Enough with the Pale Ales!

Has anybody else noticed that the craft brew section at their local grocery store is OVERWHELMED with Pale Ale? I like Pale Ales alright, but there are many, many other kinds of beer out there. Why do the Pale Ales take up 3/4 of the space, and everything else must be fit into the area that remains? Why can't I find a wide selection of Stouts and Porters?

Poor complaint I know. I only wish I could find ONE pale ale on the shelf at my local liquor store. Most of what I get are not even good lagers from Germany, etc.

If I owned a retail store my intention would be to make money. With that in mind I would stock the shelves with either something that would turn over quickly, or something that had a high enough mark up to make stocking it for a while profitable.

They're going to stock what sells well. If pale ale's move well, then that's what will be on the shelves. If porters and stouts moved well, or better, you'd see more of them on the shelves too.

Stores are there to turn a profit on everything they stock. If they can't move it fast enough to make money on the sale, then it won't be there.

RedGuitar said:

Has anybody else noticed that the craft brew section at their local grocery store is OVERWHELMED with Pale Ale? I like Pale Ales alright, but there are many, many other kinds of beer out there. Why do the Pale Ales take up 3/4 of the space, and everything else must be fit into the area that remains? Why can't I find a wide selection of Stouts and Porters?

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Where are you shopping? There are plenty of places in Raleigh that sell more than just pale ales. Hell, even Food Lion has upped their game in the beer dept. If the grocery store isn't doing it for you go to the local Total Wine or one of the other specialty stores all over the place here. Or even try telling the manager that you would like to see a broader selection at your home store. You never know, they might listen to you!

There are selections beyond Pale Ales at my grocery store, and when I'm really looking for a wide range, I go to the craft brew store, which has a great selection.

I'm not sure I worded my observation well earlier, so let me try again; Has anybody else noticed that seemingly every brewery makes at least one Pale Ale (I counted three different pales ales from the same brewery at the store yesterday), but not as many OTHER kind of beers? Or is it just me? I like Pale Ales, I just want to see other options (outside of the seasonals- why are some of the best beers seasonals and only available once a year?).

In some cases the limited nature of seasonals increases their appeal. I forget which beer it was that was seasonal, and beloved, but annual sales of that beer actually DECREASED when they made it a regularly available brew. Absence makes the heart grown fonder?

Then again, this is part of why we make our own beer. So we aren't forced to drink only what sells well in a grocery store.

Limited edition beer releases work on the nature of human thinking. "If someone tells me I can't have something, I want it even worse."

When a brewer says, "Oberon is only available in the summer.", Oberon lovers are going to really drool until it's in stock, and then they stock up.

Pale Ale and IPA seems to dominate the craft brew market right now. Many craft brewers actually brew a variety of other beers, but unfortunately they rarely put them in six packs, and they hardly ever sell them in grocery stores.

That's the main reason I started home brewing. While I want to learn to brew a good IPA or Pale Ale, I can buy plenty of good ones in the store (and I live just a few blocks from Stone Brewery). My real interest is in brewing all of the other stuff. The selection of darker (especially dark and hoppy) beers is pretty pathetic, even at the big liquor stores.

Jim Karr said:

Limited edition beer releases work on the nature of human thinking. "If someone tells me I can't have something, I want it even worse."

When a brewer says, "Oberon is only available in the summer.", Oberon lovers are going to really drool until it's in stock, and then they stock up.

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While I agree that limiting the availability can increase a beer's appeal, I'd drink Oberon all year, all the time. That is some good beer! I almost always have a witbier on hand, either homebrew or a good commercial version.

I think Pale Ale is a good compromise between wanting to drink craft beer and not wanting to step outside of a comfort zone. Note everyone enjoys tons of hops or roasty flavors in their beer.

Our Meijer stores have a fair selection of regional beers. They usually have several IPAs and a few stouts and whatnot from Michigan Breweries. I honestly can't sit here and complain about selection. Even the party store in my hick town has Hopslam...