Came across this place by accident. Strategically well located in the lively part of New Haven, close to most of the good pubs. As the name implies, this is primarily a wine and spirits store but they do carry a good selection of craftbeer. Mostly typical stuff available in Connecticut, small New-England micros and bigger breweries from USA and around the world. After talking to a few staff from various pubs I was told that there is only one place with a very large beer selection in New Haven and it is Amity Wine & Spirits. However Amity is quite remote on the edge of the city so The Wine Thief is the choice by default if you cannot drive to Amity and want to buy beer, just don’t expect anything above the widely distributed beers in Connecticut.

Mostly a wine store but there is a small but excellent selection of beers here. Staff that rang me out was friendly and chatted me up about beers.

Everyone who has ever helped me here has been incredibly friendly and helpful. For me, the biggest bummer of this store, is actually the lack of refrigerated beers. They have an interesting selection of imports and harder-to-find micros, but they’re all warm and I’m usually in town and ready to drink something cold. Prices are a nip high, but if you’re downtown and looking for something ahead of time, this is a great place to shop.

The nice thing about this store is that it is right there in the middle of bar central and that it is a nice looking store. They also take good care of their beers and wines. The store itself carries a limited amount of craft beer with the occasional seasonal. If you have a car, head to Amity or New England Beverage for much bigger selections. If not, this place is worth a look.