Smart Buy Wines

Store

102 Linwood Plaza
Fort Lee, New Jersey, 07024
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.21
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
10
pDev:
10.21%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by Billolick:
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

4/5  rDev -5%
George Washington Bridge, palisades parkway New jersey location, this is a mid sized, wine/booze/beer store, in a good sized strip mall, its on the left/west side of the road as you head north. Most of the beer is kept cold in the large coolers in the rear of the store, warm beer is found in the rear right hand corner of the store as you enter. Respectable range of BA worthy beer. Nice Belgian, Brit and German import section. Good also on local micros, Bklyn, Troegs, weyerbacher, Ommegang, Flying fish, Hvy weight, Victory,DFH etc, quite a broad and varied range of selections, pleasant staff. Decent place to stop into to. If youre near the GWB you are near this place.
Jul 24, 2005
More User Ratings:
Photo of dsa7783
Reviewed by dsa7783 from New Jersey

4.15/5  rDev -1.4%
On my way back from New York City, decided to stop in this little liquor store hoping to find something a little different... Wasn't dissapointed, but wasn't completely thrilled either... the service was excellent, the man at the front really knew a lot about the beers available, although when i made my way to the back where they had all the beer, there seemed to be a lot of products out of stock or temporarily unavailable, which was kind of dissapointing, otherwise, what selection they did have was really good, saw some Rogue, Wychwood, and Victory products in there, a lot from Sierra Nevada, too... I thought this place was a bit pricey, but because of the really friendly service and good selection, would probably hit this place up again if I were in the area...
Dec 26, 2007
Photo of DavidSeanNJ
Reviewed by DavidSeanNJ from New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -13.3%
1/20/07- I checked this place out yesterday with high hopes of finding a hidden gem in Bergen County. I must say I was somewhat dissapointed.

I made my way to the back of the store where all of the beer coolers were. All of their beer is kept in the coolers unlike most of the places in this area where the microbrew and swill is kept on the shelves. What I did notice is that the coolers are about half full- with the looks of certain beers being "sold out" or just missing. The beer selection that they actually did have was very good, there just wasn't a ton of it. I saw lots of DFH, Victory, Rogue, Brooklyn (Monster Ale), Sly Fox, Weyerbacher, Stone etc. Only thing that I bought was a 6 pack of Sierra Nevada 2006 Big Foot.

All in all, this place is more like a wine/liquor store with a small sample of GREAT beers that "teases" you. Kudos on the selection that they actually did carry though. I may find myself back in the store in a few weeks to see if the selection has increased. Worth a try for sure. You may find something out of the ordinary.
Jan 21, 2007
Photo of StonyB
Reviewed by StonyB from New Jersey

4.35/5  rDev +3.3%
Edit (12/7/06): I am concerned about Smart Buy's future...their selection has dropped off dramatically over the past 2-3 months. My understanding is that the beer manager, Jon, has not been around as often, and consequently, the beer inventory has suffered. While this establishment is still above average as a beer destination, I don't think it's worth going out of the way for, at least not right now. Hope they get back to where they were...
(I changed my Service rating from 5 to 4.5, and my selection rating from 4.5 to 4.)


If you're looking to buy some great beer in Northeast New Jersey, you have to go to Smart Buy Wines & Spirits.

The store is located in Fort Lee, NJ. It's incredibly close to the George Washington Bridge, so it makes sense for New Yorkers to make the trip as well..

Located in the rear left of a strip mall, Smart Buy is clean and easy to negotiate. Wines dominate the front and middle of the moderately sized establishment; good brands of hard liquor are to the far right. The holy grail, beer, is along the entire back wall...

Stored in a row of several glass refrigerators, the beer is "smartly" grouped by style, rather than brewery. So if you're craving an IPA, you don't have to hunt and peck...you just have to look at the labeled section. Have fun choosing between FFF Alpha King, Victory Hop Devil, Heavy Seas Hop3 IPA, Brooklyn East IPA, etc.

The service is outstanding. Jon Hartlage runs the beer section, and is passionate about his job. He is quick to offer a suggestion, recommend a new beer, or guide you towards a beer of a particular style you like but haven't tried yet. If Jon isn't in, Cliff is friendly and will make sure you don't leave empty-handed...

Overall, Smart Buy offers every major, and some not so major, style of beer. Prices are ok, not great, but if you're looking for quality over value, you definitely won't be disappointed.

Absolutely worth the trip if you're within 20 miles, and maybe beyond...give it a try.
Jun 10, 2006
Photo of IPA17
Reviewed by IPA17 from New Jersey

4.7/5  rDev +11.6%
This liquor store boasts, in my opinion, the largest selection of craft brews in the nation...ok, well at least in the Fort Lee vicinity. I have lived in the area for 40 years and I have been to 'em all and none can compare to the selection that Smart Buy has. Smartly arranged by style (as most educated beer connoisseurs would appreciate) I have found beers that I have not seen elsewhere and some that I have never even heard of! ( Impressive, given that I have probably sampled close to 1,000 different beers.)
The service was very good (even though I knew more about most of the beers than than the help, they were friendly and knowledgeable) and the prices were fair. This is my new home for beer. Try it, you won't be disappointed. (1/7/06)

Well, as of July 2007, you will be disappointed as I understand they have closed. That's a real bummer.
Jan 07, 2006
Photo of slander
Reviewed by slander from New York

4.3/5  rDev +2.1%
Carlo Russo's Wine & Spirit World was here for years. Used to shop there in the early days of exploration into American micros. I'd roll in and grab a six or two en route to Mike the Fool's nearby. They sizably slipped on the beer scene a while back, and I'm thankful for the change of hands to Smart Buy Wines...
Still an excellent wine store, good liquor, and lots of beer to the rear. most of the coolers that line the back wall are full of beer. They're organized by style as oposed to the usual country and brewery. Lambics/Dubbels/Triples/Quadrupels in one cooler, Belgian Blondes/Browns/Sour Reds in another, Wheats/Wits/Dunkels; Dark Lagers/Bocks; Pilsners/Lagers; Porters;Stouts; ESB's/Barleywines; Brown Ales; IPA's; Red Ales; Alts; Pale Ales; Seasonals. And then they're sorted well within each cooler. The Porters/Stouts cooler is sorted so you have your Milk/Sweet/Cream Stouts together, then Imperial Stouts, and Oatmeal Stouts, and specialty Stouts, so it's not unusual to see the Grant's Imperial Stout next to the Samuel Smith Imperial Stout, and Mackeson's next to the Lancaster Milk Stout.
A small showcase back there displays Panil, Thomas Hardy's, Gales Old Ale, JW Lee's Harvest, De Dolle Dulle Teve, etc.
Cases of beers, seasonals and the like, in rows on the floor in an open space and warm beers on shelves in an area that seems to be growing and growing and growing. Beer manager Jon Hartlage is doing an excellent job with his corner of the world here. He'll order what you need, and then there's that whole, "Hey, have you tried pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop?" for which we thank him kindly.
Better than it ever was here and more so each day.
Jan 01, 2006
Photo of TongoRad
Reviewed by TongoRad from New Jersey

4/5  rDev -5%
This place has a good, well rounded selection. I particularly like the way that the cooler is organized- grouped according to style rather than brewer, which is great if you came into the store in the mood for, say, a stout- just look in the stout section. I have found the prices to be higher than what I normally pay, though I usually come in for things that I can't seem to find closer to home. It is part of my regular circuit and those in the Northern Valley should venture down to Fort Lee at least once to check it out.
Sep 07, 2005
Photo of vladtheimpaler
Reviewed by vladtheimpaler from New Jersey

3.45/5  rDev -18.1%
There on a check out mission to see what kind of selection they had. Very decent. Had a nice import selection of Belgians, Germans, and Brits. Also had most of the US Micros available in the US. Prices seemed very good as well. Did not see many brews that I could not find in a more convienient location however, but would be worth checking out if you were looking for something in particular that has not shown itself at your regular store. BTW: No Cantillons, or other rare Lambics other than Lindman's Curvee Renee...
Jun 23, 2005
Photo of EPseja
Reviewed by EPseja from New Jersey

4.65/5  rDev +10.5%
Visited Smart Buy in Fort Lee today for the third time over the past month or so, but had the good fortune of finally catching up with Jon Hartlage (the beer manager). Needless to say, I walked out with a fantastic selection of beers from across the map along with some great information about what I'll be getting once my beer fridge stock runs low...

Quality: The store is relatively spacious and offers a wide array of wines, liquors and beers, each occupying it's own distinct section of the floor, shelves, and refrigerators. When thinking about the beers specifically, the one thing that comes to mind is the fact that as you approach that section of the store, you're much more likely to first spy a Wyerbacher Insanity, a Saison Dupont, or a six pack of Prima Pils than a Budweiser. In essence, the sale of mass produced Domestics may help pay the rent, but it's obvious that the love resides with the micros and elite imports. Also, the fact that there are no less than six refrigerators of these micros (grouped by style), reinforces that notion (will fix this number after I get a good count next time I visit).

Service: If you're thinking of making a special trip to Smart Buy, do yourself a favor and call the store to see if Jon (the beer manager) will be in. He is a man at the top of his game when it comes to not only knowing his stock, but also knowing what's *good* across most every style of beer. Ask him about a product with which you're not familiar and he'll give you the knowledgeable lowdown (because he's most likely already tried it). Talk about your favorites and he'll recommend something similar that you may not yet have tried. Jon projects a fine example of what customer service should be like in every retailer that forays into the micro market, and he is a definite asset to his store.

Selection: While I am aware that Jon's beer department is a work in progress, his (growing) selection is full of many interesting gems that lie between many high quality "go-to" beers. The micro section also seems to dwarf the domestics, but that may just be the fact that I didn't look very hard for the mass produced domestics at all. Every beer lover that comes to this store will not only find a fantastic beer that s/he already loves, but also something brand new just waiting to be discovered.

Price: Because of the volatiliy of the beer market, and the oddities of distributor pricing, Smart Buy's value would fall somewhere between $$ and $$$. I have seen some of the items offered cheaper elsewhere, but other items that were quite competitively priced as well.

In the end, Smart Buy is a fantastic store for any Northern NJ beer lover. The store is clean and well organized, the selection is vast, and although you might pay a buck more for something, you'll pay a buck less for something else, evening it all out in the end. But where the real value lies is in the fact that Jon Hartlage loves his beers, and wants to make sure that his customers love shopping at his store.
Jun 01, 2005
Photo of yelterdow
Reviewed by yelterdow from New Jersey

4.85/5  rDev +15.2%
What a great feeling to know you've discovered a "diamond in the rough"... a store that's been around for years but now has a beer manager who is BENT on making sure you are happy.

Jonny Hartlage at Smart Buy has the knowledge and enthusiasm to have helped create the most exciting beer store in North Jersey. The brews are arranged by style, and most can be found cold!! Hard-to-find selections like De Dolle Export, North Coast's Old Rasputin and Pranqster, Anderson Valley, and a plethora of English and Belgian beers make every visit an adventure. Jonny will even turn you on to brews you haven't tried yet based on your favorite styles!

Go check this place out and spend some money! Let's keep 'em in business till the next Prohibition!

Jon's e-mail is [email protected]

Respect beer.
May 26, 2005
Smart Buy Wines in Fort Lee, NJ
Place rating: 4.21 out of 5 with 10 ratings