Beer has been a part of America since the first Europeans began to settle here. It was not only the alcoholic drink of choice; it was a source of food.

Soon the colonists began to brew their own, from malted barley imported from England or from malted local corn. The Mayflower, which was headed south, had to make an unplanned stop near wintry Plymouth because, as William Bradford noted in his journal, “We could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our Beere.”

Beer was crucial on long voyages since water would not keep.
Now, in this day and age of technology, people unfortunately do not worry about drinking beer as a form of nourishment.

However, as students of higher learning, money is definitely an issue. So when a student makes a purchase on some suds, he or she wants to make the most of every cent.

After class, you ponder at which of the local retail stores will have the best price on your favorite beverage.

Now you won't have to ponder which place in Martin has the best prices and selections on beer anymore.

A list has been devised, emphasizing the five most popular retail stores in Martin to buy beer. The list is random. You can make your on decision on which place is the most convenient for you as a beer consumer.

3-J’S Deli & Food Mart, is located at 609 Elm Street. They are currently in the process of remodeling the whole store.

One of those really cool “beer caves” has been installed to give the consumer even more selection. Their prices are definitely some of the best here in town. A six-pack of Bud Light runs for only $4.29 and a sixer of the Ol’ reliable Natural Light sales for $2.99.

With prices like this on domestic beer, 20 bucks would have you set for the whole week. The largest selection in town and great prices on imports and micro-brews makes 3-Jay’s your place for a refreshing Fosters or Corona.

E. W. James & Sons Supermarket is located at 144 University Plaza. They offer an impressive selection of both domestic and imported beers. Their prices were a bit higher than other stores, but being able to pick up a six or 12 pack while shopping for groceries is very convenient. They have all of the regular domestics from Anheuser-Busch, Miller and Coors brewing companies.

A diverse, but expensive selection of imports puts them out of reach financially for most students that have a foreign taste, though.

Pocket's Shell is located at 821 University Street.
They have an excellent selection of domestic beers, but not as many imports as some of the other stores.

The prices are right in line with 3-Jay's, and they have the cheapest 6-pack of Corona in town at only $6.49.

And for all of the "Natty Light" fans, they have the cheapest six-pack of Natural Light in town at $2.89

Huck's is located at 424 North Lindell Street. They have probably the largest beer cooler in Martin. They also have a beer cave as 3-Jay's does.

But they are up to 40 cents higher on premium domestic beers such as Bud Light, Budweiser, Michelob, Miller Light and Coors.

It was a great surprise to find out what the price of imports was too. Corona was a colossal $8.49 and Heineken was an unbelievable $8.99.

At these prices, they are probably not selling too many imports when some of their competitors are up to two dollars cheaper.

University Food Mart is located at 838 University Street.

Even though the cooler that they have is smaller than other beer-selling establishments, they still have all of the domestics that everybody else has and at competitive prices.

A six-pack of Bud, Coors or Miller Light is priced at $4.39. The selection of imports and micro-brews is also impressive.

Corona and Heineken are priced at a reasonable $7.09 if that's your thing.

All of these retail stores have positives and negatives when it comes to purchasing beer. Maybe this information has given you a little insight on where to make your next purchase on your favorite beer.