Wise Guys Discount Liquors

Wise Guys Discount LiquorsWise Guys Discount Liquors
Wise Guys Discount LiquorsWise Guys Discount Liquors
Store

9133 Taft St
Merrillville, Indiana, 46410-6910
United States

(219) 791-9419 | map
wiseguysliquors.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.02
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
28
pDev:
17.41%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by roadhouse:
Photo of roadhouse
Reviewed by roadhouse from Florida

4.35/5  rDev +8.2%
I stopped in here a couple weeks ago to see what they had. As I entered there was some islands that had some decent craft beers like Anchor OSA, then to the right there were coolers and a rack that contained some bombers. As I continued walking through the store I came across a large row of craft beer shelves. They had stuff from Rogue, Stone, Three Floyds, Bells, Upland, Unibroue, Left Hand, as well as some different Belgian stuff. The prices were, like WiseWay the grocery store, much cheaper than the liquor stores. They had Upland Lambics for two dollars less than usual, Bourbon County Stout for five dollars less than usual, and everything else seemed to be at or lower than the usual prices I see for it. The service was very nice and would recommend different beers and ask what my favorite style was, etc. While I was there two different guys recommended stuff. While the selection certainly isn't huge like Binny's in Chicagoland, it's fairly respectable and I think it will probably grow if the store becomes really popular. If you are in the vicinity I would highly recommend a visit to Wise Guys for a pretty good selection and great prices.
Dec 16, 2008
More User Ratings:
Photo of heybuddy19
Rated by heybuddy19 from Indiana

5/5  rDev +24.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
Great place with a friendly staff!!
Mar 09, 2019
Photo of sportscrazed2
Reviewed by sportscrazed2 from American Samoa

4.22/5  rDev +5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5
Good selection but, expensive. Lot of individual bottles of craft beer but, not priced as 1/4 or 1/6 of a 4/6 pack they are about maybe 20-25% more expensive to make your own 6 pack. Saw a single pint of beer for $5 that was in a $14 4 pack. F off I refuse to pay that. Hell I could drive to cook county and pay less even with their shitty taxes
Nov 22, 2018
Photo of mynie
Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

1.34/5  rDev -66.7%
vibe: 1.5 | quality: 1 | service: 1 | selection: 2
Big, brightly lit store in a nice location.

Good selection. Heavy emphasis on locals as well as big name nationally distributed craft.

Big problem, though: I spent 60 bucks on bombers here in December, and all of the 7 bottles I bought were stale. Not kidding, not exaggerating in the slightest: they were a perfect 7/7 on staleness.

They don't rotate their stock. Do not shop here.
Jan 07, 2016
 
Rated: 4 by Beersmuggler from Michigan

Feb 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by Emtcraftbeerfan from Indiana

Oct 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by ShadyRigglesbee from Indiana

Sep 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by warpig372 from Indiana

Jun 19, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by Prager62 from Colorado

Jun 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by mrjmann from Indiana

Jun 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by strangebrew321 from Indiana

Jun 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Kratman from Indiana

Apr 04, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by birdsellam from Indiana

Apr 02, 2014
Photo of JohnnyHopps
Reviewed by JohnnyHopps from Indiana

2.43/5  rDev -39.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2.5 | service: 2 | selection: 2.5
Spoiler Alert: If you want the hard to get the good beer, you have to attend Wiseguys University and sit for two hours listening to some guy from Sam Adams talk. On the positive side, they do give samples. I used to go to Wiseguys for their Saturday morning "rare" beer drawings. Only one or two of the beers was usually rare. Then, Wiseguys wanted to have the drawings at 5:30 on Fridays. Anybody else busy at that time? I am not interested in games, I just want somebody to take money in exchange for my beer.

The selection has all the usual suspects available in the region. Pete's Liquor Bucket has the same things, but generally significantly cheaper. The last few times I have to Wiseguys, I walked out empty-handed. I already have had much of what is on the shelves. The good beers are waiting for the drawings, which are not announced until hours before sometimes.
Aug 31, 2013
Photo of Chaney
Reviewed by Chaney from District of Columbia

4.14/5  rDev +3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
I went here twice during my Christmas vacation on the Indiana side of Chi-town.

Atmosphere: spacious enough but not massive by any means. Hang a right once you enter and enter the beer area, with a long row of coolers on the right hand side and a long row of shelves on the other.

Quality and Service: I don't think anyone really helped me out while I was there, but I didn't exactly seek it out either. With the exception of several bottles of FFF Apocalypse Cow that had been out of date for several months, most of the brews seemed to be current. I did see a few bottles of 2010 Le Folie, but that is actually a good thing.

Selection: Most of the Three Floyds flagships were there (except for Dreadnaught), as well as stuff from Bell's, Founders, Dark Horse, New Albanian, New Belgium, and many, many others. I picked up a bottle of 2010 Le Folie (awesome!) and a few Boulevard nuggets.

Value: I think everything was priced about where it should be, with the exception of a few that seemed a bit pricier than normal (eg. Boulevard Collab. #2 was a couple of bucks high than I'd seen it before) and some that were lower (it was the cheapest I had ever seen Le Folie).

All in all this is a fantastic store, and most definitely more than worth a mere stop if you happen to be in the area.
Dec 29, 2011
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

3.49/5  rDev -13.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 2 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Stopped in here today, first thing I noticed was the sun gleaming off the bottles of beer in the front of the beer aisle... not the best attention to quality. Front windows are completely open, sunlight hitting bottles on the shelves halfway down the aisle. Grabbed a few from the back to be safe.

Large store with 1/10th devoted to beer. Found a few cases of seasonals stacked by the register oddly, on a former checkout belt. Schlafly Pumpkin, Nommo Dubbel, Tyranena Hop Whore. Also strange was the dozen magnums of Anchor OSA in the wine section...

70% of the coolers were macro devoted, but there was one solid door that made up for it towards the back. All craft bombers, many regional ones. Six from Figure 8, 4 from Back Road, a few New Albanian including Jaxon Barleywine, 6 FFF, 4 Goose Island, and more. These local beers weren't really showcased in any way, and sort of relegated to the back of the beer aisle, but at least they were there.

Good selection of sixers, craft bombers, and imports on the warm shelf on the left. Noticed Sprecher Dubbel, full line of Boulevard Smokestacks & Schlafly, Thomas Creek from SC, Upland Oktoberfest and Double Dragonfly, Shoreline, Cricket Hill from NJ (crappy old BBA Porter though, avoid), plenty of Hoppin Frog. Some lambics, Oud Beersel and Cuvee Rene, out of Girardin, some Liefmans stuff. Scandinavian imports, UK stuff like Yorkshire Stingo, and more.

No one on the floor, but the cashier was very nice. Seasonals stacked in open cases, clearly marked prices, fairly competitive i'd say. For the area, this is among those with the broadest selection, though the sunlight hitting the bottles and reports of old beer bring the quality here into question.
Oct 23, 2011
Photo of schultzi22
Reviewed by schultzi22 from Indiana

4/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Wise guys has one of the best selections in the area. They have all the standards of the area (Bell's, Founders, Three Floyds) and even a few beers from the smaller local breweries like Figure 8 and Crown.

Be wary that some of the beers can, and do, sit on the shelves for a long time. I've seen six packs of seasonals from the previous year that were left out (or put back out). That also makes this a decent place to find stouts, and other ageable beers, from years past.

Wise Guys isn't quite as cheap as Liquor Bucket, but the prices are still reasonable and I find the selection to be a little more interesting. I just wish they would break their six packs into singles but no one in the area seems willing to go that route.
Oct 04, 2011
Photo of AleWatcher
Reviewed by AleWatcher from Illinois

4.71/5  rDev +17.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 5
I love this store.
The store is arranged in such a way that the first section you walk through is te beer. It's like a 40 foot hallway lined with beer. Coolers on the right, shelves on the left, and stacks of cases arranged in the middle.

They carry EVERYTHING that you would look for out of an Indiana store-- FFF, founders, bells, goose, upland, shoreline, and tons more from smaller more local breweries. The shop also has tons of selections from larger breweries from all over-- like the bruery, Heavy seas, Jolly Pumpkin, etc.
The selection of imports is outstanding. They always have some tasty sours like 1882 Black Label and more.

The prices are quite reasonable. Here are some examples:
2009 bourbon barrel old stock - $18.99 compared to $22.99 to $26.99 at most stores.
Founders Breakfast stout - $8.99 per 4 pack compared to $10.99 to $12.99.
While most items fall right in line with general pricing for the area, there are certainly some killer deals.

My favorite part about coming here: the manager. I sadly cannot remember his name despite talking with him dozens of times, but he's the redhead guy with glasses. He is extremely friendly and progressional, has a great interest in tasting and carrying good/new beer, and is beyond helpful-- one time going so far as to print up directions to a couple shops in St Joseph MI that he likes so I could make the roadtrip and land some MI-only beers).

If you're heading to FFF, this place is only about 20 minutes to the southeast, and ALWAYS worth a visit!
Aug 25, 2011
Photo of BUNZILLA
Reviewed by BUNZILLA from Indiana

3.67/5  rDev -8.7%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
This place definitely has an above average beer selection. great place to stop if your out of town or live in the area. The store is very well kept in kept clean. Lots of FFF, founders, lots of belgiums. If you haven't tried this place is worth a shot lots of great beer here.

Overall lots of great craft brew at reasonable prices. Sign up for the weekly email blast to learn about the current inventory. They usually have weekly tasting on fridays.
Jun 06, 2011
Photo of htomsirveaux
Reviewed by htomsirveaux from Texas

3.86/5  rDev -4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5
Bought some beer here on 27 Apr 2011.

One isle of the store (to the right as you walk in) dedicated to beer. About half is refrigerated. A distributor was there that night offering samples.

Good selection of locals including FFF, Upland, Dark Horse, Goose Island and Figure Eight. From further afield they carried Bluegrass Brewing, Hopping Frog and Southern Star (?!). I picked up a few Germans that I had not seen in Texas, including Schlenkera Oak Smoke and 1809 Berliner Weisse.

The lack of singles was a drawback for this traveler, but otherwise a good stop.
May 08, 2011
Photo of nozferatu46
Reviewed by nozferatu46 from Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +11.9%
This has become my go to liquor store. The selection isn't as vast as Binny's, but its the best in the area. Tons of belgians, a very large selection of craft, with the more popular ones (Bell's, Founders, Three Floyds, Goose Islan) in the coolers.

The prices are very reasonable, at or below most prices I see in other stores. I can pick up Three Floyds stuff cheaper here than if I go to the brewery. Last time I bought Behemoth there it was 2-3 bucks cheaper.

The management there is great. Fill you in on the limited stuff, and will try to order anything (if they can) of beer, wine, etc they don't have.

They regularly have free tastings. Its definitely the go to liquor store in the region.
Jan 14, 2011
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

4/5  rDev -0.5%
Larger place, just few minutes from the main drap in MVille. Bigopen and modern, glass and metel box of a place. Quality brew is found on the right side of the store as you enter. Large and wide ranging selection to be perused. All the heavy weights can be found here. What interested me to most were wide ranging selections from Stone, GI, DFH, Bruery,Great Divide, Schlafly, Bells, Jolly Pumpkin, Dark Horse,FFF of course, Atwater, bombers of local Crown brewing. I get the feeling, that if its available in the area, this place will have it. Well worth visiting and likely worth driving a few miles to get to.
Sep 06, 2010
Photo of cadizkyguy
Reviewed by cadizkyguy from Kentucky

4.05/5  rDev +0.7%
Unlike most beer geeks who think the liquor stop in Highland is the place to buy your goodies in NW Indiana, Wise Guys is MY beer stop when I'm visiting family in Da Region. A wonderful selection of Indiana's micro brews - Backroad, Barley Island, Crown, Oaken Barrel, Shoreline, Three Floyds and Upland - as well as a good selection from Michigan's Bells, Dark Horse, Founders, New Holland and Round Barn all at the best prices anywhere in the area. No dust on the stock that you find at the liquor stop.
May 02, 2010
Photo of tpd975
Reviewed by tpd975 from Florida

4.35/5  rDev +8.2%
Liquor Stop used to be my go to place in NW Indiana, but not anymore. Wise Guy's has a wonderful selection of Midwest brews. If it is available in Indiana these guys seem to have it. Bell's 9000, All the rare Shorline releases, Jolly Pumpkin beers I have seen no where else, and many many more.

It is a rather large store and the red headed gentleman (manager?) was quick to help. There was a glass case at the front of the store that seemed to have the rarest of the rare. I was in town for Dark Lord Day and they had a free beer tasting every night.

The prices are as good as you will find anywhere. This is THE place to buy your beer in northwest Indiana.

Stop in you will leave happy.
Apr 28, 2010
Photo of Wadsey
Reviewed by Wadsey from Indiana

4.65/5  rDev +15.7%
Wise Guys' selection is just as good as, if not better than the other two go-to bottle shops in NWI. The store gets every special release that Pat's and Liquor Stop do, and then some.

Wise Guys' prices also tend to be the most reasonable in the area.

The beer wall is packed and has expanded over the last 18 months. In addition to the wall and coolers, beer is also stored on endcaps, in displays and a locked glass case. Granted, it would be nice to see everything together, but the sum of these parts is nothing to sniff at, relative to da region.

Perhaps most importantly, Dave, the general manager is the man. He is most definitely a fellow beer geek and doesn't just regurgitate the talking points of distributors. You will see Dave at DLD.
Apr 20, 2010
Photo of karengarys
Reviewed by karengarys from Indiana

4.5/5  rDev +11.9%
This is a great downtown Chicago big-store selection in the middle of nowheresville northwest Indiana. What a Godsend!

They have an almost full grocery-store sized aisle of craft brews. Dozens of selecctions (I'll count next time I go in). They also have the full aisle cooler - granted, only about 20% is craft brews, but that ain't bad at all!

They seem to strive to please craft brew drinkers. Something sitting around? They clearance it out to move it.

Interesting stuff, too. They have a cooler of bombers, which has at least eight different 3 floyds bombers, several new holland, several southern tier, several rouge, several stone (including their RIS!), and oddities - I saw a bottle of Crown Brewery there, talk about an obscurity!

They are there to help, too. It is the only place in Indiana where they will try to get you what you want.

Get this - kegs too! They will hound the distributors to get what you want. They are starting to keep a keg of craft brew in stock - I picked up a Robert the Bruce on the spot!

Craft brew is expensive - they are not giving it away, but they are trying to come as close as they can to do so. Watch the sales if you are a price buyer - a few weeks ago they had 3 floyds 6-packs for $7.98. It is usually $9-10 at other stores, $11 in Chicago. (sorry, that sale is over, but at the time I'm writing this it was only $8.98).

If you are traveling down US30 in northwest Indiana, it is worth the few minutes to go South on Cleveland/Taft before 93rd and check this place out. There are no traffic lights, little traffic, and a 45mph speed limit to make it an easy detour!
Feb 14, 2010
Photo of TurdFurgison
Reviewed by TurdFurgison from Ohio

4.05/5  rDev +0.7%
I stopped here on a drive from OH to Chicago, specifically to buy some 3F at Indiana prices. The 6-packs of the standards were $9 after tax (I've seen them for $11 in Chicago) and the bombers were ~$2-4 cheaper than Chicago prices too. Somewhat convenient to I-65, about a 7 minute detour each way.

Mainly a large liquor store with a wide variety of beers. The selection was good, all the 3F beers that are currently available, good selection of other US microbeers (maybe >150 to choose from). Reasonable selection of Belgian imports. About 25% of the beers were in coolers, others are lined up across the aisle. This is an easy choice for future trips to the city.
Jul 03, 2009
Photo of FURIOGUINTA
Reviewed by FURIOGUINTA from Indiana

4/5  rDev -0.5%
this place has recently opened, and has provided a nice option for beer lovers in that part of Lake County. great selections and decent prices make this place worth checking out, if you are in the area. my only concern stems from the way they display beers in the front of the store. the entire front is glass panels. all that direct sunlight cannot be good for the product. beware of this and purchase your goods from the coolers or the rack out of the sun. other than that, stop in and grab some favorites at decent prices.
Jan 16, 2009
Wise Guys Discount Liquors in Merrillville, IN
Place rating: 4.02 out of 5 with 28 ratings