De Fles Winkel aka “The Wink” is a new craft beer bottle shop having their soft opening today June 6th next to Home Team Grill in the Twin Hickory Shopping Center near Innsbrook.  Surrounded by the neighborhoods of Wyndham Forest, Wyndham, Twin Hickory and Grey Oaks, The Wink should be a great resource to residents who have longer for a craft beer destination in their backyard.

I had a chance to talk with owner Lou DiCello in early April just as the walls were being painted.  Lou was very aware of the need to protect beers from light damage and planned to use minimal florescent lighting supplemented with floor and ensconced lighting.  The Wink will be able to pour pints and fill growlers through use of a gourmet food ABC license.  This license will also allow for the sharing of bomber bottles in shop at a common table.  The Wink will offer packaged gourmet foods to eat in store or take home.  There are also plans for fresh light food options that may include homemade pretzels.

When we talked in April, Lou was looking at organzing the store by beer style rather than by brewery with a target of at least 500 distinct beers.  You can expect a lot of Belgian beers as they are among Lou’s faavorite styles. While they will not store kegs to sell, they will special order kegs for home use if desired.

You can join them for an opening reception later this afternoon.

De Fles Winkel
11355 Nickols Rd
Glen Allen, VA  23059