New England Beverage Company

New England Beverage CompanyNew England Beverage Company
New England Beverage CompanyNew England Beverage Company
Store

560 Boston Post Rd
Orange, Connecticut, 06477-3345
United States

(203) 795-5050 | map
newenglandbeveragecompany.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.22
Reviews:
25
Ratings:
31
pDev:
7.82%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by squezey:
Photo of squezey
Rated by squezey from Connecticut

4/5  rDev -5.2%

Mar 28, 2014
More User Ratings:
Photo of keithmurray
Reviewed by keithmurray from Connecticut

4.22/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Big Liquor store located on the bust Boston Post Road.

Very big liquor store, with a heavier focus on Liquor and wine, but the beer selection is pretty extensive as well.
AS you walk in there are big coolers full of beer on your left hand side. In it, they have a good mix of national craft brands, locals as well as macro. The selection is pretty good, lots of the usual suspects when it comes to craft beer, such as Allagash, Ommegang, Founders and Unibroue. They had a decent selection of German imports (Spaten, Aecht Schlenkerla, Weihenstephaner, Andechs). My only negative comment would be that they didn't have much in the way of Belgian beers, they had some (Chimay, St bernardus) but not enough to really wow me.

Customer service is pretty good. I asked the person working if he could order some Stoudt's Gold and sure enough, they ordered a case of it, which I really appreciated.

Overall, definitely worth a gander if you are in the area
Aug 26, 2015
Photo of BranfordBound
Reviewed by BranfordBound from Connecticut

4.13/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75
Huge awesome place with tons of beer. It feels like the Costco of liquor stores. Definitely worth a trip if you are in the area and need some of the weirder beers that ship to CT. If you are on the other side of New Haven, check out Coastal Wine & Spirits.
Jun 11, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by dailyminefield from North Carolina

Jun 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by ManMoosePig from Connecticut

May 19, 2014
Photo of mquartuccio87
Reviewed by mquartuccio87 from New York

3.24/5  rDev -23.2%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3 | selection: 3
Went here with my dad while in ct looking for nebco goodies got some sea hag and 668. Decent selection of other beers alot of clown shoes beers. more of a liquor store then beer. would go back to if Im in ct again to check for stuff i cant get in new york.
Feb 12, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by smutty33 from Connecticut

Dec 10, 2013
 
Rated: 3.75 by RMoeNay from Connecticut

Nov 18, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by CTJman from Connecticut

Oct 26, 2013
Photo of mltobin
Reviewed by mltobin from Connecticut

3.8/5  rDev -10%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Right along Route 1 in Orange is this wine/liquor/beer store. Wine is the one that gets the most attention here, which is fine. They were even giving out Riedel glassware with certain bottles, not bad ! Anyhow, the beer selection is in the back, good sized color and than an aisle of room temperature selections. Southern Tier, Weyerbacher, NEBCO, Allagash, Rochefort, others on hand. Better than most places for selection, surprised they did not have more employees working in such a large store. Prices are right in line and its close to a Trader Joes, which is a plus.
Dec 30, 2011
Photo of renders256
Reviewed by renders256 from Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
I think I've found my 2nd home. I was going to travel 25 minutes away when I found a review on this store. A fantastic selection selection of foreign and domestic beer. A lot of beers I haven't seen before and some that I haven't seen in quite a long time.

I had to pickup a sampling of beer for an Oktoberfest party...it took me over an hour in the aisle to make up my mind. I didn't have time to look at the cooler section. I could have spent another hour browsing and making a wish list. Great place!
Sep 30, 2010
Photo of ThreeDimesDown
Reviewed by ThreeDimesDown from Connecticut

4.65/5  rDev +10.2%
Thanks to BA, I visited this store today and was very impressed. Very large selection of craft and micro brews in a clean enviorment. I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights, the selection is a lot to take in, but very much worth taking your time. The staff was helpful and friendly, informing me of upcoming tastings as well as pointing out some nice selections (including Southern Tier Uber Sun, Black Boss Porter, Old Rasputin, Fuller's Vintage Ale, and Gouden Carolus D'Or).

Fortunately, this store is about a 10 min drive and in the words of General Douglas MacArthur, "I shall return!".
Apr 09, 2010
Photo of tigg924
Reviewed by tigg924 from Massachusetts

4.2/5  rDev -0.5%
Another find thanks to BA. New England Beverage Company is one of the better stores I have found in the state. It has the feel of a medium sized, clean, outlet store. They have a whole row of shelves to select singles in the back of the store. Lots of variety. I was able to find plenty of Thomas Hooker, Kona, and Boss beers among others. There is a great mix of foreign and domestic brews and several coolers as well. It seems like most of what is in the state, they have there. The service was friendly at the counter, although no one approached me while browsing. I do not mind that at all. The prices were a little on the cheap side. Overall, whenever I go back home to visit, I will now make a point of stopping here.
Mar 08, 2010
Photo of Stoutkitten
Reviewed by Stoutkitten from Connecticut

4.45/5  rDev +5.5%
This is my hands down first choice. Sadly I will end up at another spot closer to my home and I always question why after stopping in. The drive is worth it.

Large selection and everyone is very helpful. All one has to do is ask if you can't find what your looking for and they will order it for you and call when it is in. If they can't they are helpful to direct you to something similar you might want to try.

I can not stop in for awhile, pop in and ask for something for my husband and they remember what he likes and help me to find things for gifts or just a treat for him. Which is great when your married to someone who loves his beer and has totally different tastes than I do.

Have yet to stop in for a tasting night but am always invited and kept up to date on the what is coming in.

And if that doesn't it make it sound great then how about I have noticed they tend to sell things at a much better price.
Feb 13, 2010
Photo of jaluria
Reviewed by jaluria from Connecticut

3.85/5  rDev -8.8%
This is probably the best CT beer store in my immediate area (i.e. within 10 miles). I've stopped by a number of times to check out the selection and pick-up a few new items. Mario, the beer guy, is very nice; friendly and happy to talk beer whenever. He happily showed me what had recently come in as well as rare
items. He was quite knowledgable and eager to share his experiences. In that regard, I very much enjoy visiting this store. The selection is quite extensive. The entire back-left wall is taken by large coolers with more than 60% dedicated to craft beer. There is an adjacent aisle that runs nearly 50 feet long with 3 separate shelves. The entire aisle is filled with craft beer. The local and regional breweries/brewpubs are well represented (e.g. Smuttynose, Brooklyn, Thamas Hooker, Captain Lawrence, Blue Point, Opa Opa, Cisco, Victory, Stoutds). Other selections include Stone, Unibroue, Fort Collins, Great Divide, Sierra Nevada, Rogue). In addition, the import section is nice with small English, Belgian, and German breweries represented.

Overall, if you are in the area I would recommend a visit. If you are driving over 30 miles to get here I would recommend Mountainview instead of NEBC.
Dec 06, 2009
Photo of medic25
Reviewed by medic25 from Connecticut

4.55/5  rDev +7.8%
I've been shopping here for several years, and it's one of the things I miss most about moving so far from Milford. Big open store, nicely laid out with a huge wall of coolers on the left and a lengthy back row of beers. Tremendous selection; if I can't find something in the stores east of the Q bridge, I can generally count on finding it here. The coolers have a big selection of import and domestic micro by the six pack/case, and the back row has a big variety of singles that can be mixed and matched. The beers in general appear to be rotated fairly well, and the staff are pretty helpful. All of that, and it's right next door to Trader Joe's so you can load up on quality food to go with your quality beer!
Oct 17, 2009
Photo of woosterbill
Reviewed by woosterbill from Kentucky

4.35/5  rDev +3.1%
This is my favorite all-around beer store in the greater New Haven area. Only Amity rivals its selection, and the prices are generally more reasonable here. What really stands out about NEBC is the expansive variety of cold beer available - just about every craft 4/6 pack is in their huge fridge, as well as a decent assortment of the more popular bombers (e.g., Chimay, Duvel, La Fin du Monde). The room-temp shelf of singles also provides a great selection. I've never had an employee come offer to help me pick something out (not that I was looking for their help anyway), but they are always friendly at the check-out and will sometimes start conversations about whatever beers are being purchased. Overall, a very good bottle shop.
Aug 24, 2009
Photo of dbmcrorie
Reviewed by dbmcrorie from Connecticut

3.85/5  rDev -8.8%
Large warehouse with quite an impressive selection.

When I didn't live in CT, I visited family and got a chance to stop by here. It was one of the few things that stayed in my memory.

Once I moved here, it was one of the first places I went to.

Great selection of six packs and mixed packs (micro, micro, imports, etc.) in the fridge; more than I've seen anywhere else in the New Haven area. An amazing selection of individual bottles in the back holds practically every popular craft brewery (especially in the New England area) and often has plenty of special/rare bottles that I can't find anywhere else.

Occasionally a dusty bottle of something very special can be found on the shelves, but they unfortunately get rid of anything that gets "too old" to make room for newer stock (which is sad to me since it's the old dusty ones that I end up buying to stick in the cellar).

The staff often appears to be unfriendly before you talk to them, but when you ask questions, they do the best they can to help you. However, they seem to be more interested in their wines than the beers.

They fortunately keep the warehouse at a good temperature, and I have never had a problem opening any bottles from there (i.e. chipped, flat, spoiled, leaking, shaken up, etc.)

It's definitely a place for anyone in the area (or even not in the area) to check out. It is a regular stop for me weekly to double check what's new. Great selection at expected prices.

Cheers!
May 25, 2009
Photo of WeaponTheyFear
Reviewed by WeaponTheyFear from Connecticut

4.35/5  rDev +3.1%
This is my go to package store. They have a number of great/harder to find beers. From American craft beers to Belgians this store is the best I've found in CT (I think they boast something like over 700 beers or more, not sure though). Prices are pretty reasonable but yet again since I've never really found another package store with half the selection of this store so its pretty hard to compare. So if you're looking for anything from DFH, Rogue, Victory, Southern Tier, Ithaca, Weyerbacher, Thomas Hooker, Great Divide, Flying Dog, Allagash to Duvel, Samichlaus, Unibroue you'll find it all.

My only complaint may be that the beer is so fresh that I couldn't even find any vintages.
Jun 16, 2008
Photo of scottg
Reviewed by scottg from Vermont

4.35/5  rDev +3.1%
When you enter, head to the far left wall for the refrigerated options and the far wall for the room temperature selections. In the far left corner, there are empty four and six packs to fill with individual beers.

There is a great selection of high quality beers at room temperature: single bottles, 12oz & 22oz, from all over the world. Lots of German and Belgian beers including 3 types of Corsendonk.

Growlers, four packs, six packs and 12 packs are abundant. The CT & NY breweries were very well represented also. Lots of beers not normally carried at other stores, not just the typical stuff.

The staff was friendly.
There is also a huge amount of wine and alcohol.
Jun 09, 2008
Photo of erosier
Reviewed by erosier from Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
This place has a great selection of single bottle beers and harder to find beers. It has a decent price as well for most of this stuff. The beers looked fresh enough as this is a very large place to shop for beers. The next closest place for a beer selection of this magnitude is probably down on the outskirts of New Haven. The service was excellent and I would definately recommend this place if you are going in the area and need some beer.

The most interesting thing about this place is that it is located right next to a another liquor warehouse and down the street from a Costco that sells at state minimum. The beer selction is a million times better than both which is why it is still there.
Jan 01, 2008
Photo of scthaden
Reviewed by scthaden from Connecticut

4.2/5  rDev -0.5%
New England Beverage Company is still going strong. I stopped by yesterday and hit the Thomas Hookers and Southamptons pretty hard. There was a large selection of sixers, 12ozs, bombers, and 750s from DFH, Hooker, Southampton, Chouffe, Rogue, Paper City, Weyerbacher, Allagash, St. Bernardus, Unibroue, Victory, Long Trail, and Smuttynose. When I asked Mario if they had anything new, he showed me the Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale and the DFH Red & White.

This place is as good as Mo's in Fairfield.
Mar 31, 2007
Photo of Dewey0603
Reviewed by Dewey0603 from Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev -1.7%
A large warehouse without the warehouse feel,I've found this place to be very good and the service excellent.This is almost all beer and wine.And they have alot of beer.This is the only place I know in CT that you can make your own 6 pack.I've seen it in other states,but not in Ct.A good selection of Belgians and other Europian beers as well as American craft beers.I think this is the best beer store in New Haven County.
P.S. They had Victory's Storm King Stout early,two thumbs up for that!!
and the salesman also offered to carry my beer out to my car!!
P.S.S.The only bad thing about this place is dealing with Route One traffic.
Nov 02, 2005
Photo of goodbyeohio
Reviewed by goodbyeohio from Connecticut

4/5  rDev -5.2%
have family in milford and i stop here any chance i get.

service.. they lost spencer and gained a beer guy who doesn't know much of anything.. and stinks of cigarettes. ok. fine. however, they still seem to be getting good beers (first place in the area with southampton IPA, good selection of o-fests in september, etc).. spencer was cool but not exactly the penultimate beer geek genius. he was learning and locals need to motivate this new guy in the right direction.

selection is still excellent. lots of hard-to-find belgians rivaling the selection at amity. always count on abt 12, three phils jeroboams, and a nice selection of local stuff like cooperstown, hooker, and new england. coolers are equally full of craft beer, and i was craving a cold hooker munich which i was able to procure from their freezebox.

most of the stuff there seems fresh, although i remember seeing 04 hooker o-fest singles there last june. i'd say most everything is OK, but beware the singles.. know your release dates and you should be ok.

for the area, one of the must-check locations.. usually carry some glassware and every once in a while you'll locate something 'vintage,' something you just missed at the store that sells beers a bit faster (hooker porter, for example), or something weird and new.

prices aren't bad either.. the aforementioned abt 12 750ml is one of my price gauges, and 8.99 is totally decent. ill be back.
Oct 05, 2005
Photo of waughbrew
Reviewed by waughbrew from Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
Visited Saturday Dec. 11th 2004 at 9:00AM.

I pull in on my way to NY city - not far off the highway at all. Big parking lot, big store, beer in the back. A long cooler with a ton of six-packs, a whole aisle of other beers, and a couple of endcaps with certain sales/themes. I went straight for the Thomas Hooker endcap and picked up some Imperial Porter, Barleywine, and everything else in stock from them. I could not give a five for selection because they did not have two things that I have been looking for - De Ranke Pere Noel and the St. Bernardus mix pack. But a very impressive selection nonetheless of locals, domestics, and imports.
All of the stock seemed well cared-for, well-organized, and dust-free.
I talked to the person working about beer a bit and he was very friendly. He even carried one of my cases out to my car. All in all a great place that I will return to when in the area.
Dec 15, 2004
Photo of AlexJ
Reviewed by AlexJ from North Carolina

5/5  rDev +18.5%
I would rate NEBC higher if the scale went past 5.0! Three reasons why; Spencer, Spencer, Spencer! I randomly stopped in to check out the store during it's first month of operation. I was blown away, couldn't believe the selection! Then a big, scruffy looking young guy(Spencer) approached me with a smile and asked how I was doing. I spent the next 2 hours discussing all things beer with this fellow afficianado of ales. NEBC has since become a weekly (or daily) destination. They have more beer than anyone else in CT. Spence keeps it real too, here are a few of the goodies you will find there; All DogfishHeads, Rogues, Smuttynose Big Beer Series, Anderson Valley, Bigfoot i(n July), Paper city Hop Monster, Hooker's Liberator, Old Marley, and Imp. Porter, Hitochino Eisbock, and sooo much more! The selection of Belgian ales is staggering: all Chimays, La Trapp, Delirium, Nostradomus, St. Bernardus, Unibroue, Orval, Corsendonk, Victory, Ommegang, and so on. If it's good and it's available in CT, Spencer will have it. If he doesn't, he will cheerfully order it. Note: Spencer stashes a lot of good barleywines, Imperial stouts, and other "big" beers. Be extra nice to him and he might show you where! Oh yeah, they sell wine and booze too.
Nov 26, 2004
Photo of Fish113d
Reviewed by Fish113d from Pennsylvania

4.45/5  rDev +5.5%
All I can say about this place in Orange is SPENCE...SPENCE....SPENCE!!! (BA name: Boneslice)


Not only is this a great store for all alcohol needs, equiptment, cold beer, warmed beer, etc, the beer guy is friggin awesome!!! This guy knows Sulldaddy and I so well that he takes us back to the back room for his "good" stash that he keeps only for quality beer drinkers!!!! How friggin cool is that...every beer he suggests, I end up loving! They're selection is out of this world; better than anything else I have seen. While staying in Branford, Sulldaddy and I always make this trip to visit Boneslice!!! Thanks Spence, you get me good shiznit!!!
Nov 19, 2004
Photo of sulldaddy
Reviewed by sulldaddy from Connecticut

4.65/5  rDev +10.2%
I checked this place out after several rave reviews from other CT BAs. I drove down after work today and definitely will be coming back!
The store is located right next to Trader Joes on route one in Orange. Enter the store and it is very bright and clean. Must be a new store. The beer is to the left. The entire left wall is the beer cooler and the lineup is impressive. Rogue, DFH, Brooklyn, and tons of other tasty brews are present. The selection is best towards the front and fades to macros towards the end. But just to your right isthe aisle of beers! Mixed sixers for 10% discount and there are a ton of local and regional choices here. Not only that but a very good selection of bombers and I even saw one bottle of Utopias! As I was checking out there were some beers sitting by the register. I asked what these were for and the cashier said they were adding these to the system saw some St Bernardus and other treats here. I am sure I will stop here again since it is like 10 minutes from my work. Also the prices were very good. Cheaper than I have seen at most stores with great selection. What a great addition to the CT beer scene!
Feb 28, 2004
Photo of PopeJonPaul
Reviewed by PopeJonPaul from Oregon

4.3/5  rDev +1.9%
While recovering from the excitement of seeing the PEZ plant on our diversion with Mr. Slander, I was even more happy to find a place where I could get the Anderson Valley Boont Amber Ale and Oatmeal Stout I missed from California. I also scored the Ravel (though I took only 3 bottles, so Slander could have his whole case.) Also picked up an Aventinus Eisbock, some Dogfish Pumpkin and 120' IPA, Schneider-Weisse Edel-weisse, Festina.

The service? Not only did they dig the Ravels off the pallette for us, they showed us around the place and were genuinely interested in what we were looking for, and what they could do to make the place even better. They even gave us some free keychain bottle openers (oho!) They are new, and they are open to suggestion. Looks like they're on the right track so far, if you've got a car it's worth the trip.
Feb 27, 2004
Photo of slander
Reviewed by slander from New York

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
Heading up I-95 en route to the Extreme Beer festival in Boston last week, I got off exit 41 to first show my passengers where the PEZ plant is in Orange, and then to take in New England Beverage Company.
Spent time just crazy gawking at the coolers that run the length of the store. What the hell?? Yo, check it out, growlers from Old Burnside, East Hartford. And look at this, a litre Troutbrook Imperial Porter. Sick. As you get to the rear of the store, the beers turn from micro to macro just as you hit the rear aisle which is all beer. A good selection of New England micros (Gritty's, Atlantic Brewing, Sea Dog, Shipyard, Long Trail, Smuttynose, Harpoon, Magic Hat, Otter Creek, Budhook), some regionals (Brooklyn, Victory, and 12 varieties of Dogfish Head), and standards Anchor, Sierra Nevada and Rogue. Single beers everywhere for "make your own six pack". Hmmmmn, a Dogfish Courant, and few Punkins, some of this, some of that.
Heavier on the micros, they're a little light on the imports but they've just recently opened and it'll take some time to get there. Fantome, Cantillion, Unibroue in the house and a good full line of Sam Smith beers, 10 of them in all.
While we were mulling around, someone came by and asked, "You finding everything you need?" and Phil immediately resonded, "Do you have the Magic Hat Ravel?" and was told, "It came in this morning". Grabbed me a case (Score!!!) Ooooh, a Dogfish Festina Lente. That'll be coming with me as well.
Off to a great start here...
Jan 25, 2004
Photo of OatmattStout
Reviewed by OatmattStout from Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +6.6%
Got lucky and found this place on the post road one night while shopping for couches. It’s brand new, well lit and very clean store set up with big isles like most warehouse stores. Back wall of cooler doors full of beer, and a full isle dedicated to beer. They have a really nice shelf full of singles that have clearly market prices, so no suprises at the register when trying a new beer. I met Spence the beer guy and he was really cool and knowledgeable about beer and excited to talk beer which is huge in my book. He suggested a few and listened to my feedback also huge. I asked him about Wolvers Oatmeal Stout cause I couldn't find it anywhere and he grabbed me a six from the private stock in the back, all on my first visit: I felt like a regular.

Good store, good staff, good selection and good prices what more do you want.
Dec 16, 2003
New England Beverage Company in Orange, CT
Place rating: 4.22 out of 5 with 31 ratings