Latest reviews from Toms River
| 76 /100 1540 ROUTE 37 W “Looks like no one has rated this place in 5+ years, and it was probably still Rinn Duin back then. Anyway, its a slightly industrial looking brewery, with a decent sized bar and some tables. Nice looking beer garden as well, though I was not beer garder weather on my visit. Solid draft list with a mix of styles. A number of them were quite good, with a couple of misses thrown in as well (16 in total on my visit).“ |
| 64 /100 Spirits Unlimited - Crossroads Plaza (Beer Store) 1 RT 37 W BUILDING E “Address is 2 not 1, you would have to detour. Very decent bottle shop, go to the coolers and get fresh beer, avoid the shelf museum. Good though not best in NJ.“ |
| 72 /100 1540 ROUTE 37 W “Irish style beers. Not bad for what they are. Little pub atmosphere - ample parking.“ |
| 100 /100 1540 ROUTE 37 W “A wide selection of fresh and original recipe brews. A casual atmosphere with great prices. A must visit when ever you pass through Toms River.“ |
| 62 /100 1171 HOOPER AVE “Large Italian American restaurant (think chicken parm in large sizes and things you wouldn’t see in Italy). Shopping mall location, plenty of parking. Cavernous restaurant. The food was decent to good and the portions were very large. The beer was mediocre to good. I am not sure that they are still actively brewing here. They have a small (7-10bbl by the looks of things) PUB Brewing System, but of the 4 fermentors I saw, all 4 were empty (bottom valves open). I couldn’t see the serving tanks. There are not too many options for breweries/brewpubs in the immediate area, so I guess this is worth visiting if you are in town...“ |
| 68 /100 1540 ROUTE 37 W “Newish brewery outside of Toms River off 37. Shares a parking lot with a wine tasting room. Beers seem mostly sessionable, and mostly British inspired (although there are a few barrel aged beers). You can do tasting flights, full pours or growlers. Quality overall is decent. Pretty large looking (25bbl) system for a small New Jersey brewery. The people are friendly, and the prices are reasonable.“ |
| 76 /100 Spirits Unlimited - Crossroads Plaza (Beer Store) 1 RT 37 W BUILDING E “Quite a good bottle shop. Easy to get to and plenty of parking in Toms River near the Turnpike and 37. Very engaged employees and a very solid selection (both local, east coast regional, sour beer, barrel aged beer and a decent selection of lambics that don’t often make their way to the west coast). They also have a 12 tap growler bar that includes several locals taps (1 each dedicated to Carton and Kane). The growlers are extremely well priced (32oz of very good DIPA for $6.99 including the glass?!). Overall a worthy stop in the area.“ |
| 70 /100 Spirits Unlimited - Lakewood Rd (Beer Store) 1426 LAKEWOOD RD “Small little store that is a bitter outshined by the one down the road on 37. Still a good selection and engaged staff. Pricing was friendly. They do not have the customer base to support the beer selection of the other store. A good stop in a pinch, but you are better off going to the other location.“ |
| 90 /100 Social 37 (Restaurant) 2 ROUTE 37 W, UNIT 2 “New place. Made reservations for the soft opening. Nice selection of craft beer (good mix of NJ locals). Food was fantastic. Environment is super chill. Definety gonna be a frequent hang out for me when I’m able to get out. Service was a little slow, but hoping that’ll change as they get more established. Definitely worth stopping in!!“ |
| 68 /100 Spirits Unlimited - Crossroads Plaza (Beer Store) 1 RT 37 W BUILDING E “New review to clean up my mAny updated one. General looking store with a large craft selection that seems to grow. Growler station in front of store. The thing is that they seem to stock craft but don’t seem to know it, or don’t care to help you at all. I have been to this place a bunch of times now and have never been asked for help or even been told hello. When someone does ask for help they seem to be angry and have a "face" on. In fact when a women asked for a fall seasonal they thought they had but,maybe, didn’t they seemed to stand there and blame someone and make comments about other employees. I love their selection but what I don’t like is to shop in a place that doesn’t seem to want me. Despite that fact that this place is close to me I continue to drive to PA to get my bigger shopping done. They need a beer guy here. I updated the score to reflect the increase in product.“ |
| 84 /100 1171 HOOPER AVE “The beer was good...the food was great...that about says it all. The lighter beers might have some diacetyl...the stronger beers less obvious. The west coast IPA wasn’t west coast. But the black IPA was better. The best was probably the double chocolate oatmeal stout. Go for the food...the beer is a nice compliment.“ |
| 82 /100 1540 ROUTE 37 W “Great brewery...great story...father & daughter lose job 3 months apart and decide to start brewery together (he was a homebrewer for 15 years prior). They changed names a few times (ex. Blackthorn), and locations...settle on name of castle in Ireland where their ancestors lived near (i.e. Rinn Duin). Here’s the amazing thing...I’m not a huge fan of UK & Irish beers...but I totally respect & get what they are doing. All their recipes are UK or Irish...meaning more expensive authentic malts & hops those recipes use...and even adjusting the water chemistry to match the local waters used for those beers. I highly recommend you visit and try these beers and support what they are doing.“ |
| 70 /100 1540 ROUTE 37 W “Decent chill atmosphere. 4 beers on tap and a small batch beer. Staff is very friendly. Beers are pretty decent. And free popcorn and pretzels. A flight of 4 beers for under $5. Definitely worth a stop in.“ |
| 86 /100 1540 ROUTE 37 W “Went on opening night. Everyone was very friendly, very nice. Tour is a state law must as is the lack of some things a British pub may have such as games and tv’s. The owner s very nice, the staff talkative and the young beers they are making are good. Limited in numbers and all session beers, four right now on tap. Growler fills, pints and flights avil. Sitting is a inds park but inside is well done. Update, the selection is growing beyond the four, brewer getting more inventive and trying different things. Some work for me and some don’t but that is what beer is all about. Staff and owners remain great. Bottling line is fired up and bottles are showing up in stores in area. Also taps showing up all over shore area. I added to selection section as we went beyond just four beers here. New brewer is coming up with some real good one offs and is getting creative. On many nights there is one or two one offs on tap.“ |
| 70 /100 The Spot Pizza Grill (Restaurant) 1426 LAKEWOOD RD “small squre bar. small seating area around bar. I had pizza and apps, all were good. nothing seemed to boxy or frozen. Pizza was very good. Was quiet and not crowed. Sports on TV and was not loud so a group could talk without yelling. Older crowd when I was there.“ |
| 46 /100 Spirits Unlimited - Route 37 (Beer Store) 914 RT 37 W, STE 1 “Just ok, I found some craft that were around the store a bit. This store is like an older Spirits and the craft beer selection is much smaller. Staff gave me a hello but that was it. No one asked me if I had a question. Store is next to a bj’s and a huge senior development so I think it caters to savings crowd. Good to hit up when having a party and need a few cases of the normal but I drive past it for myself.“ |
| 72 /100 Spirits Unlimited - Crossroads Plaza (Beer Store) 1 RT 37 W BUILDING E “One of the newer Spirits in the area. Typical liquor store feel. One of the better selections of craft beers. Decent beer at the growler station as well. Employees are friendly and Manager Phil is a good guy. Definitely one of my go to shops.“ |
| 84 /100 1171 HOOPER AVE “Stopped in for a few drinks during happy hour. Great rustic feel. Bartenders were very friendly. House beers were great (especially the black IPA), and a nice free food spread for ordering one drink! (Chicken Parm, Artisan chicken sandwiches, and nachos). Food was delicious and I plan on going back for dinner one night.“ |
| 74 /100 Spirits Unlimited - Crossroads Plaza (Beer Store) 1 RT 37 W BUILDING E “This is a brand new construction that is big and clean. Sort of like the cookie cutter chain stores of alcohol. Selection is solid and they do get in most of the newest beers BUT they really need a beer guy that knows beer. I’m not impressed when I see a giant stack of DIPA bottles sitting out on the floor when there is a huge cooler section 20 feet away where they can easily store those bottles. Prices seem okay on bottles. Like lots of other NJ beer stores the growler bug had bitten and they have jumped aboard. Talk about overpriced, holy F’n Sh!t Batman!!!! I can almost 100% guarantee that if there is a regularly available beer on the station that 64oz of growler beer is alway more then it’s 72oz individualy packaged counterpart. "Why sure Spirits I would love to pay $12.99 for 64oz of Prima Pils when I can get 72oz for $9.99 because I have zero math skills". Come on lets get this growler shit under control please. If your in the area or passing by sure this place is solid, drive here for rare gems, no but hell there is nowhere that you can do that at anymore.“ |
| 50 /100 Spirits Unlimited - Route 37 (Beer Store) 914 RT 37 W, STE 1 “huge store with a small inventory. Was excited to find a Climax ESB growler, took it home to Connecticut, opened it up excitedly...AND, was flat. Obviously the store does not rotate, and based on the quality of beer, this could have been sitting on the shelf for a long time. Really pissed me off.“ |
| 64 /100 Monaghan’s Liquors (Beer Store) 1617 ROUTE 37 EAST “My go-to spot to find something different. Great hole in the wall where you choose your bottle from a bookshelf. Nice selection of local and not so local microbrews. If he doesn’t have it, he will try to hunt it down for you.“ |
| 92 /100 EZ Liquors (Beer Store) 35 RT 37 EAST “Great selection considering the size of the store, even greater prices and the beer manager is the most friendly and knowledgable mgr that i have run in to. they have a binder on the counter with a list of what they stock and just ask if you dont see it, they will order and at a great price. this place is the best outside of philly and north jersey and once again that is only because of the size of their store..they stock it to the gills, i can tell you that“ |
| 34 /100 EZ Liquors (Beer Store) 35 RT 37 EAST “The Beer Manager is excellent IMO. Good selection and nice variety of Belgians.
That’s the good news! Just got back from EZ a few hours ago and my wife was treated extremely poorly by the taller long haired guy. She asked a specitic and knowledgable wine questions which caused "Mr Hair" to launch into a diateibe about people only going for mass produced white Bordeaux’s.
Based on his treatment I doubt if we will return. The Beer Manager could offer me a case of Stille Nacht for free and I don’t think it would do any good.
The sour taste of poor customer service lingers long after the sweetness of selection and good prices are gone.
NOTE to Mr hair: We have a friend who distributes wine nationally with wholesale prices per bottle higher theen you make in a week and he recommended the wine that caused you to launch your attack. He has mentored us in fine wines and beers. You just cost your boss a regular customer.“ |
| 62 /100 EZ Liquors (Beer Store) 35 RT 37 EAST “Visited 20080503. I had no idea this place even existed except for dmac and pineypower having rated it. Tiny indeed, and luckily I knew to ask for the beer list. Impressive: Good list that appeared up to date. Nice mix of brands of US/imported micros with a couple surprises but limited selection of each. Staff obviously enthusiastic about beer. Knocks: never would have known about selection of good beer if not for ratebeer. Having to look through a list while standing at the counter is less enjoyable than browsing shelves and just weird. I can see they’re making the best of what they’ve got so kudos for good intent.“ |
| 84 /100 EZ Liquors (Beer Store) 35 RT 37 EAST “Full Disclosure: I am the beer manager of this establishment, so maybe I’ve drunk the kool-aid, which would explain why I fail to understand the low score we’ve received for ambiance. Is it because most of our selection is not on display, but listed by size/price in a binder kept at the counter? This is, in any event, a digression being that there is no maybe concerning my drinking of the store’s brews (the crux of the matter, after all!): I’ve had ’em all, & like ’em all (with the exception of the pedestrian, ubiquitous stuff such as Longtrail and Otter Creek that EVERY liquor store must carry to seduce training wheel beer drinkers to graduate to the superior stuff). I’m no neophyte to the world of craft-beer, by the way I managed the beer department of another prominent micro specialtystore in Toms River for several years. And while there are some stores in the-land-of-the-deep-pocket-customers (up-state) whose selection dwarfs ours, everything we carry is FRESH. Besides, even when we scale back our selection in the Spring because it it our slow season, we carry 220+ craft beers. Rest assured, persnickety beer-geeks, you’ll be pleased you stop by.
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| 66 /100 EZ Liquors (Beer Store) 35 RT 37 EAST “First off you must ASK FOR THE BEER LIST!!!!! Only a small selection of craft beers and good imports are kept in the cooler. Most stuff is kept cold in back and there is a list kept behind the counter with everything that is in stock with prices and sizes listed. I was actually shocked that they had a rather nice selection, Stone, Lagunitas, Hebrew, Victory, Bear Republic and a good amount of Belgians. I was SHOCKED to see Cantillon on the list and I actually grabbed a bottle of St. Lamvinus for $29.99. Hard to believe that this place actually has a good selecion and I have been driving by it for 2 1/2 years, serves me right for judging a place on looks alone.“ |
| 70 /100 EZ Liquors (Beer Store) 35 RT 37 EAST “On the surface this is pretty much your run of the mill liquor store, small section of micros 6 packs and some 22oz singles......ask for the list and your opinion of this store changes. On a printed out word document they have their true selection organized by country by brewer. Have been able to get almost all Southern Tier other highlights are great prices on Allagash, a few breweries you wouldn’t expect and the once in a while rarity. You can find some Mikkeller here time to time. Two guys in particular know their beer and are always willing to help. Lately they’ve been stepping it up, been having most everything I’ve gone in for“ |
| 60 /100 Monaghan’s Liquors (Beer Store) 1617 ROUTE 37 EAST “Monaghan’s is my go-to store for brew. The variety and selction of beers is the biggest in my area. The guys that work there are very helpful and usually reccomend a great new beer to try.“ |
| 52 /100 Monaghan’s Liquors (Beer Store) 1617 ROUTE 37 EAST “This place is about two minutes from my house yet I find myself driving over a half hour to go to some other places. The place is dirty and I can’t stand how the beer is displayed. A single bottle is placed out on one of two bookcases and you tell them what you want. There is no way of knowing by looking if it’s a 6pak or a 4pak and prices, forget it NONE of them area marked. What if it’s late at night and I appear drunk do I get a different price then Tuesday afternoon? Hardly any single bottles, bomber selection is rather limited and I just can’t get over the feeling that I’m getting ripped off when I can’t see any prices.“ |
| 70 /100 Monaghan’s Liquors (Beer Store) 1617 ROUTE 37 EAST “You wouldn’t be able to tell from the exterior but this is the go to place in my neck of the woods. The usual east coast players plus a few harder to find (out here on the right coast) brews. Interesting merchandising for the stuff they have in packs (bottles on bookshelf) and a cooler with a decent selection of singles and bombers. Reasonably priced and a top notch staff.“ |
| 60 /100 Spirits Unlimited - Route 37 (Beer Store) 914 RT 37 W, STE 1 “Was here back on 19 Dec 05. A liquor store with some beer (macros and micros). Mostly all six packs but some singles. All beer is chilled except for the cases of macros. Good selection of Saranac, Yards, and Smuttynose just to name a few. Friendly and helpful staff.“ |
| 66 /100 Monaghan’s Liquors (Beer Store) 1617 ROUTE 37 EAST “In the old days (read that as 70’s and 80’s) this place was your generic macro beer store. My how times have changed. It’s the only reason I’ll drive down Rt 37 when in TR. I like that I can get the Heavyweight stuff here.“ |
| 74 /100 Monaghan’s Liquors (Beer Store) 1617 ROUTE 37 EAST “Been going here a while now, got a good selection of the bigger brews you can get in single bottles and a nice selection of local and some far away micros you wouldn’t expect them to have. looks like a hole in the wall, but worth it!“ |
| 70 /100 Monaghan’s Liquors (Beer Store) 1617 ROUTE 37 EAST “I’ve driven past this hole in the wall a thousand times and always kept on driving. Well, how could I have known. You choose the beer you want from a selection of about 150 bottles on a bookshelf. You tell the guy at the counter what you want. He goes in back and gets it for you. These guys had a better than average selection of all the available stuff, Heavyweight, Left Hand, Troegs, Weyerbacher, Victory, etc, etc. Some FFF bombers, and a nice selection of other single bombers, etc in a cooler. Good prices, friendly and helpful staff, too. I’ll be making another trip to this joint, for sure.“ |
