Rodman's

TMoney2591

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +6.4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

After looking for a good beer selection in the District and reading the preceding reviews, I had to check this place out. Upon entering and being greeted with a pyramid of macros, I began to worry, but a quick few steps further in enlightened me. Though the space allotted for beer is small, every inch of space is utilized to the fullest. Although the selection itself may not be the largest I've seen, it is overwhelmingly of sterling quality, including things I could not find before around the NOVA area. In terms of service, the only term I can use is "top-notch". I was politely asked if I were looking for anything in particular; after a bit more browsing, I asked for certain brands, was directed thereto, and was then introduced to some beers I've not thought of trying before. He even went so far as to show me a recent news article concerning a certain brew. To top things off, the prices were more than fair, and they apparently always have some good sales going on. I will definitely be making this place one of my usual haunts from now on.

03-02-2010 10:57:13 | More by TMoney2591

CuriousMonk

Virginia

2.94/5  rDev -30.5%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

I expected more out of this place as I heard good reviews on this site as well as others. I by a huge margin, prefer Total Wine and Whole Foods over this place. The beer selection is quite expansive but mostly of traditional cratft beer that you can find anywhere else. Granted, this place may receive some Hopslam or KBS which is a huge plus especially for such a small shop like this one. I think they are allotted one case of the good stuff so you just have to keep calling the store checking when they'll be stocked with the good stuff. I have to do the same thing with the other local beer shops anyway. Staff mostly worked the produce/food section. Very crowded and not designed well for navigation throughout. Can't remember the prices of the beers bc I was bummed out- so I put down reasonable.

03-29-2011 18:35:03 | More by CuriousMonk

drabmuh

Maryland

4.3/5  rDev +1.7%
quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Rodman's is a gourmet grocery store at the Friendship Heights station (if you take the south exit from the station its only a block from the elevator). It's a little small but it packs a lot of stuff into the store. The primary draw for me is the beer / wine selection.

About 1/4 of the store is devoted to beer and wine. The wine selection is impressive and extensive. Several hundred (pushing 1000) different bottles of wine at any time. A helpful and attentive staff. There is also a great craft beer section. There is a beer director at the store and he's always willing to help. He'll tell you when special beers are arriving and when is the best time to get there to get them. They even have an email list you can get on to reserve special beers. A very very cool place.

01-14-2010 21:25:59 | More by drabmuh

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.4/5  rDev -19.6%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 4.5 | $$

A- Narrow halls, lots of groceries, beer is back in a corner.
Q- Lots of good beer, enough of it refrigerated. No freshness problems in my times visiting. Lighting is a problem though as there seems to be a good bit of light hitting the beer.
Ser- Neither particularly friendly nor helpful. I've been there about six times and no one has ever asked me if I need help.
Sel- Lots of good stuff. Victory, Racer 5, Goose Island, Troegs, Harpoon, Great Lakes, Dogfish Head, I think Founder's and/or Bell's, other's as well. Mostly six packs, but a fair number of bombers as well.
Decent prices on most of their stuff, and I would definitely go for the beer, because the experience is otherwise lacking.

06-23-2011 07:46:31 | More by jsprain1

smakawhat

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev -9%
quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Rodman's is a discount grocery store that has a very surprising selection of beers. Lots of the stuff though is unboxed but you can luckily see everything. It is a bit chaotic in the back though wandering through the boxes.

This is however in a very pricey neighborhood so depending on what you're buying it's going to reflect that in the price. The work staff also goofs around a lot I notice as well, but they will answer questions and are quite pleasant.

One quick to note is they have cash registers in the back. So if you are stuck in the front of the store at one of the two tills, there are more in the back of the store.

01-14-2011 18:49:52 | More by smakawhat

Daniellobo

District of Columbia

2.98/5  rDev -29.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 1 | selection: 3.5 | $$

What once was a reference for craft beer in the region lost its grip for a while, but seemed to pick it up after a couple of slips with the new management. But a gimmicky policy with special releases, and an unprofessional exchange in social networks with some inappropriate remarks made it for me.

The price gauging seemed to be a sign of an early management attitude that was called out and corrected. There was more than one instance, but it seemed that they had recuperated a reasonable price bracket. Now, the rambling announcement on social media about receiving special releases was quite nice, and whether one got it or not, it helped to keep an eye out. Recently with one particular release, they showed it off, said it was sold out in an hour, but actually had kept a few bottles aside to set up a sophomoric marketing raffle for a chance to buy a bottle. And while I disliked the gimmick, it was the disrespectful answer I received to my critique that really did it. Quite spectacular... Maybe the new guy will do well with his crowd but the underlying attitude I've felt does not work for me. What a swing... Luckily there is more than this to the region and to my neighborhood.

01-24-2012 18:45:31 | More by Daniellobo

alysmith4

District of Columbia

4.3/5  rDev +1.7%
quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

Definitely one of my favorite places to buy beer in DC. The selection is great, and they have everything well organized. Most of the beer is seperated into "American" or "Imported" and they have singles, 6-packs, and larger beers. There is also a nice (big) cold case full of all the popular selections. This was my go-to place for HopSlam this year, and actually I would have never discovered it all those years ago had the sales-person not introduced me to it. (Note: They have an excellent selection of wine as well.)

02-25-2010 20:21:17 | More by alysmith4

OldSock

District of Columbia

4.15/5  rDev -1.9%
quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

It is a solid beer store, plus a decent selection of interesting groceries. The selection is solid and occasionally there are some terrific deals, like a bottle of St. Nikolaus Bock Reserve I picked up a few months ago for $6. That said it is not the place to go to grab any and all rare or just released beers. They seem to buy in larger quantities than many of the smaller places in the city so when they get something it tends to stick around for longer than at other places (both good and bad).

Hoppy Dave (the beer manager) is often walking around the section and generally seems like one of the more committed beer managers I have met.

Certainly worth checking out if you are in NW.

07-30-2008 17:38:12 | More by OldSock

macpapi

Maryland

3.7/5  rDev -12.5%
quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$

Rodman's is an ethnic grocery store that carries foods, beverages, and miscellania from many different countries in Europe, South, and Latin America. There are several locations around the D.C. area, but the Wisconsin Avenue location is the only one worth going out of your way to visit for beer.

Entering the front (Wisconsin Ave) entrance, the beer department is off to the right side of the floor. It comprises a very small amount of total square footage, but packs a lot of high quality brews into that area. Rodman's carries a pretty nice and solid representation of American craft brews. Both regional and national brands are pretty well represented. There is a pretty good distribution of different well-respected American sources. Founders, Bells, Victory, Lagunitas, Stone, Ommegang, Goose Island, Clipper City, Oskar Blues, and many others are represented-many with both regular and seasonal offerings.

There are also many respectable Belgian and other European brews from the usual suspects (Gouden Carolus, St. Bernardus, Schneider and Sohn, Duvel, Weihenstephaner, Chimay, and others) as well as several unique and rarer bottles that I had rarely or never seen elsewhere. Many of these are sold in 11.2 oz single bottles, but (as I found to my dismay when trying to buy a single Urthel Samaranth) they will not break all six/four packs for individual sale no matter the cost. This is a definite drawback and puts them at a disadvantage when compared to competitors such as Chevy Chase Wine and Spirits and Olney Beer and Wine, at least in my opinion. Still a good selection.

Prices are very reasonable. There always seems to be something good on sale. This can range from a good six-pack at 2-3 dollars off (got a sixer of Founders Dirty Bastard for the 2001-like price of $7.99 recently) to Belgian 750s at a reduced rate (as seen with another recent purchase of Delirum Noel and Gouden Carolus Noel for $7.99 a piece.) Outside of sale prices, Rodman's is a good 10-20% cheaper than local competitors' costs in general. Score one for this store due to the fact that despite being located in a particular pricy region they manage to effectively keep costs down.

Service is mediocre at best. I've never met the beer manager, which, based on past reviews of Rodman's, is unfortunate. Regular employees have been much more interested in stocking the shelves than helping out customers during my visits. In fact the already cramped conditions of Rodman's beer department along with the regular employee attitude often make me feel like I'm in the way of their seemingly more important work when I've been visiting. The set- up and vibe of this department is one that, unfortunately, is not really conducive to browsing.

On the whole, based on what they have and prices, Rodman's is a very good place to purchase good craft and imported beer. There are some definite drawbacks, but compared to the other local options this is one of the go-to places in D.C.

12-14-2009 22:18:37 | More by macpapi

silver0rlead

North Carolina

4.3/5  rDev +1.7%
quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $

This place fucking rocks, plain and simple. If you can only stop at one beer store in DC, this should be it. The selection is crowded, but excellent as it's tucked away in the corner. The beer guy at this store is really cool and let me break a 4 pack of Bourbon County Stout...he definitely knows his stuff. As far as the brands they carry I saw Goose Island, Troegs, Great Lakes, Rogue, Oscar Blues, 21st Amendment, Stone, Cisco, DuClaw, Founders, Schalfly and Lagunitas among others, as well as some Belgians and other Euro imports. I didn't see any Southern Tier here though which was kind of curious. The prices were very cheap, especially for the city (I scored a sixer of Troegs Hopback Amber for $7.49 which was $3 cheaper than at Whole Foods).

04-04-2010 03:11:58 | More by silver0rlead