Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquor Deli

Mscarpen

Tennessee

4.74/5  rDev +6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Was visiting the DC area and looked to the tried and true BA ratings for guidance. This place hit my top three "must visit" locations but was the last for me to visit due to the location of my hotel. Of the three I visited, Connecticut Ave Wine and Liquor easily had the smallest selection, but of what they DID HAVE, good lord!

Parabola, Sucuba, Juliet, Supplication, Fruet, and on and on. The beer department manager, Al, was both very knowledgeable and just a plain cool dude. He said they work to get the good stuff in and don't really have any limitations on the distributors they can bring in. He explained that if it was in their network he could get it. If it was outside, they still could but had to buy at retail, which explained the $29.99 price point for Supplication. But hey, I'd personally rather see them bring it in an make their margins than not bring them in at all.

Scored a Parabola and a Sucuba for $16.99 a pop and left VERY happy. Thanks again to Al for hooking me up.

In my book, the best bottle shop I found during my visit to DC!

06-20-2012 01:16:24 | More by Mscarpen

WillCarrera

Illinois

4.55/5  rDev +1.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$$

Atmosphere - Pretty straightforward liquor store atmosphere, pleasant place. It does have a great location, it's literally across the street from the DuPont Circle Metro station, so it's easily accessible from pretty much anywhere in the city.

Quality/Service - The service is great, the staff are really friendly and their beer guy is helpful with questions and knowing when/if certain things are coming in.

Selection - Ridiculous. Their beer section is small but very well-curated. I seriously don't know how they get some of this stuff, but I've seen Russian River, Alpine, Three Floyds, Pipeworks, Deschutes, The Bruery, Surly and Cigar City on their shelves. There's also a section for six packs in the fridge that has a solid selection as well.

Price - It varies, but generally slightly pricey, although there are more expensive places within walking distance of here. Local/broad distribution stuff is reasonably priced for the DC area, but the crazy stuff like Alpine and Three Floyds are extremely expensive and I usually only buy those if it's something I'm dying to try.

Overall this is one the best places for beer in DC, despite the price their selection is unbeatable and is probably one of the only places on the East Coast that gets some of the stuff in their selection, definitely worth a visit if you're in the DC area.

11-02-2012 05:28:26 | More by WillCarrera

gglammi

4.21/5  rDev -5.8%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$$

I am very fortunate to have this place just around the corner from my office in Dupont Circle. It's a small place and their selection is not huge, but it's big-time quality over quantity. They get stuff that no one else in DC gets, such as Pliny the Elder and beers from Surly. They also have a great selection of Belgian beers. Supply and the rarity of some beers certainly dictate the prices, which can be high, but everything is relative. Al the beer guy is great, and sends out an email to let customers know when new stuff comes in. He'll even hold a bottle for you if you call and ask. The store is right across from the Dupont Circle Metro station North exit, so if you're in town, it's easy to get to.

07-27-2012 13:19:31 | More by gglammi

ThisWangsChung

Maryland

4.44/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

In my opinion, this is one if the better places to find beer rarities in the DC area.

First off, it's quite small, so on busier nights, expect to be a little cramped. There isn't a huge selection - but you can usually count on finding several great harder-to-find beers here. I found some RR Supplication - but it was $30, so I didn't bite the bullet. I did bite the bullet on bottles of Sucaba and GI Juliet, though (both $17). For lulz, they even offer a few BMC choices, and of course, they have a very solid wine and spirits selection, as well (I briefly considered getting a bottle of EC12 bourbon).

In general, their beer prices are on par for the DC area - but if you ever see something out of area like Three Floyds, AleSmith, or Russian River, expect to pay out the ass for it. Personally, I'd rather learn the basics of trading when I get the opportunity to do so, but it's damn good to know I can just ride the Metro up here and snag something special.

If you're looking to do beer shopping in bulk, look elsewhere - such as the Whole Foods Market nearby on P St. between Logan Circle and 16th St. If you're hoping to snag some of the latest hard to find beers, this is the place to go in DC. I'll definitely be back when I get the chance.

06-18-2012 17:24:14 | More by ThisWangsChung

DWolf

Pennsylvania

4.34/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 3 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

In DC for business and researched beer stores near my hotel. Connecticut Avenue Wine & Liquor did not disappoint, nor the reviews which led me here. The selection isn't broad, but the offerings are pretty top notch. Al knows his beer and is very friendly and helpful. Upon speaking with him, and learning that I was looking for some things I couldn't get where I live, he was all kinds of helpful. The mark-ups were a little steep, but you get what you pay for, as the saying goes. Conveniently located in DuPont Circle, this tiny shop is definitely worth a visit if you are in our nation's capitol.

03-05-2012 00:56:11 | More by DWolf

risenc

District of Columbia

5/5  rDev +11.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | $$

I used to live in Washington, D.C. and I came to rely on this place for getting hard-to-find beers; I live in New York City now, but I still stop by whenever I'm in town. Al is a great beer guy, and a great guy as well -- always has a few minutes to catch up. DC is fast becoming one of the East Coast's best beer cities (not a lot of brewers, but a lot of great bars and stores), and CAWLD is a critical part of that growth. They've usually got all the latest regional products, but they've got a great and constantly rotating selection of Midwest and West Coast brews as well.

02-03-2012 18:58:24 | More by risenc

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.6/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$$

Even though I have moments when I'm genuinely conflicted about this place and its mission of pulling "out of market" brews, placing them on the shelf many miles from their intended targets, and then charging an arm and a leg for them, I find myself gravitating to this place quite often.

Atmosphere: This is located right off the DuPont Circle Metro stop and is a hop, skip, and a jump away from some of my favorite restaurants and hangs in DC.

They have restructured in the last year or so and that is a very good thing. With the small amount of space that is allotted here, I'm glad the deli is gone. In its place... more shelves... for beer... gotta love it!

Quality and Service: Al, the beer guru, is the absolute bomb! He always remembers your face, and is passionate about some of the cool beers that he can get... and WILL get! My advice is to speak with him and get on his email list, that way you will always be aware of the cool beers that he works hard to attain.

Selection: This is NOT the place to take an out of towner looking for local brews. There is very little (if any) DC Brau, Lost Rhino, and Heavy Seas here. This place is about pleasing us DC beer geeks, and to that end, Al is a force to be reckoned with...

A non-comprehensive list of the beers that I've seen at this place: Most of the biggie brews from Lost Abbey, FFF, Surly, Dark Horse, and Cigar City (just bought a Zukov the other day). More: Heady Topper, Alpine: Nelson, Speedway Stout, Older Viscosity, Victory at Sea, and many, many others. Catch my drift?

Value: This place is expensive according to what I'm use to, no doubt. $20 for a bottle of Dreadnaught? Jeez... But look at it this way: If you don't have access to the beer and have to trade for it, it will cost you about as much in the long run due to shipping, hassle, etc...

If you're local and a beer geek... look no further.

12-23-2011 04:09:07 | More by Chaney

manOfminneapolis

District of Columbia

4.44/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

As far as DC liquor stores go, this place has a wide range of high-end brews. Both the coolers are stocked with a nice selection of less pricey beer. Unfortunately, the prices go up for harder to find brews, but I found that reasonable. The usual suspect 6-packs were in line with what I see around town.

Al is the beer guy there and I spoke to him briefly. He is a very nice guy, knows his stuff, and is big on customer service. If you have a question or want to if they are or will be carrying a certain item, call in advance or seek him out in the store.

11-20-2011 14:43:36 | More by manOfminneapolis

fountainofyouth

District of Columbia

4.24/5  rDev -5.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This place is conveniently located in Dupont Circle, right by the Metro and next to Kramerbooks. The place itself is small and a little cramped, with alcohol from floor to ceiling.

Staff is friendly enough, with someone checking to make sure you've found everything if you're searching for a while.

Superb selection of 22 oz. bottles, and pretty good in the way of six-packs. They go pretty heavy on the seasonals. There are several shelves stocked only with abbey ales and Imperial stouts.

Prices are very good considering their variety and the neighborhood competition. The store at 1 West Dupont charges $17 for a six-pack of Bell's Double Cream Stout, but it's only $14 here. Ayinger Celebrator was also several bucks cheaper for a four-pack.

11-01-2011 06:14:22 | More by fountainofyouth

Thorpe429

Illinois

4.44/5  rDev -0.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

Nice little place not too far at all from the Dupont Circle station, so plenty accessible to travelers. By not too far, I mean about twenty steps from the northern exit to the station. Small place on the corner, beer is to the left and back once you walk in. Not a huge number of beers, but there isn't much of anything there that I wouldn't mind drinking.

Al is great and always extremely helpful. The e-mail updates aren't frequent, but normally contain a few gems. Connecticut Ave. is perhaps the best in DC at taking advantage of the liquor laws and bringing in plenty of out-of-market beers. While they're generally pricey, it's nice to have that option. Most of the time these beers are fresh -- e.g., in the past week I've seen Deschutes Inversion IPA and Surly Furious that were less than a month old -- though occasionally some things slip, so I wouldn't grab anything hoppy without a date code.

All in all, definitely a place worth stopping. DC has pretty good distribution, and this becomes excellent when you add in the extra stuff available here.

08-13-2011 15:35:22 | More by Thorpe429