Hopslam in NOVA (northern Virginia/ DC)

From the Whole Foods Fairfax fb page...

HOPSLAM UPDATE!!! No, it's not here yet. But in an effort to alleviate the number of calls we have been receiving about it's arrival look for it to start hitting NoVA retailers on Monday, Jan. 26th. No, I don't know just yet when we are expecting our allocation. Just hold your breath for a few more days...

 

Agree. Pricey and potentially dated bottles on the shelf. I've ordered kegs here before and their list is just wishful thinking.

Maybe the closest shop to my house but still a drive and so I stopped going there a long time ago. But in a pinch, its an option.

 

I'm so tired of folks slamming Westover. They're not crooks. They run a business that fills a niche in the community. If you don't like the people or their prices then take your business elsewhere.

I personally like the place. I recognize that their bottle prices can be higher and that you have to be careful about the age of some of the beer. But the beer garden gets some great beers on tap. And frankly, except for Total Wine, Westover probably has the largest selection of beer in the area.

I regularly visit a number of places in the DC area. Each has its pros and cons. None of those establishments to my knowledge are run by crooks.

 

If this hits the area on 1/26, we may need dogsleds to pick some up...

 

...uuuuummmmm, yes, they are absolutely crooks. Not literal crooks in that they actually steal from people, but masters of cockbaggery who mark the hell up out of their product while refusing to monitor the freshness of their shelves (and that's not just beer, either, you seen their produce?) and providing bottom tier customer service. This type of behavior is rightfully called out.

 

I respectfully disagree with the use of the terminology.

They may annoy you with their business practices (based on your use of the term cockbaggery), but they are doing nothing illegal.

We can agree to disagree on the literal and figurative use of a certain word but in this case I think it's extreme, misleading and unnecessary.

 

That's just direct copy-paste of price sheets, you can tell because it's organized by distributor. They put the a ID, price, barcode if applicable for every item they have sold or may potentially sell. Says nothing of what is in stock at the distributor, much less at that store.

 

PS. This place is no longer secret.

 

Ah secret places... I've still got one tucked away in my mind in NOVA ^.^

 

I have taken my business elsewhere, haven't been there since this past summer. They're price gougers, and they're rude. They don't respect their products or their customers, and it shows.

 

Does anyone know if it dropped yesterday? Cheers!

 

Haven't seen it yet

 

Actually that's incorrect. I was in there a year or two ago and a bottle of Savor Flowers was on the shelves with a $100 price tag on it. That's absolutely illegal.

This isn't about me being annoyed by their business practices. I don't just sling around criticism for the hell of it. They are a crappy establishment with overpriced and outdated beer, rotting produce, and a couple of stoned out "managers" (I use that term loosely, because they are neither helpful nor responsible) who have zero respect for the business or its customers. I can still remember walking to the checkout line and the kid behind the counter (who I think is one of the owners/managers) was so completely ripped that he couldn't string a complete sentence together and was passing out as I spoke to him. At 2:30pm. On a Tuesday. In a grocery store.

Its run like a store with a captured market (the locals worship the place) by a kid who just inherited it from his parents and hasn't got a clue (except to gouge the crap out of his customers). That Savor Flowers cash was probably going right into one of their pockets.

They're crooks.

 

Savor Flowers, that's a Boston Beer Co. Beer, correct? What was illegal? Is that brewery not distributed in Virginia?

 

SAVOR Flowers was a collaboration between Dogfish Head and Sam Adams for the 2011 SAVOR. It was brewed exclusively for the event and was not to be sold outside of that event or brewed again.

On a side note: While it would definitely not be worth $100, I actually liked it a fair bit more than most people seemed to.

 

My friends and I tried one of the Flowers bottles from SAVOR and we all thought it was one of the worst beers ever(unlike the amazing Hydra Cuvee from 2014 SAVOR). We had 3 other bottles and we were more than happy to trade them away for some great stuff. Because it was a rare beer, it had a high value.

Regarding all this talk about Westover. I don't begrudge them if they are able to charge what they do for beer and food and get people to pay for it. Yes they have a great draft and the patio can be a fun time. But I've always had a problem paying $8-$10 for a beer in a plastic cup. Bottom line I don't buy beer there, unless in a pinch, because their prices are too high for my taste.

 

This brought back a funny memory. Friend and I stopped by after lunch at Lost Dog on a Sunday around 1pm to check it out. It was when the outside beer garden had recently opened. The only people there were an older couple and the guy I think you are speaking of with one of his friends. They were pouring beers for themselves and the manager was wasted. We sat at a table next to him and started talking to him and his buddy. The manager was saying some off the wall stuff. I wish I could remember the conversation because it was crazy. His buddy was trying to calm him down because he was so loud and belligerent. I did feel bad for the older couple because they looked a little shocked by what was going on.

 

Regarding the bolded part...this has long been my perception of it. 4.5 stars on Yelp, I think. It can do no wrong in the eyes of people who just WANT it to be this great little mom n' pop place.

They're actually opening a market/brewery/indoor "beer garden" somewhere in Clarendon and I'm curious to see how quickly it fails. I don't think that kind of neighborhood will support it.

 

Still quiet on actual Hopslam I see

 

WF P St said middle of Feb!!!