Buy-Rite Discout Liquors

Buy-Rite Discout LiquorsBuy-Rite Discout Liquors
Buy-Rite Discout LiquorsBuy-Rite Discout Liquors
Store

2678 Route 130
Cranbury, New Jersey, 08512-3200
United States

(609) 655-0600 | map
buyriteliquor.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.5
Reviews:
20
Ratings:
31
pDev:
12.22%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by doppeljr:
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Reviewed by doppeljr from New Jersey

4.5/5  rDev 0%
This store floundered for years with owners that did not know or enjoy beer. The selection was awful.

They are now owned by the same people who own Super Saver Liquors on the Pennington Circle.

Their beer selection is much better and the staff are helpful and friendly. They know beer and are able to make solid recommendations.

They have expanded their display area in the store to include one side of wine and liquor and the other is all beer. There are hundreds of delicious American craft beers, standards, Belgian treasures and plenty from other places in the world.

They sell in 6 packs, bombers and standard singles, so there is plenty to choose from.

The location is great and the selection is the best in the area.
Oct 01, 2009
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.79 by BeerOps from Illinois

Jul 13, 2017
 
Rated: 4 by DrStiffington from New Jersey

Jan 17, 2016
 
Rated: 4.56 by CraigMack61 from New Jersey

Sep 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by megamass from New Jersey

Sep 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by muskiesman from New Jersey

Sep 16, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by BoSean_Rodriguez from New Jersey

Jul 04, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by TheFightfan1 from Pennsylvania

May 09, 2014
Photo of scottd13
Reviewed by scottd13 from New Jersey

2.89/5  rDev -35.8%
vibe: 1 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5
wish I had noticed the reviews were nearly 2 years old before I went 30 minutes out of my way to stop at this place. First it's a dump but that doesn't normally prevent me from checking it out. As much as I wanted to like this place as it had some interesting beers, I can't. It's only saving grace was the abundance of good singles they sell. As I've stated elsewhere the past reviewers of this shop must have had limited experience in craft beer as there was nothing here I couldn't get elsewhere.

If you're looking for something other then Stone, Troges, Sierra Nevada, Flying Dog, Flying Fish, Epic or other everywhere beers don't bother.

I will admit I was pleasantly surprised they carried some Stillwater.
Mar 20, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by eb1993nj from New Jersey

Mar 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by InspectorBob from New Jersey

Feb 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Illos from New Jersey

Dec 24, 2013
 
Rated: 4.75 by tkdchampxi from New Jersey

Nov 25, 2013
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Reviewed by bigaizsosexy from New Jersey

4.94/5  rDev +9.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
My first trip to Buy-Rite of Cranbury was AWESOME! I've never seen so much craft beer devoted to one store. They have hundreds of beers to choose from and if they don't have it they will order it for you.

I've founds some pretty good classic Belgian Ale's, Dubbels and Tripels at this location. I also spoke with the manager and he is willing to order any beer of your choosing. They have very helpful staff and even a draft craft beer bar where you can purchase growlers (32oz and 64oz).

This place has one of the best selections I've ever come across.

P.S. Since last year they have increased their import crafts substantially.
Aug 24, 2012
Photo of tarasgrin
Reviewed by tarasgrin from New Jersey

4.4/5  rDev -2.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5
Oasis of craft beer in the middle of nowhere!!! Probably the best selection of craft beer I have ever seen on this planet. But what I didn't like was that Ive found out that many beers were expired or dying. After half an hour of looking around and checking the dates on random bottles, I've got a feeling that I'm on the huge graveyard of old beers. That was a cemetery of dead ales and Lager beers. So if you are trying to try something new you better check the expiration date.
I also think the prices for singles is not reasonable. My list was:
Dogfish Head Theobroma 750ml
Dogfish Head Santo Palo Marron 12 oz. x1
Left Hand volume 3 Pepper Porter 12oz. x2
Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard 12oz. x1
Stone Self Righteous Ale x1 bomber.

Six items cost me $47. Either they charge 5-6 dollars per single or the girl at the register made a mistake.

I would still HIGHLY recommend this store to any craft beer drinker living/working in the area. Just make sure you check the expiration date if available or ask associate when this bottle was stored on shelved. I will definately come back for DFH rare brews. Follow the store on Facebook if you beer hunt.
Feb 04, 2012
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Reviewed by alohaspicoli from New Jersey

4.28/5  rDev -4.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
I stopped in here after a friend recommended.

Great store! Once again, one of those places that's not much to look at (the sign is small and you could drive right by it w/o realizing it was a liquor store) but they have an awesome selection of craft brews. One of the best I've seen in central NJ.

The building is like a ranch style house with two main rooms connected by an entrance foyer. The entire left room is beer.

Friendly, helpful staff and an excellent selection. Mostly domestic with a small but solid shelf of imports. Stone, Founders, DFH, Bruery and just about everything in between. Was psyched to find a bunch of the recent collaboration brews that Stone has been doing, like their chocolate cherry stout.

They also allow you to make your own 6 pack, which is always a plus in a store that offers this much of a selection. Will definitely be going back, asap!
Oct 24, 2011
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Reviewed by DoubleSimcoe from Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5
Odd place! A huge supermarket of booze seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Overall it looks a bit worn-out and old, but wow, is it exciting to browse the aisles here!

So much beer here it is overwhelming. My wife was doing business a mile north of this joint and I was only happy to come to NJ and visit Buy-Rite.

Inside, the store is a little disorganized, with macro and micro beer all over and no apparent order.

One thing I like about this place is that they have a large section of singles, and good ones at that! I got Oskar Ten Fidy, Otter Creek 20th Anniv., Weyerbacher Heresy and Insanity, Samichlaus... pricy, though- $4.99 for Ten Fidy.

Among the six-pack brands I saw were Yards, Abita, Stoudts, Dogfish, Bar Harbor, Avery, Weyerbacher, Bear Republic...

The bomber selection is staggering too- vintage Christmas Ales, Voodoo, Mission out of San Diego, Fegley's, Epic from Utah, Schafly, New Holland, Terrapin... even one bottle of Rasputin XII!

Great selection of Euro imports, including Pannepot Reserva '08, Pannepot '10 and '11, Bon-Chien Grand Cru, De Dolle Oerbier '09... Czech, British, Mikkeller and else.

Service was not exactly stellar. Only at the end of my shopping trip did I stumble upon an employee who said hi and asked if we needed any help. Prices were fair overall but confusing- they weren't clearly marked (particularly in the singles) so I went to the register not knowing how much would I spend.

This is a great shop, and I can't get over how surprising it was to find this "out there".
Oct 21, 2011
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Reviewed by RenoZymurgist from Nevada

4.72/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Excellent selection and great prices. I love that half of the entire store is devoted to craft beer and hard to find imports. The room is packed full of so many different beers that it took me almost 30 mins to try and decide what to pick out. Great selection of sours and hard to find Belgians. I saw Black Albert, Pannepot, Cantillion, Scaldis Prestige, Hansens Lambics, tons of American craft from Saint Somewhere, Green Flash, it definetly seems like the guy ordering the beer hands picks a lot of the selection. Also if you are trying to have a theme tasting you can find many rare import lagers from German, Czech, and even some great South American craft beers. I also love the Growler station where you can find even more rare stuff to try and sometimes things that don't even make it into a bottle. I will definetly be making regular trips when my budget allows.
Sep 10, 2011
Photo of krisjag
Reviewed by krisjag from New Jersey

5/5  rDev +11.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Great selection, friendly and knowledgeable staff, innovative.

The manager, Matt, is passionate and eager to offer recommendations to those new to craft beer as well as those who brew their own. He brought the store from a disorganized jumble of old, dusty beer to a well-organized, easily categorized, and up-to-date selection of brews from all across the country and world.

The beer festival event that was held last month was an excellent way to engage the community, promote their store, and benefit charity. It also allowed patrons to try a variety of different beers outside of their comfort zone.

Prices are reasonable - cases range between $2 and $5 above wholesale, kegs range between $8 and $15 above wholesale. Liquor and wine selection is excellent as well.

Also - Matt will get his hands on whatever you want to order - just stop by and ask!
Jul 11, 2011
Photo of mcguirmn
Reviewed by mcguirmn from New Jersey

4.86/5  rDev +8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
Amazing liquor store.

As other reviewers noted, half the store is devoted to wines and liquors while the other half is exclusively devoted to beers.

No other store in the area has the same craft beer selection. Every time I go in there I am overwhelmed by the selection, and it usually takes me a half an hour just to decide on what I want.

Not only do they offer six packs, they also are known for their Make-a-Six deal. Every single beer they sell in 6 packs is also available as a single bottle. So if you are itching to try a certain beer, but are reluctant to commit to a full six-pack, this is for you! I find this especially useful in trying new brews from Dogfish Head. While a lot of their brews are very good, I am reluctant to commit to a 11$ four-pack.

Recently they put in a kegerator near the cashier so customers can try microbrews on tap for FREE. And if you like the beers on tap, you can bring home a growler full for a reasonable rate.

Overall this is a great shop with exceptional service and unparalleled selection.
Jun 01, 2011
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Reviewed by OddNotion from New Jersey

4.6/5  rDev +2.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Atmosphere: Beer section is its own room, very large and there are shelves upon shelves of beer. Kept clean.

Quality: Great quality. Always see that the stock is well rotated.

Service: The staff is knowledgable about beer, they know what is in stock and what is coming in. They are talkative and nice. Very helpful and will always ask if you need any assistance.

Selection: As said above, shelves upone shelves of beer. Some nice rarities there as well as the latest hyped beers. Also have a nice growler fill station.

Great place, go there if you are around, you really wont be disappointed.
May 24, 2011
Photo of TimHitchings
Reviewed by TimHitchings from New Jersey

5/5  rDev +11.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
6/2015: New ownership. In the middle of amazing make over. One new wall is completely craft beer in fridge from end to end. Plans in the works to expand 8 tap growler station. Ivan the manager knows his craft. https://www.facebook.com/BuyRiteCranbury

The management is enthusiastic about craft beer and drives the store facebook site (http://www.facebook.com/cbuyrite) with daily updates. Management 'gets' how social sites can be valuable. Whenever a growler tap is replaced a notice is made to inform customers.

Anchor Christmas Ale, Troegs Mad Elf, Allagash Hugh Malone, Victory Yakima Glory, Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout, Flying Fish HopFish, Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale, River Horse Double Wit, NJ Beer Co Wee Heavy Ale, SixPoint Brooklyn Brown Ale, Ridgeway Seriously Bad Elf, Fegleys Rude Elf Reserve

These are a few of the recent on taps available at the Cranbury Buy-Rite growler station. Growlers are available in 1 and 2 lt stopper containers.

The store is split into 2 sections with beer to the left and wine and liquor to the right with registers and growler station.
On initial entry you eyes are immediately drawn to the left where stacks of beer specials are on display. As you move deeper into the left beer section you are assaulted with the shear variety of choices in all shapes and sizes. A bank of refrigerators on the right contains cool beer. On the back wall and on shelves everywhere are singles, bombers, six packs, four packs, etc.

Shelving and signage has vastly improved over the 6 months since my inital review. Shelves have pricing and review tags. Selection continues to increase and Facebook is used to announce new bottles every Tuesday.

The music playing over the pa system sounds like a local college based radio which is a perfect blend of eclectic with the classics. Much like the beer available at Cranbury BuyRite.

On any given night there maybe a couple of customers gathered around the growler station talking beer with Matt.
While I've only been visiting for about a month I can't think of any other place that is working harder to cater to the craft beer explosion.

With an announced Beer Fest June 18, 2011 this is becoming the place in central New Jersey for beer.

Can't wait till my next visit.
May 20, 2011
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Reviewed by calz4m from New Jersey

4.74/5  rDev +5.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
The Buy Rite in Cranbury is very near to my work and I tend to stop by here on Fridays after work to stock up on beer. Great craft beer selection with all of the big guns well represented (Stone, DFH, Rogue, Victory, etc.) as well as good to excellent attention to the smaller producers. The "beer room" is huge and the back wall is full of singles for making mixed six packs. Gotta love that! Recently they expanded the growler station which has just been fantastic. I think there are 8 taps now and generally at least three are IPAs which is right in my wheelhouse. Friendly and knowledgeable service from Josh especially with regard to the beer and growler station. I highly recommend this as a stop for any semi-local or local beer fanatics. You will not be disappointed. They also have a wide German and Belgian section if that's your thing.
Feb 25, 2011
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Reviewed by marcpal from New Jersey

4.85/5  rDev +7.8%
Oak Tree, you have a challenger.

This place I have heard about and when I visited was nothing short of phenomenal. Had a beer tasting late on a Friday and the selection was off the hook.

The people were passionate about the beer, the selections were up to date, lined up well, and priced relatively well. This is much closer for me than Oak Tree so will be the one that I hit up for quick trips but designate Oak Tree as my destination spot.

I am only basing this on two quick trips but a way of judging on is how much time you spent vs the time you intended. On both occassions, I caught myself wandering around and ended up grabbing a gems off the shelves that were not in the plans. Sign of a good spot.

Great great new find here in central NJ.
Oct 01, 2010
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Reviewed by Augustiner719 from Massachusetts

4.45/5  rDev -1.1%
Stopped in today during my lunch break after reading reviews of this place. Definately worth stopping in there especially if your in the area and well worth the drive. Lots of good stuff that has sold out everywhere else (Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, founders nemesis, Sorachi Ace etc..) Great singles selection as well. The store is separated into two parts, to the left is the beer section. Nice wall of refrigerators with cold beer, and the beer isles are sorted by brand and country for the most part. Decent german/belgian section but not to much english stuff which is ok by me. Great place to get the latest beers that are available in NJ. They pretty much carry everything and even some stuff that went out of season (Troegs Mad Elf) Overall, a great place and the beer manager is very knowledgable and always ready to give a suggestion. Prices were competitive as well.
Jul 08, 2010
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Reviewed by Franchise from Oregon

4.85/5  rDev +7.8%
Wow is all I can say. Easy access from the NJ turnpike. From the outside this place looks like a bodega. With a warehouse like look once you get in. The first thing you notice on entry is the cases of beer on the floor Sam adams, Sierra Nevada, etc.

To the left is the wine section which looks really good but I am here for the beer. As you enter and turn to the left it is craft beer galore, an entire section of craft beer probably 4 ailes of beers like sly fox, climax, captain Lawrence, a ton of New England brew bar harbor, smutty, long trail, so for those of you in NJ your getting a great mix. There is also an entire singles section on the back wall.

I've had trouble in the past finding a beer store in this area but no more def recommended!
May 17, 2010
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Reviewed by sfsean28 from New Jersey

4.3/5  rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
An awesome selection of brews. Founders,Troegs,Flying Fish,Brooklyn,etc. Cases of Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams stacked on the floors. It had the feel of a discount store but without the flood of BMC. They were there too along with Heine & Corona, but they didn't dominate the store. The staff is friendly and are willing to find or ordering something for you. I walked in one side of the store and spent an hour just looking at beer bottles. They also have plenty of refridgerated beers. They have mix-a-six, plenty of bombers and canned micros. If you are in the area you must stop in and check it out. They are also in the process of expanding and getting more shelf space.
They got growler fills now!
May 11, 2010
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Reviewed by ElDavicho from New Jersey

5/5  rDev +11.1%
This place is awesome, has become my #1 beer spot. That used to be the Super Saver Pennington, enlightening to read here that they are owned by the same folks now.

I'm always walking away from this place with something new. Seasonals are always on time, they've got what seems like a stockpile of Oerbier Reserva, and as I've just learned some rarities in the back to keep beer-o-philes in check and equal opportunitied, which is awesome.

Great place and I won't be going anywhere else for a long while, enough common stuff to try for ages and with the seasonals and rarities there's no need to venture elsewhere, as nothing in the area compares.

Keep it up guys.
May 01, 2010
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Reviewed by BigIrishman from New Jersey

5/5  rDev +11.1%
I stumbled into this place a few weeks after moving about 5 minutes away a few months back. At first site the place looks rather ordinary, especially with the corona and miller neon signs in the windows. I figured I'd give it a try as I've shopped a lot at the oak tree buy rite and the jersey city buy rite as well. This place is right in line with those stores. The store is split into 2 sections as mentioned below and the beer side is excellent. The beer quality is top notch as well as I've bought some rather obscure stuff in there that was great even though I thought it might have spent too much time on the shelf.

The people are great especially the manager, who really knows his stuff and cares about the customers and the product. He keeps some of the good stuff in the back (KBS, Nemesis, Black OPS, etc) and limits the hard to get beers to one a person so everyone has a chance. Even more impressively he doesn't charge any markup on it ($20 for the Black Ops is the best you're gonna get anywhere). He really pushes his distributers to get him the good stuff as well, and will try and find a beer for you if you ask.

Price wise this place is great, normal prices on everything and even a few sales every week on some great craft brews (this week Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout and Founders Breakfast stout were on sale)

Overall this place is my new go to, and worth a drive if you want some great beer.
Mar 25, 2010
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Reviewed by 27Tripping from New Jersey

5/5  rDev +11.1%
The staff at this Buy-Rite have put a lot of effort into the beer section. The reviews below of 2009 were correct; it was a jumble back there.

Their progress is worth a Beeradvocate reader's visit.

Excellent assortment of hard to find bombers; great variety of sixers in American micros and uncommon Belgians.
"Mix-a-six" 12 oz. singles shelves fill the back wall and are very well stocked.

The craft sixes display upon entering is as inviting as are the eye level rows of bombers. You'll like browsing here.

A complete, pleasant surprise as I've blown past this Buy-Rite on Rt 130 for years. I was happy to drop $50 here today and it is great to have another great beer store here in Central NJ.
Mar 20, 2010
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Reviewed by Gavage from Nevada

3.65/5  rDev -18.9%
I stopped in here to pick up some beer on my way to a friends house after reading the initial review of this place stating there is a new owner. I had stopped here years ago but beer selection was awful, so I have avoided it until now. The place is now split into two distinct sections with the beer located on the left of the entrance under the portico. The old entrance with glass doors has been locked shut. The cash register is located in the wine section.

When entering you notice a sloppy look as there is a variety of glass front refridgerators with some of them stocked in a slightly haphazard fashion. Cases of beer are stacked all over the floor, with some in neat piles and others beers from different breweries just stacked on each other looking like they are waiting to be unpacked.

There is a well organized warm shelf section containing a large variety of beers. But buyer beware since some of the beers were old - one I wanted had a "best before" date that was months passed. There is a good singles area too.

I did not see any help in the area, and it took some time for a second register to open after the line was a few people deep.

There is still some work to be done here, unless they like the sloppy warehouse feel. But is is worth a stop if you are in the immediate area since they have a good variety of choices here. The Oaktree Buy Rite is still the premier Buy Rite store in NJ by far.
Oct 05, 2009
Buy-Rite Discout Liquors in Cranbury, NJ
Place rating: 4.5 out of 5 with 31 ratings