Spirits Unlimited

March 11, 2008
Was in here recently after not being in for a few months. It looks like the are expanding the place. The beer guy (didn’t get his name) was telling me that they are pushing the beer case back and extending it. The beer area is already huge so to add more is a bonus. It’s true that the singles selection is lacking but the beer guy claims that they will be extended as well. We’ll see. But this place is with out a doubt the best place in the area. Selection and prices are great. I must stop if you are in the area.

February 22, 2008
It’s about time I rated this place. For price and selcetion this place can’t be beat. Service, well I never really needed help but it’s not like it was EVER offered on any of my dozens of trips. This is a converted grocery store so for sheer size this place is great. Selection wise they get all the major releaes, Stone seasonals, CL seasonals, Lagunitas, Avery, Bear Republic, Allagash etc. Price is ridiculous because of their buying power. The only thing they are really lacking on is a singles section and some service. If they had the service and singles selection of Oak Tree I would never venture further then exit 109 but alas they don’t so Dan don’t worry you will still be seeing me make those hour long drives north just to say hi to Jay.

August 13, 2007
What a place! It looks to be a retired Grocery Store. I initially walked down the first aisle which resembles an old Produce department. The reused shelving now displays wine. I make it back to the replaced Dairy section to see that the entire back wall is filled end to end with cold six packs! I follow this around the parameter of the store to find even more bottles! Locals, rarities, West Coast rarities. I picked up my STONE 070707 Vertical Epic, Southern Tier, Climax growlers, Clipper City, and too much more. I follow this to the end just to realize they have Micro Variety 12pks on a different row right behind me as well. What a Find!! Thanks WillBlake for the tip.

December 29, 2006
Being from PA, I don’t have an opportunity to mix and match very much. My sister referred me to this place several years ago and everytime I am in NJ I stop by. The selection is very good. I have seen Westvleterens every so often and the other Abby’s are always there. I have also seen harder to find beers there as well. Worth the trip if you are in the area.

June 6, 2006
Stopped by here as a recommendation from WillBlake on my way to a Heavyweight Open house. The store is enormous and the beer is about 1/8 of it, which is a large portion actually. They of course have stuff I cannot get in NY but outside of the local stuff the selection is just ok. I got to pick up some stuff i wouldnt find in NY (Arcadia and Reaper). I mean I pretty much got everything I wanted and only spent 50 bucks, which is not a lot for a beer frenzy (I only didnt get the Fullers Vintage 2005, which I should have). However, this highlights the great prices this place charges (i.e Abbaye des Rocs $7). I was disappointed by the service, lady knew nothing about beer or where the heavyweight brewery was. She also made a mistake charging me so I take points away. Its definitly a place to stop but not at the level of the big boys (New Beer, American or Halftime).

June 1, 2006
Stopped by on the recommendation from Willblake. Like he said, they have the best selection of NJ and PA micros of the places I have visited. Nice selection of Belgians and English beers. The micros are sort of spread out between stacks on the floor and the long beer cooler. Not as organized as Oak Tree, but far more organized than Somerville Super Saver. It does not appear that they break sixers, but I could be wrong. They also have wine and cheese, but that is not my thing.

May 13, 2006
Wide selection, procured some beers i’d been looking for for a while. Added on to my Old Salty and Stone IRS verticals. Got some more Sly Fox cans for a party tonight, love that stuff. Bob was very helpful. They get the newest Heavyweights there, and he even called over to see if Tom was around. (I woulda stopped by the brewery if someone was there). Ste-ve should be out there soon though he said.

July 16, 2005
Nice selection of European beers, with some hard to find gems included. Picked up a De Dolle Dulle Teve Reserva, an Oerbier Reserva(2004), a Panil Barriquee along with a few others. Real good selection of regional beers also. This is probably the second best beer store I’ve been to in NJ after Somerville SS.

April 9, 2005 [ Updated January 3, 2006 ]
This has been my go-to place for a while. Easily the largest selection of NJ/PA micros I’ve seen. Nice representation of most everything else that’s available. The beer manager tries to fit as much new beer as he can and really limits shelf space taken up by dogs. A good source for trappists (not Achel though). More stuff from the UK than most joints I’ve seen, some ciders, lots of stuff from eastern Europe, too. Also, when they have glassware for sale it’s usually only $3. The beer is usually in very good shape, too.

update: Bob the beer guru is doing a great job keeping the selection liquid and interesting. The variety is growing every visit. I easily spend $100+ during my monthly trip to this great store. Now if only the cashiers would take it easy on the bottles...