Cheap bottles at Costco, with beer inside!

I was at Costco in Austin the other day, and in the beer aisle I spotted a case of Kirkland Signature "Handcrafted Lagers and Ales". (Kirkland is Costco's store brand.) The whole case was only $18.99, so I thought, "How bad could it be?" Turns out the answer is "not bad at all!"



The box contains a six-pack each of German-style Lager, Hefeweizen, Amber Ale, and Pale Ale. All four beers are a bit malty but pretty well balanced. They're more like each other than different, though all of them are pretty good. The side of the box says "Brewed and bottled by New Yorker Brewing Co., Utica, New York."





The bottles are nice and relatively thick, with a nice lip for capping. And as you can see, it comes with four plain-white carriers, too. The way I figure it, buying a case of new brown bottles at Austin Homebrew Supply would cost me $15, with another $4 for the carriers, so I'm basically getting the beer for just the cost of an OxyClean soak.



I know this is being sold in Austin, but I have no idea about any other cities. If you pick up some in your area, let us know!

Around here those beers are made by Gordon Biersch as a contract brew.

That is pretty awesome. Although, I would laugh so hard if I opened my buddy's fridge and it was jammed with Kirkland brew...haha.

I buy cases of Deschutes brew at our Costco and reuse the bottles. It is maybe a few bucks more than the Kirkland Signature, but it's great brew and the bottles are awesome.

Number_18 said:

I buy cases of Deschutes brew at our Costco and reuse the bottles. It is maybe a few bucks more than the Kirkland Signature, but it's great brew and the bottles are awesome.

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Yeah, Deschutes are keepers. Those and New Belgium are my workhorse bottles. And Costco sells 24's of both.

That's about the same price as a case for new 12oz empties at the LHBS here. Not a bad find since the beer is drinkable

I'm thinking that brewery in Utica sells their beer to be packaged under different brands. My carryout close by sells four cheap beers made by NY brewing under catchy pyramid-like names. Can't remember what their called. My LHBS sells cases of bottles for fifteen bucks. So that's a great deal if your in the market for bottles.

ReeseAllen said:

Yeah, Deschutes are keepers. Those and New Belgium are my workhorse bottles. And Costco sells 24's of both.

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Yep. Exactly the same for me. Although, the New Belgiums are shorter and it drives me insane when I don't group them by Deschutes/New Belgium because then I am adjusting my capper each bottle. Thankfully, I do not bottle often.

Deschutes at CosCo? Thats awesome, I miss Deschutes so much...Cant get it here in the Mid West Damnit

Do the labels come off easily?

If so, this sounds like quite the deal!

The downfall of living in NE/Mid-Atlantic; no beer at Costco...or any real store for that matter.

PatMac said:

Do the labels come off easily?

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I don't know. I keep a bucket of OxyClean and just drop in bottles when I'm done drinking them and then empty it every couple of weeks.

The next time I drink one of these, I'll just soak it in tap water overnight to see what happens to the label. I'll let you know how things go.

teach said:

I don't know. I keep a bucket of OxyClean and just drop in bottles when I'm done drinking them and then empty it every couple of weeks.

The next time I drink one of these, I'll just soak it in tap water overnight to see what happens to the label. I'll let you know how things go.

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That's probably a great deal, but for a case and a half, i can by another corny. Haven't bottled in years. When I did bottle though, I preferred 22s. Less work.

Sea said:

For a case and a half, i can buy another corny.

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Not with beer in it, you can't! Ah, you keggers just don't understand....

Deschutes labels come over super easy after soaking in warm water for 5 min. They have quite the selection of Deschutes cases at the Costco in Bend...go figure

I have seen these for sale at the Costco in MA, but not in NJ since they don't sell beer there. Haven't tried them yet though

malkore said:

That's about the same price as a case for new 12oz empties at the LHBS here. Not a bad find since the beer is drinkable

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Really, wow, that's expensive. I've bought cases of new 12 oz bottles (without beer in them ) for $9 at our lbhs.

Now, I'm into reusing bottles (even better than recycling) that a favorite pub saves for me. Love the Duvel bottles! Very funky :fro:

I've noticed those too and different locations in WA state. Never bought it though because they have Sierra Nevada and Rogue sometimes and wasn't in it just for the bottles. Maybe I'll give it a shot next time.

Pappers said:

Really, wow, that's expensive. I've bought cases of new 12 oz bottles (without beer in them ) for $9 at our lbhs.

Now, I'm into reusing bottles (even better than recycling) that a favorite pub saves for me. Love the Duvel bottles! Very funky :fro:

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uhh...
12+12 = 24
9+9 = 18
$18.99-$18=$.99

Case = 24 beers
half rack = 12 beers

New Yorker Brewing Co., Utica, New York = Saranac

They contract brew for a lot of lables, including Sam Adams. I love the irony of the Bostan Beer being brewed in NY.

teach said:

Not with beer in it, you can't! Ah, you keggers just don't understand....

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You're right, I don't. *Scratches head wondering why people still bother to bottle.*

Originally Posted by Pappers View Post
Really, wow, that's expensive. I've bought cases of new 12 oz bottles (without beer in them ) for $9 at our lbhs.

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curtis97322 said:

uhh...
12+12 = 24
9+9 = 18
$18.99-$18=$.99

Case = 24 beers
half rack = 12 beers

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Read it again, I didn't say 12 12 ounce bottles, I said a case (24) of 12 ounce bottles

A case (24) of 12 ounce bottles at my lhbs for around $9. Half of what Malkore said he paid at his lhbs for the same case of bottles.

Pappers said:

Read it again, I didn't say 12 12 ounce bottles, I said a case (24) of 12 ounce bottles

A case (24) of 12 ounce bottles at my lhbs for around $9. Half of what Malkore said he paid at his lhbs for the same case of bottles.

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Well slap me and call me an *******

heh...

*walks away muttering*


Sorry 'bout that Pappers

Pappers said:

A case (24) of 12 ounce bottles at my lhbs for around $9.

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Dang. What's your LHBS? Are you near a brewery or something?

Another good source of bottles is your local recycling center. I can pick up as much glass as I can handle for free. I often get 1 gal wine jugs there.

mitch171 said:

New Yorker Brewing Co., Utica, New York = Saranac

They contract brew for a lot of lables, including Sam Adams. I love the irony of the Bostan Beer being brewed in NY.

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Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't Sam Adams also brew some of their beer in Cincinnati, OH? Equally as ironic...

I may have to pick up a case. I need more plain bottles for competitions. I started kegging a couple years ago and got rid of most of my bottles. Now I'm back in the boat of needing bottles since I want to enter more competitions this year.

The only brewery in Utica is Saranac, and that is some fine beer.
http://www.saranac.com/#

I believe some of Brooklyn's beers are brewed in Utica as well. How's that for irony Brooklyn beer and Boston beer coming out of the same kettle.

:cross:

i like that saranac stuff as well. wish i could get it at costco here.

not to brag, but my buddy works at the pub at Sierra Nevada. So I get cases for $17

Saranac is not a brewery. The brewery is called F.X. Matts. They brew Saranac as a brand that they created. They also brew that miserable swill called Utica Club. It sucks.

They contract brew for Brooklyn, Pete's Wicked, Sam Adam's and others. Apparently Kirkland now as well. Just picked it up today, we'll have to see how it tastes. The price was right!



If anyone can ever make it to Utica, I HIGHLY suggest a tour. It's a fantastic old brewery that is meticulously maintained and you will get to see ALL of it. The tasting at the end is a home run.

Costco's the only way to fly for beer - at least on the West coast. When I lived in DC, the beer selection was horrible, hopefully it's improved. But my local store carries cases of Lagunitas IPA for $22! (And they're the short stubby bottles, which fit in my fridge a lot better, too)

I've never had a problem with having enough bottle for homebrew.

I just find them laying around the house when I wake up in the morning.

I am planning on brewing my first batch of beer soon. I bought the Kirkland beer in Grand Rapids, MI to try it and it was not bad. When I realized they were pop tops I went out and bought another case so I would have something for bottling. The price for a case was about the same as empty bottles on most web sites.