Mike’s Beer Barn

I’m coming to the defense of Mike’s Beer Barn, the venerable W. Tennessee St. landmark/​institution which has an appallingly low review count (4, prior to mine) with an outrageous 2-​star average to boot. The one-​star review, incidentally, was strictly due to an inexperienced clerk failing a diacritics/​sentence structure exam dispensed by an apparent frequenter of the islands who took offense to the mispronunciation of «Curaçao».
Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury — I move for a mistrial!
The fact is that Mikes Beer Barn is to bacchanalia as Gumby’s is to gourmandism. I gave Gumby’s four rightfully deserved stars and now confer similar stars to the Barn.
First off, a history lesson on Beer Barns. Generally, these «package store» oddities are found in rural regions of Michigan, Ohio and Texas. I’m not entirely sure the history of Mike’s, but I DO know it’s where I bought my first full keg in October 1987, and it had been open a good while prior to then. (It was Killian’s Red, BTW).
There are surely plenty of kegs and pony kegs to choose from here, in addition to liquor. I stopped by to fill up today (we were on fumes) and I popped my head in. Ctge liquor is what you’d expect so close to a large student population — it’s no Market Square Liquors, nor does it purport to be. Don’t count on a variety of Calvados nor a bottle of Fernet Branca. Do count on flavored vodkas, southern comfort and the like.
Mike’s is an integral part of two generations of FSU graduates, at least. It deserves a place in the landmark lineup!
Lastly — why is Mike’s not getting five stars in class (the class, naturally, being «Barn-​type outlets)? — because it absolutely FLEECES you when you’re seeking to purchase gas. by «Fleecing» I mean charging $ 2.99 per gallon when the in-​town average is around $ 2.20 for the low octane. That is outrageous, but Mike’s is doing nothing illegal. the price is posted clear as day on the pumps. Perhaps it’s because this location generally prompts drivers to pay inside with an ashtray full of nickels, dimes, pennies and the occasional quarter. As such, I’ve labeled this «ultra-​high-​end» in the Price Range questionnaire section.

So how about I had a smart ass clerk who was probably not a day over 18 tell me that Blue Curaçao is pronounced blue curaco after I asked him for it by its proper name? Uhm, no, it isn’t. Blue Curaçao is named after an island in the Caribbean — one that I actually have been to, mind you — and the reason there is a diacritic on the c is because it’s supposed to sound like an s. I will never come here again because even if I HAD been wrong, the way he mentioned it wasn’t in any way helpful or constructive but rather rude and immature. Their clerks need to grow up and learn to value customers, especially in a town with so many far superior liquor stores.

I always have a bad feeling when I give this place my business. Way overpriced especially if your looking to get gas an get some beers! It starts with the gas which is always the most overpriced in town by far. The only good thing about this place is that it has a drive through which makes it easy for keg shell drop off and pick up

I always come here when I need a keg for a party. They have a drive through, so you can just drive up, pay at the window, and have a full keg put in your trunk. Also, they have a decent selection of craft beers and liquors.