Dan B.
Yelp
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.