Coastal Wines & Spirits

Coastal Wines & SpiritsCoastal Wines & Spirits
Coastal Wines & SpiritsCoastal Wines & Spirits
Store

12141 Coastal Hwy
Milton, Delaware, 19968-2761
United States

(302) 684-1135 | map
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.65
Reviews:
8
Ratings:
8
pDev:
17.26%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
Ratings by leftmindedrighty:
Photo of leftmindedrighty
Reviewed by leftmindedrighty from New Jersey

3.35/5  rDev -8.2%
Stopped here on my way home from Ocean City, MD

The sign outside said "The Best Kept Secret"

After leaving this establishment, I can see why the word isn't getting spread

Pretty small beer section, comprised of mostly Rogue and Sierra Nevada. They had some German and Belgian brews, but no hard to find bottles. Everything I saw was very dusty, which puzzled me. Only because a feather duster would be able to tackle that job in about 5 minutes.

I picked up a bottle of Smuttynose Barleywine which was actually a good find, and a six pack of Red Seal Ale. Upon getting home and cracking one open, the Red Seal tasted pretty old. Almost all of the hop character was gone, leaving me pretty ticked off I bought it.

Overall, a good store if your local I guess, but I don't see myself stopping again. Considering they seem to be the only game in town, it would make sense to put forth an effort to expand their product line. I'll have to assume the locals are not crying for it, which is why it has not been done.
Aug 15, 2007
More User Ratings:
Photo of mdaschaf
Reviewed by mdaschaf from Indiana

2.7/5  rDev -26%
Popped into this store to check out the selection. They have 4-5 cold cases and a few shelves of bigger bottles. Pretty standard selection compared to other stores in the area, but there were a lot of dusty bottles, including a Stoudts Oktoberfest that had a best by drink date of 12/9/08 (Todays date 10/14/10). The most annoying thing about this store was that nothing had a price on it. To find out the price you have to bring the bottle up to the register and ask. There was only one person working when I went in, who seemed to be preoccupied with something behind the counter.

Unless you are dire need, you can do much better by driving 10 minutes south to Cape Wine and Spirits or Atlantic Liquors.
Oct 14, 2010
Photo of tgbljb
Reviewed by tgbljb from Pennsylvania

3.15/5  rDev -13.7%
Stopped here on my way back from a short vacation in Rehoboth Beach.
The first thing I noticed was a lack of pricing. I hate havinfg to take everything up to the counter to ask for a price.(I quess I have been spoiled by places like State Line)
The selection was nothing out of the ordinary. There were some micros, but nothing special.
Some of the bottles were dusty and there were cases of macros blocking a number of the lower shelves.
I had stopped at a beer store in Rehobth beach the day before and the selection was similiar. I also planned on stopping at State Line on my way home, so there was no reason for me to get anything here. If you are in the area, it may be worth a stop but not a place to go out of your way for.
Dec 09, 2007
Photo of ggaughan
Reviewed by ggaughan from Pennsylvania

4.15/5  rDev +13.7%
As others have said, this is a great place to stop on your way down to the DE and MD beaches or even better on your way home to pick up some great wines or beers they have. I visited twice in the last 2 weeks and picked up a few DFH beers including the Golden Shower, Pangea and Aprihop. On my second trip they had just gotten in the Punkin Ale from DFH and were getting ready to get the 120 minute IPA when it comes out soon. As others have mentioned, pretty much everything in the store had a coating of dust or soot on it but the overall condition of the bottles seemed to be very good. The staff was very friendly and helpful. In addition to about 9 or 10 different Rogue bottles and a bunch of DFH beers including Zwaanadale, I picked up a bottle of Allagash 10th Anniversary. I though last year was their 10th anniversary and I was correct but I figured an Allagash beer could last and so I was not afraid to buy this year old bottle. I had read in an earlier review that they carried Alesmith beers but I was disappointed to not find any when I got there. All in all, a must stop to at least browse and most likely pick up a few bottles while heading into or out of the beach area.
Aug 25, 2006
Photo of JohnnyM2002
Reviewed by JohnnyM2002 from Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +16.4%
If you're planning on visiting Dogfish Head, or just taking a DE/MD beach trip, you should check out Coastal Wine & Spirits...it's along Route 1 (on your left if you're heading south) in Milton. It looks like a total dive, and when you walk in, there's a lot of dust - including on the bottles. But you get a pretty good selection. They had 16 different Rogue singles, 9 DFH, some Alesmith, Bear, and Victory, too. Great selection of 6 and 4 packs.

Service there was exceptional. The guy told me he would order anything I wanted and would hold it if I couldn't pick it up that day. He also steered me towards some 4-packs of Samichlaus that he kept in the back.

The place is also a wine/liquor store...I didn't check out the selection though. I stopped on my way in and out of Bethany Beach...it's a well-kept secret in Delaware!
Jul 29, 2006
Photo of Imstillthegman
Reviewed by Imstillthegman from Delaware

4.3/5  rDev +17.8%
Stopped in on my way to DFH for the brewery tour. Small store...even smaller beer section but they have quite a few beers. Lots of DFH and Rogue plus a few others. Lots of singles and a few sixers of things you can't find anywhere else in that area. Pay no attention to the dust on the bottles. Just wipe 'em off and enjoy! Owner was very helpful and knowledgeable of the beers she carried. Even offered to order cases for us and hold them untill we returned to the area in a month or so. Nice little shop. Be watching for it or you may drive right past it, though.
May 01, 2006
Photo of lackenhauser
Reviewed by lackenhauser from Maryland

2.96/5  rDev -18.9%
vibe: 2 | quality: 2 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Edited review 12/07/07.

I first visited Coastal 2 years ago. In my honest opinion it has slowly gone down hill, whether it is the dusty bottles or standing inventory of almost 2 year old beer

This place looks like a total hole in the wall from the road. I have driven past it while working 100 times but figured I had better stop in after seeing a review.. Place is old-has a great atmosphere in it with the original floor and all.

Quality seems to be lacking. Theres a serious layer of dust on some of the lower shelf items. I am sorry but thats a real turn off. Presentation can mean a lot. I know in the last 2 years I have been in there there are seasonals that havn't been moved.

The service has always been pretty decent. They are always eager to help and offer up any new items they might have gotten in.

The selection is decent enough for the area. They always have the full line of DFH and Rogue. Victory, Troegs, Ommegang and others to be had. Prices are pretty much in line for the area.

Overall there is better out there. I tend to hit Cape Wine and Spirits down the road in Lewes on Rt. 1. The total lack of regard for freshness bothers me. After going now and then for 2 years I doubt I will be back.
Dec 08, 2005
Photo of Chadbrew
Reviewed by Chadbrew from Delaware

4.3/5  rDev +17.8%
I first stopped into Coastal after hearing they had a pretty good selection of wines - mostly obscure, hard to get stuff and I figured I might get lucky. Walked in and asked the lady behind the counter (turns out she's the owner) if she had any craft beers. She points me to the cooler and to my pleasant surprise it's loaded with good stuff. Rogue, DFH, Magic Hat, Samuel Smith's, Victory, Smuttynose etc... Seems she's got a couple of guys working for her who convinced her to dedicate some space for good beer. I haven't met them to thank them yet. There's a couple more shelves at room temperature with singles of Scarecrow Ale, Hobgoblin, Witches Brew, Black Cat, Chimay, Duval, Kulmbacher, Ommegang, Hennepin, Don De Dieu, and lots more. The owner is real nice and asks me every time I go in if there's anything I would like her to order, today she showed me a list of all the seasonals she was ordering from the distributor.
Prices are reasonable and I haven't picked up an "old out of date" beer yet.
Mar 16, 2005
Coastal Wines & Spirits in Milton, DE
Place rating: 3.65 out of 5 with 8 ratings