Southington Wine & Spirits

Store

235 Queen St
Southington, Connecticut, 06489-1915
United States

(860) 276-9889 | map
PLACE STATS
Average:
4
Reviews:
23
Ratings:
28
pDev:
18.25%
View: Place Reviews
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Photo of zeff80
Reviewed by zeff80 from Missouri

3.9/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4
Large store with a back wall of beer coolers. Plus is has 2 long shelves with warm beer. They didn't have a lot of singles. The prices are comparable to most New England beer stores. Not really sure how to score the service during the era of social distancing.
Jul 04, 2020
 
Rated: 1 by CapitalPeach53 from Connecticut

Mar 06, 2019
Photo of lic217
Rated by lic217 from Connecticut

4.4/5  rDev +10%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 5
High price on limited items, but fantastic other then that
Feb 18, 2019
Photo of von_kaiser
Reviewed by von_kaiser from Connecticut

3.94/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5
one of the better selections in the state i've seen but THIS place will try to gouge the living snot out of you for single 12oz of the "hip" beer. found some gems here none the less.
Feb 03, 2017
Photo of ale2thechief
Reviewed by ale2thechief from Connecticut

3.44/5  rDev -14%
vibe: 3.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 1.5 | selection: 4.5
Excellent selection with a frown. The employees show little enthusiasm for discussing beer. As you walk through the wine selection to reach the beer department, the wine connosouiers look at you like your a vagrant. Only reason to go is huge selection. However, if you aren't in the know, you will miss out on hard to find selections. Went in for SOS and told they had none after my wife had called and was told it was available. Empty handed I ran into my buddy in the parking lot with his; you guessed it, 4 pack of sunshine. Worldwide is just down the street with equal or better selection. Worldwide employees love to talk about beer and they show appreciation to their customers. Drive the extra half mile and you will be happy.
Apr 13, 2015
 
Rated: 4.68 by OldCrustacean79 from Connecticut

Feb 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by Bjorn2bWild from Connecticut

Aug 05, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by AGust82 from Connecticut

Jun 28, 2014
Photo of rorjets
Reviewed by rorjets from Connecticut

3.99/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4
Just south of I-84 on Rt 10; heading south it's on the left in the Wal Mart Plaza. Easy access from 84 makes it a convenient stop while traveling thru on the interstate. The store is very spacious ,very clean, with the beer selection in the back The back wall is all coolers, and to the left is an area shelving non-refrigerated beers in various size bottles & cans.

The staff offered help, and when I politely declined they left me alone, which I appreciated. The store has an impressive collection of New England beers, and an excellent representation of other breweries around the country, and the world; but it has perhaps the best selection of Connecticut breweries that I have come across.

I loaded up with some harder to find New England brews: Old Burnside, McNeill's, New England Brewing, Rock Art, White Birch, The Cambridge House, Two Roads, Cisco, Top Shelf, Relic, Mayflower, Berkshire, Calvary. I also picked up a couple of Polish Beers, as they have a big Polish-American community in the area.

I spent more than I planned to, but that's what happens when you find some treasures. This is one of the better beer selections I have found in New England, but not as extensive as the Yankee Spirits stores in Sturbridge, Attleboro, & Swansea MA. However, as mentioned they do have some Connecticut breweries that I haven't found anywhere else.
Dec 10, 2013
Photo of AaronF
Reviewed by AaronF from Connecticut

3.88/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.5
Solid bottle shop for Connecticut. Good selection of Connecticut beers. Large amount of Two Roads beers both regular offerings and specialty releases like Conntucky Lightnin'. Good representation from other quality CT breweries like New England, BackEast, and Relic. Impressed by Clown Shoes and Ommegang variety in store. Good selection of foreign beers. Only problem was age of merchandise. Too many IPAs with too much bottle age. Still not high volume of certain beers. So buyer beware and look t dates prior to buying. Large both cooler and shelf area for beers so plenty of options. One of the better stores I have entered in state.

Service was good. I was there at a slow time but offered help numerous times and the staff was willing to help and warn about some aged merchandise before I purchased. Seemed honest and good natured. Store was well laid out so easy to browse and seek new "finds".

Pricing seemed to be generally in line and air or offerings.

In general solid store with good offerings. I will be back when lose for another haul.
Jul 14, 2013
Photo of mltobin
Reviewed by mltobin from Connecticut

3.3/5  rDev -17.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5
This store is located along a busy street, within a shopping plaza is the location for this store. As others noted, wine and hard liquor dominates the shelves here. But they do have a fair amount of beer and craft beer. From CT / NE locals to further away selections, they have quite a bit. IE ; NEBCO, Cisco, Thomas Hooker, Belgians, U.K. beers, etc. Their staff seems to be pre-occupied in their own conversations for the most part. Some price are a bit high. But it will certainly work for picking up some good beer in a pinch.
Jun 03, 2012
Photo of puboflyons
Reviewed by puboflyons from New Hampshire

4.3/5  rDev +7.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
This store is mainly hard liquor and wine but the beer section is well above adequate. On the left hand side of the styore you will find piles of cases/12 packs of the nationally known beers with a row across the way full of a wide variety of loca and regional crafts and imports. There is a sizeable amount of cooler space on the backl wall where you will find bombers and six-packs. If there is anything to be disappointed about it is that you cannot grab singles from the cooler. There are a few pre-mixed 6-packs on the shelves but in that case you take what you can find. The staff seemed friendly and willing to assist. One staffer told me they had the sewcond largest beer selection in the state. I don't doubt it.
Nov 20, 2011
Photo of SteveO1231
Reviewed by SteveO1231 from Connecticut

5/5  rDev +25%
Took a ride down to Southington Wine & Spirits after hear good things about and becoming friend with the beer manager Matthew.

Right on Rt. 10 Queen Street in Southington in the Wal-Mart plaza.

The place is pretty big with a ton of wine and of liquor taking up a majority of the store's shelf space.

The beer is located like most beer stores along the back-wall cooler that is pretty long. There is an isle that runs along the far left of the store that features all vintages, 22oz'ers and other warm bottles. One section is all American crafts while the second section is all imports probably the nicest Belgian selection I've seen in state.

They had a beer tasting station going on in the center of the store towards the back near the beer. They were pouring Smuttynose Big Beers. Initially I thought the dude pouring was a Smutty rep but as I was talking to him I realized that he was just an employee. I don't know if they do this often but I wish more beer stores would engage in this practice.

If a it is sold in the state of CT you'll most likely find it here. Prices are on par with everywhere else in the state. I would think that the beer manager was a beer fan and really cared about what they were doing. (If I already didn't know that!)

The service was excellent. There were a ton of employees here ready and willing to help with any questions and offer advice & suggestions. They all seemed to know a lot about the beer that they were selling. This goes a long way in my book. Shopping there felt like I was at a BA gathering.

The manager must be super OCD! The place is super clean, very organized, the entire stock is perfectly aligned, and pulled forward. Having everything presented so cleanly enforces the care that I mentioned earlier.

It's a little bit of a ride from me, but after my visit today the 30 minute ride will no longer be an issue.

Good job Matt!

Cheers!
Jan 17, 2009
Photo of ahjoey21
Reviewed by ahjoey21 from Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev +3.8%
I had a friend mention this place to me. It's located conveniently on Queen Street in Southington. So of course I needed to see it. Does anyone know how dogs get when they know they are headed for the dog park (Head out the window, panting, foaming from the mouth)? That is exactly how I get. And when I arrived I quickly ran in. Inside this place is huge, with an extensive selection of wines. I immediately thought are we getting pushed aside by wine? My reply, "I don't care". I quickly pick up a scent and head directly for the last aisle. Yes!!! This place is the real deal. I found a large assortment of import and craft beers by the top brewers. Too many to record but those that all beer lovers would recognize. Perhaps next time I won't be so impatient and remember to bring a pad and pen. The coolers continue to delight me. In a matter of moments I had someone asking if I needed help. I was too overwhelmed to speak and think I mustered up a "No". On a limited beer allowance from my wife I knew I needed to make a good decision. But it is too hard in a place like this. After a few more minutes past someone else asked if I needed help. This place is great, not your typical corner liquor store. I highly recommend if you live in the area or are visiting to drop in.
Dec 07, 2008
Photo of Beastdog75
Reviewed by Beastdog75 from New Jersey

4/5  rDev 0%
I stopped here on the way back to New Jersey via Maine. Driving past, I saw a rather large liquor store which I knew I couldn't pass up. Stepping inside, there is a huge selection of all types of alcohol, but I spotted the fridges in the back all along the wall. As I perused the cases, they had a pretty decent selection of the usual macros and imports along with some brews that I normally don't see back home. Making a turn down one of the aisles I saw that there was more (non-refridgerated) beer. The first part of the aisle had all local craft brews and other domestic microbrews. Pretty impressive, even though there were a few wannabe beer snobs talking and taking up the entire aisle and refusing to move. As I slithered past them I saw their extensive import section, full of some nice obscure Belgians and other Euro imports. Overall, this was a pretty nice find in terms of selection.
Jun 30, 2008
Photo of BlueHammer
Reviewed by BlueHammer from Connecticut

4.85/5  rDev +21.3%
Located in Wal-Mart Plaza on Queen Street if you aren't sure where to find it. Wow! This place is huge. The beer selection is extensive. To find the good stuff, go in and head toward the left and back of the store. Once you bypass the Michelobs and Coronas you'll find what you came for. The store carries beers that are hard to find elsewhere (i.e., Terrible) -- one stop shopping, really. Along the back wall is even more of a selection in the coolers. It's all here: Southern Tier, Rogue, McChouffe, Brooklyn, .... can't even remember all the rest! They had the Sam Adams Homebrew 2007 winners which were fun to try and hard to find elsewhere. Next time I'm in Southington I'll be sure to stop here. I highly recommend this store! I spent a good 45 minutes just browsing and reading. After about 20 minutes, I realized I'd need a cart! Do yourself a favor... get one when you walk in.
Apr 18, 2008
Photo of vino5150
Reviewed by vino5150 from Connecticut

4.65/5  rDev +16.3%
There are people that have hobbies and then there's the ones that are just passionate about something. Matt at Southington is that person. A true artist in every sense as he paints his perfect picture of what a beer aficionado would want to have in their cellar. Name a beer and he not only knows about it, chances are he's had it. A wealth of help and knowledge...if he doesn't have it chances are it's not available in CT and in that case he will recommend something damn close to what you originally were looking for. Pricing is off and not what a big box store should be, but don't fault him for that. I'm sure the "man" counting all the money has a lot to do with that. When he leaves, it will be a disappointment to those he has helped along the way in that neck of the woods. Selection is out of this world! Do not go on Mondays because he is not there and to ask anyone else for help is like asking Stevie Wonder to help you pick out colors for your kitchen. Also, the Bud Light/Clamato was not his doing!
Apr 12, 2008
Photo of CharlesRiver
Reviewed by CharlesRiver from Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%
As a recent transplant (two years ago) to CT from MA my opinion changes every day on the state of beer in CT. This place only helps to grow that cause. Located just off I-84, the location is ideal for travelers and locals alike. The store in general is large and well stocked with not only beer but wine and liquor as well.

The beer selection is generally located in the back-left section of the store. The coolers do extend nearly the entire back wall as well but I tend to gravitate to the row furthest left. Overall, a wonderful selection of beers from America, Belgium, Germany, England, Poland, Italy, France, Canada and so on. They have a large selection of the Allagash 750's for those interested. Also, a good selection of Cantillon for those who enjoy this style.

The prices are, in general average for CT. The service (from the beer staff) is top notch although I have only had a couple of questions for them. I did ask about some Ommegang 4-packs and they said they would order whatever kind I liked.

This place is less than 10 minutes from my house and is becoming a regular stop for me. I would recommend this place to anyone in the area or traveling by.
Feb 15, 2008
Photo of Durge
Reviewed by Durge from Connecticut

4.35/5  rDev +8.7%
This is a big store with very good selection of beer, mostly located to the rear and rear/left of the place. They had a very solid selection of imported specialties as well as domestic micros and macros. From what I could tell, they had any of the most popular micros available in Connecticut and a good share of oddities. There seemed to be a decent number of employees available and several asked me if I would like assistance. One guy was particularly helpful and very knowledgeable. Prices seemed a little lower than some I've seen for the good stuff and I was more than pleased with the selection. My only request for improvement would be to enable the purchase of single 12 ounce bottles from six-packs. Until some Connecticut stores break down more in this way, I will continue to do most of my beer shopping at Yankee Spirits in Sturbridge, MA.
Dec 17, 2007
Photo of jaxon53
Reviewed by jaxon53 from Connecticut

3.7/5  rDev -7.5%
Was in the Southington area and saw a small sign for this place, so I figured I'd give it a try. First of all this store is huge. Tons of wine and liquor, with a decent sized beer section. Large coolers line the back wall of this store. Loaded with beer. Berkshire's , DFH, Saranac, Avery just to name a few. Also a good assortment of macro's and other swill. A large shelf in the far left corner of the back of the store held the warm selection. Tons of Rogue, Victory, Oscar Blues, and other New England and national brews. Good selection of singles too. Even saw a few bottles of Sam Adams triple bock 1995. Next shelf up is loaded with Belgian beers, German beers and other imported brews. Not too shabby. The staff was willing to help and somewhat knowledgeable, Prices were reasonable. Worth a stop. Close to Interstate 84.
Mar 10, 2007
Photo of Hautacam
Reviewed by Hautacam from Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%
A huge supermaket of a liquor store. Located in the WalMart plaza on Queen St (rt 10).
If you are in the area, this is a good place to cruise the beer isle and coolers.
A good selection of Belgians and American microbrews.
I've purchased Berkshire , Jenlain, DeRanke, Delerium, Ommegang... to name a few.

The best purchase was my Chimay chalice; which had no price tag on it. I brought it to the counter....the girl checked the computer and said " $2.00"...I said " It must be more than that" ....she said "NO , it's $2.00"...I said "OK, I guess I'll take it ".

This place is maybe a mile from Smokin' With Chris...a really good BBQ and beer bar , so it's worth jumping off Rt 84 at Queen St. to hit both.

Update 1-20-08
Having been in several times now , I have to raise my score for this place. Selection is awesome and getting better; good pricing for beer and glassware, in store tastings , frequently updated newsletter , good service for beer and wine. A must stop if you're in the area.
Feb 26, 2007
Photo of RedChrome
Reviewed by RedChrome from Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +12.5%
What a difference a year makes. Editing due to changes in management which caused a considerable upgrade.

A nice store about the size of a small supermarket. The coolers are along the back wall. Single aisle is on the far left along the wall if you are looking front to back.

The staff goes out of it's way to do a good job. Stock is sure to be fresh and always has a few "must try" gems. Selection has increased, and the new entries to the market are always on the shelf.

Sales personnel will go out of their way to help you find something, and will take the time to talk beer with you. They have even put together a small binder that is in the section to highlight some of the styles.

Small glassware selection, great choices and fresh beer make this one of my new favorite stores thanks to the changes. Cheers for a nice beer store in the center of the state.
Sep 04, 2006
Photo of goodbyeohio
Reviewed by goodbyeohio from Connecticut

3.65/5  rDev -8.8%
had a mexican craving tonight which was satisfied by a visit to el sombrero in southington. between burrito and rita's water ice, i stopped in to check out this package store i've never been to.

spacious with very high ceilings. walked directly to the back of the store which was all coolers... probably 8 feet high by 80 feet long.. lots and lots of cold beers. ravell? hooker porter? (8/05). hmm.. interesting cold selection but i had a feeling i needed to find the warm section to make a real decision. its in the far left and towards the back.. two large shelves full of beer, similar in size to the selection at the connecticut beverage mart stores..

no more ba shelf talkers as previously mentioned

great selection, although some things seemed wildly dusty. rochefort i knew was fresh w/o looking at the date (new to CT).. although they did have several sixers of Hop Wallop (last years hopefully, either that or 2 yrs old). newport storm 04s in mass quantities.. all significant locals. good rogue selection and lots of ommegang, victory, and an extensive belgian selection. picked up a rochefort 8 for myself and a 30 pack of miller lite for 'thebestever', which is always somewhat embarrassing.. brought them up to the counter and here's where the service was experienced.

friendly staff, i was speaking with the manager/owner. he asked me what i thought of the rochefort, i spoke. he asked me if i like lambics? "i love where this is going!" i thought.. "yes," i replied, "but i shy away from the sweeter ones." then it went sour. (no pun intended).. he told me that he's talking about the sam adams cranberry lambic, and he didn't know there were any others. he did know, however, that SACL was the tastiest beer he had ever experienced. hmm.. he's trying, but he needs to get on here. somebody refer the site next time you're in there.

my new way to judge pricing is by rogue morimoto pilsner in the white jug. here, it was $14. cheapest i've seen is 12, all the way up to 17. take that for what its worth.

otherwise, worthy of a stop for sure.
Aug 16, 2005
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

4.45/5  rDev +11.3%
First off the selection in this place is very impressive, they carry/stock a ton of beers. Wide ranging selections from Brit, German,slavic imports, substantial Belgian selections, Plenty o local micros, all the typical national good stuff, they have it. Most of the stock is carried both warm and cold. They had a few growlers of Old Burnside available. In short, plenty of BA worthy suds. This is a large Beer/wine/booze store, don't expect much help finding stuff, but this is a very worthwhile beer stop, just about a mile south of 84 in Southington. In general, I was pleasantly surprised by the ample selection in the place, I did notice some dusty bottles , so keep that in mind...

Update 4-08 Met Matt on this visit, very friendly and knowledgeable fellow...he's in brewing school and he knows his stuff. So I am upgrading the "service" score to reflect the fact that this place has the good sense and respects beer enough to have under their employ a true beer lover! Nice job, I will be back...
Jul 10, 2005
Photo of necoadam
Reviewed by necoadam from Connecticut

4.3/5  rDev +7.5%
This is based on 5 visits to the store.

Quality: Overall quality is good here. The only problem areas are the ispwich bottles which have a good amout of sediment on the bottom. Looks a little disgusting actually. But the imports are pretty good. I've stopped here several times and haven't had a bad bottle from them. Of course, I didn't buy any of the Prima Pils there because of a best before date of Sep. 28, 2003.

Service: They have just one guy working the entire store from what i've experienced. He asked what I was looking for and etc. We chatted a little bit about beer and when Stone might come to CT. He seemed to know his stuff for sure. But the place is quite big actually and just having one guy working the entire store is a little weak.

Selection: Two long aisles on the left side of the store with one aisle of imports and the other national and local micros. Also, don't forget the coolers in the back of the store. I picked up some Liberator and 2003 Imperial Porter from Troutbrook.

Also when I last visited this place they've been using the shelf talkers from beeradovcate.com for several beers there which was very, very nice to see. One of the shelf talkers was for the Liberator, and righty so. Do stop by and see what they have. You'll come out of the store with a bag in hand for sure. Right off of I-84 on Route 10. Easy access from the highway.

Update: Updated the quality from 3.5 to 4.0. Any beers with date stamps aren't past the due dates, but there's still a bottle or two that seem questionable. But overall the beer is pretty fresh.

Service went from 3.5 to 4.5. Huge improvement over recent years. Several employees roaming the store to see if people need help. Most of the times they were pleasant and friendly.
Jul 24, 2004
Photo of wyllder
Reviewed by wyllder from Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -22.5%
Sought this store out after hearing they had some Thomas Hooker Imperial Porter still in stock.

Sure enough, the Thomas Hooker was there. Along with it, their micro selection was one of the more impressive I've seen in Connecticut. A wide array of Dogfish Head, Victory, Brooklyn Brewing, Smuttynose, Ipswich, Olde Burnside, and several others occupied the majority of a long aisle along the left side of the store.

Quality is questionable, though. The Thomas Hooker I was after was bottled in 2003, which was a blessing in this case. The thing of it is, many of the selections in their micro aisle had a good coating of dust on them, leading me to wonder just how quickly their stock rotated out.

Service was average, with the clerks being friendly enough but no-one went out of their way to see if required assistance.

Wyll-
Jul 06, 2004
Photo of Greenlabel
Reviewed by Greenlabel from New Hampshire

3.85/5  rDev -3.8%
I found this store totally by accident when I got off I-84 in Southington to get gas. It was easy to spot from Rte. 10 even though it's in a large plaza headlined by a Walmarts. It looks very new and, while lacking in style and ambience, contained one of the largest selection of micros and imports that I've seen in CT. (although most of my experience has been limited to within 15 miles or so of I-84). I was particularly impressed with the domestic micro selection. Among other things, it's the only store in that area where I've found Cottrells Old Yankee Ale. The selection was also quite fresh based on those bottles which I checked. It will now become a regular stop for me along with Mountview in Naugatuck and CT Beverage Mart in New Britain when traversing I-84. Definitely a very pleasant and unepected surprise.
Feb 18, 2004
Photo of counselor
Reviewed by counselor from Connecticut

3.7/5  rDev -7.5%
I do not know if it part of the amity, wallingford, mount carmel wine & spirits "chain", but the selection and set up is identical. Very nice selection of domestic craft and international beers set up into two different shelving areas, each probably 48 feet long. Real nice selection from many different countrys. By way of example, I saw sam adams choc bock, all the DFH series, Omegang beers, many nice belgian tripels, dubels, kriek, almbic, mead, harpoon abbey style. It is located right in the WAL MART shopping center on rt 10 in southington, so it is easy to access and a nice place to stop when one finds oneself in that area.
Feb 17, 2004
Southington Wine & Spirits in Southington, CT
Place rating: 4 out of 5 with 28 ratings