Artalé Wine Co.

Artalé Wine Co.Artalé Wine Co.
Artalé Wine Co.Artalé Wine Co.
Store

6876 Spring Creek Rd
Ste 128
Rockford, Illinois, 61114-7405
United States

(815) 877-9463 | map
artalewineco.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.39
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
31
pDev:
9.57%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Roger85:
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Reviewed by Roger85 from Illinois

4.78/5  rDev +8.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
This is my go to place in Rockford. It is very unassuming but it houses some damn good beer and a lot of craft beer knowledge. The staff is no pressure, but will openly answer any questions you have. If you wanna talk about beer for a while, they're willing to tell you everything you want to know. The selection is pretty damn good and it rotates quite a bit. They are the only shop in town to carry some of the up and coming Chicago breweries and they have a great selection of craft from both the States and abroad. And as an added bonus, they seem to be the only store in the area that doesn't completely jack up the prices of special releases. I'd definitely recommend this spot to anyone visiting the Rockford area.
May 24, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.18 by REVZEB from Illinois

Apr 27, 2017
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Reviewed by gopens44 from Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Nothing I can say could actually do justice for how impressed I was. Incredible selection that may seem small, but it's due to the fact that the cooler and shelves aren't overwhelmed with tons of grocery store craft. What you see is pretty much next level stuff. Buyer does a great job. Staff was also terrific. Beyond friendly and amazingly helpful. Dare I say that you do not need to look anywhere else in Rockford?
Nov 14, 2016
Photo of wapcap
Reviewed by wapcap from Nebraska

4.07/5  rDev -7.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
A good bottle shop in the Rockford area. While they did not have as many to select from as I was hoping, what they had was all good. Several Chicago area selections, and other higher quality craft selections. I'd recommend checking this place out.
Jul 12, 2015
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Reviewed by bufante from Iowa

4/5  rDev -8.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Solid place. Good selection with Chicago area beer. Got some Pipeworks and Revolution and it was all fresh. Would suggest stopping here if you are passing through.
Feb 15, 2015
 
Rated: 4.52 by Blas from Illinois

Nov 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by LanePerson from Illinois

Oct 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by stouts4me from Illinois

Aug 24, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by DrAsbury

Aug 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Beer_Destroyer from Illinois

Jun 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by Kubrickx from Illinois

Jun 01, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by egrace84 from Illinois

Nov 16, 2013
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Reviewed by Beeryurt from Wisconsin

3.99/5  rDev -9.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.75 | service: 5 | selection: 3.25
Stopped in here while in the Rockford area and what a great shopping experience! Met the owner I believe it was but was very knowledgable about beer and gave me a lot of good recommendations when I asked for any sours he may have in stock. Prices are a buck or less compared to other beer shops in the area and will stop next time I'm in town.
Sep 09, 2013
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Reviewed by 1beerqueer from Illinois

4.53/5  rDev +3.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
I have lived in Rockford forever and didn't even notice this gem until recently. Sure, it's obviously labeled a wine company. However, they have quite a bit of beer waiting to be checked out in the back of the store.

I was pleasantly surprised by the staff when I walked in. He was very knowledgeable about the merchandise and offered to help if necessary. As I looked through the cooler section, I noticed quite a few brands that I had not heard of. In addition to this, directly behind me were three racks of unique and gargantuan bombers. I could browse for a long time, but time is money; a player's gotta spend it to get it. So I picked out a few interesting bottles for a very low price. I will be back several more times and would recommend to friends.
Feb 18, 2013
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Reviewed by KFBR392 from Illinois

4.75/5  rDev +8.2%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
Atmosphere: Feels small and cozy. Front of the store is all wine while the beer is located toward the back of the store. Warm feeling, everything is right on top of you.

Quality: I go to school in the Rockford area and this is by far the best selection in town. Absolutely top end quality stuff, only a small cooler of crappy domestic beer.

Service: By far the best aspect of this establishment. Highly knowledgeable staff who are very friendly and always willing to chat about beer with a fellow beer geek. Very relaxed feeling when dealing with the employees, no rush or pushing particular products.

Selection: Like I said above, best selection in the area. I know the beer guys at Artale go out of their way to acquire different products that cannot be shipped to them. Just all high end products which will make the snobbiest beer geek happy. Quality over quantity for sure.

Value: Right on point for the most part. Certainly don't mind paying a little bit more for some products due to the quality and service overall.

Overall: Instantly became my favorite establishment in Rockford upon finding it. Look it up and go get yourself some awesome beer!
Jan 25, 2013
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Reviewed by Trifecta1 from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev -3.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
One of Rockford's best, if not the best, bottle shops. Awesome owners, very knowledgeable and love to strike up beer conversations. As someone said before, they don't really reward their "usuals" very well; but if they do, you'll remember it. Once in a blue moon, they'll pop bottles of Dark Lord and Darkness, cans of Heady Topper, things from out-of-town, etc. for a small impromptu tasting. Be sure to talk to Anthony (actual co-owner) and Aaron, the head distro-guy around the Rockford area, as either of them are in nearly every day, and can really tell you what's up in the beer scene around Illinois.
Oct 26, 2012
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Reviewed by TheSSG from Illinois

4.39/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4
This place has been an interesting development.
I stopped in a few years ago, and I found it to be overpriced and filled with the kind of bier people who pretend to like bier drink; it seemed like they were catering to a class of bier drinkers who were ignorant, but had money to burn.

I've been back recently, and WOW!
The prices are GOOD, if not GREAT! This has become my go-to spot for bombers. They have stuff I've never seen in the Midwest, and stuff that is definitely not around locally, otherwise.

The staff was a bit distant some of the time (then again, I don't fit the look of the typical wine drinker, haha), but as I've gone in more often, they're warming up, and are really nice (not that anyone was ever rude to me). Maybe I just intimidated them from my appearance?

I still predominantly go to Woodman's for my bulk bier needs (Two Brothers from the Rockford one, and New Glarus/Ale Asylum in Beloit or Janesville), but this is now my top choice when I am in the mood for something interesting. The few 6-packs they sell are pretty much winners (of their craft selection). You'd be hard pressed NOT to get something there that made you go, "Oh, wow! They have that!?"

Fantastic little shop. Don't let the wine fool you, or intimidate you. The person who selects which brews they sell REALLY has a passion, and knows what to stock. Quality, not quantity.
Also, they sell Central Waters!!!
Oct 25, 2012
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Reviewed by BeerNDoggerel from Illinois

4.86/5  rDev +10.7%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
One could walk in a hundred times and make the mistake of thinking this is simply the nicest wine store you've ever been in, if at some point you didn't wander to the back corner of the store, where there is a carefully curated selection of beers for every taste.

The father and son owners do a great job of choosing what to offer, and they carry not only the classics but also breweries and individual beers that are not available elsewhere in town. The son, Anthony, is quite a beer expert. As he has grown to know my taste, he has both led me to great exemplars of the styles I like and coaxed me into expanding my preferences by introducing me to just the right new beer in each successive new style.

In addition, one of their employees is a Cicerone--quite knowledgeable and enthusiastic about exploring the golden age of beer we live in.

Sure, Woodman's carries a pretty extensive selection of craft beer and even Logli's carries some. When I want to try something new and not have to worry that after the first bottle the rest of the six will languish, however, I go to Artale. Their expertise never lets me down.
Jun 08, 2012
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Reviewed by Skylermandela from Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -35.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 2.5
This place isn't terrible. But it definitely isn't that great. Their beer selection is decent but don't expect anything that particularly fresh. A lot of their IPAs are well over a month old, if that doesn't bother you more power to you, but it bugs me a bit.

Now this used to be a good place to get some beer that is rather highly allocated elsewhere. However that has changed. It seems that the beer buyer doesn't really care about pleasing some people and he's more concerned about attempting to please everybody. He's starting to take all his allocations of hard to find beer and just do samplings and not sell any of the bottles.

The beer buyer is the only nice guy there. I've been a few times and they don't greet you when you come in. If the guy at the register is having a conversation with his friends or family that are always there, don't expect him to even say two words to you.

Like I said it's not a terrible place to buy beer, but in the stateline area there are a lot better places that will be courteous, get you what you want, and reward you for being a 'regular'.

Me being a regular of this place has reaped no benefits. I say "take care of those who take care of you", that's not particularly the case with this place.

I'd also like to add that receiving a message (that was particularly antagonizing) via Facebook from the beer buyer at this store was anything less than professional. Let alone that it was a month after the fact. Apparently honest opinions aren't well liked by this store. I would take my business elsewhere.
Mar 22, 2012
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Reviewed by orbitalr0x from Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4
Stopped by here after visiting Anderson Japanese Gardens. A great cozy store with a great layout. There's a warm atmosphere when you enter that goes along nicely with the dim lighting. The first half of the store is dedicated to wine with great bookcase-esque displays across each of the walls. If you're a wine lover you'd find plenty here!!

Walk back to the back of the store and find the coolers with feature a good deal of craft brews. Ballast Point and Heavy Seas which we don't get in the western burbs is cool. Turn around and you'll find a bunch of various bombers and 750's on the shelves as well. An overall good selection of domestic and import crafts. I grabbed a bottle of Le Terrior which I never saw anywhere out my way!

Overalll, this is a great shop for craft beer in Rockford and the staff is extremely friendly and they seem to really care about both beer and wine. Support local, independent shops like this, there are not enough of them around!!! Highly recommended :)
Sep 06, 2011
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Reviewed by hoosier222002 from Illinois

4.64/5  rDev +5.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
In my opinion, Artale is the best place in Rockford to purchase craft beer. As the name suggests, it is a wine store but has done a nice job with their craft beer.

The staff is always available to ask if you are looking for anything in particular or offer suggestions. They have a nice selection of the Midwestern beers and others from around the country. Two full shelves of bomber bottles and a cooler stocked as well.

I have made Artale my choice. Small family run place that treats their customers well.
Jul 10, 2011
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Reviewed by SpdKilz from Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4
Have been here a few times when I go to visit my sister.

Walking in it is a, well as the name suggests, more of a wine store than beer store. However, there are a few cooler sections that are filled with good craft beers, and also two tall wooden shelves with other craft beers. The selection is decent – honestly it has a few things that I don’t see elsewhere in Rockford and/or some stuff that might be sold out in other beer stores closer to Chicago. I came here during Christmas and they still had some Bourbon County Stout from GI when literally all the Binny’s in the area were sold out.
The atmosphere was pretty good. The guy running the place (same guy every time) is always ready to strike up a conversation (though I don’t think he knows a ton about beer). I will admit there was some beer that had dust on it…that shouldn’t (i.e. some Hoppin Frog IPA’s and such). I don’t even want to know how long some of this beer has been here. However, overall the beer selection was pretty good, though prices were a bit more than other stores for similar products.
I will always stop here when I come to Rockford – not the rarest of beer, but better than pretty much anything else in the area.
Jun 30, 2011
Photo of EROCK75
Reviewed by EROCK75 from Illinois

4.28/5  rDev -2.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4
This is my first place to look in Rockford when wanting to try something new. Anthony does a very good job rotating and rstocking new seasonals and offerings from a wide veriety of breweries. Artale's is first a wine store, but fast growing as the go to place for the best variety. The prices are resonable, in line with most liquor stores, slightly higher than the grocery store at times. The service is well worth stopping alone. Anthony is always willing to chat about whats new and help with suggestions. They also offer almost monthly beer tastings, highlighting the new to town brands and seasonals. If they can order it, they will get it for you. Love this place. It has made being a beersnob in this BMC city much easier.
May 06, 2011
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Reviewed by bertram from Illinois

3.59/5  rDev -18.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5
This isn't a bad place, it's just that the store is predominately wine, then liquor, then some craft beers.

The beers are in two locations in the back - either in the cooler or on two sets of shelves across from the cooler.

There are certainly finds to be had here, but most of the selection can be found at other stores nearby and for a better price. You'll eventually find something here that isn't available elsewhere in Rockford, though, so it's worth stopping in to see what they have...but be sure to shop around too.
Feb 25, 2011
Photo of kevin7912
Reviewed by kevin7912 from Illinois

4.65/5  rDev +5.9%
I visited Artale on 01-19-2011

One of the nicest selections of craft beers in the area. The staff was very friendly.
The prices are competitive.
They are also willing to try and get in other beers as they become available.
I will definitely be going back.
Rockford doesn't seem to be a large market for craft beers and we don't have the large stores such as Binny's that have huge selections to choose from but the trade off is that you get more personal service from the smaller stores such as Artale.
Jan 21, 2011
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Reviewed by Beerandraiderfan from Nevada

4.5/5  rDev +2.5%
Hope it isn't too late to review this place, hit it up on the way to DLD.

Service was cool, they ask if you need help, chill out while you look, engage you with some good banter. Cool all around. Place is located in a strip mall essentially, found it by chance when koufax21 was pulling $ out of the bank. What a find.

All the Dark Horse and Founders stuff. Really, they had all the midwest stuff, then some good stuff off both coasts. Picked up a Stone Bashah there, but also picked up a Southern Tier Oak Aged IIPA as well. Kicking myself for not grabbing some Breakfast Stout that was only $11 a 4 pack at the time. Damn. They got some Brewdog stuff too among others. If you're into wine, they got lots of that.
Aug 11, 2010
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

4.07/5  rDev -7.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
After a hurried stop at Woodmans and leaving empty handed due to long lines, it was refreshing to stop here and get great service. The staff quickly pointed me to the beer section and fielded questions about their monthly beer tasting event.

Located in a shiny new shopping center, Artale had a slim storefront, but it was very deep, stocked with many beers towards the back. I'd say about 8 cooler doors, plus a couple tall shelf sections packed with bombers and 750s. Noticed Rodenbach Grand Cru for $9 or less, a full selection of Lost Abbey, Southern Tier bombers, and other quality Belgians on the shelves. In the coolers a few things were on sale, Sprecher (buy 3 get 4th 4-pack for a penny). Noticed Hopslam for $15.99, and 4 packs of Founders brews like the RIS and Double Trouble.

Overall the selection overlapped with Woodmans, some slightly higher or matched prices, but far better specialized service.
Feb 15, 2010
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Reviewed by Hotwater from Illinois

4.85/5  rDev +10.5%
Beer is cold and reasonably fresh

Service is above exceptional and the Owners are just great people in general, kind, considerate, helpful, friendly and generous, they will order anything for you if they can get it, and they are people that care!

Beer selection is great and getting better all the time, thanks to owners that listen to their customers, wine selection above exceptional, spirits getting better also.

Some things are average priced, some things are higher due to availability and hard to find items, all around fair prices and great people to deal with, very generous owners always there to see you get the best deals and will throw in a discount now and then for frequent customers, Wow what a nice, clean and fun place to visit and chat with some great owners and buy some good beer too. I can only see this place getting better from here, Thanks Artale's
Aug 07, 2009
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Reviewed by Contagion from Illinois

4.3/5  rDev -2.1%
This is a newer place in Rockford. They host a beer tasting in their store. I've only been able to make it to one so far, but it it was a nice event, with a wide selection. They had five tables and the cost was a ten dollar suggested donation to a local animal shelter. You are given a 3-4 oz glass to go to the various tables that have 5 beers on it. You are allowed to sample as many from each table as you would like. They even supplied some appetizers. My only suggestion would be if they would use something with more neutral flavor to help cleanse the pallet.

Their cooler was stocked with a nice large selection of beers from across the US and some imports.

They also have a nice wide selection of wines and other spirits. (I was also noticing their nice Scotch selection).

They are a bit on the pricey side for some of their beers, but not too bad. They had items in their selection that I had not seen anywhere else in the region. If they don't have it in stock, they will see about ordering it for you too.
Mar 19, 2009
Artalé Wine Co. in Rockford, IL
Place rating: 4.39 out of 5 with 31 ratings