Fenwick Beer and Wine

There is this one lady that works there that has just really thrown off my experience of Fenwick Beer & Wine. I dont know a lot about wine, but being from Germany, I have some intrinsic knowledge, like mulled wine tends to be red. Well, I walked in and asked the lady what the best mulling wine is and she points at these prepared super-​sweet «honey» wines with mulling packets attached. I said, «no, I want a wine FOR mulling, I have all of the ingredients» and she said she’s never heard of that and never heard of red wine being mulled… so I had to tell her the internet recommended a cheap, dry red. She was a little confused and just pointed to the middle aisle with sales… I went in a different time and asked her if they sell «Middle Sister» and she goes and looks around and says. «No.» I just looked on their website and it says if they don’t have a brand, they will order it. Why didn’t she offer THAT? Definitely disappointed in her service. Otherwise, the variety and unique quality of wines is good. It’s pretty organized as well.
*UPDATE* Just called the store and the first thing the dude says is «we open at 10» and I said «well okay, but what time will you be open ’till since we are expecting a snowstorm» and his answer was «I dont know, whatever time I want to close!» Which wasn’t super helpful to a customer who would be traveling to get there. Not a professional phone call at all. Disappointed in the customer service there!

Fenwick Beer and Wine is a great business. Not much really to add. It’s nice being close to my apartment at the Fenwick! I will say their website needs revamping. Other than that keep up the good work!

Super rude cashier — I called for a recommendation and she was dismissive on the phone and just told me to come in and see what she had saying that a) we have too many to list and b) the line was too long to talk to me. Learn some customer service lessons in the service industry…

This review is of the wine selection. I’m not a beer drinker so can’t speak to that. I live across the street from Fenwick Beer & Wine which makes it a convenient and I’ve made purchases a couple times a month for the past year yet just about everything I get is disappointing. As others have noted, the prices are inexcusably high. I don’t mind $ 1 or $ 2 dollars more per item to support a local small business but the same bottle I get for $ 7 at Trader Joe’s is $ 13 here. Just no. They rarely if ever have any offerings below $ 11 and often don’t have prices posted at all. I stopped in a couple nights ago and picked up two $ 13 bottles of New Zealand Sav Blanc which is my go to wine. I can’t get over how terrible it is! I’ve never had an undrinkable New Zealand Sav Blank but this swill is bitter, boring and flat. If this were a one time experience I would write it off but I’ve been disappointed by almost every purchase I’ve made there. I haven’t wanted to give up on this place but this is the final straw. I’ve probably spent more than $ 500 at this place but I’ve finally learned my lesson. I can honestly get more reliably decent wine from the corner store. With the county liquor store only a couple blocks away there’s no reason to waste money here. If you’re looking for a really interesting, well curated selection of unique and hard to find wines, go to Adega in Downtown Silver Spring. I want this place to be great but until they get their prices in check and improve the quality of their offerings I won’t return.

This place is amazing. Great selection of beer, the best I’ve seen in the area. I can always find a good porter or stout here (which are my go to beers). They also have some rare beers every once in awhile, but those usually run out right away.
If you want to know what they have in their selection, you can try calling in but just be warned that they have given me misleading information. When I had called about whether they would be selling the Bourbon County Stout in Black Friday, they told me they would be. But they ended up releasing it four days early… even though I had checked in with them just the day before they released it.

This place has a very small selection of beer but some good stuff. Unfortunately, the prices are very steep. I was expecting to pay a bit more given the area, and while many of their beers were $ 1 – 2 more, they were pretty reasonable overall. However, the prices for more rare/​limited/​seasonal offerings were painful. Just a few examples:
$ 40 Brooklyn Black Ops — I see this for $ 20 – 25
$ 35 Bruery Rueuze — Never seen for more than $ 20
$ 18 21^st Amendment Monk’s Blood 4 pack — $ 12 easily
There was also a huge canned beer display at the front and I found a sixer of Dale’s canned back in October (6 months ago) — I’d hate to know how old the stuff at the bottom of the stack was.
The store is tiny, but not too crowded and looked to be pretty well maintained. Whoever was working that day was very friendly and chatted with us so that was nice. It’s just the prices that were hard to swallow.

The best beer and wine store in the DMV! I love their enthusiasm and the weekly «happy hour» beer and wine tastings. They are super-​awesome at making each customer feel special. One time, they had a limited supply of a special release of Game of Thrones beer and they held a case aside for me when I emailed them asking about it. Now that they have expanded the store, they also have cold beer. When I have the time to travel down to Silver Spring, this is the place to get beer and wine!

Fenwick is great! They carry almost exclusively craft beer and wine so if you’re looking for something you’ve never tried before, you’ll find it here every time.
Recently, they’ve added a refrigerated section to grab beer for immediate consumption.
Be sure not to miss it, it’s in a small house on second ave close to spring street. It’s run by a couple who are always very helpful and friendly.
The only downsides are that since the selection is rotating, they don’t always have exactly what you’re looking for. But if you’re open minded you can find something else interesting and unique. The other negative is that the prices can be higher than competitors. Some beers are the same as anywhere else (you can get a shock top for around $ 10) but others are significantly more (lagunitas is $ 14-​$ 17). The owner said they have a lot of trouble getting around MoCo’s liquor laws so I suspect this may have something to do with it.
Bottom line: if you want something unique and fun, go here and explore. Don’t come here to buy bud light.

This is the go-​to place for any type of specialty beer from across the country or around the world that you are looking for.
Bonus for me? They had more gluten free beers than I’ve ever seen. I’ve only ever seen the standard Redbridge (so bad), Omission, Bard’s.and then Tweasonale and Daura (both of which I love). But this place has soo much more! They have Green’s (which along with Daura, Omission, and Daura made the top 12 GF beers– link below)– and a few other foreign beers and some I can’t even remember.
I would recommend this place for anyone. They have tastings and specials too, so if price is an issue, you can always figure out a time to go when it works for you.
12 Gluten Free beers that actually taste good (updated for 2014) –and no, I do not know who wrote it, but having tasted several of the beers on this list, I happen to agree and can’t wait to taste the rest:
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Great selection and a must for all you beer geeks out there!

Moved to Silver Spring and across the street from Fenwick a year ago. It’s my go-​to beer store based on location, friendliness of the staff, and layout of the store. A wonderful selection of craft and micro brews, wine and sake; I always leave with a sixer of something I’ve never tried before.
However, the big negative is the price of everything. $ 15 for a six pack of Lagunitas, for example. I understand using a California-​based brewery is a bad example, but not when it’s a few bucks cheaper everywhere else. Having said this, all the above positive reasons are why I come back each time and will continue to do so. I just tell myself I’m paying a few extra bucks to support the mom & pop craft beer store over the trashy-​looking liquor store down the street, cluttered with neon Bud Light and Coors Light signs.

Amazing selection of craft beers and ciders. This is the spot to go for everything imaginable from across the globe. The family that runs the shop are very friendly and helpful. My husband and I were looking for a very specific cider and although they didn’t have it, the owner knew exactly what we were asking for and said they typically carry it but in small quantities, so they sell out fast. If you ask early enough, seems like you would be able to order it from there for pick up at a later date.

While traveling in New England, I got hooked on quality craft beers that are hard to find down here, like Smithwick’s and Smuttynose. Fenwick has them and many more. They’ve got a good wine selection too.
They have free wine tastings in the early evening on Fridays, which a few varieties to try. Get on their e-​mail list and they’ll tell you what they’re serving that week.
My one caveat is that none of the beer is not cold, so don’t expect to drink it immediately.

You will not find a better beer and wine shop ANYWHERE in the DC area…
The craft beer selection is unbeatable and if you place a custom order it arrives quickly — lightning quick. The wine selection is just as good. You’ll find anything from quality $ 11 bottles to exquisite choices.
But the best part? The staff’s knowledge. The older gentleman that runs the place can answer even the most detailed question about any of their offerings. He is always eager to help.
The Friday tastings are a great way to explore things you might not normally buy. They’re fun, too!
As for pricing, I’m impressed. The level of service combined with the selection makes me say their pricing is excellent. The price for a 6-​pack of craft beer is usually $ 1 – 2 cheaper than all their competitors and that extends similarly to their wine.
There’s a reason Fenwick Beer and Wine has received so many awards. This place is great!

I’m a fan of everything here except the prices (caveat, their deal of the month on beer is quite excellent). They have an excellent beer selection and a decent (though overpriced) wine selection.
Honestly, their beer selection, under one roof, is one of the best I’ve seen. They have all kinds of hard to find Belgian beers and other beer from around the US and around the world. They constantly rotate their stock of seasonal beers and have a number of mixed packs.
The service is excellent; always courteous and helpful. They do a weekly tasting on Fridays… when I sometimes am convinced to purchase something.
I just wish the prices were a bit more moderate… I’ve seen several bottles of wine here priced at 2x what they are at Costco; I mean, I understand that they can’t compete with Costco on volume, but how can the same bottle cost twice as much here as at Costco?

Great selection, and you get to support local, small businesses. There is a fridge in the back with cold six-​packs and loose bottles (the black fridge, not a usual liquor-​store fridge). Tastings every Friday!

Expensive. 30−60% more than most stores. Great selection and I’m all about small businesses but total rip off. Sad. Would only visit for free tasting or in a pinch. Otherwise I’m going to Total Wine or Chevy Chase Liquor. Even the Montgomery county store on University has been stepping up their game in craft beer for dirt cheap.

Friday’s they have beer or wine tasting, they allow our dog to come in with us and the beer selection is great! They have plenty of west coast ipa’s and stouts and porters. They make a real effort to carry local beers.

Some of the beer prices are just laughable. $ 16 for six packs of Breckenridge beer? Not that I would buy that crap, but that’s double what it should be. Most of the beer was $ 3 more than any other place around DC.
I didn’t even see any beer refrigerated.
Pass.

If you are planning any competitive drinking games, do not come here. The beer here is meant to be savored and enjoyed. Although I’m not a big beer drinker, I can recognize a great surplus of quality beer. Fenwick Beer and Wine offers just that.
First of all, the store is just adorable and is more reminiscent of cute little cottage. Inside, the store is pretty spacious and clean with a boasting array of imports, microbrews and craft beer. Browsing the store and checking out the unique collection inspired me to start exploring the world of beer a bit more.
Additionally, the owner was very engaging and informative, letting us know about the beer tastings they host every Friday. Scha-​wing!
I was so impressed with the overall experience here, I even signed up for the list serve. I will definitely be returning to help expand my Belgian beer vocabulary!