The Wine Thief & Ale Jail

Wonderful store, great selection, knowledgeable staff, fun parties. GO THERE.

Yes, they have knowledgeable staff and a good selection of wine and especially beer. My only beef with them is they consistently ask me when I have just bought say two bottles of wine if I want a bag. Yes, after I just dropped over 20 bucks, I want a bag. Feels kind of chintzy in my book.

Yes, they have knowledgeable staff and a good selection of wine and especially beer. My only beef with them is they consistently ask me when I have just bought say two bottles of wine if I want a bag. Yes, after I just dropped over 20 bucks, I want a bag! Feels kind of chintzy in my book.

Storms freak me out. Tornado warning message is basically a reason for me to binge on a bottle of wine and not feel bad about it. What can I say, I’m a quirky girl!
I went to Trader Joe’s and my fateful little tornado warning popped up. I googled wine stores near me and voila! Enter Wine Thief and Ale Jail (mind you it wasn’t the closest, but it did have the most clever name). I came in seeking a particular Riesling (since I like my wine more like Kool-​Aid). Alas, they did not carry what I requested but the two gentlemen were quick to offer up a suggestion of Gewürztraminer (say that 5 times fast) which is sweeter than Riesling AND was on sale (pleasing my inner cheapskate).
Definitely will be returning!

I love this place. Great little shop with knowledgable staff. They make the shopping experience almost as fun as the drinking. I usually make my own six pack of craft brews and grab a few bottles of wine each time I drop in. If I tell them what I’m making for dinner, they’ll give me a suggestion or two for a good pairing.

Decent place, but a member of their staff publicly leaves some awful reviews on other local businesses.

An impressive, well-​categorized beer selection, with friendly and helpful staff! Building your own six-​pack gets you 10% off :) Looking forward to many more visits, and maybe even exploring their equally impressive wine section!

Though Wine Thief is pretty far from my usual stomping grounds, it’s become an annual (ish) stop on my way to the far north woods of Minnesota, post-​arrival at MSP. Let’s just say the beer selection up north is typically lacking, so you have to stock up while still in civilization.
Were this shop near me, I’d be there all the time. The wine is arranged by region, and there’s a great array of price points, all clearly marked by little hangtags. One of my pet peeves about wine shops is when they make you hunt and hunt for the price of a bottle — not here! Brief descriptions are informative, and the selection’s intimate enough that it’s clear someone’s making good choices and knows the bottles they’re selling. There’s also a small selection of spirits, including some from regional micro-​distilleries.
On the beer side, I was able to peruse some favorite names I don’t often find on the West Coast (Stillwater, Goose Island, a huge selection of Boulevard) and many smaller regional breweries that distribute primarily in the upper Midwest (Surly, Indeed). The proprietors were more than happy to steer us in the right direction and got a good sense of our taste almost immediately — great customer service!
Cool light-​wooded space, friendly people, and all the good stuff you need with nothing you don’t. Plus the coolest shop name ever. What’s not to love?!

My bi-​annual update of this place…
New beer guy. And he’s awesome. Laid back, totally friendly and approachable. I find that a lot of beer dudes to be stand off-​ish — a little like you’re beneath them (and admittedly, in terms of beer knowledge, I am) but the new guy treats everyone I have seen him interact with with respect — and hearing him give suggestions to others, he really listens to what people want and just does not answer recommendation questions with the same 5 beers over and over again. I find myself here about once a week at least, and their selection and dedication to getting the best beers in the area can’t be beat.

Every time I come to St. Paul to visit my sister I have to make a stop here. They are always very friendly (in the beer area) and extremely helpful. They also always have a great selection of local MN and Midwest beers in general. I highly recommend it if you love beer

So let me tell you a little story about my first experience with The Ale Jail. We’d just moved to St. Paul about a week prior to my first trip. I was aware of the Ale Jail but had never been there. I decided to stop on my way home from work one night. The store is divided into two parts. One side, the side you enter through sells beverages that are apparently made from fermented grapes or something like that. I don’t know, sounds pretty unpleasant to me, definitely not my cup of tea. The other side of the store, the side I’m interested in, sells beer; craft beer and imported beer. They’ve got quite an impressive selection. It’s definitely not the biggest selection in the Twin Cities but I’ve heard a few people state that it’s the best selection in St. Paul and I’m inclined to agree. It is definitely a diverse selection and well organized. On this, my first trip, I was pleased to find they had Central Waters Brewhouse coffee sout, so I grabbed a couple of bottles of that. As I was paying, I was chatting with the guy behind the register about Central Waters brewing, one of my personal favorite breweries. I mentioned to him that I particularly enjoy their barrel aged beers and that I’d tried most of them but had yet to get my hands on their barrel aged stout (it’s a pretty limited release and always goes fast). So, as I’m telling this guy about how I’ve never head CW barrel aged stout, he leans down under the counter and pulls out a four pack of CW barrel aged stout and says «Oh, you mean this? Want to buy it?». Of course I did! Awesome! From what I understand, this sort of thing isn’t unusual over there and they from time to time pull limited stuff out of their cellar.
Overall it’s a great shop if your into craft beer and probably great if you’re into whatever that grape-​based stuff they sell is as well.

Cool place, nice selection. Build your own beer 6-​pack (a somewhat daunting task considering the quantity of options available, both refrigerated and non). Not a whole lot else to say… and I can’t comment on the wine selection. But if you’re looking to try a sampling of unique beers, I’d recommend stopping in and loading up.

Decent selection but won’t go again.
Think they are snobs about wine and beer as opposed to welcoming.

Really dig this place
Booze for those with refined tastes
No Coors Light, sorry
This is a gourmet beer and wine store. No hard liquor. They do not have nearly the selection of Surdyk’s or some other places, but what they do have is 100% non-​crap. You will not find Miller, Budweiser, Michelob or any other macrobrews. All of their beers are craft microbrews. A ton of stuff I have never seen anywhere else before.
My sister told me to come here and get a Sour Beer (which I had never heard of before) called Duchesse De Bourgogne. Unfortunately, they were out of the Duchesse. Bummer. Decided to do a make your own six-​pack instead. Went with the following: Whale’s Tale Pale Ale, Odell IPA, Southern Tier 2X IPA, Lucky U IPA, Victory Hop Devil Ale, and Acme California IPA. Would have been nice if the make-​your-​own-​pack beers were chilled, but not a biggie.
I can’t speak to the wine selection as I did not browse it. I am guessing they do not have Yellow Tail, though. Looked like they had a wine sampling station. I did not partake.
Off to drink my beers now. Cheers!

I am so glad that this store opened in the neighborhood. The staff is very friendly and THEY KNOW THEIR BEER. Behold the massive selection of obscure brews that hail from faraway lands. Ha! Everything is fairly priced so you won’t demolish your finances. Also if you put together your own six pack they will give you a 10% discount. Guess who just became a regular customer? Yours truly.

If they don’t have the beer you looking for, chances are it isn’t available in MN. Huge selection by the bottle which allows you to not invest in a six pack (I have too many 5 packs in the fridge… try one, it’s okay, 5 sit there).
Wine selection is also great… lots of values and bottles you might not find everywhere. Give the staff some direction and then listen to their recommendations.

I consider myself a wine novice & appreciate the assistance the helpful staff person gave me to pick out a chardonnay. The Dreyer Sonoma was spot on and at $ 12.99, worth every bright and fruity (grapefruit/​lemon) sip!

The Wine Thief & Ale Jail specializes in variety by carrying a large, diverse selection of wine and beer, giving Saint Paulians a great opportunity to try new wines and ales. This small shop is located on St. Clair and Fairview and has been open since 2005. They started off as a wine shop but soon expanded and added beer. Maybe I shouldn’t say «beer,» cause that’s not quite right. They didn’t add rows and rows of macro brews– they added high-​end, crafty ales. More on that later.
Although The Wine Thief & Ale Jail are technically one store, they do seem to have different identities so I’m going to talk about each one separately. First off, let’s discuss The Wine Thief.
Sara and I have been in on a few occasions and were really intrigued by the way the store is organized. This is not where you go to pick up a box of wine or a case of Barefoot, but it’s not pretentious either. (note from Sara — I have NEVER bought a case of Barefoot, thank you). They have plenty of inexpensive bottles (under $ 10) that they call «Steals», as well as expensive bottles (over $ 35) that they call «Splurges.» But most of the inventory is somewhere in the middle.
On our most recent stop, Sara bought a nice red blend called Cashmere by Cline. She chose it based largely on the quirky description that the Wine Thief staff pulled together on the wine (a hallmark of the store). They had her at «cashmere» and «pajamas.» Tasty and very drinkable (as in, a bottle is gone before you know it) but I like my reds a little bolder.
My favorite aspect of The Wine Thief is how it’s organized. I don’t like walking into a liquor store and seeing that all the wines are organized by grape. What if I want to try something «like» a pinot grigio or a malbec — where do I look? I hate liquor stores that organize their wines by country of origin or region. I could be looking for a great pinot noir that I had the night before, and if some pompous wanna-​be sommelier asked me what region it was from, I would tell the ass-​clown he’s lucky I remember it was a pinot!
Disclaimer: If I knew a lot about wine I would probably be a pompous ass-​clown about it.
Instead of using one of these silly systems, The Wine Thief organizes their wines by character. Ok, I’m not sure that’s the right word but we’re gonna go with it. They have sections based on the character and taste of the wine. So rather than seeing a sign that says, «Chardonnay,» you may see a sign that says «Bold», «Crisp», «Spicy» or «Fruity». I love this, because I may not be able to remember the name of the wine I drank, but I will be able to remember how it tasted on my palate.
Side Note: the staff at The Wine Thief are very laid back, not pompous or ass-​clowny in any way. Yes, I like the term ass-​clown.
On to the Ale Jail. If you’re the kind of guy who believes in quantity over quality when it comes to beer, then the Ale Jail is probably not for you. You will not find a dirty thirty of Hamms (mmm Hamms) although they do sell sixers of PBR tallboys.
No, Ale Jail focuses on quality brews, and this my friends is were the variety comes in. Their website (really cool btw) says that they have over 200 different beers. I feel like that’s a low ballpark, because the selection is astonishing. They have a nice fridge of sixers and all the Surly you could want.
A wall full of the craftiest, and/​or foreign liter bottles I have ever seen. I have never been in a liquor store that’s come close to the variety and selection here. And they will allow you to build your own six pack! What better way to try 6 beers you’ve never had, or get 2 of your 3 favorite beers? I know a lot of liquor stores do this, but do they have the selection the Ale Jails does? Hells to the no. The Ale Jail made me sad that I had to give up beer, but for those beer snobs in your life (whattup Freckles and Noodles? Wow! Haven’t called that guy Noodles since ’01) the Ale Jail is the perfect haven.
Well, dear readers, there you have it. The Wine Thief & Ale Jail is the perfect spot for a couple. Since about 93% (of course, this is completely statistically accurate) of couples have a woman that prefers wine and a man that prefers beer the place is a match made in heaven. And there in separate rooms so you don’t even have to look at the person. Glorious.

While i cannot claim to be master of the grape — i’ll save the rest of this review for the Ale Jail.
It’s true, a lot of the ambiance could be accomplished by highschoolers, or a drunk. (Or drunk highschoolers)
But the selection of the tasty liquid treats are pretty damn good. Selector packs help a whole bunch, since you will likely want to try everything you see.
The guys there know their stuff, and short of being a homebrew fanatic — if you love beer, you run through the aisles giddy with beer-​crazed excitement.
(short aisles, maybe 20 paces — but you get the idea)

I am by no means anything close to a sommelier, but am somewhat of a self-​proclaimed beer fanatic, so this review is more so focused on the latter half of this place’s namesake.
First off, this isn’t the place to look for a case of, well, any type of beer. This is, however, the place to pick up a sixer of craft beer, or better yet a mix of whatever craft beer your heart (and liver) desires. They have hundreds of bottles for the picking, organized by style, and they give you a 15% discount on each mixer sixer you concoct.
The selection is broad and quite impressive (follow them on Facetwitterbook to find out when they get new deliveries and limited releases). For the indecisive, or less accustomed to craft beer, soliciting recommendations from the staff is recommended, as they are much beer-​nerdier than the author of this review.
Cheers.

We love craft beer and were lucky enough to move into the neighborhood where this wonderful little shop resides.
I have to say — I’m not a big wine drinker. Half of the store (the Wine Thief part) is devoted to wine. Based on my experiences, I would guess the wine selection is great. But can’t say first hand. That’s because I kind of ignore this half as I walk on through to the other half — where there is a fabulous collection of craft beers.
We have discovered some wonderful beers here, taking good advice from the very knowledgeable staff. Among the most redeeming features of this store:
–knowledgeable staff (I know, I just said that, but it’s worth repeating. Love that the staff will ask you something like, «What type of beer do you like?» and immediately suggest three or four more based on your response.)
–Very good selection. Huge variety for such a small shop. A word of caution… you won’t find any Bud or Leinenkeugels or even brews like Sam Adams here. Anything mass produced is not this store’s deal. But it’s a playground for adventurous craft beer lovers. Six packs accordingly generally range fro $ 7 or $ 8 and up.
–mix your own six… one of the walls of the store is covered in single beer bottles priced individually. There is a lot of fun in mixing your own six pack sampler and going home to sample some new brews. My husband and I do this routinely and it’s awesome.
–Special requests. We’ve always found this store to be wonderful about honoring special requests — they even kept a couple six packs aside for us unrefrigereated when we asked (we needed to take them on a trip and didn’t want cold beer that would then be warm and then cold again). They totally understood and handled the request easily.
–Free tastings — on both sides of the store, every Tuesday I believe.
–doggie water bowl! As a neighbor who walks their dog by this place all the time, I am thankful that they are thoughtful enough to put a water bowl out on hot days. Two tails up!

As I now sit here and wonder how it is that I have not yet reviewed this place, I realize that I have not been in to this shop, which is just right up the street, to browse or buy anything for a few years. Until very recently. Life changes and habits change, as we all know.
Since its opening in the summer of 2005, I have celebrated this shop being in my neighborhood. I have also celebrated getting to know the wonderful duo whose dream it was to open such a store in this area.
Their concept is pretty simple: personally selected wines, most all under $ 20, with a few over $ 20 thrown in for good measure and an occasional splurge.
A few years ago, I had the great pleasure of buying one of their «splurge» wines, as recommended by Paul, and then getting my proverbial socks knocked off! It was the most delicious California red I’d ever tasted for something like $ 30-​$ 35 a bottle.
Their space is open and inviting, and their staff are informed and helpful. Wandering in one recent evening, my suspicion was correct — they were just about to close shop. However, we were not dissuaded from entering. My friend had never been in this shop so we took a quick spin around the floor, found an enticing-​looking bottle, bought it, and brought it home to try. It was good. My friend even returned to the shop a few days later to buy another bottle of it. Now, he’s asking that I contact the shop to ask for 6 more bottles of the stuff. It was a great wine for a nice price.
And that’s what the Wine Thief is all about.