COSTCO brand beer?

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RighteousFire

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So I was at Costco and I saw they carry Kirkland Signature brand beer:

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Anybody tried it on a whim?

I'll get some next time, if anyone can claim it's okay at all.
 
Not bad at all, but nothing special. It is a great choice for a party. Way better than BMC. Definitely worth trying.
 
I think it depends on your location. That box in the pic says "New Yorker Brewing Co. Utica N.Y."

A Google search indicates that's the brewery that does the Saranac beers.

That's the same conclusion I've come to (getting the beer in Nashville). The beer itself is nothing to write home about, but considering its only a few bucks more than getting an empty case of bottles, you can't go wrong.
 
As IffyG says, if you're short bottles, it's a quick and cheap way to some -- and they are filled with average beer as an added bonus!
 
yeah i think some stores are still selling out of the lager and hefe before they add the new cases of ipa and white, unless the ipa and white are tests for certain states
 
I think it depends on your location. That box in the pic says "New Yorker Brewing Co. Utica N.Y."

A Google search indicates that's the brewery that does the Saranac beers.
Your correct, its actual name is West End Brewery aka F.X. Matts Brewery. Its in Utica, NY they do have their own line of beers under their flagship brand called Saranac. They brew some very excellent beers under that line year round with some great seasonal brands. I also know they do alot of contract brews for a number of breweries around the country. If your ever in central NY its worth a stop in for the tour, at the end you finish up in a tavern were you are given 3 coupons for free beers..The brewery has been around since about the 1880's so it is a landmark in the area.
 
IIRC Redhook brews the kirkland brews for Costco in my neck of the woods. Only have had the amber, its pretty uneventful but better than a bud.
 
I wasn't impressed with mine. All the beers no matter what style tasted the same to me with just a slight deviation between each one. I won't be picking up another pack any time in the future.
 
But it is "Handcrafted" - Whatever that means in this case?

Made by hand or using the hands, as opposed to by mass production or using machinery
 
It's mediocre at best. You'll be disappointed if you are expecting anything other than a sub-par "craft beer" in my opinion. I'd suggest grabbing a different mix case of beer from costco. They have a pretty decent selection at the one by me and I made the mistake of grabbing the kirkland case one day.
 
I've had them all, here are my Beer Ap ratings for them:

KS Amber Ale : 3.5/5
KS German Lager: 3.5/5
KS Pale Ale 1.5/5
KS Signature Hefeweissen: 0.5/5

All in all the Amber and German that I had were fantastic for widely produced commercial beers. The Pale Ale was okay, and the Hefe was not good. I grade pretty hard when I grade beers so don't let the 3.5 kill your spirit.
 
yeah, I used to buy that beer a lot when I was collecting bottles. It's decent beer and, like the other's said, it's just a tad more than buying empty bottles, so it's a no-brainer if you need more bottles.
 
Absolutely not. You'd give them a C overall? Actually that's about right. It's slightly better than BMC, but horrible compared to anything else COSTCO offers.

Depends on where you live. In Nashville, we have BMC stuff, Corona, Guinness, Yeungling and maybe a case from a 'microbrewery.'
 
I recently picked this up. Mine still had the hefe in it. The pale ale isn't bad at all, I genuinely like the german lager (even though it's not at all to a style), I like the amber enough, and the hefe is absolutely horrid and NOT even remotely a hefe.

Overall, I'll probably keep a case around as I go to Costco a lot (its a mile from my house) and I don't like giving out my better homebrews to people who won't appreciate it anyway (I'm selfish).
 
Had their new Belgian Wit and the IPA. I would give the wit a another go around but not the IPA. Certain hops when used for bittering just taste extremely astringent and grassy/dirty, very good head retention though.
 
Had it at a party last fall...can't remember the specific ones I tried as it's been a while. I remember not being all that impressed though. I wouldn't spend my own money on it...I'd rather spend a few books more and get a much better beer.
 
The best product at Costco by far is the Artichoke Jalepino Dip. I can't explain the awesomeness of this dip. It may go well with the two Costco beers that are good.
 
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