Fenwick Beer & Wine (and a little more)
Happy New Year, everyone. Good to be back from the holiday hiatus. A few things happening around the ‘hood, the most important of which (as far as I’m concerned) is the opening of the new Fenwick Beer & Wine store at the corner of Fenwick and Second Avenue in the little house previously occupied by, among other things, Long & Foster Realtors. There had been some buzz on the listserv about it, so I checked it out this weekend. It’s still in the beginning stages, but they have a pretty good selection already.
Most impressive is their selection of large bottles of beer, something to which I’m particularly attuned. I normally end up going to Gilly’s Craft Berr & Wine in Rockville or piggyback a Costco trip to The Perfect Pour in Columbia. The latter has the best selection in the greater DC/Baltimore area, but it is, after all, in Columbia. And Gilly’s actually has food and three taps to sample in-store. But it’s nice to have something in the Silver Spring CBD that has something akin to it.
Among the items I’m really happy with is their selection of Unibroue beers, as well as a growing selection of brews from the Southern Tier Brewing Company. The also have a broad selection of six packs like Dogfish Head, Brooklyn, Magic Hat and more. As everything is currently stacked up in the store on boxes, I anticipate the inventory and interior decor will grow as the business does.
As for wine, their selection is small but full of things you might not find at a lot of other stores. I tend to go to other outlets for wine, though. Or have it shipped direct to DC and bring it across the state line because the idiots in Maryland still haven’t let go of their regressive direct shipment laws. (I was also told by the director of Montgomery County Department of Liquor Control Board that this is entirely legal, so until they change the direct shipment laws, I encourage you to have at it.)
I spoke to the owner, Suman, and they’re having a grand opening celebration on January 23, with free tastings of Belgian beer from 1:00-3:30om, and wine from 4:00-7:00pm. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by. Would love to see these guys stay around a while.
On a Much Sadder Note…
Our beloved Silver Spring Penguin will cease and desist operations as of this Friday, January 15, 2010. Jen Deseo has been a great asset to the community and I, for one, will miss her greatly. If you’re looking for blame, point it at Penguin photog Ron Pace, who was given a great opportunity up in New York.
Calling all Downtown Silver Spring Twitterers
Don’t forget the DTSS Tweetup – a gathering of local twitterers (tweeps?) – on Friday, January 22 at Mi Rancho. Use hashtag #DTSStweetup for Twitter promos and live tweeting. Margaritas start flowing at 6:00.
9 Comments so far
Leave a reply
I don’t claim to know what place has the biggest beer collection in the area. But, there is a beer/wine place on Connecticut Ave. just south of the Chevy Chase Circle that I went to that claims they have the biggest collection in the area. The owner said the Brickseller has about half of what they have.
Anyhow, worth checking out.
great! congratulation on another good store XD I might stop by for a visit on the opening day. Kind of sad about Penguin
I enjoyed reading that blog.
Fenwick is a great addition to the area, I agree. Quirky, interesting selection of wines that I think will be rotating enough to compensate for its smaller size, great beer selection, and knowledgable ownership. Looking forward to the tastings.
I anticipate there will be considerable changes to the interior between now and then. At least I hope so. I should also inquire about coolers as, at present, they have none. Be nice to pick up a cold one.
What did you think about the pricing? I thought the Unibroue’s were reasonably priced but certain selections were kind of wild–12 dollars for Anchor Steam?
Yeah, I thought a lot of the individual bottles were where they should be in terms of price. Unfortunately I didn’t get a read on most of the beer.
The Dogfish Head was a couple of dollars more than I usually pay elsewhere, but that’s to be expected. I figure a smaller business can only do so much when its supplier is selling the same thing for less a quarter of a mile away on Colesville.
the pricing at Fenwick was interesting, some of the stuff was the same as elsewhere, other stuff was considerably more expensive. Interstingly enough, the more obscure the stuff was, the more appropriately priced it seemed to be.
This place is Nice. The 2 people running it are very polite and gracious. Their prices are good to! Im not a wine drinker but their Belgian Beer selection is Nice!
I visited last weekend and really liked their beer selection. I was getting tired of the limited options at the convenience store on Fenton across from Highland Origin.