The Wine Seller

ocelot2500

Arizona

3.85/5  rDev -5.4%
quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | $$

I live right next door to this place and never realized they sell beer. I walked in and the beer is in the back across from the cigars in coolers. A way bigger selection than I was expecting. There were about four coolers with one dedicated to macros, but the rest had me looking for a while. A good selection of imported and domestic micros. Saw somethings I have never seen in VA before. The staff is friendly, but it seems that not everyone there knows beer (the store is mostly wine). The guy I did talk to seemed to be interested in what I liked so he could stock the store to more suit the clientele. He even was able to order the Stone RIS for me to pick up. All in all, a nice hidden gem of a beer store.

02-27-2009 23:50:48 | More by ocelot2500

Papa

4.58/5  rDev +12.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

I was vacationing from out of town and was looking for some beers I can't find at home. They had a nice selection and guy at the store could not have been more helpful. It was easy to tell he is really knowledgeable and into the beers he sells. If I was local this place would be a regular stop.
I'm not a wine or cheese guy, but it appeared they also had a big selection of those.
I would highly recommend stopping by when you have enough time to have a beer. They had five or six awesome beers on tap and a nice seating area outside.

10-24-2012 02:08:28 | More by Papa

damndirtyape

Ohio

4/5  rDev -1.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

Read about this on BA - and wanted to see how it was while in SE Virginia.

Atmosphere: Good lighting, and 50/50 a wine and beer store. Beer is all at the back, wine all up front. In the back the beer is showcased well in fridge cases, taps on the wall for growlers, and racks for bombers of various beers.

Quality: About 95% of the beers here are craft and micros. There are some macro lagers here, but they are in the minority. The craft that is present was higher rated national craft beers or local SE VA beers.

Service: Good service. Was greeted as I walked into the place (I was the only customer) and when I asked about a container for holding a few bottles, the person behind the counter went quickly to grab a 4-pack holder for my single bottle purchases.

Selection: See my comments on quality above, but I'll elaborate a bit more here. This place has very few single bottles available, and if you want to make your own six pack, this isn't the place...unless you want bombers or 750mL bottles, of which there are lots and lots of. So when looking at it that way - there is a great selection of US craft beer bombers here, but for 12oz singles, there is not a lot here.

Value: A bit on the pricey side.

Overall - definitely an above average store, but I've been spoiled by other places where I can build my own six packs with ease. If you want a high quality six pack or some bombers, this is the place, but if you want to sample and try out, this isn't the place.

03-28-2011 20:19:48 | More by damndirtyape

ebby82

Virginia

4.64/5  rDev +14%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Increasingly, I love this place. Phil is the beer guy, and when you walk in, right off the bat, he tells you what he has in that's new. He remembers you, even if you're not there every week.

The selection has become increasingly great, but best of all, just this week, they've added several taps. Now, not only can you get a wide variety of bottles, but there are a few different growler options to choose from.

A great place for beer, and certainly the best of its kind on the Peninsula. It has striven to improve its quality and selection over the last year or two.

03-06-2011 16:54:15 | More by ebby82

pnkRed

Virginia

4.2/5  rDev +3.2%
quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

As others have said, this is a wine store first, but it is also a beer store. About 7 doors dedicated to craft beer and room temperature shelving, they have more than enough options to satisfy the average craft beer shopper. They always have Dogfish, stone, troegs, Bell's, founders, williamsburg alewerks, and legend with a bunch of belgians to choose from. Phil will do his best to get what he hasn't heard of and is always eager to talk craft beer with you. Great prices and a friendly and warm environment keeps me coming back!

02-12-2011 02:52:06 | More by pnkRed

breweryaprntc13

Virginia

4.15/5  rDev +2%
quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 3.5 | $$

While it is mainly a wine store, they do not hide the fact that beer is also available. Despite the name, I felt as if the store was half beer and half wine, with the beer section spread out over six or seven coolers on the side wall. Beer magazines and newspapers are also spread out on tables by the coolers. The overall feel is a very warm environment for beer lovers to relax and really explore their beer options and learn more about beer. The staff is friendly and the man who helped me offered to try to get any beers from their distributor that I was looking for, but there is only so much they can get from one distributor. However he did a good job of remembering me on my second visit showed me all they had gotten in stock since my last visit. I felt very at home and ended up spending over an hour there talking beer with the staff and another customer. Probably the second best selection of beers I have found in Williamsburg, however without the option to make your own six pack I try to only go here if there is something they have that no where else carries. Duvel, Troeggs, Bell's, Allagash, and other standard craft beers available aplenty, with a few rare gems found from time to time.

05-17-2010 17:34:49 | More by breweryaprntc13

beer2day

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +2%
quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

This would be the place to buy beer in Williamsburg. 5 cooler doors in the back with one shelf unit just beyond the doors.

Very good selection for the area with Stone, Rogue, Troegs, Southern Tier, Caldera (cans), Victory, Legend, and Lagunitas all well represented. While there's not a lot of choice here, they do stock the good stuff.

Prices are very good, especially for the area. The folks working there seem to know a little about the product they sell. Hop Stoopid had just come in and we had a nice discussion about that fine beer.

They do close at 8, so get there early.

04-12-2009 11:20:18 | More by beer2day

lackenhauser

Maryland

4.15/5  rDev +2%
quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | $$

Nice store, like others said tucked into a shopping center with a target and a Ukrops. Main focus is on wine but has an admirable beer selection for the size.

Troegs, Legends, Stone, Willamsburg Ale Works, Victory, some Bell's, etc. Many of the beers had BA shelf tabs showing their ratings and overall scores. Some decent Belgians to choose from. Very little BMC if any did I see.

Spoke with Phil the assistant manager, for a few minutes, and he seemed eager to talk beer. Worth checking out when in Williamsburg for sure. Not a huge selection overall but what they have is top shelf for sure.

03-28-2009 22:06:23 | More by lackenhauser

Jimbo87

Virginia

4.3/5  rDev +5.7%
quality: 4 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

I have to say I love this place. They have a lot of very good beers. Imports as well. Prices on some things are great. DFH 120 and DFH WWS are 8.75 each, which is the lowest price for those that I've ever seen. Hopslam was also only like $14 a sixer, but they eventually raised to price to the more common $19. Glad I bought my case early.

The only beer guy I know is Phil, and he's awesome. He doesn't know everything about beer, but he's got a solid knowledge, and he'll take time to talk to you about beer and give recommendations, and if there's a beer you want, he'll try to get it. Like they got Moylan's hopsickle because people wanted it. So the selection changes regularly, which is definitely a plus in my opinion. But the majority of beers don't change, which is definitely standard.

My favorite beer store in Williamsburg. They also do tastings some times. I tasted La Fin du Monde. Between this place and the Wine Cellar underneath the Cheese Shop, you're set. But these prices are usually better than the Wine Cellar's.

They'll also reserve beers for you. At least they did when I asked them to hold 2 sixers of hopslam for me.

03-14-2009 18:09:20 | More by Jimbo87

PhageLab

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +10.6%
quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | $$

Spent a lot of time calling around looking for Hopslam, finally found this amazing gem of a store. The store is well lit and extremely clean, and the organization is immaculate. The manager was a huge help and was very knowledgeable, he even had BA score cards under some of the brews. Okay, the big thing was the selection. They had only 4 beer windows, and one dedicated to macros, but the beer they did have was amazing. A lot of it I'd never even seen in Va before. Rochefort 10, Bell's Best Brown, Hopslam, Cherry Stout, Sparkling Ale, a whole lineup of Legend bombers, a few of the Smuttynose Big Beers, Weyerbacher Insanity, Two Hearted Ale mini kegs, Weihenstephaner bottles of Kristall, Dunkel, and the regular Weisse, and even bottles of the Aecht Marzen Rauchbier. Also, don't wanna forget the Nugget Nectar! I'm definitely coming back to this store again, if you're in the area and need a restock, this place will have something for you.

02-10-2008 17:14:07 | More by PhageLab