Carytown Wine & Beer

Store

3144 W Cary St
Richmond, Virginia, 23221-3504
United States

// CLOSED //
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.93
Reviews:
21
Ratings:
21
pDev:
8.91%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by TinusTime:
Photo of TinusTime
Reviewed by TinusTime from Virginia

4.35/5  rDev +10.7%
Went there on my tour d'Richmond and this was by far the best beer store I found.. The store almost seems split with beer and wine. Great selection of both American and Import Craft brew. I managed to pick up the Unibroue 2004, Stone Imp Stout, and the JW lees barrel aged beers among others. Great selection of German beers as well. There are some six packs in cold cases in the back, but the majority is stored on room temp shelves. The gentleman that helped me was friendly and seemed to know his beers as he gave me several approving looks as i was picking stuff up. He even pointed out a few things that I had not seen. Over all it was the best beer selection I came across in Richmond.
Jul 11, 2004
More User Ratings:
Photo of esv
Reviewed by esv from Virginia

3.05/5  rDev -22.4%
The store is located in a strip mall in a section of Richmond called Cary Town. I purchased beer from the location for 2-3 years before discovering some real gems like Once Upon a Vine and the small but diverse selection at Ellwood Thompson.

When you walk in you've got your wine on the left and your beer on the right. Nice selection of beer. Limited cooler space. A solid selection of singles available (mostly warm). The selections rotate and I've never had an issue with dating.

The TV is always on and is in keeping with the laid back atmosphere.

There is one cashier, who may own the establishment, and has never failed to be an ass the few times I've encountered him there. One of the first times I visited, in the early stages of my journey towards appreciating and respecting beer, I asked if he could suggest a stout. I think he was appalled that I was in his presence, let alone speaking to him. He waved his hand as though casting a curse on me, though I think he was gesturing towards the beer shelf, and I think I heard him mutter something about not liking stouts.

More recently I stopped in on my way home from work and picked out a refrigerated single and when I pulled out "plastic" to pay he couldn't just inform me that they had a $5 dollar minimum (no bigee and that would've been cool) but he acted like my finger had fallen from my hand onto his counter and it had become awkwardly apparent that I was a leper.

The only reason I rated the service a 1.5 and not a 1 is because generally the store is attended to by a very laid-back guy willing to offer a suggestion or discuss the local beer scene.

The selection served me well for those first couple years but I don't intend to return any time soon.
Feb 25, 2008
Photo of pentathlete
Reviewed by pentathlete from Virginia

3.85/5  rDev -2%
In a little strip mall on Cary Street with off street parking, this is basically a large open square of a store with wine on the left and beer on the right. A few coolers line the back wall. Standard selections, with a nice section of shelving devoted to Trappist Ales (though no Westvleterens, of course). Decent mix of sixers. Singles are limited compared to OUAV or Westpark. Staff was present, not very interactive, but nice enough. Certainly a place to check occasionally. Not exceptionally convenient unless you're in or about Carytown. But if you are, there isn't a compelling reason to buy your beer anywhere else, unless you really need something special.
Dec 24, 2006
Photo of CharlieMopps
Reviewed by CharlieMopps from Virginia

3.85/5  rDev -2%
I've been stocking up at this place for a while and it's been a reliable little venue for quality beer. The service is adequate, but usually friendly, so it's worth stopping in. The selection is fairly diverse, and somewhat geared toward the sixer-side, but they've usually got great stuff in stock. And the prices seem fairly reasonable for hard-to-find beer. They've also got a nice little Belgian enclave toward the back. If you're into wine as well, it would seem to be a good place to go for the vino, but I usually dart straight to the beer section. Overall, a nice place to shop, in a nice part of town, with a quality selection.
Oct 14, 2006
Photo of ByTor2112
Reviewed by ByTor2112 from North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -5.9%
This store is in the coolest little village/town setting. Nothing but cool shops and boutiques and restaurants up both sides of the street. I went in looking specifically for Stone. Very big, nice neat shelves. great selection of micros, belgians and imports. They had a cooler with a good selection as well. I bought a Bear Republic Racer 5 and a Stone IPA. I knew what I was after so I really didn't need help but the guy at the counter was very friendly. Thanks to nreich for the heads-up. I would go back if in the area.
Oct 12, 2006
Photo of Lnedrive14
Reviewed by Lnedrive14 from Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -2%
Unlike most beer stores I venture into, this one is huge - lots of floor space. The end result is a nice, clean store with a huge wall of 6-packs. A fair amount of singles as well, but this is definitely more of a place to come and stock up in some quality brew than to come looking for specific bottles (go to Once Upon a Vine for that). My phone rang while I was in the store, so I didn't get a chance to talk to the guy there, but he seemed very friendly.

A very nice store - not chalk full of rarities, but definitely a place to swing by on a trip through Richmond.
May 26, 2006
Photo of phisig137
Reviewed by phisig137 from Virginia

3.55/5  rDev -9.7%
I stop by here about once a week, and it's a quality place. They have a wide variety of six packs, and a handful of nice belgians and bombers. I'd like to see more bombers and singles, but it's still a nice selection. Pretty reasonable prices too, nothing seems to be jacked up like some other stores can be.

Service wise, the younger guy that works there, David is quite a nice guy to talk to, and very helpful. He always lets me know what's new, and what he's tried recently and liked. The older guy that owns the place and works there sometimes, is completely useless. He'll barely acknowledge your presence when you're trying to check out. Other than that one thing, it's a nice store.
Apr 10, 2006
Photo of Metalmonk
Reviewed by Metalmonk from North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -5.9%
Cool place, I found more US micros than Belgians, and I went in looking for Belgians specifically (what's new...). The Belgians are all typical names, nothing unusual, but that's still plenty of good stuff to choose from: Delirium Tremens, Maredsous, Affligem, Duvel, Chimay...can't argue with those.

The US micro selection was quite good too. Unfortunately I had some questions and the guy behind the counter indicated I knew more about beer than he did. He was more knowledgeable about the wines, which didn't help me.

There seems to be a lot of open space in the store, which makes it easy to move around, but I wonder if that space could be better utilized? Still, it's a cool store and you can easily spend hundreds of dollars stocking up. I'd like to return again soon to see if the selection has improved or changed. And it's an amazing part of town, many great restaurants to choose from (especially noteworthy was a Thai restaurant just down the black, can't remember the name).
Mar 21, 2006
Photo of Jredner
Reviewed by Jredner from Florida

3.85/5  rDev -2%
Decent enough selection, but it is 6-pack heavy. They will split, but only to a point. You can’t just go in and pull a single from every sixer. You have to tell them which you want and then they will pull it and stock the remaining beers in the singles section.

If you could buy more singles this place would be much better in my opinion....bordering on fantastic.

They have St. George Brewery (Very underrated Virginia brewery..the Winter Stout is awesome) beers in a sampler pack...worth the $8-9 bucks just to get the Winter Stout in there.

The foreign selection is decent and the American craft selection is pretty damn good. It’s in a cool part of town as well and close to lots of other places worth visitng.
Jan 18, 2006
Photo of wlhagan3
Reviewed by wlhagan3 from Indiana

3.7/5  rDev -5.9%
I was in Richmond over Memorial Day weekend (2005) to visit my mother and host a surprise birthday party for her. I had used BeerFly to determine a good spot to stock up for the weekend festivities. I ended up stopping here three days in a row to replenish supplies. The same guy was working each day and I cannot imagine what he thought after my third visit!!

A side from being in a very busy area of town and difficulty finding a parking space, this is a decent store. I stocked up on selections I cannot get in Indy (Smuttynose, Victory, St. George, Troegs, Bear Republic, Speakeasy and Weyerbacher). They carry Stone, DFH, and others (imports) as well. The place is clean and laid out with beer on the right wall/middle (warm) with the reach-in in the back (kind of small) and wine on the left wall/middle. (No booze. VA sells booze in ABC stores.) Plenty of room. The prices were reasonable, averaging $7-9 a sixer. Dropped about $270 for the weekend on beer (and some wine).

Did not receive any beer service to speak of. If I lived in Richmond and near/in the Fan district or Carytown, I would be a regular customer.
Jun 03, 2005
Photo of asabreed
Reviewed by asabreed from New York

4.2/5  rDev +6.9%
I live about 5 blocks from Carytown Wine & Beer, and though I've been in Richmond for about 8 months, I only visited today. Turns out, though, this is a good thing, as I just spent $50.

First, a quick rundown of what I got so you can see selection and prices:

2 bottles of Double Bastard @ 5.49 a piece
1 bottle of Allagash Curieux @ 13.49
1 bottle Unibroue 2004 @ 7.99
1 bottle Weyerbacher Insanity @ 7.49
4-pack of North Coast Old Stock Ale @ 10.49

Just that alone was enough to make me go crazy, as all of those were on my list, so of course I got what I could afford. The clerk knew his stuff, as he even pointed me to the lone Three Floyd's bottle that I missed because it was something I hadn't heard of.

It's set up pretty well, and there's a lot of room so you make sure you don't bump anything. Wine is on the left, beer's on the right, and toward the back there's a cooler w/ a great selection of 6-packs.

Great selection of craft brews and imports. Rogue, Stone, Victory, and some of the other US heavy hitters are represented well. They didn't have an amazing selection of Belgian beers, but I don't know as many as I should I suppose, even though there were a few on my list that I couldn't find.

Like I said, I'm close, so I can go there any time I want, but I'd say it'd be worth a good hour or two drive if you really want to pick up some craft brews and you're at least close to the area. I can't wait to go back when I have more cash.
Mar 20, 2005
Photo of Ninjaworm
Reviewed by Ninjaworm from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.8%
Did not see anything that would lead me to believe that their quality was not good. Very clean place, no dust visible. Did not see any old bottles.

The guy behind the desk was not too helpful. When I asked him about singles he pointed me to where the singles were located which consisted of a case or so of random highly picked over bottles. I had previously seen those and advised the clerk that I was looking to try a single of this beer, but he never really answered me. He did perk up and become talkative when I was checking out at the display of the beers we bought.

Selection wise I would not go to the place to buy 12oz singles, six packs wise he has a excellent selection. Had some bombers and 750’s that other places did not carry or were out of. I would visit this place towards the end of a trip to find any odds and ends that you missed at other locations.
May 30, 2004
Photo of Stoo333
Reviewed by Stoo333 from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.8%
This is located in a very busy (on a Saturday at least) strip mall off a very busy road packed with a lot of other shops. We had to fight for a parking space here. Seriously...one guy got out of his car to give a woman a verbal thrashing over 'taking his parking space.' When I finally parked some lady honked at me...I suppose she wanted the space...but it wasn't too important for her--she didn't seem to be shopping for beer.

There is a very large selection of 6 packs and bombers here. For smaller 12oz bottles, you basically had to commit to a 6 pack, but there was small selection of singles with a few goodies present. Larger-bottle singles covered American Belgian style beers and Stone was well represented--some Rogue brews, but not many. There was a decent selection of imports and trappist beers as well. 6-packs covered a lot--Victory, Rogue, Dominion, Dogfish, Anderson Valley, St. George, and many others--a very comprehensive selection.

We saw the employees helping some other guys bring stuff out to their car, and they were friendly enough during the time we spoke with them. This and Westpark Wine and Beer are my favorite stores in Richmond--I'll be back for sure.
Apr 21, 2004
Photo of philipt
Reviewed by philipt from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.8%
Another good beer store in this beer rich city. The selction was good but not exceptional. A lot of sixers on the wall, but pretty standard stuff overall. I happen to score a Stone Double Bastard which I cannot find in C'ville. The store is very clean and bright. It wasn't cramped. The service was lacking. It wasn't bad by any means, but the staff wasn't proactively helpful.
Nov 08, 2003
Photo of GCBrewingCo
Reviewed by GCBrewingCo from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +1.8%
All in all, a good place in VA to stop for sixers and the occasional odd bottle of this or that. The Belgian selection was lacking, and some of the odd bottles appeared that they may have been around for awhile. The store was very, very clean, and inside there was lots of room to mull about. I did notice all the green and clear bottled beer appeared to be high on the shelved nearest the lighting. That made me wonder about just how skunked those beers might be.
Oct 29, 2003
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +6.9%
Wow, what a cool place... not just Carytown Wine & Beer, but the whole neighborhood! It almost has that artsy, laid-back Berkley vibe going on... ...there are even two whole-food grocery stores within a couple of blocks of each other!

Inside, there's a huge selection of wines throughout most of the store, but there are also coolers full of beer! Most of their contents appear to be mainstream stuff, but there's also a very good number of craft brewed selections in there as well! There's a whole wall of local and imported six-packs to the right; and there are two tiny islands in the center boasting single bottles! And the prices are fair - there's no gougeing going on here! I picked up beers from Richbrau, Williamsburgh, St. George, Starr Hill, Mobjack, and Old Dominion as well as a bunch of German and Belgian imports! It's carpeted, clean, and air-conditioned... just like every liquor store should be! The service could be better, but it's certainly worth a trip if you're in the area!
Sep 05, 2003
Photo of scottstrades
Reviewed by scottstrades from Virginia

4.05/5  rDev +3.1%
Sad to say, but Carytown Wine & Beer is closing for good on Jan 31, 2008. Very sad :(

Carytown Wine & Beer has a very wide beer selection, though it is not overly deep. The thing I really, really like about this store is that they keep getting new beers in. My wife and I stop by there about once every two months and we almost always see a couple of new import beers on their shelves, which is very important to us. They also have the habit of usually placing a "New" sign by their new beers, making them easier find. Their Belgian selection is adequate, but not really impressive. They have a nice wheat beer selection and thankfully bring a new one in occasionally that I've not seen elsewhere. Their selection of eastern European beers is small but nice and always changing (FYI, eastern Europe is undergoing a beer revival and their beers are a great buy). Though somewhat small, it is possibly the best selection of Eastern European beers in Richmond. Carytown has the most complete selection of nitrogen beers I've seen in one place (I really like these beers, though Boddingtons is crap - try Abbot Ale, Ruddles, Speckled Hen, or Belhaven Best for a tasty nitro, as well as Tetley's, though Carytown does not carry it). Their American craft beer selection is one of the largest that I've seen. They also occasionally have mini kegs of unusual beers (usually German). These are located by the cashier area, though I've not seen them as frequently as I used to.

As stated by most reviewers, the customer service varies between indifferent to sort of helpful, though the worst clerks are no longer there.

This store has again become our "go to" beer store in Carytown (a spot held by River City Cellars for several years). Even the most experienced beer buyer may find something new here. Highly recommended.
Aug 19, 2003
Photo of fattychubs
Reviewed by fattychubs from North Carolina

3.4/5  rDev -13.5%
A decent selection of singles, allowed me to pick up some of the beers I was looking for like Trappist ales, Rogue, and Dogfish. They were out of stock on a few things I was looking for though.

Service wasn’t very friendly, no one offered assistance mostly just stood around. The guy checking us out carried on a conversation with someone else while checking us out, and rang up a few things wrong.

I will head back though when I am in the area, to get some of the stuff I couldn’t afford in the first trip.
Jul 02, 2003
Photo of Darkale
Reviewed by Darkale from Virginia

4.35/5  rDev +10.7%
This is one of my favorite beer stores in Richmond.

Located in the Cary Court Shopping Center, which is a short strip mall of stores in Richmond's long Carytown shopping district. Cary Court is one of the oldest strip malls in the area, and was recently and quite nicely refurbished.

Great selection of beer, from Stone and Dogfish Head to very comprehensive German and Belgian selections. The service, when it is good, is excellent, but depends on which clerk you luck into when you go there. Indeed, I can think of several beers (Nostrodamus from Caracole comes to mind as one) that I would not have tried if not for the spontaneous recommendation of a particular clerk (I was buying some Belgians and he was happy to have found a kindred spirit). If all of the clerks were as good as some of the clerks, I would give them the highest service rating.

Also has one of the nicer cold beer selections in Richmond, for those times when you have run out and can't wait for it to get cold. If you can't find it cold at Carytown Wine & Beer, then you have very, very picky tastes.

Well worth visiting. I always enjoy roaming around here, and I am never made to feel that I must do anything else but browse (perhaps because I almost always do more than browse when I go there!).
May 24, 2003
Photo of avylover
Reviewed by avylover from Virginia

4.65/5  rDev +18.3%
Considering this is the best beer selection I've seen (Nothing in the hampton roads area compares to this except maybe the Bier Garden for imports) I wanted to give this place all fives. But then what happens when they open the Beer Outlet Mall next to my house that i've dreamed of? Well, this is the next best thing. Tons of beers I had never seen but recognized instantly, and a ton I had never heard of. They had all the Stone & Rogue products I was trying to get my hands on and some great suprises. (Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine comes to mind). The guy that helped me was very knowledgeable and went out of his way to show me around. Worth the two hour drive. My next trip will be to get my victory V12 replacement for a bad V10. Great Shop!!
Mar 27, 2003
Photo of OldFrothingSlosh
Reviewed by OldFrothingSlosh from Pennsylvania

4.3/5  rDev +9.4%
Nestled in a strip mall with a fancy-pants hair salon on one side, the Carytown Wine & Beer establishment really knocked my socks off. I went in with a print-out of the TOP 50 beers from BA.com and the clerk/owner quickly offered to help me find what I was looking for. He went over the list with me, commenting on what they had, where it was, and if it was sold in singles or 6-packs. He also commented on what styles he liked and asked me what styles I liked in order to help me make my selections. Compared to the Total Wine N More store, Carytown Wine & Beer definitely has the upper hand in selection. A great variety of 6-packs and a stellar mix of singles.

Definitely worth checking out if you are ever in the area.
Jan 27, 2003
Carytown Wine & Beer in Richmond, VA
Place rating: 3.93 out of 5 with 21 ratings