Malt & Vine

dirtylou

Washington

4.5/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

finally got out to malt & vine after a stop at black raven. while black raven was a little underwhelming, Malt & Vine was really fantastic.

Maybe it was just that was a gorgeous sunny day, but the sun was spilling in this place and the huge courtyard area in the back was bustling with people enjoying beverages

the store is located in a pretty suburban strip mall - no worries though, its worth it.

The interior is spacious with a fair amount of tables and lots of room to peruse two long walls of coolers. The wine section in the back was relatively small, with probably too broad of a focus (geographically) - nothing too unique back there.

I scooped a few Cascade The Vine's (they also had kriek, apricot) and a 4th anniversary imperial rye stout from black raven. Most of the selection is consistent with what you'll find elsewhere - there is a cooler dedicated to craft cans, including singles.

There are 15-ish taps, including a few from black raven, 5 from cascade (leftover from an event, not typical i would presume) and other NW treasures with some belgian fare mixed in.

no food, but it appeared you can bring in whatever you want

04-16-2012 01:15:47 | More by dirtylou

flagmantho

Washington

4.09/5  rDev -10.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I went to Malt & Vine again today and, as usual, I was highly satisfied with my options and purchases.

As its name suggests, Malt & Vine has a wide selection of beers and wines. Two walls are devoted to beer, plus they have about a dozen or so tap options which you can drink right there or have a growler filled. In total, they must have easily a thousand varieties of beer available.

I was impressed by their selection; indeed, there were a lot of brews which I have not seen in any other local bottle shops. The place is clean and well-organized, and I had no trouble browsing and finding what I wanted.

Service was pretty average. There were three employees present and they all seemed pretty busy. I was acknowledged when I came in the store, but after that the staff were distracted and gave me the impression that I was bothering them when I was ready to check-out.

Still, I will definitely return to Malt & Vine. Their selection is great and perhaps my service experience was a rare off-day for them.

03-15-2012 23:13:15 | More by flagmantho

kevwcamp

Washington

4.88/5  rDev +6.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I go to M&V probably 2-3 times a month so I know this place well.

Atmosphere:
Good spot to bring friends for a beer or two, and you can bring in food from the teriyaki or greek spots next door. Seating in the front for maybe 16-20 people, with a flat screen tv. Bonus outdoor seating on the back patio accomodates 30+ when the weather cooperates. Friday evenings during tastings are usually standing room only when I've been there.

Quality:
Beers are always served in appropriate glassware at an appropriate temperature. They always have something really good on tap. I don't know how many times I've gone in there just to pick up a few bottles and end up drinking a beer while I browse because I can't pass it up. They appear to have a good keg cellar from the older vintages they tap once in a while. They offer growler fills for all but the rarest of beers they tap, including Pliny.

Service:
Doug and his staff really know their stuff, and you can tell they are all beer aficionados too. Their good suggestions helped me branch out when I was a fledgling BA.

Selection:
I think they are up to 18 taps now? They always have a wide variety of styles and localities on tap. They get bottles of basically everything distributed in the greater Seattle area, although just like any other well known shop you can't wait too long if you want to get the rare stuff. I am able to buy good seasonals like Doggie Claws and Stone IRS months after their release.

Value:
Bottle prices are mid-range compared to other places in the area. They have decent tap and growler fill prices.

11-29-2011 21:08:38 | More by kevwcamp

brotherloco

California

4.58/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Dropped by here simply to buy bottles, not to drink on premises.

Great layout. Two walls of coolers, with the bottles arranged regionally. I was only interested in local Washington beers and found them in the first cooler which slowly faded into Oregon beers in the next. Guy working the counter asked if I was looking for anything in particular and was really helpful in giving me the lay of the land. He also pointed out some of the rarer stuff they had and made some recommendations.

To top it all off they had just gotten a few more cases of Parabola and I was able to add a few bottles to my cellar. Excellent!

09-01-2011 01:47:01 | More by brotherloco

josephbrewha

Washington

5/5  rDev +9.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I've been coming to this place since it first opened it's doors and the service has always been exceptional. I have learned so much about beer from Doug and the other knowledgeable staff. The selection is the best on the east side and it is a fun place to sit down and have a beer. You can bring food from the outside in and some of the good eateries nearby will gladly deliver it to your table. There is also a patio for those who crave more serenity and sunshine. Beer tastings weekly and you can pick up kegs for cookouts or parties. This is a much welcomed addition to the Redmond area.

07-09-2011 17:30:17 | More by josephbrewha

dbhall

South Carolina

4.36/5  rDev -4.8%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

This store was a a minute from where i was staying, and i had no idea until the second to last day. this is a cool little store in a strip mall that has all the beers in coolers (good idea). a guy immediately helped me out and pointed out stuff that i cant get where im from. he was super helpful. the selection was good. there was a ton of north west stuff, and a big export selection. everything was well marked. you could drink in the store or outside on the back porch for a small fee. overall this store was pretty ballin. i would say that it was loud, but that's just because it's popular around that time of day. no complaints here, an all around awesome beer store.

06-01-2011 19:59:09 | More by dbhall

Azurescens

Washington

4.28/5  rDev -6.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

Great bottleshop in the middle of Redmond.

Pros:

-Good selection of reasonably priced, well organized bottles from around the world, around 15 rotating taps, always something tasty to be had, they will do growler fills.

-Really friendly and helpful staff!

-Outdoor area in back with tables and chairs.

-Awesome gyros next door, they will bring your food to you so you can eat in Malt & Vine.

-Wine and ciders too if you are into that.

Cons:

-Inside can get pretty crowded at times and difficult to find a place to sit, especially if there are a lot of yuppies and Microsoft employees on lunch break or just getting off work.

-Crackage fees can be steep, especially for expensive bottles, if you want to drink a bottle there.

-Sometimes they don't update their tap list on their website for weeks, which isn't really an issue if you follow their twitter.

05-14-2011 01:47:11 | More by Azurescens

hopburster

Washington

4.85/5  rDev +5.9%
quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

This is my local go-to spot when I have some $ burning a hole in my pocket and I want something special.

Pros:

1. Great selection of almost anything available in Washington.
2. Outstanding tap list and they'll fill your growler(s).
3. They'll open any bottle for a small corkage fee and you can drink it on premises.
4. Knowledgeable staff who will take the time to answer questions, give you info on upcoming releases, or just shoot the &%$#@ while you're quaffing your brew.

Cons: A bit of a drive for me...wish I had one down the street...but then the kids might be going to school barefoot.

Great place to go for all your needs.

02-09-2011 00:02:08 | More by hopburster

dmeadows

New York

4.5/5  rDev -1.7%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I've had a number of successful online orders with Malt & Vine, so I figured it was about time to give them a review. They have a nice and reasonably priced selection of Pacific Northwest beers, great for those (like me) who need a Midnight Sun or Alaskan Brewing fix from time to time. Price and shipping appear to be reasonable, such that I have made repeated purchases. All purchases have been well-packed and delivered in a reasonable time frame. With the much lamented dimse of LIquid Solutions, Malt & Vine has become one of my go to sites for Northwest goodness.

01-26-2011 13:13:41 | More by dmeadows

SirChugsAlot

Washington

4.5/5  rDev -1.7%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I love going to Malt & Vine. Most of the staff are friendly and know their beer. The selection is excellent and the prices are pretty spot on.. maybe a bit on the inflated side, but they gotta turn a profit too.

The have $1 beer tastings most Wednesdays and Fridays which is awesome because you can try several different beers for just $1 and most the time the brewer of that beer is there to talk about the beer. Very cool.

They have a small selection of wine and sake for those who are looking for that.

Keep an eye on their twitter or facebook page for updates!

01-08-2011 01:05:51 | More by SirChugsAlot