Tuesday 25th of February 2014 02:51:26 PM

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05-20-2013
Best thing about Blue Max was the very competitive prices on Surly cans across the board. This was the place I was told to stock up, and wasn't disappointed.

The beer selection winds around the first aisle, around the corner and opposite the coolers in the back. First up were a few Belgian coolers, where there were a few traditional lambics but not many. Noticed Hanssens Exp. Raspberry here, but no Gueuze or Kriek for example. Staff was helpful in directing me to a numbered cooler where the Surly was (#10 I think). Current seasonals like Overrated and Bitter Brewer (which Heritage hadn't received yet). A dozen Jolly Pumpkin varieties, which was impressive. Noticed a sale shelf with discounted winter seasonals and obscure imports.

I overheard the staff recommending wild/sour ales, and pointed them to the JP's. Two beer guys were on the floor, helping customers, stocking, and manning the registers. Good service, friendly guys that made themselves available. Lots of senior citizens in here on a saturday afternoon, and I noticed a guy helping a lady to her car with a purchase.

Overall a great store, lots of obscure imports and fresh MN seasonals. A recommended destination.

Tuesday 10th of November 2009 09:34:40 PM

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Had a recent chance to visit "The Max." Located in a stand-alone building with a tidy appearance, I was first greeted by a sign stating "over 1000 beers." On the inside, the store was laid out with wines to the left and then beer and sprits toward the right. I noticed a substantial number of specialty beers, imports, and finer domestics. Also present were a number of "aged" or older releases which I thought was cool.

While the selection was excellent, the service was really nothing to write home about. I was in the store for maybe 10-12 minutes before an older gentleman approached and said hello. From that point, I was really on my own.

Additionally, most of their beers are kept cold which I unfortunately did not know and subsequently didn't bring my cooler. By the time I got home, everything had warmed up completely which isn't the best for the beer.

On a side note... I noticed numerous bottles of scotch and other liquor products with signage indicating "Not For Sale." This was puzzling to me as I wondered if this is part of a private collection or if they're running a "museum" of sorts. Maybe you have to be in "The Circle of Trust" to buy them ;). Interesting.

Sunday 8th of June 2008 10:00:49 PM

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The sign out front says 1,100 beers inside and it's probably accurate. Everything from local regional brewer Summit to vintages of English Ales and American barleywines can be found at this place. It doesn't look like much (on the outside or in), but once you're inside you will notice many coolers of beer withe interesting items. On my most recent trip, I found one side of a cooler full of just about every Rogue beer that can be had. (I'm a fan of Rogue.) Several coolers were full of Belgian beers; a few I haven't seen before or hadn't seen in years. I also spotted a half dozen Italian microbrews and an equal amount of Scandinavian micros. So what did I pick up? Well, lots of Surly Bitter Brewer, some Scandinavian beer and a few odd Belgians to take with me back to Chicago.

Of course, the Blue Max also has a large selection of Scotch and fair amount of liquor and wine.