World of Beverages

World of BeveragesWorld of Beverages
World of BeveragesWorld of Beverages
Store

295 Main Ave
Norwalk, Connecticut, 06851-6105
United States

(203) 847-5180 | map
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.65
Reviews:
11
Ratings:
12
pDev:
5.48%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by cbl2:
Photo of cbl2
Reviewed by cbl2 from New York

3.35/5  rDev -8.2%
Located just off 95, and fairly close to the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium I was visiting with my nephew.

Clean and well lit, this is definitely more a wine/liquor store than it is a beer store. Beers are located in the back near the coolers, and while laid out nicely by country, the selection is pretty weak.

I picked up some Thomas Hooker Pale Ale, the only Hooker they had. There were some other N.E. Breweries represented, but by far their best selection (and only offerings I haven't seen elsewhere) was from Poland and Czech Republic countries, the Euro lagers I've never gotten into.

Prices were very fair, better than I've seen in most places. Some of the bottles I encountered had a light dusting, and stock of many of the beers consisted of a single six pack (Buzzard's Bay for instance, which is quasi-local).

A decent store if you live here, mainly due to price, but not worth detouring off the
Feb 26, 2006
More User Ratings:
Photo of PatrickCT
Reviewed by PatrickCT from Connecticut

3.83/5  rDev +4.9%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4
Lots of beer here. Stacked high and stuffed in the cooler. Local beer. Seasonal beer. One of the few places aside from the big chain stores that still carry Belgian and German imports.
Mar 28, 2019
 
Rated: 3.84 by Michael_Kent3 from Florida

Aug 16, 2014
Photo of jeffress
Reviewed by jeffress from Connecticut

3.78/5  rDev +3.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
Connecticut is a tough state to find much pricing diversity due to SLA laws and min pricing. That said, WOB has a great selection of beers from all over. Craig Gonsor the manager is a wine guy by trade but knows beer well and is eager to help, all you need to do is ask! Opposite a wall of refrigerators is an equally impressive set of shelves filled with bombers with just about anything you can get in CT. Strong on wines as well. If anything they are average in the spirits category but again, don't see something, it's just a few days away as they are happy to special order.
Nov 08, 2012
Photo of Jesstyr
Reviewed by Jesstyr from District of Columbia

3.5/5  rDev -4.1%
I've swung by this case on multiple occasions, and despite their decent selection of beers from around the world, as the name suggests, they lack any big finds or the kind of staff that makes you want to come back.

First off, the beer section covers a good group of fridges in the back and has stacks of "standards" as well as a full rack of craft and international brews, with a mix of big bottles and individual ones. They seem to allow you to "pick 6", but there is no sign or staff to let you know its okay. It lacks any of the big trappists, and while they have a reasonable group of gift boxes, they lack anything you cant find elsewhere.

I've been here many times, and the staff has never paid me any attention. Whether picking up a keg or asking a question about whether they can get something in stock, they dont really care, which is disappointing. That said, they do seem more knowledgeable than most, and you can tell they have a decent relationship with distributors.
May 03, 2010
Photo of mltobin
Reviewed by mltobin from Connecticut

3.8/5  rDev +4.1%
Located right along Route 7 in Norwalk, Connecticut.

I have been going here from time to time for the past few years and it seems that they have continued to make strides recently to improve their beer selection. Craft brews from the U.S. include Southampton, Smuttynose, Dogfish Head, Allagash, Harpoon and more. Imports were fairly good as well, Belgium, U.K., Poland represented among others with a good range of brewers. Prices are reasonable. If you find yourself thirsty in Norwalk, this is a good spot to go.
May 31, 2009
Photo of Boilermaker88
Reviewed by Boilermaker88 from California

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
Located not far from the I-95 and Rte 7 (though nothing is all that far in Norwalk, I found), World Of Beverages is a store devoted more to wines and spirits than beer. However, that is not to say they don't have decent beer on the premises.
Once inside, simply wind your way to the rear center portion of the store and you'll encounter a row and cooler displaying an interesting assortment of brews. They carry a small but quality line-up of German and British beers, a surprisingly varied number of Eastern European styles, and a nice selection of East Coast brews. Among breweries on display were DFH, Magic Hat, Saranac, Buzzard's Bay, Brooklyn, Otter Creek, New Amsterdam, Hooker, Harpoon and Sam Adams.
The staff were friendly and when I told them I was from the West Coast and would like to sample the local beers, they had no problem with me picking through the 6-packs to create my own. I ended up leaving with four from Magic Hat (Blind Faith, #9, HIPA, and Fat Angel), three Brooklyn (Pennant Ale, Brown and Pils), two Saranac (APA and Black Forest), some Hooker APA and a DFH 90 Min IPA.
World of Beverages is a good store that does a pretty decent job of conveying both a good variety of local and international beers to its clients. It may be on the small side but it still has quality.
Apr 20, 2006
Photo of falloutsnow
Reviewed by falloutsnow from Illinois

3.35/5  rDev -8.2%
World of Beverages currently has an entire back aisle, refrigerator space, and alcove (usually containing seasonal specialties or promotions) devoted towards its beer selection.
The store is clean, inviting, and well-kept, though at times it seems that beer is re-stocked rather slowly. In regards to old beer, I have yet to encounter an "off" bottle, though this does not mean stock isn't aged a bit. Indeed, there are some bottles with light dust on them.
Knowledgeable sales staff (regarding beer, at least) is virtually nonexistent, so you should have some general idea of what you're looking for or interested in before stopping off at WoB. There's plenty to just browse at as well.
Actual beer selection is fair: a selection of northeast breweries is well-represented (Otter Creek, Magic Hat, Harpoon, Samuel Adams, Brooklyn, Saranac, Ommegang, Thomas Hooker, etc); a full line of Samuel Smith brews and several other English breweries; and a modest collection of the more well-known beers from the US west coast, Belgium, Germany, and Montreal. Somewhat strangely, the store has a wide variety of Eastern European beers that I had not heard of before.
The prices are fair, running from the typical $6-$8 for a six-pack, the larger imported bottles a bit less.
Nov 11, 2005
Photo of Billolick
Reviewed by Billolick from New York

3.35/5  rDev -8.2%
Just south of the merrit pkwy and north of down town Norwalk. As with many the liquor places in Ct. This stop seems to mostly be a wine and booze outlet, and beer seems to be a second thought. The middle of the road brew can be found in the cooler in the rear of this mid sized rectangular store. You'll pass the obligatory piles of BMC cases. Across from the coolers is a shelving unit, which is where you likely will find some purchasable suds. They have a unusually large selection of little seen beer from Poland and near by nations. Found some Hooker, but it was the summer pilsner (its january) They do carry many of the usual micros, not enough locals, IMHO. Also light on the Belgians, beyond the typical Chimays. I would not drive out of my way to shop here, if youve got some time go to Anconas about 1/2 hour further North, just east of Ridgefield.
Jan 16, 2005
Photo of beernbbq
Reviewed by beernbbq from Connecticut

3.85/5  rDev +5.5%
As part of my local beer shopping, I use this place to buy DFH 90IPA and Rogue Brutal Bitter. They do have a decent selection of DFH and Rogue brews and the prices are OK. You can get a decent selection of Abbey dubbels - Chimay, Affligem - not the top but it will do just fine as they are reasonably priced, and their are some Germans, i.e. Paulaner, Schneider. Inventory is not very deep so you may have to make a return trip. Some CT micros - Thomas Hooker and Farmington Valley, plus a few other New England based brews. Just stick the top rated and you will be fine.
Dec 19, 2003
Photo of slander
Reviewed by slander from New York

3.65/5  rDev 0%
Um..... okay, they've got an aisle of beer. They've got a decent selection of American micros. It's always nice to see the Brooklyn beers out of state, including the Monster (the '03 of course). What else?? Yep, they had the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA but none of the other DH beers. Curious, yes. The oddity here was the Maine beers showcased here (Allagash, Gritty's, Sea Dog, Shipyard, you usually don't see too much in the way of Gritty's down this way). A pretty good collection of Belgians and Euro's too, but you need to be careful here. They've got a few sixes of the Shipyard Summer Ale. Well, it's mid-March, so either they brought them back from this coming Summer when they took that trip in their time machine 3 months into the future, or thems is from last Summer. You tell me. And they've got a lot going on there that looks, ahem, "vintage" if you know what I mean. Many of the six packs are missing a beer or two, so I'll assume you can get just about anything there as a single. The staff lingering around the beer area were mostly kids and while they were attentative, they were not beer knowledgeble, but they did make the attempt to be helpful. Incidentally, while I was inside beer shopping, someone parked an entire kilt-wearing practicing bagpipe troupe behind my car in the parking lot. Free live entertainment on Saturday afternoons?? It had absolutely no bearing on this review but it was sure good comedy.
Mar 16, 2003
Photo of Thrasher
Reviewed by Thrasher from Oregon

3.65/5  rDev 0%
An all-around large, well-stocked liquor store with a row of coolers in the back that don't contain anything of interest. For the good stuff, check out the long aisle opposite the coolers. Left side is imports, right side is US micros (with a few shuffled here and there). Lots to choose from, including German wheats, most of the Fullers, some great Belgians (Fantome Noel anyone?), and the Eurobubblies line. US micros have a very large selection from Maine, the biggest I've seen in the area. If you are part of the Maine beer cult, you will be happy here. Gritty's, Sea Dog, Shipyard, Allagash... Mystic Seaport? Hmm I didn't know they still sold that. Keep your eyes peeled for the legendary Old Yankee Ale, from Cottrell Brewery - CT's best beer and far too difficult to find. This store is where I go to get my fix.

OK, that's the good part. The bad part is many of the bottles are very old. Too old. Even some of the high abv Belgians look a little dicey. Always check for dust on the bottle; if it's clean you're probably fine. It may be difficult to find a full sixer of the beer you want (many singles have already been snagged). Also beware the selection of singles at one end of the aisle. It may look like a good deal but those bottles are ancient. Service so-so, I've been several times and the imposing cashier never makes small talk. He could be shy though. Once when I couldn't find Old Yankee I got into a nice chat with the guy who supposedly stocks the beers; friendly but I didn't get much info out of him. Anyway this is a decent shop with a quite-good selection; one of the best beer stores in the area.
Feb 25, 2003
World of Beverages in Norwalk, CT
Place rating: 3.65 out of 5 with 12 ratings