Latest reviews from New Haven

“Right next to Cask Republic, this place is mostly a wine store, but has a small but fairly well-curated bottle selection, including ciders (and French ciders at that). Worth a quite perusal to see if you can find anything interesting, which there are sure to be some.“

mcberko 2243 days ago

“Right in downtown New Haven, this is an excellent stop. Not really specializing in casks (which is fine by me), they boast a solid tap selection (just over 20). Flights of 4 available for $12, rather steep. Service a bit slow, but somewhat friendly. Worth a visit if in New Haven.“

mcberko 2243 days ago

“Visited on Sunday. 16 taps and some beers also available as growlers. Didnt ask for flights and their online beer list tells everything about glass sizes and prices. Waitress was just great and poutine did what it should do, fill my stomach. I had good vibes in this place. Best in New Haven downtown?“

VastActiv 2405 days ago

“Quick visit on Sunday, not much other customers. Had 2 flights which were pretty expensive. Pretty solid beer list. Definitely worth of visiting but don't wxpect anything cheap. Around 40 taps and lots of interesting bottles too.“

VastActiv 2405 days ago

“Nice looking store with a small craft beer selection. A small three door fridge and a small stand of beer. Not much in the way of locals, which I was after, and they will not bust up any 6 or 4-packs. Way more imports than I'd have expected. I guess they must not think much of local or American brews. I ended up with a few bombers and a can. Prices seemed fine, but I don't know the area. For Charlorttesville this would be on the cheaper side. Service was limited to "no, we don't break up any 6-packs," and ringing me up. Top be honest, there was almost as good of a selection at the neighborhood liquor store next to my hotel.“

hershiser2 2530 days ago

“One of my favourite beer bars in New Haven - interesting selection and solid range of unusual beers on tap.

---Rated via Beer Buddy for Android“

a2canadian 2617 days ago

“located in new haven Yale campus area, been wanting to check out this place for some time and it didn’t disappoint...place is quite unique with outdoor patio, small bar area, cheese store and downstairs dining nook that feels like you are hanging in a cheese cave, pickles on table to start were tasty...beer selection is pretty good with mostly local Ct options, some NEBCO stuff, drafts were not plentiful but good choices from Beer’d and some others..pretty nice bottle list that cover various styles, bottles seemed a bit pricey, however this was really the only complaint. Cheeseboard was solid, French onion soup and grilled cheese were superb, another summer gazpazcho soup was tasty as well. Other patrons were indulging in mussels, mac and cheese and the burger and these all looked excellent, prices were solid for the quality of food...probably gets packed at night as limited seating options exist..cheese shop is well stocked and has some unique things...goat cheese brownies...this is the kind of place I wish existed in my hometown as beer and cheese pair very well, some might recognize owner from cooking channel old show, big cheese, this is his joint, I believe they operate a food truck in new haven area as well, well worth a visit for top notch bistro type food and some excellent beer choices.. “

HeadyDE 2622 days ago

“Visited fairly late on a weeknight, either Wednesday or Thursday. This place was pretty busy, but I still managed to have great service quickly. First and foremost, the focus of this place is cigars, but they are also a coffee bar, and whiskey bar, that also has some great, local craft beer available. When talking to the bartender, I was able to get a paired cigar and beer (a New England Brewing IIPA) recommendation. I trusted them and did not end up regretting that decision one bit. They have lots of seating both inside and out. I opted for a cushy leather chair inside. They had a jazz band playing the night I was there as well as a baseball game on a couple different big televisions. For as busy as the place was, it seemed fairly relaxing. As you sit, there are a couple wait staff wandering around making sure folks are set with beer and cigars, offering more if you want it. All things considered, this is a very cool place, especially if you enjoy cigars. Probably not if you don’t.“

JStax 2869 days ago

“Visited on a Thursday evening. Right in downtown of New Haven. This is probably the only brewery I have visited that has bouncers at the door. This is mostly because it is a restaurant/dance club on one half of the building and a brewpub on the other. Strange, but seemed to work. I only visited the brewery side. There was a good bit of seating. Mostly long, communal tables and the bar, but then there is a nook in one corner with couch seating. They had 6 of their own beers on tap, plus 6 others from guest breweries. All were CT beer on my visit. No flights were offered, but they do half pours. Service was friendly and helpful. Prices were reasonable. I would go back again if in the area. It was actually pretty cool.“

JStax 2886 days ago

“The BruRm@BAR couldn’t be more different from Cask Republic, my other favourite place in New Haven. It looks like a derelict factory inside and out, with bare concrete walls and no ceiling. It’s a bit of a dive, it’s rough and ready, it’s noisy and I really liked it. There are twelve taps arranged haphazardly around four dispensers at the bar and the choice of beer was pretty good when we were there. We’d heard they do great pizza and there were lots of empty boxes in evidence but unfortunately we arrived too late and they weren’t serving food. (Visited 30 October 2012).“

Boudicca 3392 days ago

“A very nice place which ticked all the boxes for me. It’s stylish, comfortable and relaxed with a great beer list. In addition, the music was played at a low level and there were only two relatively unobtrusive television screens. There are areas at either side of the front door with comfy looking armchairs and settees and towards the back there’s an area for dining. There’s also a small glass fronted room which at first I thought was a shop but it’s actually where they keep their kegs and bottles, all very neatly stored and on display. It’s my kind of place and deservedly at the top of Ratebeer’s list of places in New Haven. (Visited 30 October 2012).“

Boudicca 3392 days ago

“Stopped here during my Nepenthia CT trip. The place is located in downtown New Haven, a really beautiful city (moreso than expected). The inside of the bar is pretty nice too, kind of an english-pub feel. Place was mostly empty at 2pm on a Saturday. The high-tables in the center were a bit crowded for our group of 12, so I moved over to the bar. Yes the place has a decent selection of locals, as well as a solid selection of 12 Percent imports. Of the 53 or so beers on tap (a few were empty), I found 12 beers new for me, so I ordered 3 flights of 4. The flights are individually priced, but my total for the 3 flights was $48 -- that’s $4 a 4oz. Needless to say, I was shocked by the price. I mentioned my surprise casually to the bartender, curious for his response. He gave me the usual schpiel about how kegs can be really expensive. He mentioned one keg they recently tapped they served for $12 a pour and still lost money on it. Yeah, bull shit (it’d have to be a $700+ 20 L -- unheard of). Food was surprisngly expensive too. I opted for one of the cheaper items on the menu, the $7 chili bowl, which was decent but not special. Bit too chunky. Can’t complain about the service, waitresses and bartenders were both helpful. Overall, this is a good place to stop to find some new beers, but be wary of the prices -- especially for the flights. The bill left me with a bad taste. I’m going to start to pay more attention to the "value" score more when I choose the bars I want to visit. If I ever return to New Haven and can only visit one bar, I’ll give Prime 16 a try.“

DrSilverworm 3429 days ago

“Stop in to look for some locals. They had spme but not too much, or what I wanted. Decent selection of interesting beers, and the guy working there in the afternoon was very helpful and knew about beer even though this is a wine shop.“

KyotoLefty 3681 days ago

“Great place. Wnted to stay longer. My bartender was supremely friendly and knowledgeable. Great selection. Area beers were interesting and well priced. Theynhad lots of interesting Belgians as well, though they were quitr pricy and could not tempt me. Would definitely go back, again during happy hour, as it seems to be a madhouse at later times.“

KyotoLefty 3681 days ago

“Went in on a Thursday night. Hipster bartenders were a bit surly, making us wait as they fiddled with their phones. Waitresses also a bit obnoxious and arrogant in moving us from seats. Had a pint of the session IPA which was decent but not outstanding. Pizza looked good. The attitude I got really pissed me off. Not the kind of place I want to hang in, though I would go back to the restaurant side for some pizza and beer at a regular table.“

KyotoLefty 3682 days ago

“Visited June 1, 2014.

This wasn’t a planned stop but it is on the same street as BruRm so why not? It’s a pretty interesting setup in the sense that it’s a lounge. There are couches and they had the doors open in front so you can sit on a couch that’s basically out on the sidewalk and enjoy your drink. They’ve also got a pretty large tap list. After scanning through it there were several new beers to try but the one that I went with was the new eisbock from BFM. It’s not every day that I get to try a new eisbock. Unfortunately it was not very good. It was vinegary and clearly messed up. Oh well, a tick is a tick. Prices were high but the atmosphere was pleasant. I didn’t see too many of the bros referenced in the last rating but it was a Sunday afternoon so maybe that had something to do with it. Cool place.“

t0rin0 3724 days ago

“Visited June 1, 2014.

This was an unexpected stop. If it was called Kelly’s Restaurant I probably would have walked right by but it said Gastropub so on the way back from BruRm, Wine Thief, and Cask Republic this warranted a quick stop. Well, a quick stop turned into an enjoyable half hour on the patio. They were out of several beers that looked interesting so in the end I had an Allagash White. They had some interesting food specials but they were out of the one I wanted. Baked brie it is. Food isn’t bad but the beer list leaves something to be desired.“

t0rin0 3727 days ago

“Visited June 1, 2014.

This is a pretty interesting layout. There is a very large room beyond the bar that is more of a lounge and on the other side of the building is a dining room. I spent my time at the bar to try the beers. They were not very impressive sadly. They had five house beers at the time including a weird IPA, a honey brown, and a watermelon beer. Despite what the description here says they have more than five taps as they have another ten or so guest beers available. Sixpoint, Green Flash, Goose Island, Ace, and Harpoon were the big brands. They also had some Two Roads, Back East, and Wachusett. The bartender was nice enough to provide a taster of the Goose Island Endless IPA as part of the flight. Could be a neat place to stop at occasionally if the beer was better.“

t0rin0 3727 days ago

“Where New Haven’s bros go to get their preppy on. OK, that’s not quite fair. This is where New Haven’s preppies go to let their bro sides go wild. Whichever, it’s a kind of cheesy, wood-paneled paean to yesteryear, with about 30+ beers on tap (60? ha!), evenly split between varieties. Nothing unusual or rare, just usuals from around the US and Europe, with a commendable selection of NY and New England beers. Not cheap. Meh food. Music so loud that you couldn’t hear the clientele discussing the new new shades of pink available at Vineyard Vines. Glad it’s here, but not eager to return.“

TylerGreenDC 3836 days ago

“Large place, a bit hipster, more restaurant than bar or brewpub, although the brewing equipment is pretty prominent. One hour wait for a table, so we sat at the bar - and then discovered there was a huge back room that they weren’t using. Odd - not enough staff, maybe? Pizza was OK - my first time seeing mashed potatos on a pizza, and in retrospect that was a good prep for my visit to New Zealand.“

Travlr 4026 days ago

“A small, neat store in the centre of town, conveniently located almost next door to the Cask Republic. It’s nicely laid out with small, low islands of wine in wooden crates. It sells mainly wine but there’s also a stand of bottled beers from some of the smaller craft breweries. (Visited 30 October 2012).“

Boudicca 4044 days ago

“Basic warehouse-style liquor store with a few large rows of craft beer. Well organized and stocked. Unfortunately, they don’t allow you to break 6-packs and buy singles. Good selection otherwise and a good place to pick up regional beers that aren’t distributed far. Right down the street from New England Brewing Co. and a good place to pick up their beers.“

sonnycheeba 4052 days ago

“the beer isnt spectacular but the pizza is! Go for the pizza and try a couple beers but don’t go for the beer.“

Ernesto987 4093 days ago

“A large brewpub / concert hall with an old artistic feel. Actually, it feels like caverns with each room a different vibe. The service was slow as the two bar tenders seemed more interested in texting than serving. Food was good and beer ok.“

BeerandBlues2 4109 days ago

“Really off-center but this is often where we find the best beer stores. And this one is the best selection I found in the New-Haven area. Typical big beer store look and feel, no fancy display or anything. Wide alleys and lots of beer stacked up on generic industrial shelves. Lots of beers. Good prices. Impersonal service, you are on your own. A few nice good finds can be made there, especially from New England Brewing since they are their next-door neighbours. One cool thing about this place is that it is pretty close to Delaney’s which I found to have the best tap selection in the New-Haven area, so you’re going off-center for two reasons and not just one.“

Glouglouburp 4187 days ago

“A pretty nice pub well located in the lively part of town. A good list of taps focussing on New-England and NY breweries. I remember drinking a pint of Blue Point 10th Anniversary IPA which was in very good condition. The pub itself is part-beer-bar, part restaurant. Medium size place that can probably sit 100 people max. Patrons are a younger well-behaved crowd, we are right next to the prestigious Yale university after all. The one thing I remember this pub for is the french fries. Not only are their sweet potatoes french fries just as good as the now defunct The Alchemist (and because The Alchemist pub is closed, Prime 16 now has the best sweet potatoes fries on the planet) and their cheese french fries were also sublime. The rest of the food was standard pub fare. Whether you want to party with good beer or want a meal with good beer, this is the place to go when you are downtown New-Haven. The best tap selection I found downtown New-Haven, but an even better tap selection at Delaney’s, but this one is off-center and not a cool place like Prime 16.“

Glouglouburp 4187 days ago

“Here’s a place hard to review. I visited this brewpub early in the after-noon in the middle of the summer. It was quiet, the bartender was one of the most friendly and enthusiastic beer lover that has ever served us, we talked beer and various stuff, we were given goodies. It was a very fun few hours. However after talking to him I realize I would hate that place if ever I was there at night especially during outside summer, during university time. The music is reportedly discothèque level with university kids dancing on the tables. And seeing the loudspeakers in the place, they have the ammos to do so. Knowing that it’s kind of hard to give a score to the place. As for the beers, I had three pints of their beers (they also have guest taps) and they ranged from bland to pretty decent. Anyway, depending of your age and the mood you’re in, this place can be a lot of fun or totally unbearable. I had a good time there, but I think I got lucky, I would probably hate being there at other times.“

Glouglouburp 4187 days ago

“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.“

Glouglouburp 4187 days ago

“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.“

rocbyter 4212 days ago

“This place always has a great selection of moderately rare and great local beers. Servers are great. It can get a little dark at times which is fine for drinking but not eating. Menu consists of mostly burgers and sandwiches but they are some great burgers.“

rocbyter 4272 days ago

“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.“

auerbrau 4328 days ago

“October 10, 2012. To be fair, I was in a bad mood the last time I was here and let the douchey clientel bother me. I keep coming back, though, because the draft selection is nice and the bartenders have been attentive and friendly. Once you get past the crowd, you find a thoughtfully selected list and a cozy back of the bar that has a beer cellar feel to it, with some fun things on shelves behind glass. The big set back are the prices. It’s not hard to find a 12oz pour of something that will set you back more than $10.

September 5, 2012. Feeling kind of crappy about New Haven, the general atmosphere of this place didn’t help. Old, wood-paneled, and crawling with starched white corporate suits stuffing overcooked pizza, sliders, and wings into their face as fast as they could, chasing it down with whatever had a lot of alcohol and was expensive. A little too much for the "gentry" in my opinion. The one shining star was the bartender who was friendly, bright eyed, and quick. The beer was in a decent glass and at the right temperature. Prices were high.“

auerbrau 4363 days ago

“Very fun and unique place. Diamond in the rough beers available!“

LKay 4366 days ago

“My first visit today, and probably also my last. What is it about New Haven? Everywhere I go the scene is completely yuppie and douchey. I’m sorry, there’s no other way to explain the high level of obnoxiousness that pours out of the wealthy in this town. They pollute so many places with their ridiculous dress, terrible voices, and inane conversations. I’ll take my pints someplace where the draft list is decent and I don’t feel like I’m on some bad hipster-Gonzo-acid trip.“

auerbrau 4370 days ago

“Located very close to New England Brewing. Big liquor store. Lots of high quality stuff. No singles from six packs. There are some singles available but they tend to be of the macro/malt liquor variety. Prices were OK, as was the parking. Customer service was generally surly, with the exception of one guy and the cashier who turned nice once I pointed out she had overcharged me. They fixed that with no problem. Decent place to stock up.“

Drake 4393 days ago

“A really cool bar for Connecticut. A good concert with cheap PBRs the night I was there. Plus a lot of their house ales.“

jkwood04 4461 days ago

“This place is absolutely horrible when it comes to service. The latest member of their staff is not only rude, but completely unknowledgable when it comes to certain wines. I live close by and only come to this establishment out of convenience, but would never, ever frequent it if I lived farther than I do. I can’t reiterate enough how the staff is rude and disrespectful to its clientele. I am surprised that this place has stayed in business as long as it has. I wouldn’t recommend shopping at this store if you were dying of thirst and this was the last wine shop in town.“

doberman618 4530 days ago

“This beer bar has an amazing selection of beer but jacks up the prices. While their beer menu always has a few $5 pints (tonight Raison D’etre was on the value list), $9 Ten Fidy is simply absurd. On a Sunday night, the place was moderately filled and cozy; lots of varnish and dark wood. Compared to Norwalk’s and Greenwich’s Gingerman, Cask Republic has the best level of ambiance. Lots of space. Bartenders are knowledgable and wait staff is solid. Food is very good, but pricy as well.“

joebudzjoe 4596 days ago

“I have mixed feelings about this place. The ambiance and setting are hip, but cozy. The draft list is ample enough (although, I’d like to see some more session beers) and the happy hour prices were unbeatable. I paid 5.75 for two beers?!? However, service was sluggish. Nobody came to the table we sat at, and when I went to the bar to buy a second round and close out and told her that nobody had been by, she got really snotty and offended. The food is also a little over-hyped and heavy-headed.“

auerbrau 4671 days ago

“Feels a lot like Bar and Plan B. They all feature a commitment to craft brew and artisanal liquor and they attract a younger crowd. The bar area was crowded but not obnoxiously so. They had a nice selection of taps and bottles mainly regional craft although they had a couple of belgians thrown in. The ubiquitous hamburger was one of the best ones I’ve had in a while. Not better then Delaney’s but a giant leap superior to cask republic.“

DiarmaidBHK 4900 days ago

“I made the mistake of visiting late on a Thursday night. The place was a zoo with music played a deafening level as the under 25 crowd tried to get over on one another. Not the sort of thing I was expecting. This sort of beer, they have over 50 taps and and over 100 bottles of real quality, with a crowd that just wants bmc product that can be served by just twisting off the bottle top. When your serving doubles, stouts, and barleywines that need time to settle and you don’t have any time to wait for the drink to settle, you’re going to get ripped. The abbey double I ordered only ended up about 60% full. But the bartender got really obnoxious and rude at the end of the night near closing time. I know bartenders don’t like to linger to long after closing time, but if there’s still 10 minutes to go until then you shouldn’t be yelling at me to chug my drink. It’s too bad. They obviously put a lot of care into their bottle selection and their taps but they have no idea how to attract the kind of crowd that will keep them open. There are definitely places in New Haven, Delaney’s tap room comes to mind, with just as good a selection and much more humane treatment. If I do ever go back, and that’s a big if, it certainly won’t be at night.“

DiarmaidBHK 4900 days ago

“Not too much time to try multiple locations on a recent trip, so I decided to give this one a shot. Very glad I did, as it was a pleasant couple hours all around. Handsome long wooden bar, with nice fixtures, roomy seating, etc. Clean and well-maintained, friendly and knowledgeable service. Food was quite nice too, and I had some tuna tartare while I tried some regional brews. Wide-ranging selection, including some barrel-aged and cask goodies, NE micros and Belgians well represented, etc. Will definitely go back next time I’m in town, and hope to try Prime 16 as well.“

JCB 4900 days ago

“I was shocked to see how packed this place was on a Sunday night. They only had 5 house beers on draft but they had 6-7 other taps some nice, Lagunitas wtf, others utter crap, to all those hipsters still drink pbr stop embarrassing yourselves. With the exception of the stout nothing really stood out. The pepperoni pizza, though a bit overcooked, was still flavorful. the restaurant is in a converted firehouse which made for a dramatic setting. All in all it wasn’t a place I’d make a special trip for again.“

DiarmaidBHK 4904 days ago

“Looks like an inviting place. Irish pub so they obviously pull the Guinness and Smithwicks but also Magners cider as well. Looks like the best place in the neighborhood to watch whatever premiership match showing on fox soccer channel. They claim they’re a gastropub so they’re obviously making big claims on their food. Bottle selection sucks but they have some decent craft taps(raging dog IPA, Southampton double white, dfh 60 minute) definitely do not go out of your way to find this place if all you want are suds.“

DiarmaidBHK 4905 days ago

“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.“

Cletus 4955 days ago

“Located between BAR and Cask Republic. The tap selection here tends more toward the regional brewers. This place gets extremely crowded and making your way to the bar can be challenging during the busiest times. The best this bar has to offer are usually on one of their two casks. They also do tower takeovers where a brewer is featured on the majority of their taps. The burgers are excellent. Definitely worth a visit, though Cask Republic’s draught list is usually more interesting.“

Cletus 4960 days ago

“In the Omni Hotel. This place is owned by the same people who own Ginger Man and it shows inits decor which is dark wood with long tables and lots of taps. An excellent selection of beer. While there, I had Sink the Bismark, and on tap had some beers from Ithaca that were not available anywhere else in the state. If in New Haven, start at BAR, then hit Prime 16, then finish up at this place. New Haven is starting to become a true beer mecca in an otherwise mediocre state for beer thanks to places like this and brewers like NeBco.“

Cletus 4960 days ago

“Converted from an old firehouse, BAR has a mainly dark, untreated wood and open brick interior with wide open rooms. The place has various sections with its own separate bars, plus their are lofted tables as well. Cool looking place. Usually there are only 5-6 beers on tap brewed from the facilities. About the beer, it’s not that great; the beers I tried were flat, too watery, and were sour. However, their flatbread pizza was delicious.“

joebudzjoe 4960 days ago

“This place should not even be in the places section. It is not a beery place and there are about 90 other bars like it in the same neighborhood. Stick to Bar, Cask Republic, Prime 16 and Richter’s. The only reason sammy entered it is so that he could artificially inflate his numbers.“

Cletus 4962 days ago

“This place should not even be in the places section. It is not a beery place and there are about 90 other bars like it in the same neighborhood. Stick to Bar, Cask Republic, Prime 16 and Richter’s. The only reason sammy entered it is so that he could artificially inflate his numbers.“

Cletus 4962 days ago