May 27, 2009
First of all, this is a massive Total Wine. Lots and lots of wine, with a beer selection that is about on par with Chantilly. Actually, there really is very little difference (beerwise) between the two stores that I could see. Same prices, similar layout, etc.. As is the case with all Total Wine stores, there is a large singles area, which is nice to make mixed 6 packs from. Service is basically limited to when you check out, another common Total Wine occurrence, but not something that bothers me. Lacks the rarer beers that Whole Foods gets, but makes up for it in raw numbers of different beer, so worth stopping at if you are in the area.

December 30, 2008
I can see both sides of the coin on this place. For me it was a great stop because they had a nice selection of singles from various states such as Virginia, Massachusetts and Maryland. On the other hand they did not seem to carry any exceptionally rare releases but since I do not know what is typically available locally it is hard to gauge that aspect. The wall of singles not only provided a chance to pick up beers from places like Saranac, Legacy, New England Brewing, Cape Ann and Legend but the prices are perfect. Most singles were only $1.49 with the Legend bombers only $3.99. The only thing that I have ever seen as that price recently was on a trip to Seattle where one can get Elysian relatively cheap. In summary if you are staying in Old Town Alexandria swing by here before you check into your hotel. It should give you enough options to fill each evening if you do not want to pay the markup at places like Bilbo Baggins or the Brickskeller but without the ambience.

December 19, 2007
Another chain store disaster. They used to have the largest selection of beer in NoVa. Since they were taken over by the mega chain store, their service has gone downhill. Selection is geared towards the big brewers, local offerings have dropped off severely. Clean, well lit, but not very well laid out. Basic selection of swill in the cold case.

October 2, 2007
Coming here was a shock since I had read previous comments on this (however one comment seems to be about a completely different location). Selection on singles is about the same as the other Total Wines I have been to, but they had a fantastic stock of cases and a pretty decent stock of 6-packs. Compared to others its a little run down (like it hasn’t been renovated for quite some time), but I can live without ambiance.

May 19, 2007
Pay no heed to the previous comments. The place must have come under new management, because the selection was outstanding when I went there. Lots of hard-to-find micros at reasonable prices and a very knowledgeable person working the floor.

September 30, 2005
Went to the one in Fredericksburg hoping they’d have something interesting, but, outside of the usual Bud, Coors, etc., basically it was limited to Warsteiner, Heineken, and Corona.

February 20, 2005
Back in the day these places were called Total Beverage and they had a good to great selection of beer. Well no more. The name changed to Total Wine and so did the emphasis of the store. There are lots of beer but it is a rather uninteresting selection. The good news is that they sell tons of singles. The problem is that their quality is sometimes not so good. It is worth a stop if you are in the neighborhood but dont go out of your way for it. Of the ones in the DC area the location in Chantilly seems to have the most selection.