Village Pump Liquors

Village Pump LiquorsVillage Pump Liquors
Village Pump LiquorsVillage Pump Liquors
Store

4901 Greenbelt Road
College Park, Maryland, 20740
United States

(301) 474-8922 | map
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.82
Reviews:
28
Ratings:
32
pDev:
18.32%
View: Place Reviews
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Photo of davida1225
Reviewed by davida1225 from Maryland

4.24/5  rDev +11%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Great local liquor store (beer, wine hard liquor) in College Park. For a relatively small footprint, it has an awesome selection. They pack every square foot with stock, and you can find a wide variety. Good selection of beer in cans as well as 750's of Belgians, special brews, etc. My go-to beer store for 85% of my beer needs.
Oct 22, 2017
Photo of paulrwelch
Reviewed by paulrwelch from Tennessee

4.41/5  rDev +15.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
So we're traveling through on a road trip happened upon this store such a great little store stocked to the gills with all kinds of craft beer from the biggest to the smallest decent prices if you are going through DC and you're a beer lover you need to stop by
Jun 16, 2016
 
Rated: 3.86 by 50StateBeerTour from Arkansas

Jan 30, 2016
 
Rated: 1 by trodge from Missouri

Aug 16, 2014
 
Rated: 2.44 by DrBass from Maryland

Mar 04, 2014
Photo of dauss
Reviewed by dauss from Colorado

3.3/5  rDev -13.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3 | selection: 3.5
This is the best liquor store in College Park, hands down. You have to come here if you are in the College Park area. Compared to the dozens of other liquor stores I've been to, this place is ok, hence the rating.

It is an assuming little place on Greenbelt. A tiny lot with around a dozen spaces. You walk in and this place is crammed full. The aisles can't even accommodate two people standing side by side.

Their selection is the best in College Park. You'll find a lot of stuff that you don't find elsewhere, perhaps there are very few customers that purchase the rare and more sought after beers, with most of their business selling things that come in 30 packs. What is terribly disappointing is finding hoppy beers on warm shelving. I understand that coolers take up room and are expensive, but it is essential to selling the freshest beer.

Service is usually nonexistent, but once in a while a employee will ask if I need help, but decline. The prices vary. Some items are very reasonable and some items are excessive. Other than that, a majority of items are on par or very slightly lower than normal prices in MD.

I live in Montgomery county(but spend most of my waking hours in CP), which means I am SOL for picking up reasonably priced beer. Worth stopping by if you are close, but not specifically just for this if you have no reason to come to the College Park area. If this were a rating for liquor stores in College Park only, this is a 5.0/5.0.
Feb 16, 2012
Photo of TRICKYD1CK
Reviewed by TRICKYD1CK from France

4.8/5  rDev +25.7%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5
By far my favorite place to buy alcohol in the states. To find a better beer selection, you have to trek out to Corridor Wine & Spirits in Laurel and, honestly, who wants to do that?

Great selection of domestics and imports. Huge selection of Rogue single bottles. All the Flying Dog and Sam Adams brews. Tons of Ommegang, DFH, and Unibroue. Belgian beers galore. Sixers of lots of German Hefes. Franziskaner Weiss and Dunkel for $2/50cl bottle! What?! TNP, STB, Rochefort, Chimay, La Trappe.

Lots of local beers too! Flying Dog, Stillwater, DuClaw, Heavy Seas, and more.

The staff, by the way, is super friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. They're the kinds of guys who get excited when talking about beers and who, you know, are gonna crack open a bottle of some killer brew when they get off work. I've seen more than one of the employees here at parties and they're just as friendly outside of the workplace as in.

And the prices! Sixers of craft micros are a solid $1-2 cheaper than anywhere else in College Park.

Great wine and liquor selection too, by the way. Their Bulleit Bourbon is particularly inexpensive.

This review has been proudly made with the bias of a beer-loving UMD student.
Sep 28, 2011
Photo of Smakawhat
Reviewed by Smakawhat from Maryland

3.94/5  rDev +3.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
Nestled in College Park surrounded by the history of the old Route 1 highway appears to be a very unassuming liquor store. From outside it appears like it has been there for decades, and certainly not one that will offer much.

However, upon entering it's a tightly nit bunch of shelves, with about half of the store dedicated to craft beer. This is also one of the only places in nearby DC in Maryland where I've seen 12oz singles available for sale, but they're not many.

The neighborhood is filled with a college crowd, and it seemed that behind the counter was staffed with college students. Fine when you got to the counter, goofing off when you weren't doing anything. If you probably asked for help they would genuinely do so, but nobody was going to come out and ask if I needed a hand or something. Another old lady walked around without saying a word stacking cans of Miller on the shelves not looking like she wanted to be bothered.

Still though the most impressive thing I noticed was the selection in here. Right away my eyes focuses on a Doppelstick Altbier, one brew I've been trying to get for AGES and have never found anywhere. I started seeing many of the craft beers I had regular bought, and even ones I anticipated on getting. There were numerous I mean SEVERAL six packs in this place, and there is a very good foreign beer selection here. I've been to many great stores in the DC/MD/VA area and the selection here floored me.

Overall I was really impressed by this place, and the prices here are actually reasonable (must be because it's not part of Montgomery County). I will be back here again often if I can! One very unassuming store and a hidden gem!
Aug 12, 2011
Photo of 321jeff
Reviewed by 321jeff from Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +9.9%
Stopped by here for the first time on the way to an in-person trade and I'm glad I did. Wow, talk about a hole in the wall. Under normal circumstances I would NEVER have stopped in there unless I was looking for some cheap booze. The only hint of what's inside is a sign outside that says "craft beer."

Once inside you'll find your standard liquor store fare but against the back wall there are a bunch of coolers and some shelves of craft beer. Much to my surprise, I found some Fantome and Cantillon stuff and a good variety of the imports along with all the normal craft stuff available at most places in Maryland. The organization isn't the worst I've ever seen, but it's not great. The upside is that there aren't a whole lot of bottles to go through to find what you want. I would estimate they have about 250 different varieties total. There's also a small singles shelf, nice.

I didn't get asked if I needed help, but the lady at the register was friendly. Prices were about as good as anywhere in the state of Maryland and some things were surprisingly low. Brooklyn BCS was $7.99 and the Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus was only $16.99.

I probably won't go back in there unless I hear they have something interesting or I am passing through the area, but if you're nearby it's definitely worth a look.
Feb 12, 2011
Photo of drabmuh
Reviewed by drabmuh from Maryland

4.5/5  rDev +17.8%
This is my new beer store. Not only is it close to me, which is important, but there is a decent selection of six packs and bombers from different breweries around the world. The beer is roughly organized by region and the prices are not unreasonable. About 1/3 to 1/4 of the store is dedicated to beer. They have the standard fair, domestic light lagers, but there is a good sized case with several beers that I was unfamiliar with. I picked up a Russian beer I had never heard of, a couple of pumpkin beers for my wife and some Celebrator for myself. I will definitely be returning to this store frequently.
Aug 19, 2009
Photo of sarahspat
Reviewed by sarahspat from Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
Yes, it looks like a ghetto liquor store from the outside... and on the inside too. It's kind of dingy and cramped. The beer selection occupies about 40-50% of the shelf space in the store. The rest is wine and hard liquor.

But the selection is awesome. As an example, they stocked nearly every Rogue bomber I've ever seen and some I've never seen or even heard of. They also had a lot of weird brews like Kelpie Seaweed Ale. I wish I had more money to spend, because I could have really gone crazy there. I bought a bomber of Hop Rod Rye which I have been wanting to try and have never seen in a store (but then again, I'm not from this area). But I was more excited about a Russian beer I bought. I majored in Russian Studies and am really interested in all things Russian. All of the writing on the can was in Russian, not like it was labeled for export, which I thought was very interesting. It'll probably be nasty, but the novelty alone is worth the $1.99.

In general, the prices were very reasonable. Every beer I looked at was priced what it was worth or was a deal! 6 packs of Longshot were $10, 4 packs of Boddington's were $7, Bear Republic bombers were $4. Ommegeddon was $11.

One major drawback for me is that they don't sell singles or mixed sixers. Lame. The lady who I asked about it said something about how it would be too difficult to price them, but I don't buy that. Pretty much every other beer store with this kind of selection allows mixed sixers, in my experience. I'm in a stage in my beer life where really not interested in drinking anything I've had before, so I'd prefer this option.

Even though the feel of the store was a little creepy, the old man who I think was the owner did ask me if I needed help, and I would be willing to bet that he knows his stuff. It almost seemed like there were too many workers there (at least three and the store wasn't that big). It was a little cramped and awkward to navigate the store, especially with all of the workers stocking everywhere I turned.

All in all, the selection is reason enough to return. I would just stick to bombers, but there are enough of those to make it worth while.
May 13, 2009
Photo of Reagan1984
Reviewed by Reagan1984 from Massachusetts

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
Thanks to Dyan for the recommendation of the Village Pump. The funny thing is that I was here three years ago while staying at the same hotel. Then it was a search for DFH 60 as I was just learning about craft beers. Today I threw up a thread asking where to buy beer and was told this was the local spot.

Selection was pretty good. Solid line up of the craft basics and a nice selection of basic Belgians. Man was this place cramped... Almost to the point that it was annoying.

A decent store if you are in the neighborhood, but not one to seek out. Stick with Stateline in Elkton...
Mar 26, 2009
Photo of jamesdantes13
Reviewed by jamesdantes13 from Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +13.9%
Village Pump Liquors looks like a typical liquor store, but has an exceptional selection of beers.

They have the majority of beers that are distributed in the east coast including Stone, DFH, Clipper City, Flying Dog, Brooklyn Brewery, Ommegang, Troegs, ect. They have a decent selection of imports as well (Belgian, German, etc.). Furthermore, the almost all the beers are priced lower than other stores. For example, I've seen price differences of up to 5-6$ (4-pack of Young's Double Cream Stout can go for up to $15 at some places, here its $8.99).

The place is pretty organized, although a bit cramped. They packed the store to maximum capacity. The beers are mostly kept away from sunlight and most are refrigerated (some places I've been to have had skunked beer, none from this place thus far).

This is my favorite place to go to now after checking out most places in the D.C. area. It's pretty close to UMD College Park as well. Large selection, organized, properly stored beer, and low prices; check this place out if you are near.
Feb 01, 2009
Photo of THEOPTIMATOR88
Reviewed by THEOPTIMATOR88 from Illinois

4.2/5  rDev +9.9%
As a craft beer fan moored in a town catered to college students, I usually had to drive to DC to get some good brews. I would've never thought a place as dingy looking as Village Pump would carry great beer but they have quite the selection of good domestics (Troegs, Dogfish, Southern Tier, Stone, etc.), some good import packs and a very excellent selection of single bottles of all varieties. My friend and I picked up a Rochefort 8 and a World Wide Stout the other day just as an example. The staff are friendly but are not beer experts by any means. Aside from selection, the best thing about this place are the prices. The usual suspects can get expensive (Dogfish and Stone come to mind) but for the most part, they are extremely fair. A good store for those looking for good beer in an unlikely area.
Jan 24, 2009
Photo of thekanna
Reviewed by thekanna from Maryland

3.2/5  rDev -16.2%
Truly the "unfound niche" in Prince George's county. Place looks pretty unassuming from the outside, and I drove by it many times thinking it was just another BMC macro crap place. Boy was I wrong. They have quite the selection of domestic sixers as well as 750 ml bottle Belgians. There's actually also an amazingly eclectic collection of singles: Scotch Silly, Gose, etc. Great beer glassware on sale for dirt cheap too... got a Leffe goblet for only $3.99.

Can't say much about the service, but I didn't really need the help, and the prices were more than enough to compensate for it anyway. All in all, a decent place.
Jan 09, 2009
Photo of jwhawkins81
Reviewed by jwhawkins81 from Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
Again this place is easy to miss if you're not paying attention. And not easy to get out of in after work traffic either. While a majority of the clientele I've observed are there to grab something cheap and run they have a good selection of warm and cold craft beer.

Since I don't keep a lot of beer sitting around I appreciated the amount of beer they had on hand in coolers. Plenty of six and four packs and bombers.

I thought the prices on most items was good and maybe a little low for the DC area. I picked up an 07 Thomas Hardy for $5.49 and a four pack of Samuel Smith's for less than $9. The likes of DFH World Wide Stout and 120 min were $7.99.

Really worth checking out if you're in the area.
Nov 04, 2008
Photo of Redwood21
Reviewed by Redwood21 from Virginia

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
this place was described to me as "sketchy as hell from the outside" "awesome on the inside" I would definitely agree with the sketchy as hell part. When i pulled up there were 3 guys drinking from a case of budlight they just bought in their pickup in the lot...somewhat in theory had to drive eventually? at any rate i was not disappointed when i got inside, a lot of heavy hitters and a good import and domestic variety. One i was surprised to find was anchor summer, doesn't usually get heavy distribution where i have lived before. The place is small but packed as much as it could be. There is by far more craft beer than macro and its all well maintained. In fact a very large amount (over half?) is kept in fridges I picked up a 6 of summer ale, and a bottle of delirium nocturnum. The prices were fair some where below what i have seen elsewhere but nothing was jacked up. They had dfh 120 ipa for 8 bucks for example. The help while i was there was all behind the counter, like a normal liquor store, they were friendly bt not really "helpful"
Jun 18, 2008
Photo of ahalloin
Reviewed by ahalloin from Virginia

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
I stop in this place every few weeks and am constantly reminded why it is worth it. They always seem to have something no one else has or at least few have but at a better price. They carry a great selection of Southern Tier, Rogue, DFH, Troegs, Clipper City, and various Belgians that are difficult to find (at least in Virginia). The prices seem to be the lowest in the usually expensive area of DC metro.

The place is rather unsightly and easy to miss. It is right where 193 and 403 split just east of US 1. I can't speak for everyone but I have never run into an incredibly knowledgeable employee, but they do stock well. It's almost as if they HAD a knowledgeable beer person who left and the crew working there just kept filling out the stocking order the same. I could be wrong though.
May 12, 2008
Photo of MrMcGibblets
Reviewed by MrMcGibblets from Illinois

4/5  rDev +4.7%
pulling up, you wouldn't think this is a good place to buy beer. the building is small and kinda dingy from the outside, with macro signs in the window, but as you enter and wind your way to the back there is a nice selection of craft brews, including many i can't get back home...stone, troegs, oskar blues, green flash, stoudt's, southampton, and numerous east coast locals. a good variety of beers to choose from in this small, cramped space. most everything is in coolers and in cases stacked about. bomber and import sections are decent, there is also some glassware to be had from random breweries, for example a chimay glass for $2.99. beer prices were good as i walked with 2 cases worth of all different, good shit for $85, tax included. nothing really to note about service, just go, get your stuff, and check out kind of place as far as i could tell. no dusty bottles or old shit laying around that i noticed, either.
Mar 23, 2008
Photo of DefenCorps
Reviewed by DefenCorps from Oregon

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
I work all of five minutes from here and am here at least once a week. Pretty damn good selection here - all the regulars from the area are well represented - Victory, Troegs, Clipper City, DFH, Weyerbacher, Brooklyn, Southampton, Southern Tier as well as some others - Stone, Anderson Valley, Oskar Blues (I picked up a ton of Ten Fidy here!), North Coast, Smuttynose, Great Divide, He'Brew, Rogue, Avery and a few others. As far as imports go - there's enough to keep me busy and a ton of stuff i'm yet to try. Their selection is improving and fast and I've found Rochefort 6 and 8, Westmalle, St. Bernadus 12 and a few more DeProef beers too. If you are in the area, it's definitely worth checking out. A lot cheaper than Chevy Chase too.
Mar 20, 2008
Photo of MICAMD
Reviewed by MICAMD from Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +13.9%
After going here, I honestly don't know why I went so far out of my way to make it to Chevy Chase's. The selection was very good with stuff from Oskar Blues, Ommegang, DFH, Troegs, Southern Tier, Smuttynose, Stoudt's, Victroy, Trapistes Rochefort, Magic Hat, Stone, Green Flash, Rogue, Allagash, St. Bernardus, Weyerbacher, Great Divide... just off the top of my head. Most of the beers were in the coolers, which seemed well stocked. It is pretty cramped inside, but who cares. The selection was surprisingly good and the prices were even better (for the area). I got Nugget Nectar and Ten Fidy for very reasonable prices and some other treasures as well. The only thing I saw lacking was Bell's. I was also not asked if I needed any help- but I didn't anyway, so it didn't bother me at all. I will most definitely be going back.
Mar 04, 2008
Photo of Bierguy5
Reviewed by Bierguy5 from Ohio

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
Small place, probably easy to pass by. Crowded inside, but don't worry, there is a good selection. I noticed a decent section of English, Belgian and American beers, all in a cooler. Some bombers, and six packs. I didn't ask much for help, so I can't really say. Prices seem to be reasonable. I found DFH Festina Peach, not long after the release, so they seem to be current. Probably as good, or better than anything else in the immediate area. I was a bit disappointed that there were not many local beers.
Jul 07, 2007
Photo of Aichelberger
Reviewed by Aichelberger from Maryland

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
This place surprised me. I walked in not expecting much from the outside. Granted the aisles were crowded and bottles and cases stacked on shelves and in coolers (a lot of coolers--that's a nice thing to see someone appreciate cold storage of beer) in every nook and cranny of the meandering floor plan. Great selection. I've picked-up micros I haven't seen other places and found a few select imports (German, primarily). The students at Towson get Wells down the street (though many probably don't appreciate it). The students at UMBC head to DuClaw (most there do appreciate it). And, fortunately, Village Pump provides a great source of quality craft and import beers to University of Maryland students and the community as well. Well worth the trip just to browse and chat with the help--none of whom seemed to know a lot about beer, but they were sure friendly.
Dec 16, 2006
Photo of briscott99
Reviewed by briscott99 from Maryland

3.35/5  rDev -12.3%
For the College Park, MD area this place is a good place to find microbrews and some specialty bottlings. The store is somewhat small and cramped, and depending on who's working you might find the service a little lacking.

That said, however, you will find a nice selection of microbrews, a large cooler of specialty imports, and a fairly nice selection of micro tall boys. This is my "everyday" beer store because I live less than a mile away and it rarely disappoints. Lots of East Coast micros.... Victory, Otter Creek, Smuttynose, etc, with some of the standard West Coast brews too: Sierra, Anderson Valley, Rogue. The tall boy selection varies and occassionaly they have some really nice stuff (Three Floyds, Allagash, etc), but I often find the tall boys to be a bit over-priced here.
Dec 04, 2006
Photo of Georgiabeer
Reviewed by Georgiabeer from Georgia

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
I'm staying at the University of M for a few weeks, so this place is my local standby. Definitely the best place in the area, but nothing special. They have a pretty decent collection of area brews, and a few Europeans and big beers from elsewhere. Not a huge beer selection, but almost all are kept in coolers, and there is more craft beer than not. Had a few nice things here like some of the better Victory products, standard dfh line, many of the heavy seas line etc. Reasonable prices, not really that much service, but a dependable place to go in the area.
Jul 14, 2006
Photo of Bcant
Reviewed by Bcant from Michigan

3.5/5  rDev -8.4%
Coming of age in CP, this was one of my mainstays as I discovered craft beer. On a trip home Christmas-time I revisited the pump and not much has changed. Actually, I am not sure this place has changed a bit in about 15 years (I remember going there with my dad before beer was on my radar). Excellent selection for a place this size. They have a wide rage of US craft brews including Brooklyn, Victory, Dogfish, Anchor, SN, etc. They also carry a decent selection of Belgian, English, and German beers. Basically you are going to find something you want. The prices are also very reasonable, probably the among best value locations in the DC metro area. The only down side is, that given the local clientele, some of the beer sits on the shelf a bit too long.
Jan 16, 2006
Photo of Higravity
Reviewed by Higravity from Michigan

3.55/5  rDev -7.1%
For a place in a College town this is above average quality of brews. They started carrying quality back in the day as of 1997 when I first started going to college at UMCP. After my visit last week not much has changed still the same dazed looking college student behind the counter not really sure what lovely selection he has in front of him. Worth a stop if you are in the area but it is not worth traveling to as you should be able to find the majority of there selection at other local location in the region.
Aug 22, 2005
Photo of mentor
Reviewed by mentor from Colorado

3.85/5  rDev +0.8%
Stopped by one Saturday in August to pick up a couple beers I'd heard they carry (Including 3 Floyd's Dreadnaught). Village Pump is a located in a free-standing structure off Greenbelt Road. They have a selection of wines along one wall and a large beer cooler along the other wall. The cashier seemed tolerant, but not happy, with my humming and hawing about what beers to get. Also, only after asking 3 times did the cashier call back to see if any Dreadnaught was in the back room. Alas, Gumballhead was the only 3 Floyd's product they had in stock.

Having lived in the midwest my entire life, I've tried few of the craft beers they have in their inventory, which was quite large. The selection was really great and, after a half hour, I finally picked out the doozies I was willing to lug with me back to Iowa. The selection of singles was quite limited, which I found frustrating. Plan on picking up 6-packs if you stop in the Village Pump.
Aug 28, 2004
Photo of AragornUnplugged
Reviewed by AragornUnplugged from District of Columbia

3.55/5  rDev -7.1%
Found this place after a meeting at UofMD, and it was certainly interesting. VERY small place, but they manage to use the space pretty effectively to provide a nice selection. 2 aisles devoted to liquors, but the back corner is where you're going to spend the majority of your time. Very nice Brooklyn selection, Saranac stock is great, and if you've been searching for a sixer of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat or Cream Stout, this is the place for you. Sam Adams all over the place. The only Troeg's I saw was Troegenator, all of the Victory line (including Old Horizontal in March) Dominion Millenium, Weyerbacher Merry Monks and Hop Infusion (New! 7 Different Types of HOPS!!) along with lots of Rogue in rockets and sixers. Best price I've seen on Rogue Morimoto Imperial Pilsner ($12)

On a completely different note, managed to meet another BA (LDave310) and his girlfriend while I was there. She was looking at SA's Chocolate Bock, and it all goes on from there.

Oh yeah, there's a whole cooler full of Belge's and other imports, including my personal fave, Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale.

Overall, a nice shop where you can really be sure you're not overlooking anything :) Just know what you like and you'll be fine.

Ben
Mar 20, 2004
Photo of vitesse
Reviewed by vitesse from Georgia

4.05/5  rDev +6%
This place has such a great selection of imports and microbrews from the U.S. Fro the longest time they had six-packs of all the Brooklyn and Saranac beers for $4.99. I doubt anywhere in the DC are can you find a better selection at lower prices.
One thing to remember: they close at 11 p.m. and they aren't open at all on Sundays.
Also, it's not a place that is staffed full of beer experts (at least as far as i've ever seen.)
Feb 13, 2003
Photo of astrobrewer
Reviewed by astrobrewer from Arizona

4.05/5  rDev +6%
The sign outside advertises microbrews, and microbrews they've got. The first fridge is full of good European beers with a decent variety of Belgians, Germans and British brews. Working toward the back of the store are more refrigerators with microbrews from all over the US as well as beers from lots of interesting countries around the world. This place was a very pleasant surprise. There was so much unexpected variety that I spent a half hour trying to decide what to buy my first time in. If you want to buy good bottled beer in the College Park area this is the only place to go.
Oct 26, 2002
Village Pump Liquors in College Park, MD
Place rating: 3.82 out of 5 with 32 ratings