Beer Stores

There are lots of beer stores around, ranging from the corner store to the liquor warehouse. Here’s where I’ve gone to buy beer:

Buy Rite – Cranbury

Location: 2678 Route 130, Cranbury, New Jersey

Probably the best beer selection I’ve found in the area. This is where I mainly do my beer shopping. It also gets an “A+” grade on beer advocate. They have a good pick a 6 pack section as well. Matt, the manager, knows his beer and gets a lot of rare stuff (which is kept in the back and limited to one bottle a customer, so everyone gets a fair shot) and also can direct you to new things. They have a growler station and update their offerings often via facebook.

Grade: A+

Buy Rite – Jackson

Location: 10 S Hope Chapel Rd #1, Jackson, New Jersey

I stopped by this beer store on the way to Surf Taco in Jackson…it’s literally across the street. I wasn’t sure what to expect given the small size of the exterior of the store. When I made my way into the store, I knew I should have kept my expectations low. It was a very small store with very little room given to beer. What beer that had was mostly kept in the chiller, with very little in the craft beer selection other than Magic Hat and Samuel Adams. I did find a bomber of Stone 15 in the chiller as well. But, they have plenty of 24 packs of Natural Light, if that’s what you’re into. This place is one that you should definitely drive by.

Grade: D

Craft Beer Outlet

Location: 9910 Frankford Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I love this place, but it’s a bit of a hike for me. This place has a great selection of Bell’s, Russian River, and Cigar City, just to name a few. Just keep in mind they work under Pennsyltucky beer laws, which means you can’t take out more than 3 six packs at a time…doesn’t mean you can’t just walk back in after a purchase, though…although this also means you can just crack open a beer and enjoy inside. You can easily drive by this place. It’s nestled in a strip mall.

Grade: A

Joe Canal’s – Hamilton

Location: 108 Marketplace Blvd, Hamilton, New Jersey

Another branch of the Joe Canal’s chain that is located in the Hamilton Marketplace shopping center, almost all the way at the end. When you walk into the store, it is obvious that this one has less of a focus on beer than the others. The wine selection is impressive and extensive, but the beer selection? Pretty good…but nothing outstanding. They have a mediocre amount of craft beers in the coolers and a significantly larger warm beer selection with bombers. They did have a few breweries that I hadn’t seen before as well as a lot of the local standards like Yards, Flying Fish, Victory and Troegs. There were also some Belgians available, mostly in bombers. This is probably the best beer store that I’ve seen in the area, but its Lawrenceville counterpart is slightly better.

Grade: B

Joe Canal’s – Lawrenceville

Location: US 1, Lawrenceville, New Jersey

Yet another Joe Canal’s location, also located in a strip mall on Route 1. Ample parking outlies this large store. Once you walk in, they have about 2 full aisles filled with craft beer. They had one of the larger mix a six pack sections that I’ve seen with lots of different and unique offerings. Their six packs themselves are split between the cooler stations and the warm section, with different ones in each. They had all of the local brews, plus Ithaca, Southern Tier and Founders, to name a few. The staff was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. If you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth a stop.

Grade: B+

Joe Canal’s – West Deptford

Location: 1075 Mantua Pike, West Deptford, New Jersey

I’ve read a lot about this beer store on facebook and had high hopes for it since I would look at the updates of what they’ve gotten in. Located in a strip mall next to a Shop Rite, it definitely did not look impressive. From the outside, it looks a bit on the small side. But, once you get into the store, prepare to be impressed. They have an extensive selection, including a generous Belgian and import section. They had beers from Lagunitas and Ithaca that I had never seen before, plus a bunch from Great Lakes. They also have a large cooler section and an alright mix a six section. They also have a growler station hidden in the corner of the store. If you’re looking for a hard to find beer, take a ride down here, you may just find it.

Grade: A-

Joe Canals – Woodbridge

Location: US 1, Iselin, New Jersey

The beer selection isn’t bad, but it’s not as extensive as Buy Rite. I took a trip down there awhile back and their beer selection greatly improved. They had six packs of Ithaca and Avery and Bear Republic, increased bottles of DFH and bottles of Hoppin Frog. They do have a bottle club, which can get you exclusive coupons and discounts and they have a pick a 6 pack section (although not as extensive as Buy Rite). They also have a growler station that updates their offerings online as well. It’s right by the Woodbridge Mall, so it can get crowded. If you don’t feel like driving down to Buy Rite, this is worth a stop, but it’s definitely more of a wine store.

Grade: A

Max’s Beer, Wine, Liquor – Freehold

Location: 28 Village Center Dr, Freehold Twp, New Jersey

Max’s is located in the Raintree shopping center in Freehold. Although it isn’t the largest store and there isn’t much space dedicated to beer, the offerings are pretty impressive. There is always a good selection of brews from Flying Fish, Founders, Oskar Blues, Kona, Sixpoint, Stone and Rogue. They have most of their beer in the cooler selection with about 1/3 dedicated to craft beer. They also have one cooler that is dedicated solely to bombers and has a rather good selection. They also have a warm section with some singles available, but no growler station or make your own six pack section. One of the aspects of the store that I love, other than its convenient location to my house, is that it is a bit of a hidden gem. So, when almost every other store ran out of Nugget Nectar, they still had a few six packs. The staff is also incredibly knowledgeable and ready to give you a recommendation and it’s always a solid one. If you’re in the area, definitely worth a walk through.

Grade: B

Renaissance Buy Rite – North Brunswick

Location: 456 Renaissance Blvd, North Brunswick, New Jersey

I used to frequent this store when I lived in North Brunswick. Nestled in the Shop Rite strip mall, the North Brunswick Buy Rite doesn’t have near the selection of its Cranbury counterpart. Most of the beer resides in chiller cases with one shelf on the right side of the store dedicated to bombers and other assorted beers. The selections of the store tended to vary seasonally, but they regularly had a good selection of Abita, Victory, Troegs and Harpoon. The amount of bombers was small, but Rogue dominated the selections. The staff is not all that knowledgeable, but it’s obvious that beer is not the focus of this store. If you’re looking to pick up something standard, you can stop here and they’re probably have it, but definitely not worth a trip out of the way.

Grade: C

Roger Wilco Discount Liquor Store – Voorhees

Located in a shopping plaza, Roger Wilco doesn’t look like much from the outside. But, once you get into the beer aisle, you’re definitely impressed. This is one of the few stores that I’ve been to that actually organizes the brews by beer style. I didn’t initially think I would be a fan of it, but it really worked. They had some impressive selections in both 12 ounce bottles and bombers. Some included Sixpoint Resin, Troegs Nugget Nectar, Great Lakes Dortmunder Gold, and a good selection of Belgians. They also had additional selections in the cooler. One of the ones I’ve never seen before was from Magic Hat’s Humdinger Series. The mix a six pack section was one of the better ones I’ve seen. Available for filling the sixpack was Sierra Nevada Hoptimum, a bunch of Cisco beers and a decent amount of Belgians, plus the normal domestic craft offerings. This place is definitely worth a visit. I’ve even heard rumors that they plan on expanding the beer section.

Grade: A-

Spirits Unlimited – Shrewsbury

Location: 980 Shrewsbury Ave, Tinton Falls, New Jersey

When walking into Spirits Unlimited, I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew they were a chain, but I had never been to any locations and I’ve never heard of them as a beer destination. So, when I stopped in there with Katie, I was like a kid in a candy store. They had a HUGE selection. When I first got to the beer section, there was an entire display dedicated to summer seasonals. As I walked down the long, refrigerated section, there was plenty of Goose Island, Port Brewing, Lost Abbey and all of the normal selections of DFH, Stone, Troegs and Victory. Their import selection was pretty impressive and I ended up grabbing a four pack of a British beer that I had never seen before. They also had two aisles of warm beer and bombers with a wide selection. The prices were very reasonable, probably some of the best I’ve seen around. If you’re in the area, this place is definitely worth a visit.

Grade: A

Total Wine

Location: 950 Springfield Rd, Union, New Jersey

This is located right off of Route 22 in Union. I’ve heard of the Total Wine chain because I follow some Florida beer blogs where this seems to be the prominent chain. I stopped here one weekend when I was in the area. I kept walking down the six pack aisle and it was limited, although they did have Pike, which I haven’t seen anywhere else. But, then I found an aisle with just pick-a-six and bottles. The collection was impressive. They had more Avery, Pike, and Heavy Seas than I’ve seen other places. Check it out if you’re in the area.

Grade: A