Holiday Spirits

marlinsfan4

Maryland

4/5  rDev -2.7%
quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 3 | $$$

My go-to store when I was going to Uconn. Villa down the road is always crowded and the employees there aren't the nicest people (they also get caught selling to minors every week so I can see why). Anywho.. this place has plenty of parking and doesn't have the biggest beer selection in the world but it's definitely passable. Prices are average for CT, maybe a little high.. although they do markdown their out of date seasonal stuff which is nice to see. Employees here seem like really cool people too, always cheery and willing to help you out. Nothing too crazy in beer variety, the typical New England regionals along with the popular state wide imports (Lagunitas, SN, Rogue etc.) Pretty solid place to go to to avoid the college rush at Villa and probably isn't a much better store around the storrs/mansfield area.

07-06-2009 02:58:05 | More by marlinsfan4

jeffthecheff

Connecticut

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

Kind of a small store, but half of it is dedicated to beer. Good glassware selection. They have tastings there, one time I remember a Berkshire guy was there sampling. A sign outside says there are tastings most Friday and Saturday nights. Located right next to a good pizza restaurant that lets you BYOB...how convenient! Most importantly for college students like me....FREE POSTERS! I got a bunch of very cool PBR posters that were designed in an art contest. Other, more ad based posters from Budweiser, etc are also there.

Guys are very friendly at the counter, and they know about beer and will talk to you about it. You don't get brushed off as just another UConn student if you are one, unlike their competitors.

Selection is good, but the place is so small it only has what it can fit. A lot of corked and caged bottles and other obscure stuff is available.

Prices are higher here because its near UConn. It seems like they raise prices more on the 30 pack stuff than the craft selection, which is good. Single bottles are prices reasonably, the 30 pack stuff is a few bucks more.

Overall, this is the best store within a few minutes from the UConn campus.

12-16-2008 20:09:44 | More by jeffthecheff

rpgman456

Connecticut

3.8/5  rDev -7.5%
quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

This store is located on rt-195 about 2 miles west of the UConn storrs campus. As a student and a beer lover living right next to this place I definitely have a love/hate relationship with this packy. First off, as stated in other reviews, this is an extremely tiny store, but even so at least half the place is designated to beer. The staff is comprised of only three or four guys who all know their stuff when it comes to beer and the atmosphere is generally pleasant... but in my opinion there are two problems with this place: 1) it can't compare to its primary competition Villa Spirits about a mile down the road in pure volume or selection of beer. Even though this place will have dogfish, magic hat, full line of sierra including anny ale, berkshire full line (including growlers), ten penny, shipyard, he-brew, post road, brooklyn, opa opa, smutty, harpoon, some hooker and the like, they usually will have one or two sixers of each so they may run out before the weekend begins, usually they'll have about 2 or 3 berkshire growlers and they'll be gone by Friday. The bright spot in their selection is the Belgiums which are usually kept warm. The guys there will be happy to special order anything you would want but the truth is that I could drive to villa down the street and just pick it up without the wait. The second problem with this place is that it's a little pricey for the area and they discourage breaking up the sixers. Overall a good store that cares about its customer base but lacks in size and cooler space.

10-07-2008 20:26:02 | More by rpgman456

erosier

Connecticut

3.85/5  rDev -6.3%
quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | $$

This liquor store is a nice place to go when looking for some lesser known or seasonal beers. It is smaller than the rival Villa, but it has a good selection nonetheless. The prices are reasonable for being right next to a large state university and has a decent selection for the beers. Unfortunately most of the more interesting beers are not refrigerated as there is not enough fridge space. The fridge is reserved for the beers that have a faster turnaround time which is usually the Harpoons, the Long Trails, and the Sam Adams along with the Macro Breweries of Anheiser-Busch etc... The warm beers are worth checking out if you are ever in the area. Good place to go with a friendly knowledgable staff. They will answer your questions and if they don't know, they will direct you to someone who does.

10-08-2007 19:53:30 | More by erosier

NEhophead

Massachusetts

4.05/5  rDev -1.5%
quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Located along Rt-195 on the way to the UCONN-Storrs campus, in a small shopping complex. This place is on the smaller size, but is set up well to get the most out of the space. There are about four cooler doors filled with craft six/twelve packs. There are also plenty of warm six packs along shelves located to the left of the cooler doors. Selection includes: Troutbrook (Liberator), Rogue, Victory (V-12), Sam's, Long Trail, Ommegang, and the usual micros found in Eastern CT. They also had a small selection of British brews including: Thomas Hardy, Fuller's, Young's, etc. The small warm section devoted to Belgians included: Nostradamus, Corsendonk, Chimay, and about a ten other surprising treats. Service was adequate, but nothing memorable. Probably the best selection of Belgians in the UCONN area.

01-16-2006 21:46:33 | More by NEhophead

jxboldaslovexh

Connecticut

4.15/5  rDev +1%
quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5

the best quality of this package store is the service. they are extremely friendly and helpful if you have questions regarding a beer or inquire about a beer that they don't have in-stock. they are also a great place to purchase kegs from. i've purchased kegs of pabst, magic hat, spaten, brooklyn brewery, and smithwicks and in each instance they have done a terrific job of ordering and having the kegs ready for when i needed them.

the store is averaged sized for a package store in this area, most of their floor space is dedicated to wine, though they do have a number of coolers and shelves in the back for the beer.

their selection represents a good collection of northeast micro's along with the usual imports. usually nothing exceptional, although every now and then you come across a rare find. the pricing seems to be pretty standard, although slightly lower than some of the other local package stores.

03-16-2005 13:16:51 | More by jxboldaslovexh

ppoitras

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +13.1%
quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5

Great cross-section of brews for such a small, cramped space. Half their coolers doors (3, I think) are micro/import, and there's lots more warm storage for micros and imports than BMC. Interesting to note that they've gone to the trouble to organize their six packs in alpha order by brewer. I though only I would be anal enough to think of such a thing...

One of the cooler doors is mainly seasonals, and so is a section of warm shelving. Also can't forget many warm and cold special releases they have, such as Thumbsucker, big Hookers, and many corked and caged 750ml selections.

Worth noting that if they don't have it, ask for it, and they will make a valiant attempt to get it for you. A large sign as you walk in states this, and it was mentioned by the counter guys as well. He noted that many of the special brews available came in the door as special requests that they ordered extra of. Great place, great people.

12-31-2004 23:02:00 | More by ppoitras

MattFrenzy

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +9.5%
quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4

Wicked friendly, there are only a few guys that work there and they are all hilarious and will go out of their way to help you find what you need and make you feel right at home. The selection is the best in the area as far as microbrews. Victory and rarer Magic Hat offerings, among others. Prices are cheaper than any other place in the area also. Small, but a lot is packed into a little area. Much more centered around beer and wine than liquor and spirits, unlike Villa down the street. Feels like they are there to actually serve people well rather than just make money off the college crowd, and they have been there for ages.

08-06-2004 05:10:30 | More by MattFrenzy

kmo1030

Massachusetts

3.95/5  rDev -3.9%
quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4

this is the only place that i go as a student at UConn. i saw somewhere that they have a selection of over 200 different beers, i'm not sure this is accurate, but they have quite a few . Ipswich, Victory, Harpoon, Long Trail, Magic Hat, Anchor and many other breweries are all available, too many to list, even a few Unibroues, though i think it may be hard to push that sort of thing around here. these are just few that immediately came to mind. Some of it has been sitting on the shelves for a while, but it's forgivable for the very decent selection. The service in the store and super friendly, and will point you in the right direction if they so much as overhear you talking to a friend about a certain beer. Very reasonable prices too. They seem to be the best in the area.

edit 12/24/04 - i have been there a few times fairly recently and their beer selection is getting quite good for such limited space. st bernardus, and other belgians are now available. they seem to be getting a little more adventurous.

10-01-2003 19:48:16 | More by kmo1030