Norm's Beer & Wine

jaheussner

District of Columbia

4.64/5  rDev +8.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

One of my my absolute favorite places in the DC metro area. Knowledgeable staff and a good selection. Norm's is tucked in the corner of a strip mall in Vienna, about 5 mins from the beltway. Doesn't normally get the absolute whales, but consistently stocks desirable, hard-to-find beers from Founders, Terrapin, Brooklyn and just about every other Virginia-distributed brewery. Prices are reasonable and the staff is friendly and helpful if you need it. They've got a weekly newsletter on new stuff in the store and they update their twitter somewhat sporadically. Really a solid, solid place.

01-03-2012 01:32:14 | More by jaheussner

Jimmys

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev -9.6%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

biked out there today to sweat out a hangover and enjoy this beautiful weather! solid 12 miles each way kept my purchases small....

located in the corner of a pretty boring shopping center. a little hard to see from the street. glad i knew what the sign looked like thanks to the BA picture. walking in the first thing i notice is the lighting. this place is dimly lit and i needed a minute to allow my eyes to adjust (in their defense it was really bright outside). i suppose the lower lighting makes for a better atmosphere for the beer to sit on the shelves...sort of a mute point. the beer is laid out pretty nicely. shelves holding 4 and 6 packs, singles on separate shelves, and nicer/limited release/hard to find bottles and bombers towards the ends of the aisles. had to do a few laps to take it all in seeing that there is a lot of beer in not a lot of space.

i usually do not need any help when i go to bottle shops and enjoy walking around keeping to myself. i was quickly offered aid after entering the store and actually had a few questions which were promptly answered. good service in my book.

as far as the selection, pretty good for the area. there was quite a few bottles that i have not seen at other bottle shops in the area (Porticus - Gasthaus & Gosebrauerei, tallboy Shlitz cans, impressive amount of somewhat local Duclaw bombers). however, i would have to say if you are looking for more of a domestic selection you are better off going to a Total Wine. international selection goes to Norm's. saw some vintage JW Lees ('08, '09), solid lambic selections, and lots of Germany brews. as for the pricing, i would definitely say this place is a dollar or two more than Total Wine or Whole Foods. however, this is pretty much the case for every other bottle shop in the area that isn't part of a corporate chain.

definitely worth checking out. if you are technically savvy check their FB page and twitter page for all the latest and greatest updates.

02-07-2012 01:21:31 | More by Jimmys

Eriktheipaman

Virginia

3.96/5  rDev -7.7%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | $$

First off Norm's is the best bottle shop I have found in my 5 months of living here.

I went in just to check things out and ended up spending over $100 bucks. Every week they send out an email of the beers they are getting in on Friday and will post on Facebook if they have limits or sell out. This right here is pretty awesome and I can see it saving people a lot of time.

They had a great selection of 6 packs to start but also an awesome selection of bombers and seasonal releases. The prices were pretty average from what I've seen.

This will now be my go to shop for sure.

01-21-2012 17:44:49 | More by Eriktheipaman

smakawhat

Maryland

4.2/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Entering a typical strip mall in NOVA, in this case Vienna, you encounter Norm's. First thing I notice, is... a dog. This my friends.. is a great sign. Anytime a business has a dog in it wandering around, it means good things. It's just a fact.

The staff seems to be incredibly friendly with each other and is very willing to help out. I also like the layout of the store, and the little touches of bombers on wine racks.

Selection is pretty good, but not much chance of getting mixed items, but there is still a few to choose from. I also like the fact that many of the staff were just chatting about beer casually, items that showed up on tap in nearby places, what to try, it shows they know the product and more importantly actually take pride in it.

Prices are very reasonable, and they can answer any question you might have. Great little place to check out if you are in the area.

01-06-2012 17:27:24 | More by smakawhat

rhartogsq

Virginia

4.72/5  rDev +10%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

Really good shop in a slightly hidden corner of a shopping center. Of my four go-to places in Northern Virginia for great beer, this is the cheapest and friendliest. Although it isn't the closest to me....but my brother lives just a few blocks from it.
I have only been to Norm's a handful of time, and each time there were different employees. All were very nice and helpful. Their selection is pretty outstanding. I bought a rare RJ Rockers Black Perle last night. A healthy selection of Local, national and International selections fill their shelves.
I would recommend liking their page on Facebook, as they do a great job of posting photos of new arrivals.

12-19-2011 19:56:59 | More by rhartogsq

jayhawk73

Maryland

4.14/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Norm's is located in a little mini-mall in a corner store in Vienna, Virginia. It's very easy to miss if you don't know where you're going. Thank goodness for GPS! I visited there for the first time today, and glad I made the trek. The store is actually very cozy, and not huge, but you can tell it's a serious beer store within a second of scanning the place. There are quite a few brews from all over the world here- and I found Norm's to have a lot of seasonal beers and things I haven't seen other places in N. Virginia. The service was excellent. I really got the feeling the employees really love beer, and had a very intelligent conversation about a Quad I bought a four pack of. Overall, this is a must hit place to buy beer around DC. I just wish it wasn't 50 miles from my house- or I'd do most of my shopping there. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

11-08-2011 01:19:43 | More by jayhawk73

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.14/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

If I had a dime for every time I've been to this place... My wife works down the street from here, so beer shopping here kinda comes with the territory.

Sure, there is a Fresh Market next door that created a lot of stress for Norm and his crew, but Norm owns the beer allegiance in this region.

Atmosphere: Cozy, tons of swag on the walls and windows to let others know, "Yes, we are beer and wine geeks!" Unusual for a beer geek, because usually the wine takes center stage in most places.... but not here! Off to the left hand side, there are tons of stacked cases, where cases of popular items are sold. On the right hand side, six packs and a wide array of singes are there for the taking.

Quality and service: The personnel working here has changed dramatically over the life of this place, but one thing remains: If the peeps here don't know about something in particular, they with find it out!... or ask Norm. Norm is somewhat of an enigma, but believe me.... he's a totally cool guy who wants nothing more that his place to thrive and for his customers to get the service they deserve.

Selection: Norm knows the beer geek's agenda through and through. To that end, he succeeds somewhat. However, a lot of the Whole Foods do business better than he does. It's not his fault of course... just part of the corporate structure. For example, on some of the more "gourmet" releases, Norm will get a mere smattering of it, while the "corporate" beer store up the road will get a shitload of it.

Value: I think the prices here are pretty good, especially considering the Whole Foods (Whole Paycheck) counterpart up the street.

NOTE: If you live in the Northern Virginia region, please give Norm's your business as apposed to Rick's. With Rick's, you'll get a pompous jerk who will demean you, but Norm's (and it's employees) don't have that pretention...

09-06-2011 06:05:17 | More by Chaney

yusef

South Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | $$$

I go to Norm's whenever I am in Northern VA to visit my family. The store is in a shopping center with a parking lot. Half of the store is wine and the other beer. They seem to sell everything from Drie Fonteinen Geuze to macro in the cooler in the back. Pretty good selection, when I was there saw lots of founders, firestone walker, green flash, and others I can't get back in SC. Also they seem to get most special release and rare beers. I was able to walk in and buy a Blushing Monk. Staff was very helpful and knowledgable. Prices are a little higher than total wine, but I am happy to support a local business. Also have updates on new bottle arrivals on there website. If you are in the area I recommend checking them out.

08-28-2011 14:24:31 | More by yusef

sobeleg

New York

4.72/5  rDev +10%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

Norm's is one of my favorite places to pick up beer. The selection is very good, and they tend to get most, if not all rare and limited releases available in the area. They carry all the popular craft brands as well including DFH, Founders, Bell's, etc. The store has a great layout making everything easy to find, and the guys at the counter are very friendly, always willing to help you out or talk beer or wine with you for a while. If you find yourself in Vienna, make sure to stop in at norms!

07-25-2011 18:49:52 | More by sobeleg

siege06nd

Virginia

4.8/5  rDev +11.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Man, I love this place. An outstanding selection of domestic micros, imports, and special rarities. Buried in the corner of a very quiet shopping center in Vienna, it doesn't look like much from the outside, but boy does it exceed expectations quickly. Bottle after bottle of the best NoVA/DC has to offer, with a nice assortment of six packs, singles, and bombers available. Service is outstanding, if they don't have the answer right away for you, you can bet they will research it until they do and call you right back. Happy to hold bottles of the limited releases for you as well. Knowledgeable staff, well maintained shop, excellent customer service, and the best selection in NoVA make this a must stop. So happy to hear they worked out an arrangement with the new grocer moving in to ensure this place remains a Vienna treasure for years to come.

07-21-2011 04:32:21 | More by siege06nd