Corridor Wine & Spirits

smakawhat

Maryland

3.23/5  rDev -16.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 3.5 | service: 2.5 | selection: 3.75 | $$

This is basically a Total Wine store, and with that comes the usual Total Wine selection. Here though, it's just inside Anne Arundel outside of Montgomery county thus the prices are a heck of a lot more reasonable. However, the selection here is a little bit less with a few exceptions on the shelves than other Total Wines in the DC beltway area.

It doesn't strike me as a place that is frequented often by big beer fans, so once in awhile you can find some straggling interesting bottles. However, the general selection and imports is also not as big as your typical Total Wines.

The biggest problem is the staff. While you can approach them and ask them for things, the vast majority of them know nothing about the beers or product at all, or what is coming in, or what might be coming. In fact I ran into more distributors here who were just dropping stuff off and looked more like people who ran the store, and their answers were ironically more useful then the staff. An employee couldn't even produce me a simple 6 pack holder, claiming nah we got cleared out after Super Bowl, and then just walked off. You're telling me 2 weeks later you can't even give me a simple piece of cardboard? Not even grab an emptied one of say Bud Light? Seriously you can't even think?

If you want to maybe grab some mixed 6 regular brews to try, and also just pass by to take a look it doesn't hurt. But only go to this place if you know what you want, or you just happen to be in the area. I wouldn't go out of my way to go to this place on a regular basis, only if it's close to you then dropping in once in awhile wont hurt, just dont waste your time asking questions here you'll get nowhere.

02-09-2013 15:00:59 | More by smakawhat

djbow

Maryland

4.3/5  rDev +11.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $

In Maryland, it does not get much better when considering the combination of selection and value than Corridor. Corridor is my go-to beer and liqueur store. Usually, I shop and place my order online for pick up the next day. When I arrive, my box of craft beer is ready, paid for and waiting for my arrival. Just walk in, show your receipt and ID and you are out the door. Gotta like that.

Though their selection is not as extensive as some others in MD, they are in the process of expanding their beer selection to meet the competition. This said, 9 times out of 10 their prices are quite a bit cheaper that others especially when you are buying bombers of higher end craft beer. Because of this price advantage, my friends and I have been abe to afford to try a greater variety of beers. Finally, the staff at Corridor is very helpful and has always been available when I have stopped to shop in-store. I you are in Laurel, or heading North on to Baltimore or South to DC on 295 stop by and judge for yourself.

01-25-2012 04:45:37 | More by djbow

yourefragile

District of Columbia

3.25/5  rDev -16%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 2 | selection: 3.5 | $$

Don't be fooled by the name. This a Total Wine. And at that, it's a Total Wine with a crappier and more limited beer selection than you're probably used to (but that's also a constraint of it being located in Maryland and the limited selection of breweries distributed here).

Service is particularly brutal here. Very hard to find anyone that ever knows anything about beer and I've seen new beers arrive and be stacked in their cases on top of the shelves and not be unboxed for months at a time.

Selection is what you expect for a Total Wine. If it's distributed in MD and not rare, it's probably here. "Rare" things of interest that have passed through here are black ops, life and limb, marron acidife, fantome noel, cantillon geuze. Like I said, "rare". Also good luck getting them to hold anything for you.

Easy to access off of 295, but not worth making a special trip for.

07-25-2011 00:49:46 | More by yourefragile

JednoPivoProsim

Maryland

4.44/5  rDev +14.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | $

My go-to beer store! Great selection and best value in the area (as far as I can tell.)

I generally pick up a case and two mix singles six packs for sampling/reviewing.

Staff are generally knowledgeable, although I'd recommend going in knowing what you are looking for or at least have an idea of what you are looking for.

The beer aisles are divided into BMC/imports/American craft. The American craft section has a specific seasonal area, which is good to peruse. Definitely a good selection, I can't imagine myself getting tired of this store anytime soon.

04-19-2011 02:07:35 | More by JednoPivoProsim

BinaryBeer

Maryland

4.35/5  rDev +12.4%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Corridor Wine is one of my favorite places to buy beer, wine, or anything else that comes to mind. They have a great beer selection, with most microbrews and imports being represented. Always has the new seasonal brews in stock, as well as my year round favorites, The staff is very quick to assist, from answering generic questions to helping with selections and pairings. They have printouts from Beer Advocate and other beer review sites, which is nice when choosing a new brew. The prices are generally lower than other stores in the area.. Highly recommend a visit for anyone in the DC-Bmore area.

02-11-2011 23:53:12 | More by BinaryBeer

MrWinky

Maryland

4.65/5  rDev +20.2%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

Great place for any and all alcoholic beverages! Excellent beer selections from all over the world. I live in Baltimore but happily make the drive down to poke around. I first started going for the selection of Belgians but after a while I'd walk out with a bunch of different singles to try. I rarely find the same beer priced better at another store and if they don't have something you want they'll do what they can to get it in for you. Definitely a must if you live in the area. Shopping carts at liquor stores...hell yea.

02-03-2011 18:29:37 | More by MrWinky

bpfishback

Maryland

4/5  rDev +3.4%
quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

Good selection here. It is a bit pricey. If you are in the loose bottle section and are after something that doesn't age well, like an IPA, make sure to check the bottling dates as many bottles are over a year old. Generally the beer in the six pack section is more fresh however there are still some 6 packs of old beer there so be careful. Some interesting beers I've seen there recently are Avery Maharaja batch 11, various Jolly pumpkin and some Bruery selections.

Their beer selections seems to have grown since the reviews below, I would rate them as having a very large selection of beers but it is somewhat limited when it comes to craft beers. They have alot of local crafts and some west coasts, but they also have tons of BMC and sh*tty foreign imports.

Also I guess it should be said that they have a huge wine selection here and an ok liquor selection,the liquor selection is large but it is filled with mostly common easy to find brands, their prices can sometimes be the lowest around though.

04-21-2010 20:42:52 | More by bpfishback

thain709

Pennsylvania

3.85/5  rDev -0.5%
quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Upon entering Corridor Wine, I found it to be laid out like a Total Wine and More. I looked at their website and found they are the same too. So I guess they are joined in someway...but it still means a great place to get beer.

Corridor has a very nice selection of singles and six packs. They also have cases. The singles selections for 12 oz. bottles range from Great Divide, Allagash, Clipper City, Troegs, Lancaster, Dominion, Avery, Victory, DFH, Sierra Nevada, Anderson Valley, and Brewer's Alley. Their bomber selection contained some bottles I had never seen before in bombers like Magic Hat, but it also contained DFH, Bear Republic, Avery, Clipper City, and Anderson Valley. Their selection of imports is pretty good too. Their six pack selection runs about the same as the 12 oz. but they actually have a few more in six packs and they don't sell them in singles (like Starr Hill).

The service was pretty limited in the beer section, but my cousin received attention in the wine department. I like that they have cigars for sale. My only complaint is that the beer section...especially the singles...is pretty cramped.

A very nice place to buy a variety of 12 oz. singles and some great 22 oz bombers. I'll visit again when I'm in the area.

10-20-2009 00:01:35 | More by thain709

tatoodkelt

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +8.5%
quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Been going there for a long time. I've lived within 20 minutes of it my whole life. Pretty much the first place I found that had a selection of "non standard" beers when I started drinking way back when. The build your own six pack definitely let me explore different types without plunking down the cash for a sixer of beer that I might end up not liking. I try and stop in once every couple of months to see what new stuff they have in singles. I've found the price to be pretty comparable to other stores in the area. Service can be a pain sometimes in the beer area.

05-04-2009 18:40:16 | More by tatoodkelt

thekanna

Maryland

3.25/5  rDev -16%
quality: 4 | service: 1.5 | selection: 4 | $$

This place is like the Target or Costco of alcohol: very spacious, corporate-like, and pretty much a one-stop-shop for drunkenness. This, however, doesn't imply that they slack on the quality of their stuff: the beer selection, in fact, is excellent. Tons of microbrews and imports in singles, sixers, and bombers. They pretty much have cordoned off an entire section of the store just for beer, with shelves of six-packs piled so high that they need a lift platform just to get them. Quite an impressive sight.

The only beef I had with this place was their service: most of the people working there didn't know much about beer. The checkout counter guys were downright rude: if you're between 21 to 25, you have to fill out a ridiculous form with your signature, address, DOB, etc. everytime you purchase alcohol. The first checkout guy I ran into tried to impart his opinion on how I'm too young to drink alcohol (even though I'm in my mid-20's already); look, buddy, I don't need a lecture. If I'm responsible enough to purchase good alcohol and drink it in moderate amounts, then I don't need to take crap from you about it. The second guy sighed loudly and was dragging his feet in handing out the form as if it was a chore for him to let me buy from his store. Seriously? What happened to customer service? Ok, we've already proven that I'm significantly over the drinking age... why is it still so damn difficult to purchase from here?

02-03-2009 05:28:04 | More by thekanna