'm a regular customer of Sam the beer man Iv never had a bad experience until today.I bought in two bags of bottle returns $12.00 and was refused and told by the worker that he didn't feel like accepting that many bottles I was under the assumption that that is a service they had. I will never go back that the worker was also very rude. read more

Sam the Beer Man is God's gift to beer drinkers. I feel like a kid in a candy store every time I come here. They can get their hands on some truly obscure and hard to find beers... even carrying all six of the Trappist beers. One whole wall is devoted to imports including some of my favorite German brews, as well as a large variety of lembic beers from Belgium. Amazingly, they carry kegs and cases of many of these. They even have a selection of specialty and rare brews including special Oktoberfest offerings and Lenten brews. They carry all of the local breweries and they have a nice selection of the smaller breweries nationwide. They do carry the standard american crap... er... favorites... but you have to look for them. This being Binghamton, I am a little shocked to hear that this is a unique store, but friends of mine have come back to the area just to go to Sams. My buddy is bringing his new wife from the Seattle area who just can't imagine such a store existing. I took my brother-in-law from D.C. recently and he practically fell to his knees. If you are local... be thankful for what you have... there are many others less fortunate than you. If you are from out of town. You should stop by.. marvel at the variety... indulge your inner child. read more

Place to go for beer if you're in the area for beer. Best selection in area of craft brew and the staff are always friendly and helpful with a suggestion or a hand carrying out purchases. I really appreciate the discount section out front. Not always the best tasting selection but always the best economical choice! read more

Sam the Beer Man always has a fantastic selection, and at a good price! I visited in the fall, figuring I'd pick up a bunch of seasonals - fall is my favorite beer season. I found everything I wanted (Shipyard Pumpkinhead, Saranac Pumpkin, Harpoon Pumpkin UFO, are we sensing a theme here?), and found a couple of new things to try. My boyfriend is not a beer drinker, but was delighted to find Saranac Diet Rootbeer on the shelves. And we both agreed on a 6-pack of Woodchuck's Fall Cider (we also agreed that it was way too sweet). There's always someone around to help you out, and the guys who work here really do seem to love beer. Additionally, they have a large selection of kegs, if you're throwing the kind of function that requires one. I highly recommend this place. Great selection, good service, and easy to get to! read more

This is my number one beer store when I come to this area. Staff is very knowledgeable on local breweries and steer me in the right direction. Great selection of craft beer and fair priced. Also, a U-PIck-6 section. Will be back up from Crystal River FL soon. Thanks read more

For Binghamton, Sam the Beer Man is a great little store. They have a good selection of craft beer and Belgians for beer geeks/snobs like me, and the prices are reasonable. They don't have a tremendous selection of microbrews (compared with a place like Finger Lakes Beverage in Ithaca which is a notch better), and I have found that the staff is not really all that knowledgeable about beer outside of what they sell. But I'm being picky. I'm glad to have a place like Sam's in town and I usually head there about once a month to replenish my supply. If you are new to the microbrew scene and want to get into real beer drinking this is a great place to get started. read more

Great selection of micro brews! They also have a large selection of kegs. As for the micro brews, the staff knows their stuff. They will help make recommendations and give their opinion. They carry many of the NY state craft brew labels. If you are in the area and looking for something besides MGD or Labatt's, check it out. read more

UPDATE 6/2015: Well, they were very helpful in my recent attempt to get an unusual keg of beer, so I'm updating my review to four stars. ORIGINAL REVIEW: It's nice to have this beer store in town. PROS: Good selection. Friendly and rapid service. Usually have extra stock in back for buying craft beer by the case. Small discount for buying cases of those 'wine bottle' sized craft beers. CONS: Price for craft beers are a little high. You can get almost as good of a selection for cheaper at the local Wegmans. West side beer depot has more selections and better pricing. Large day-glow orange price stickers on all their large bottled beer take away from their aesthetics. Also, recommendations from the staff have always been disappointing when I finally tried them at home. Additionally, on more than one occasion I've asked about getting kegs of craft beer priced and/or ordered and was met with disinterest from the staff. read more

Sam the Beer Man IS a candy store for beer drinkers. Thanks to Jeremy P for yelping this. I've passed STBM on many occasions and never thought to pull over and check it out. They have the best selection of beers that I've seen in the area. My maiden voyage resulted in a variety pack of Middle Ages Brewing Company from Syracuse and a six pack of Blue Moon's Summer Ale. But man, there are so many beers and breweries that I've never heard of. I can't wait to go back to try some more. Oh, and their prices are good. Those beers that I recognized from Wegman's were usually a dollar or so cheaper. Yes! read more

on our way to points further north, the goon squad stopped here to pick up some much needed liquid caloric boosters for a weekend of excess and insanity. it was a planned stop since one of them is a Bing alum and used to frequently go here. I was quite impressed with the variety and price of beer here. they've got everything from cheap American macroswill to Iron Maiden's Trooper British Ale! good amount of ciders too, if that's your thing, and you can make your own mix packs from individual bottles as well. a 24-pack, two 12-packs, and two 6-packs ran us 100 bucks. not bad to get the partying started. read more

Still two stars but I have to commend them for having many bottles of Stille Nacht in time for Christmas Eve. The same can not be said for Halftime Beverages in Pughkeepsie.... Stille Nach is "Silent Night" in the Dutch Language. I bought all they had on the shelf which was something like 17 bottles. Still two stars but maybe if they surprise me again I will ahve to upgrade them. read more

Great beer selection, so so knowledge of the stock. Could be worse.

Excellent variety and selection of almost any beer you could be looking for. Sam the Beer Man could use a little help in the customer service department and the prices are nothing to write home about. read more

This place is the best, fast and courteous with everything you need to get your party started but the people are the best part!

How could you give Sams anything less than at least 4 stars? They have the best beer selection, reasonable prices and a great staff . Tried the Dogfish World Wide Stout from here last week. So GOOD, if you like a ridiculous amount of barley. read more

I was expecting a giant warehouse full of beer after reading previous reviews, but Sam the Beer Man is about the size of a standard gas station. Still, the quality of the beer made the trip worthwhile. I was especially pleased to find a good selection from the brewery Stone, out of Southern California. Definitely glad this place is around. read more

They have a great selection of world wide beer which is more than wonderful because I don't like the crappy American beer...sorry fellows Americans but it is true-you do have an undrinkable stuff :( read more

Easy access in and out of the lot and you can't miss this place. Prices are the lowest I've seen around, makes the drive worth it.

After 5 years my review has not changed, they are rated in the top 10 best beer stores in NY. They go out of their way to listen to their customers and bring in different selections that NO ONE around here carries. They are knowledgable of their stock and can recommend something from experience. You won't find a better place to grab something new. read more

i've always liked this place. this place is geared towards beer snobs, but they have the generic stuff too available for those who want it. they are the only retail place i know of locally that sells kegs too, although i could be wrong. Wegmans expanded their beer section about 5 or 6 years ago, and i don't think they have quite as many options as sam, but they are close, and i think both places are priced about the same. Sam's will get more limited edition items than wegmans though, so it's definitely worth stopping in every so often, and they usually have good closeouts on seasonal beers at the end of the season. the staff has always been nice, pretty laid back. one reason that keeps me from coming here more often is that sometimes parking can be packed, and then pulling out onto front street when you leave can be a bit of a hassle depending on what time of the day it is. if you haven't been here before, definitely stop in read more