The Wine Thief & Ale Jail | Wine & Beer in the Twin Cities

Bold Wine

Bold wines are big and full—sometimes with hints of oak, chocolate, or currents. These wines are assertive and bulging with muscle—the Superman of wines. Bold wines go great with rich, full-flavored foods such as grilled steaks or dishes served with heavy sauces.

Harmonious Wine

Harmonious wines have layers of complex flavor without any single component dominating the taste. These medium-bodied wines finish quite smoothly, like a well-balanced symphony or a great book. Harmonious wines are great with everyday foods like pastas, sandwiches, and pizza.

Crisp Wine

Crisp wines are bright with hints of citrus, tart apple, pear, or mineral (think wet rocks). They snap and make us think of starched linens on grandma’s dining room table. Crisp wines are great with foods that have a little more acid in them such as tomatoes, citrus fruits, vinaigrettes, and goat cheese. These wines also pair well with saltier foods such as oysters.

Fruity Wine

Fruity wines have flavors and aromas of grapes, berries, or apple, and can sometimes give a sense of just a hint of sweetness. They are that well-worn pair of jeans: easy-going, light, and easy to match. Fruity wines are great with many foods, especially ones that are a little salty, smoky, spicy, or sweet.

Spicy Wine

Spicy wines have hints of pepper and sometimes other spices such as cinnamon or anise. They have a slight bite, sort of like that nippy terrier down the block. Spicy wines go great with some spicy foods like Cajun and island dishes, but they are also great complements to burgers, grilled red meats, and rich poultry dishes.

Sweet Wine

Sweet wines are, well, sweet. Not quite that chocolate torte you’ve been avoiding, but decadent just the same. Many sweeter wines go great with spicier foods, while lush dessert wines are often sipped in small quantities by themselves or with a dessert after a satisfying meal.

Fizzy Wine

Fizzy wines are sparkling and fun. Not just for special occasions, fizzy wines run the gamut from sweet to dry, white to red, full bubbles to just a light fizz. They are great with brunch, sipping on their own, or as an aperitif before a meal.

Sake

After our own disappointment in the sake selection in town, it was clear that The Wine Thief would open with a unique selection of sakes, all of premium quality. A collection of fine Nigiri and Junmai Ginjo/Daiginjo sakes (see descriptions below) can be found in our store ranging in prices and flavors. We are also pleased to carry sake cups and sets.

Lagers

Lagers—which include pilsners, helles, bocks, Schwarzbier, and more—are clean-tasting, lighter-alcohol beers that make you think of walking in the rain and cheering on the World Cup. They’re good, all-around food beers, and perfect to serve with pretzels and mustard. Sweeter bocks, such as doppelbocks, can complement heartier, spicier desserts, such as pumpkin pie or spice cake.
Glassware: Tall Pilsner Glass

Wheat Beers & Golden Ales

Wheat beers and golden ales—which include witbiers, weizens, blonde ales, summer ales, and more—showcase, well, the wheat and other light malts. Think fields of wheat blowing in the wind and a sundress and you’ve got the idea. Pair with delicate foods, such as a light chicken dishes, pastas, or light cheeses.
Glassware: German Weizen

Pales, Bitters, & IPAs

Pales, bitters, and IPAs (India pale ales) often bring to the forefront one of the key four ingredients in beer: hops. Bitter, but in a way that makes many swoon, these beers will make you think of walks through a pine forest with a loaf of fresh, baked bread in your basket. Perfect with a wide variety of foods from roasted chicken to spicy cuisine.
Glassware: English “Nonick” Pint

Saisons

Saison means “season,” and these beers are strong, refreshing golden ales brewed traditionally in the farmhouses of Belgium. You’ll drink this carbonated, dry, beer; sense the citrus, earth, and spice peeking through at you; and you’ll feel at one with the farmhands this summer refresher was made for. Saisons work wonders with brightly flavored shrimp salads and are bold enough …

Triples & Strong Goldens

Although strong, triples and strong goldens have very delicate flavors—kind of like Karloff’s Frankenstein and that flower. Except instead of accidentally killing you (although they’ve been known to injure some), these beers will use their highly carbonated nature for good, especially when paired with oily fish, creamy pastas, and soft, mouth-coating cheeses.
Glassware: Tulip

Dubbels & Strong Darks

Dubbels and strong dark ales emphasize caramelized malt, dark Belgian candy sugar, dark fruits like figs, and sometimes even notes of rum. They’re contemplative ales, and as the beer of monks, drinking one is sure to inspire your own remote monastery in your basement, garage, or stairwell. While meditating, make sure to envision the perfect pairing of gamey meats or darker preparations of oily fish.  
Glassware: Chalice/Goblet

Browns, Porters, & Stouts

While browns, porters, and stouts are different entities, they do share a similarity: they all contain varying degrees of roasted black malts. From the subtly roasty, nutty browns to the robust yet crisp stouts, these beers will make you feel like royalty and lead you to go searching your wardrobe for purple velvet and bling. All are wonderful with rich desserts and strong cheeses.
Glassware: English Tulip Pint

Barley Wines & Meads

Barley wines and meads are lively and fruity, sometimes sweet, sometimes bittersweet, but always full of happiness—and alcohol. They’re like the antidote to cold Minnesota winters, like that fake bearskin rug in front of the fireplace with a great book. Good with both sweet and spicy, these fruity wines are in many ways like the cognac of beer—while they can be paired, they’re often best sipped alone.
Glassware: Snifter

Specialty Beers

Sometimes what you need is a specialty beer that doesn’t seem to fit any other category. Rauchbiers, sours, Flemmish reds, lambics, guezes, ciders, and others all fall here …

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