Forest City Wines & Spirits

This place was a massive surprise
I needed flemish oud bruin for a stew and found this place with an internet search. I never thought of checking here as it looked like a standard seedy package store from the street.
Was I EVER wrong, and I extend my deepest apologies
They not only had my oud bruin, but also Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, Talisker Storm Scotch, Templeton rye, etc. etc., but also a very knowledgeable staff.
Recommend without reservation

Forest City is known everywhere except locally. Awesome brew selection, I’ll be here couple times a week !

When it comes to beer, this place is pretty rad,
Mix-​A-​Six for 10 bucks, that special ain’t bad!
Employees that are just genuinely nice,
With most products sold at an average price.
I was pretty jazzed up about this place when I walked in. A very good selection of cold beers and a decent selection of 22-​ounce bombers. There was a specific Victory brew that I was looking for that was not in stock, but it happens, especially in a place of this size.
I got a 22-​ounce Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Fresh Hop Ale since I tried the Northern Hemisphere earlier this year and really liked it. Wasn’t until I got home that I realized the beer was from 2012. Sierra Nevada released the 2013 edition a year ago and they are getting ready to release the 2014 Southern Hemisphere in less than a month. Makes me question how fresh this place’s products are. As a home brewer, I know that beer doesn’t have an infinite shelf life, and the 2012 did not taste as fresh as it could have.
This is, however, the only place I have found in Middletown to mix-​a-​six, so I’ll probably be back for that. The cashier was awesome and very helpful.

Forest City is big but not overwhelming. I found plenty to spend my money on but had my heart set on a bottle of Darkness Falls from Relic which they didn’t have yet.
They carry plenty of local (CT) brews to bring home & a good selection from all over the country too. Big bomber selection & they give you a mix a 6 option.
The guy manning the register was helpful & outgoing. If I lived in the area this would definitely be one of my regular stops for craft beer.

Went here with my boy and veteran Unilocaler Ronald S. to check out the selections. What I can say is that I am happy. There are two nice long shelves of single beer, one small fridge for other craft brew, and another long aisle fridge of domestics (commercial and craft brew) and internationals. I didn’t like the fact that the temperature in there was kind of warm, I don’t know if there is any harm done to the beer, but I can say it was good to see an great assortment of good beer.

Eric A had mentioned Forest City at the Relic Beer UYE last month and I was surprised that there was a decent liquor store in my home town that had an impressive microbrew selection that I had not yet visited. Eric was right, Forest City does have a pretty impressive beer selection and I happily picked up a few bottles I have not seen at other area stores. The staff was friendly, and the shop clean. It isn’t a massive mega store and the bottle count isn’t astronomical but they have a broad selection and serious quality.
Being on the north end, I always thought it was more of a macrobrew/​cheap wine type place because i always see people hanging around drinking from paper bags in the area but I was wrong and this will be a frequent stop on my beer hunts from now on. I was impressed with some of the belgian ales and saisons that I hadn’t come across elsewhere.
If you like interesting beer, check it out.

Forest City is a good sized store, with plenty of space for a wide range of wines, beers, and liquors. They fill all that space, which would make finding things a challenge were it not for a very engaged and helpful staff. I’ve managed to challenge them nevertheless, and I’m really impressed with and really grateful for the efforts they’ve gone to for me.
I had a very specific beer in mind on one visit — something from Burnside Brewing in East Hartford — and was having no luck looking through the shelves and coolers. A young man on the staff joined me, checked their computer inventory, verified they had some, and he couldn’t find it either. He called his father over (family business, I gather), and he couldn’t find it, until the son mentioned the bottle size. Bingo. It’s bottled in growlers, and dad made a beeline for one section of the coolers and there they were.
On other visits, the same young man is really helpful when I’m looking for recommendations. He knows what’s new, and he tells me that he’s working his way through their beer options alphabetically. At his rate of one a week, he’ll be at it for a long, long time, so he also reports on what customers have told him.
I really can’t ask much more of a retailer than that.

The only place in the area where you can get ozeki saki that comes in microwaveable glass cups. Basically two bucks a cup, when I lived around here the manager made sure to stock up just for me because it was the only thing I would buy. I sincerely miss this place just for that.

Forest City has a great selection of wines believe it or not… and some of the staff that can look quite questionable at times will amaze you with their wine knowledge.
With that said, the beer selection is decent and well priced as are all of the liquors.
Forest City usually gets all of the new stuff in before a lot of other local package stores.