Villa Spirit Shoppe

marlinsfan4

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev -5.9%
quality: 4 | service: 2.5 | selection: 5 | $$$$

I went to Uconn for 4 years and this is the place to go for booze... knowing that, expect lots of people bustling around inside, higher prices, and not the friendliest staff in the world. That said.. this is a pretty damn good package store especially for being located in a pretty rural part. Has the largest beer cooler I've seen in CT so far and they stock beers I haven't even hard or or seen in any other store in CT so you'll have no problem finding something new to try. And although this place is pretty busy there's tons of aisle space so you have room to get around. Since it's right near a college of 20,000 kids they jack the prices up... everything is about $2 more than usual, but hey with the selection they have they blow out Holiday Spirits down the road so you either man up and pay or don't get to try a new beer. Like I said, staff has to deal with the Cops and fake ID's a lot of the time so you can't blame them for being a little unhappy at times.

07-06-2009 04:03:25 | More by marlinsfan4

mcereal

New Jersey

3.5/5  rDev -14.4%
quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$$

Probably considered the "main" UConn liquor store, Villa isn't bad.

They stock a large selection of beer, with a slew of left-field and odd-ball bombers, forties, growlers, and mini-growlers so you can find something new every time you go in. There's also a decent selection of 6 packs and 12 packs including a lot of New England based brews and some European imports. Since most of their business is catering to muscle heads grabbing 30 racks of keystone light for their parties at Celeron and what not, they might not have every microbrew you want but you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Since said muscle heads aren't too concerned with quality or price, expect to pay a bit extra. There are other stores in the area (Holiday Spirits on 195 or Bird Dig Liquors on 32 by the end of North Eagleville Rd) where a given six pack of beer is $1-$3 dollars cheaper.

As other reviewers have said, watch the freshness dates on your beer there. Especially if it's something a little less conventional than Budweiser. They have a large clientèle that, unfortunately, isn't quite diverse enough for them to frequently replenish some of their stock.

Service is ok. The people there are used to dealing with fake IDs and the other trouble associated with being near a college, so they can be a bit unfriendly at first, but they warm up to you after a while.

So, if you are looking for a surprisingly diverse selection and aren't too concerned with paying a couple extra bucks, check out Villa. Remember to check the date if you're buying stuff other than PBR or Bud Lite with Lime, and if you're reading this, you probably are buying something different.

05-22-2010 23:14:38 | More by mcereal

jeffthecheff

Connecticut

3.5/5  rDev -14.4%
quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$$

Huge package store near UConn. I went here a lot while going to school there. The variety of beers is huge, one of the best in CT. The two problems are freshness and price. Everything is overpriced since it's near a college, so that is expected. A dollar extra for a six pack is standard. The freshness can be a problem, so check those date codes. There is such a big selection, that some of the stuff will sit. I had a problem once, and they refunded my money but didn't acknowledge that the beer was old.

One of the good things about this store is that everything is kept in the cooler. You have a whole wall of six packs, plus a corner with all bombers. Very good selection. There is also a good selection of obscure cheap beers and 40's. Service is usually okay but never good.
Don't go out of your way to get to this store, but it is worthy if you happen to be in UConn.

02-24-2010 00:36:40 | More by jeffthecheff

BelgianDip

Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev +1.5%
quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$$

Growing up in Storrs, CT I remember tagging along with Mom and Dad on the trip to Villa. Bernie always would give me a lollipop when we went in. That being said, Villa holds a special place in my heart. My review however is non biased.

Located in the heart of UConn Huskies territory in the basketball capitol of the world ;) Villa is nestled in a small shopping plaza on Rte 44. The whole left side wall of the store is a long cooler filled with various six & twelve packs. Here you can find anything from the domestics to some local brews. Tucked away in the front left corner of the store like hidden gems you will find a cooler with bombers and Belgians. This selection is one of the largest you can find in this part of CT but still slightly limited. The selection highlights mostly micros in six-pack form.

Most likely due to low demand the bombers and Belgians are a bit pricey. The six-packs with their higher demand are generally priced a bit more competitively.

Villa is an excellent example of a small town, community focused store. It is family run and has been around for decades. You will always receive a smile upon entry and leave feeling good. I frequent Villa not for selection and price, but to support them as they have supported the community I was raised in. Stop by and give them a try. You will not be disappointed.

12-09-2008 15:32:16 | More by BelgianDip

rpgman456

Connecticut

4.3/5  rDev +5.1%
quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $$

This place is the crown jewel of beer stores in the north-eastern corner of Connecticut. Located right next to the UConn storrs campus, its fair to say that this place is a favorite of students. The most impressive thing about this store is its sheer size... easily 15-18 cooler doors worth of beer. I'll first cover the macros because believe it or not there's some interesting stuff there. One cooler will have all the usual fare... bud, keystone, natty, etc... but right next to it there will be 30s of cream ale, a Rochester, Ny staple but seldom found in Ct, a couple bottles of Lone Star, South Paw, old milwaukee, busch and natty in bottles and other regional macros that are just not found very often anywhere in Ct. They have a wide variety of 40oz. probably the biggest selection i've ever seen. But on to the Micros... separated regionally going down the line you'll find: dogfish, mendocino, berkshire, rouge, southampton, sierra, smutty, weyerbacher, clipper city, hooker, wolavers, otter creek, lagunitas, and many others. The most impressive part of their craft brew section is the bombers and growlers, tons of rogue bombers and a couple growlers, ommegang, imports. They let you mix up the sixers in the micros which is pretty cool, the only downside of this place is that sometimes the people working there don't know what they have. Overall a great store and the best in the uconn area.

10-07-2008 20:47:06 | More by rpgman456

erosier

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +10%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

This is a mainstay at the University of Connecticut. Located right off campus, this place caters to everyone from macro-guzzling frat heads to us beer geeks to wine enthusiasts. The place's selection is one of the best I have seen in CT. The beer is in a refrigerator that spans the length of the store (the long way thankfully) and what they have displayed is actually mostly craft beers. There is about 25% that is macro stuff, but being right near a large state university, this place needs to have that to survive.
The fridge stocks all the six-packs regionally down starting from imports and going down from CA all the way to New England stuff. There are always new beers to try at this store which makes coming here really great. What makes it even better is they allow you to mix a six pack if you want, or just buy single 12oz bottles of anything by breaking up one of the six packs. This is a huge reason I love craft beer is because I can buy a six pack of six different beers from six different breweries. Great Policy and I hope they never change that.
One end of the fridge is also for craft 22oz bombers and growlers. I LOVE this part because most places don't refrigerate their bombers, but this place does most of them. There is so much of a selection that they keep the stuff that doesn't sell as well and should be aged out of the refrigerator to mature.
The service is second to none and the quality is always top. Overall a great place if you need some good beer in CT.

10-05-2007 04:20:00 | More by erosier

NEhophead

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -2.2%
quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

Villa is located in a former CVS Pharmacy in a small shopping complex. Large liquor store with tons of floor space, with a decent amount of room devoted to beer. A large portion of six/twelve packs spanning about fifteen cooler doors. Selection includes: full lines of Anchor, Victory, Paper City, Rogue, DFH, Sam's, Ipswich, Clipper City, Long Trail, Shipyard, Lagunitas, etc. Nice variety. Staff was friendly and accomodating. The warm singles section was pretty limited but included: DFH Raison D' Extra, DFH 120, Bad Elf, and a few other British offerings. The knock on this place, (besides the slightly elevated prices), is the lack of a Belgian selection; only about a handful. The best quality about Villa is the fact that they not only allow you to create your own six packs, but they encourage it! What a gift for an adventurous BA looking to try something new.

01-16-2006 21:36:01 | More by NEhophead

Matthew

Connecticut

4.3/5  rDev +5.1%
quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This used to be my beer store. The guys down at Villa are very friendly, very informed and will order almost anything you'd like to see on their shelf.

Their "specialty" beer section offers a good selection in domestic bombers, belgian ales, and other international quality brews. I've found that their selection also changes often and have found some pleasent suprises in Villa. On the left side of the store is all their six packs and they have quite a large selection of great beers. All and all a great beer store for any beer lover.

11-04-2005 05:26:51 | More by Matthew

jxboldaslovexh

Connecticut

4.35/5  rDev +6.4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5

villa definitely offers the best selection of beer that i've seen in these parts. they have a wall of coolers featuring imports from the UK, belgium, and germany. they also carry a wide selection of micro's, everything from regional stuff to an excellent selection of rogue and other west coast beers.

they're prices are pretty consistent although i find them to be slightly more expensive then a couple of other local package stores ($.50-$1.00 more per six pack). for standard brew and common regional micro's i would probably recommend another store to save money, but villa is certainly the place to go for selection.

the service is very friendly and helpful, although they sometimes get swamped due to a rush from the nearbye UCONN campus.

they offer make your own six packs, which is an amazing feautre, especially given their great selection. when i'm low on cash and i can't decide between a number of six packs i simply make my own.

due to their size they also have a wide selection of wines and spirits.

03-16-2005 17:10:29 | More by jxboldaslovexh

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.5/5  rDev +10%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5

Large, spacious store, the kind of place where it could be mobbed, and you still wouldn't have to worry about someone bumping you when you're carrying 12 loose bottles in your arms. (What, am I the only one to this?) Great cross-section of locals, micros, imports, and special releases. BMC products seem to be limited to the way-back of the store, in the last 3-4 doors, with the front-ish 8 or more doors focusing on the other, better product.

Do-it-yourself mixed six-packs are encouraged with piles of empty sixer holders nearby the coolers. Excellent Hooker selection. A must stop in the area, for sure.

12-31-2004 23:07:32 | More by ppoitras