Best Beer Retailers

The Quest for the Holy Grain - Best Beer Retailers

Virginia

Arlington

Shawnee Springs Market
1488 Senseny Road
Winchester, VA 22602
(800) 713-1414

According to the locals, if I was in the market for a large selection of craft beer which could be purchased by singles, then I must not miss Shawnee Market.
This was good advice.

Shawnee Market is located just about 10 minutes east of downtown Winchester.
Shawnee has hundreds of different microbrews for sale, many of which can be purchased as singles in their Mix 6 deal.
Also available is beer to go in crowlers and growlers, which can be filled from one of their 12 taps!

Shawnee also offers gourmet sandwiches made in their deli, as well as produce and canned goods.

If you have any questions, see Tammy...she was very helpful.

Vintage Cellar
1338 S Main St
Blacksburg, VA 24060
phone: (540) 953-2675

If you are in the college town of Blacksburg, there is no better stop for a Questor than Vintage Cellar.
The store is large and spacious, and carries about 1000 different beers.
Six-packs, cases,singles, and bombers all can be purchased.
Mix-and-Match six-packs seemed to be popular, and anything you see in a six-pack can be removed and purchased individually.
The staff were amiable and helpful.

Total Wine - McLean
McLean Shopping Center
1451 Chain Bridge Road
McLean, VA 22101
Phone: 703-749-0011

When searching for beers in a new market, a Questor can do no better than to visit a store in the Total Wine chain.
Total Wine always offers hundreds of different imports, craft brews, and locals to make your trip worthwhile.
The stores are usually in a shopping center, so parking is never a problem.
The prices are reasonable.

Total Wine & More
8099 W Broad St
Richmond, VA 23294-4219
phone: (804) 935-7750

I am finding out that when I am in a new town, and looking for a great beer retailer, Total Wine is a good place to start.
And possibly finish.
This particular store is on the outskirts of Richmond, several miles northwest of the center of the city, in the Westland Plaza Shopping Center.
Total Wine has over 1,000 different beers...cases, bombers, six packs, and singles.
If you're looking for a great beer selection, it's worth the trip.
They also have another location toward the south of the city.

Total Wine - Leesburg
1063 Edwards Ferry Rd NE
Leesburg, VA 20176
(571) 258-0217

Total Wine Leesburg is like the other Total Wines - the one beer store that a Questor should visit, if he can only visit one store per town.
Hundreds of different beers, and you can buy a single of any of them.
There are other great retailers for a Questor in Leesburg...but still you should put Total Wine in the Battlefield Center on your itinerary.
Located minutes from Kettles & Grains, Craft Beer Co, and Wegmans.

Kettles and Grains
161 Fort Evans Rd NE
Leesburg , VA
703-777-2332

Kettle and Grains is the type of venue that every town should have.
Located in a new stone building just a few minutes from downtown Leesburg, Kettle and Grains is a purveyor of over 100 different craft beers, both in singles, 6-packs, and bombers.
Kettle and Grains is also a place to get home brewing supplies.
Not only that, they offer a clean spacious area for patrons to brew thier own beer, using state-of-the-art equipment.
You can brew your beer in 5, 10, or 15-gallon batches.
Kettle and Grains also offers wine, and gourmet food items such as elk sausage.
Even though I had just shopped at Total Wine in Sterling, and Wegman's in Leesburg, I had no trouble finding a number of beers at Kettle and Grains that were new to my Quest.
Kettle and Grains is located about 2 minutes off Route 7, just north of where it intersects with Route 15.
A visit to Kettles & Grains in 2016 showed that they had been growing.
They now have 6 draft beers on tap for sale in growlers, or in pints for on-premise enjoyment.
They have a small but tasty-looking food menu as well, and outdoor seating.

Wegmans Leesburg
(703) 669-2044
101 Crosstrail Blvd., SE
Leesburg , VA 20175

Looming large on Route 7, just a coupla miles southeast of downtown Leesburg, stands Wegmans.
Unlike the Wegmans in Pennsylvania where the beer section has a separate entrance, and unlike the Wegmans in Maryland where you can't purchase beer at all, customers access the brews in Wegmans Leesburg by coming in the main door and turning right.
The beer section is large - as roomy as a good-sized liquor store.
Wegmans stocks hundreds of microbrews (and of course macros). You can get them in cases, 6- packs, or bombers. They also have a mix & match shelf for creating a mixed 6-pack.
If any beer store in Leesburg has a wider selection, I'd like to know where it is.

Total Wine & More
46301 Potomac Run Plz # 110
Sterling , VA 20164
phone: (703) 433-0522

Total Wine & More sits in a shopping center right on Route 7. They really should consider putting the word "Beer" in their name, because it is a treasure trove for we Questors.
Total Wine carries over 1,800 different kinds of beer...you name it, they have it...six packs, cases, bombers, singles, and kegs.
What makes it especially enjoyable for a Questor is that Total Wine stocks hundreds of 12 ounce bottles that can be purchased individually.
Total Wine in Sterling is a useful stop when making a trip along the Route 7 brewing corridor in Northern Virginia.

Westover Market
5863 N. Washington Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22205
703-536-5040

Located in the Westover section of bustling Arlington County, Westover Market is just what a neighborhood needs. There is free parking out front, fresh produce, a butcher shop, and deli. Oh yes...beer. Lots of it. The claim to have a great Wall of Beer, but it actually appeared to be 2 1/2 walls! They feature six-packs, singles, bombers, and also offer kegs. Most of the selections are American microbrews, but they also have imports. All-in-all they sell about 1.000 different kinds of beer. They were just putting the finishing touches on their outdoor beer garden, which should be opening July, 2011.
Westover should be able to fulfill all your beer needs, but just in case the beer garden isn't open at the time of your visit, you may stroll across the street to the Lost Dog Cafe.

Norm's Beer & Wine
136 Branch Rd. SE
Vienna, Virginia, 22180
(703) 242-0100

Don't let the outside fool you...Norm has about 400 different beers tucked back in his corner location in this Vienna strip center.
Norm himself was very helpful as to making selections, and has a great selection of micros, imports, and individual bottles. Questors do not want to miss Norm's if anywhere in the area.
You can mix a six-pack of singles...important for a Questor.