Finding the perfect outlet for buying beer can be a daunting task. Whether you’re just trying to blow off steam and talk about 18th century agrarian business with your roommates, loosening up before a football game or trying to bare your soul to a complete stranger in the middle of the street, settling on the right beer at the right price is paramount; choosing the wrong one can be disastrous, for both your wallet and your enjoyment.

Some people are in the hunt for a classy micro brew that’ll make you look like a graduate student with a trust fund, or others like University of Oregon Alum John Pergiel, want “the cheapest beer money can buy.”

Unfortunately, regardless of preference, it’s easy to make the wrong choice. Fortunately, finding the right beer store just got a tad easier due to the painstaking hands-on research done by the author of this article. As follows is a guide that takes into account everything from distance from campus, price-range, size of selection and quality of selection — all with the mission of outlining the best and worst places for a campus area resident to buy beer.

Albertson’s — Location: 311 Coburg Road

Albertson’s fails on nearly all accounts: it’s far away from campus, other than its domestics it has poor selection, and a nice six-pack of something like Ninkasi Sleigher will generally cost you about $10 bucks. Unless you’re in the area, Albertson’s is best avoided.

Safeway — Location: 145 East 18th Avenue

In terms of selection and price, Safeway is Albertson’s 2.0, but it manages to edge it out because of its location adjacent to campus — which is its only redeeming factor. Safeway is hard to resist because of its location, but you should, because it’s a wallet-destroying trap.

Trader Joe’s —Location: 85 Oakway Center across from Alberston’s

Joe’s gets lucky here and claws his way onto the list despite an inconvenient location and a woefully limited selection that includes no domestics. But it earns its spot with one of the best deals in all of Lane County; at $3.99, a six-pack of Simpler Times lager, with an alcohol by volume rate of 6.2 percent, does your wallet a favor and is classy to boot.

Hilyard Street Market — Location: 1698 Hilyard Street/Tom’s Market — Location: 1490 East 19th Avenue

Here we have an old-fashioned tie. Both Hilly’s and Tom’s dominate their respective corners of campus and despite not having large selections or terribly low prices, you can get a twenty-two of Pyramid at both markets  for under $3, a nice deal for just about anyone in a pinch. They aren’t always your best bet but when you’re desperate on a Friday night, they’ll do the job.

Bier Stein — Location: 1591 Willamette Street

Beer Stein is the first real heavy weight to grace the list, and is the only bottle-shop that made the cut. It loses points for not having any domestics and for being a tad pricey, but it redeems itself in nearly every other regard. It’s close to campus and has the best selection of micros and imports you’ll find at any other store. “We have beers from all over the world,” said Beer Stein employee Tristan Pettigrew. “But we also really like to focus on beers the Pacific Northwest.” And it’s true; you can find beer from every corner of the world rotating through their shelves and all beer bought to go is discounted at the register. It won’t serve your needs if you’re looking for cheap 30-racks, but the Beer Stein earns its spot on the list and deserves a visit from all beer enthusiasts.

Winco — Locations: 4275 Barger Drive in Eugene and 1920 Olympic Street in Springfield

The only things keeping Winco from the top spot is its location and its relatively modest selection — but it still manages to override these shortfalls. Everything at Winco, whether it is 24-rack of Rainier or a twenty-two of Rogue, is consistently cheaper than anything you’ll find in the greater Eugene area. It’s a haven for penny-pinching college students looking for cheap domestics and for cardigan-wearing intellectuals looking for Dale’s Pale Ale alike. Make the pilgrimage.

Market of Choice — 1960 Franklin Blvd and 67th West 29th Ave

In the realm of beer, Market of the Choice reigns supreme. Rack after rack of local, obscure domestics, seasonal imports and everything else you can imagine, graces the shelves. “It just has a huge array of beer,” said University of Oregon student Keven Peacock. “They have tons of styles.” Price-wise it’s not the best, but it’s not the worst either. Six-packs of tasteful micros ranging from New Belgium to Uinta to all run from $7 to $10, but they offset that by frequently having sales. And if you’re looking to go cheap, a six-pack of Old German tall boys for $4.99 should do nicely. With two stores located close to campus and an otherworldly selection, Market of Choice will satisfy all your beer needs.