Steve's Wine Market

brewdoc75

Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$$

I stopped here after an interview today. I was a little reluctant to go to this location based on the reviews. I didn't think they would have a great selection. Boy was I suprised. I was like Chunk from the Goonies in an ice cream shop when I walked in the door. Coming from Minnesota we have some great beers available. Wisconsin blows us the hell out of the water. At this location they had Dogfish head, new glarus, stone, capital, lakefront, viking, bear republic, great lakes, bells, founders, sprecher, sierra nevada, 3 floyds, and even smuttynose. There were many other standard craft brews that I can't even remember. For all the brewing companies listed above, they had the flagship brews and usually a few rare/once brewed beers and seasonals. To give you an idea of what was there, here was what I got:
--6-pack Smuttynose Finest Kind IPA
--4 pack DFH 90 min IPA
--Stone Arrogant bastard bomber
--Stone Oaked arrogant bastard bottle
--Stone RIS
--Stone Ruination
--Stone IPA
--Stone PA
--Stone smoked porter
--New glarus mixed pack (organic revolution, fat squirrel, IPA, and spotted cow)
--New glarus raspberry tart
--New glarus belgian red
--Stone Vertical Epic 08/08/08-last bottle

I was astounded by the selection. In addition to the great american crafts, they had a ton of Belgians. They had all the chimays, rocheforts, and many others. If this liquor store was down the street from me, I would be broke. That was the only downside by the way. It was a tad bit pricey. But it was so worth it. Definitely check out one of the "Steve's" locations if you are in Madison. I will be going back there again soon.

03-07-2009 05:44:33 | More by brewdoc75

MaltyHoppyGood

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +11.4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Candyland. I'm from Milwaukee, and even the beer stores there don't compete with the vast selection of Steve's micro brew selection. I like how they categorize their beers geographically!

They also post beers that are "new" and beers that are "sale" by putting stickers near the prices. I find this helpful, although they put a "new" sticker by Lakefront Eastside Dark, which is definitely not new. Perhaps someone got stuck in a beer time warp?

Staff is always friendly :D

07-31-2009 03:27:35 | More by MaltyHoppyGood

jegross2

Illinois

4.45/5  rDev +10.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 5 | $$

Steves, along with Riley's and Woodman's, has a deep selection of quality beer. Steve's also has some of the best prices, and their beer lady is always incredibly helpful in suggestions. Generally speaking, they do not hold beer reservations, but they will special order the beers that they can that are not in stock. Between Steves and Rileys, you can find almost any beer that hits madison that you would want to try (assuming you get there before it sells out for the limited release stuff).

Oh, and they have GREAT cheeses and a large wine selection too!

I love living a mile away from this place.

11-12-2011 21:07:46 | More by jegross2

dirtylou

Washington

4.35/5  rDev +7.7%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $

12-7-08 update: this is my 2nd favorite place to shop for beer in madison (#1 rileys, #2 steves-univ). quality is always great and beer is extremely well rotated with some of the better prices in town. The cheese and wine selections are both top-notch

a bit closer than the mineral point location to my apartment...the consensus is that this is inferior to the other steve's but I dont really get that...This one has a little less beer but the quality is pretty great

theres a wrap around cooler of beer...heavy on the locals, great lakes, bells, founders, etc...nice rotating selection of singles ranging from local to west coast bombers, etc...theres some thomas hardy ales and a bunch of sweet belgians in the non-refrigerated section...they let you build your own 6pack at 10% off and they have been known to make calculations in your favor

10-25-2005 03:13:01 | More by dirtylou

cokes

Wisconsin

4.3/5  rDev +6.4%
quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5

Quite similar to their Mineral Point location, but this one is different enough to warrant a stop at both.
More wine focused, but the beer selection does not suffer. Very clean, spacious inside, with a tasting room that sometimes is devoted to beer events (though typically, it focuses more on wine)
Staff is friendly, well-versed and love to chat.
The beer: Tons of regionals, Plenty of other quality craft brews and good imports. Belgian-leaning single collection, but plenty of British and German brews as well.
Single section is almost entirely different than the other location. That's where you'll find me.

Update: The selection here keeps growing and growing with new stuff nearly weekly. It used to be overshadowed by the original Steve's (Mineral Point). No longer. Although there may be a store or two with slightly better selections. The dedication to quality is unsurpassed. This is top of the line in Madison.

Update part 2: There are just a shitload of new beers arriving all the time. You want a specific Belgian, British or German brew? IF it is available in Madison, then it is available here (and usually only here). While this a positive in most aspects, the beer stock has outgrown the cooler, and many of the imports are displayed on the uncooled shelf. Never had anything off from them though. So keep on growing!

11-04-2002 21:07:16 | More by cokes

nchrist13

Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +6.4%
quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

i stop here as often as any other liquor store. the staff here is very nice. they aren't always the most informed (they're not beer geeks like the folks over at Steve's Liquor on Mineral Point), but they definitely will go out of their way to order you something rare if you ask them to. i give them a lot of credit for that.

also, the cheese. hot damn if they don't have a cheese selection. seriously, you could get broke and fat eating cheese here. i'd recommend the Pleasant Ridge Reserve.

onto the beer. they have a good selection of local, all the Lake Louie, Central Waters, Tyranena, New Glarus, Viking, South Shore, Capital, Sprecher you need. All of it at a fair price. they have a pretty decent selection of non-local American beers, not as extensive as Riley's but they are definitely better when it comes to freshness. Imports are a lot like non-local American beers, decent selection that focuses on quality. all nationalities of beer are adequately represented, so if you're looking for a particular style you should be able to find an offering or two, but maybe not the exact one you had in mind.

10-11-2007 02:05:15 | More by nchrist13

emerge077

Illinois

4.3/5  rDev +6.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

After visiting Steve's on Mineral Point a few times, the realization came that i'd never been to this Steve's, possibly due to the average reviews. I'm happy to report the selection here is great, with plenty of things I didn't see around elsewhere.

Beer is the first thing on the left when you walk in. A door or two were devoted to singles, and I noticed about 5 FFF bombers that I didn't see elsewhere. Opposite the coolers were separate shelves for imports and US craft (bombers, 750s). Local craft seasonals were a strong suit, as were Belgian (Mariage Parfait, Rodenbach Vintage), German, Scandinavian (Mikkeller), and English imports. Locals: O'So, Rush River, Ale Asylum (Ballistic), Sand Creek reserve series, South Shore (bombers), Capital, Lake Louie, and more. Full lines from the majority of these breweries. Also plenty of US craft beers from the Bruery, Founders, Dark Horse, Jolly Pumpkin (seemingly scarce around town), Bells, Goose Island reserve series, and more. The selection was dense and varied, lots to see, so take your time to look around.

Checkout was quick and the cashiers were pleasant. There wasn't anyone on the floor in the beer area, but the staff seemed approachable if you need help. Stop in at this Steve's, you won't be disappointed.

05-02-2011 15:25:42 | More by emerge077

beveragecaptain

New Jersey

4.2/5  rDev +4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

The other Steve's. I usually shop at Steve's on Mineral Pt., but this place is definitely worth a stop. Overall, the selection at this store is not quite as good as the other Steve's. However, there are many beers here that are not found at the other location. There is a pretty good selection of Belgian beers here. At least 4 De Dolle Brouwers, Poperings Hommel Bier, and St. Bernardus 6 come to mind. Another good thing about this store is that many of the six packs are available as single bottles. Most beer is chilled, though some of the singles aren't. Service is fine. The employees don't know their beer like the employees at the other Steve's, but I've never had a problem here. Prices are a little high, but nothing too bad. This is not the first stop to make in Madison, but definitely high on the list.

10-25-2005 23:22:46 | More by beveragecaptain

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

Steve's Wine Market is the closest beer for me in Madison (walking distance), but to be honest, I'd rather go to Riley's over by the University.

They've got a decent selection, but most of its in 6-packs. There's not a lot in 12 oz. singles or larger bottles - although they do have a selection of beers from Oregon (which I thought was weird). And, surprisingly, the prices are a little higher. In some cases more than that! The New Glarus Raspberry Tart in the 750 costs more than anywhere else I saw it.

On the up side, they do have a very decent selection of artisinal cheeses which sets them apart. And their liquor and wine selection is better than you'll find at the grocery store.

04-01-2007 01:32:09 | More by NeroFiddled

bditty187

Nebraska

4/5  rDev -1%
quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5

Steve's Wine Market is clean and classy. Although the focus is on wine and liquor the beer selection is damn fine. A good array of singles (imports and domestics) and 6-packs (and up)… the prices aren’t too bad either. The staff was so nice when I visited (the lady thought it was the coolest thing EVER that I drove from Nebraska to buy beer in Wisconsin). Bottom line: I hope I make it back.

It is not as good as the other Steve’s but I’d recommend you visiting both.

03-25-2003 19:03:14 | More by bditty187