Who needs to go to a bar when picking out a six pack of beer at a liquor store can be so thrilling?

Gaping at the flashy, colorful labels. Having a spirited debate with yourself as to whether you want your IPA with a hint of guava or mango. Getting to consume your purchase in the comfort of your own home. Plus, you can't beat the variety; a good liquor store frequently has a better craft beer selection than your local bar.

Here are 10 liquor stores that offer more sophisticated brews than Miller and Coors.

Fairway Market, Woodland Park

This large food and beverage market may look like just another grocery store, but its beer selection is impressive. One long aisle is dedicated to craft beers only.

Go: 1510 U.S. 46 West, Woodland Park; 973-339-5103, fairwaymarket.com.

Bottle Co., North Bergen

Bottle Co. is wedged between retail stores and apartments in the Avalon Apartment Community. It's mainly a liquor store, but does include a bar area with beers on tap and 24 growler choices. As far as bottles and cans go, it has 150 different selections.

Go: 665 Kennedy Blvd., North Bergen; 201-974-2337, mybottleco.com.

Heights Beer & Wine Emporium

Stop in on a Friday between 4 and 6 p.m. to sample new beers. Heights Beer & Wine Emporium carries more than 1,000 beers: craft, imported, domestic, ciders, meads and sours. You can mix and match different bottles to make your own ideal six-pack.

Go: 69 NJ-17, Hasbrouck Heights; 201-426-0555, heightsbeerandwine.com.

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Stew Leonard’s Wine & Spirits, Clifton

Stew Leonard’s is a way more pleasing place to shop than your average strip mall, florescent-lit, musky-smelling liquor store. Beer from 18 countries (Japan, Denmark, Mexico and more) are snuggled next to local brews in this warmly lit, spacious liquor store.

Go: 345 Allwood Road, Clifton; 973-859-7700, clifton.stewswines.com.

Bottle King, various locations

Is it the classiest of establishments? No. But Bottle King is massive, with plenty of room to stock craft beers sold on the cheap. For example, Flying Fish Brewing Company's 12-bottle variety pack is $16.99, originally $19.99 (at the Somerdale location); River Horse's 12-bottle variety pack is $17.99, originally $20.99 (Ewing Township) and Forgotten Boardwalks 6-can pack is $10.99, knocked down from $12.99 (Cherry Hill). No complaints here.

Go: Various locations; find one near you at bottleking.com.

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Total Wine, River Edge

Don’t let the name fool you – there’s a lot more than just wine at this shop. New craft beers are shipped in regularly to keep its sizable beer selection updated; there are currently 30 new craft beers available to add to its hundreds of other options.

Go: 1001 Main St., River Edge; 201-968-1777, totalwine.com.

Cable Beverages, Bardonia

This family-owned liquor store has more than 2,000 beers on its shelves – and those include more than 500 from microbreweries, as well as beer from 49 countries. Cable Beverages has been in the business of beer for more than 40 years, and sells growlers and kegs along with its bottled and canned options.

Go: 176 NY-304, Bardonia, New York; 845-623-7645, cablebeverages.com.

Growler & Gill, Nanuet

Growler & Gill is half gastropub, half bottle shop, so you can grab a bite to eat and stock up on your craft beer for the week in one stop. Heavy, wood shelves stocked full of craft beer line the walls. And, as the name suggests, growlers are available for purchase, as well.

Go: 148 Route 59, Nanuet, New York; 845-507-0899, growlerandgill.com.

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7 Lakes Taproom, Sloatsburg

This taproom/beer garden/beer market offers pints of beer (plus a few snacks) you can drink there and rare bottles of craft brews you can pick up to go. The bar features 14 local taps on rotation and offers growler fills. It's a convenient stop on your way home from an outing at the nearby Harriman State Park.

Go: 80 Orange Turnpike, Sloatsburg, New York; 845-712-5586, sevenlakesstation.com.

Buy Rite, Fairview

There are a couple of Buy Rites in North Jersey, but the one in Fairview has a particularly impressive selection of craft beers. The owner Harold Agudelo has a relationship with nearly every brewery in New Jersey and some in New York. He therefore, he said, manages to get very limited releases on the day they drop.

Go: 201 Broad Ave., Fairview; 201-943-9500, buyritefairview.com.