Costco-Beer.

[billtzk]

Most of the Kirkland label wines I've bought from Costco have been quite good. Overall they've ranged from decent to very good. Whenever my local Costco stocks them, they generally they sell out quite rapidly, often within a day or two.

If Costco does as good a job on their private label beer as they do with the private label wine, it should be a winner for them.

 

[DylansDad]

I picked up the pack today and put some of each beer in the fridge. I'll post some pics and give my 2 cents later this weekend.

For 17.99 a 24 pack how bad can it be? GB isn't the best brewery by far but it definitely isn't the worst so I have high hopes for this beer.

 

[Displaced MassHole]

I picked up the pack today and put some of each beer in the fridge. I'll post some pics and give my 2 cents later this weekend.

For 17.99 a 24 pack how bad can it be? GB isn't the best brewery by far but it definitely isn't the worst so I have high hopes for this beer.

Keep us posted, havent been to costco in a little while but if this stuff is decent I might just have to check it out......for the sake of science

 

[TXCrash]

I picked some up today... I'll probably sample 2 varieties tonight, 2 tomorrow night.

For $18 for the 24 pack - I doubt I'll complain too much. I figure if it REALLY sucks I can toss it to family, if it's "OK" it may become a fallback beer, if it's great... I'll have to buy a few cases at a time ;-) ("I... um... need the bottles hun")

 

[holden]

The best thing about Gordon Biersch is their garlic fries.

Those and one of their beers are the best part of going to a baseball game in the bay area.

 

[DylansDad]

I picked some up today... I'll probably sample 2 varieties tonight, 2 tomorrow night.

For $18 for the 24 pack - I doubt I'll complain too much. I figure if it REALLY sucks I can toss it to family, if it's "OK" it may become a fallback beer, if it's great... I'll have to buy a few cases at a time ;-) ("I... um... need the bottles hun")

LOL. That's what I'm thinking too as a worst case scenario. For the price and for the economy, it's already posed as my fallback beer. Plus the bottles are dark and the caps are pop tops so we can use the bottles. Purely a hobby buy for the bottles.

 

[DylansDad]

Review 1:
Hefeweizen

-Aroma
Very little if any at all.
-Color
Very Light. Heffes are light ut it seems even llghter than a Blue Moon. Normal cloudyness as expected in a Heffe however not as cloudy as others.
- Bubble/Head
Not much however I poured at an angle. When I tried to pour at a faster rate it bubbled more but not at a large rate. Definitly didn't start to foam over the top
- Taste
Again, and here is the problem, not much. Has a Heffe taste, but lighter than normal. Now I remember why they put an orange in the drink normally. (I don't have any fruit). No bitterness, no fruit (but I can see why an orange would help). Nothing special.

Overall: Nothing special. However a big disclaimer is that I am not a big Heffe fan.

That's it for now. More to follow.

 

[TXCrash]

Drinking the Heffe now. Agree wholeheartedly with the "very little" of everything bit...

Not unimpressed... not impressed... just... drinkable. 16 IBU and 5.5 ABV.

 

[TXCrash]

Just finished the Amber. 25 IBU and 5.7 ABV. Better than the heffe (always a good sign when the wife says "too hoppy".

Better than the heffe, hop presence but definitely no hop bomb. Well balanced, decent beer. Not a favorite, but for the price - no complaints.

On to the german lager!

5.5 ABV and 22 IBU's. Definitely taste the hallertau hops I have no idea what a german lager is supposed to taste like - but not a bad brew. Once again, not the best, but quite drinkable. A bit of malt, a bit of hops, drinkable, but underwhelming.

So far - these beers are exacly what I expected. Beer for the masses that are tired of BMC but cant handle the uber hoppy stuff that's the current rage. I'll buy another case when this one's done, while I work on filling the pipeline. I can definitely see bringing a case of this to my BMC drinking family/ friends parties and it being well accepted by most.

The pale (not opened yet) is the hoppiest of the bunch at 35 IBU's and 5.4 ABV.


Hopheads need not apply...


(Looking forward to other, more experienced reviews of this beer...)

 

[DylansDad]

update:
Pale Ale

Aroma: Has the Pale Ale scent, not as much as Sierra Nevada, but it's there. I'm a noob, I don't know what you call that scent.

Color: Not bad. Ale'ish in color. I can't remember what the SN looks like, but of course the picture will work. It seems light, but not too light.

Foam: Fine, I poured slowly and sped up at the end. Looks good to me.

Taste: Smooth. Not too bitter. Not bland. A nice aftertaste. Not complex, but not boring. A slight hint of citrus? Not much in spice and a small amount of caramel. For what it doesn't have, I could easily drink this on a hot day and not be displeased. I also wouldn't be annoyed giving it to a non-beer snob. It's like a Light Pale Ale.

So for 2 of 4 it's like a light beer drinkers pack of "Exploration Beer"

 

[mysteryberto]

Saw the pack at Costco today and wondered what it'd be like. In the NW we can also get 24 packs of Henry Weinhards for $17.99 a case. How does this compare?

 

[TXCrash]

For MY tastes this is better than the winehards packs... (I also had the decision between the two - identical price). Your tastes may differ...

The pale ale seems to adequately represent the style. Not bad. I've agreed with dylans dad's reviews on the two he's reviewed thus far. I can have a way with words when I take the time... I just rarely do ;-)

Damnit I shouldn't be druk after 4 beers (had to test all 4... for... um... science).

I doubt anyone that picks up a case of this will ditch it off on friends/ family unless they have a stockpile of better beers around. Perfect time, however, to pick up a case - if ya don't like it, take the 20 pack (1 of each missing) to a family gathering... it'll get taken care of quickly...

 

[Kilgore_Trout]

I was planning a costco run this weekend for apple juice anyway... looks like a few more things to add to the list .

Is it really only available in 24 packs? No samplers or anything?

 

[DylansDad]

Sorry 24 pack only. I wish they had the free samples while you walked around the store but I'm sure there is a law against it.

As I drink the next few bottles I'll try and get more descriptive, but on first pass there hasn't been much to describe. Of course Curtis beat me to reviewing all of them so my drinking will be in the name science and supporting fellow scientists.

 

[TXCrash]

update:

So for 2 of 4 it's like a light beer drinkers pack of "Exploration Beer"

Probably the best way to describe the 4 beers...

And to clarify - the case is 6 of each beer... so it really is a sampler pack. Not sure if the plans are to offer each beer individually at some point or not (I doubt it based on costco's typical merchandising scheme).

 

[mysteryberto]

Probably the best way to describe the 4 beers...

And to clarify - the case is 6 of each beer... so it really is a sampler pack. Not sure if the plans are to offer each beer individually at some point or not (I doubt it based on costco's typical merchandising scheme).

In my Costco they sell nothing less than 24 packs of beer. It kinda sucks since they have stuff like SNPA and Bridgeport IPA which are both good but I wish they could make a mixer pack of craft brews.

Oh my Costco right now is selling a 4 pack of 22oz bottles of Unibroe for $20. Good deal?

 

[TXCrash]

But at the price v.s. your local store (at least here... not sure what part of OR UR in), look at it this way - you're buying 3 six pacs and getting a 4th free.

And What I meant was - the costco beer here is a 24 pack with 6 of each variety. Ours has the 4 pack of unibroe for $20 as well - never had that beer, may pick a pack up to see how it is...

I need to remember to check the beer selection at the costco in Salem (15 min north) - way bigger store, probably a better selection - but people are nowhere near as freindly.

Off to see santa with the kid... hope the snow doesn't get too bad (I'm not worried about MY driving - but snow + average oregonian = trouble)

 

[SPLASTiK]

I can pick up cases of Alaskan Smoked Porter at my Costco

 

[GoldMiner]

A blast from the past.

We recently started getting the Kirkland Signature Beers in Costco in Virginia.

They appear to be made by Saranac on the East Coast.

 

[kaiser423]

I can pick up cases of Alaskan Smoked Porter at my Costco

24 packs of Stone IPA at mine :rockin:

 

[GoldMiner]

24 packs of Stone IPA at mine :rockin:

I hate you.

 

[northernlad]

Saw the pack at Costco today and wondered what it'd be like. In the NW we can also get 24 packs of Henry Weinhards for $17.99 a case. How does this compare?

I bought a case for a summer party and found it dead middle of the road, but i would buy it over Henry's every time.

I assume that Costco has gone this route due in part to Washington's stupid liquor laws. As you may know "Kirkland" comes from their hometown East of Seattle.
WA requires that all wholesale prices on alcohol be the same to every merchant no matter their volume. Costco was suing the state over this BS because it eliminates their volume discount.

 

[kaiser423]

I bought a case for a summer party and found it dead middle of the road, but i would buy it over Henry's every time.

I assume that Costco has gone this route due in part to Washington's stupid liquor laws. As you may know "Kirkland" comes from their hometown East of Seattle.
WA requires that all wholesale prices on alcohol be the same to every merchant no matter their volume. Costco was suing the state over this BS because it eliminates their volume discount.

huh. Interesting. Yea, that would make it easier to pimp your own brand of beer for cheaper. But that is a pretty silly law. Why was it passed?!?

 

[northernlad]

huh. Interesting. Yea, that would make it easier to pimp your own brand of beer for cheaper. But that is a pretty silly law. Why was it passed?!?

Facist fun-hating Naziism

 

[JVD_X]

When I was a kid, I used to collect beer cans. I remember one can that I had was white with "BEER" in brown letters.

That was real beer. You could buy it in 7-11 a long long time ago.. I want to say 1973-1975?

 

[MrVagabond]

Well, I stumbled upon the Kirkland 24-pack at my local Costco just tonight and had to grab it. I only searched for this thread when I came home. No matter how the beer ends up tasting, for $17 it's still a pretty good way to stock up on bottles for my future brews and have a little something to drink as well

 

[marzsit]

huh. Interesting. Yea, that would make it easier to pimp your own brand of beer for cheaper. But that is a pretty silly law. Why was it passed?!?

it was passed so that the state could have a monopoly on all alcohol sales statewide.. prices here are higher than almost everywhere else because of it.

unfortunately, there have been attempts to change it but all have failed.

 

[artyusmc]

picked it up at 17 bucks, not bad not great. i have bottles for bottling

 

[ChshreCat]

Finally broke down and bought a case at CostCo. Not bad, really.

 

[dunnright00]

"Hey! He's Talking to yoooouuu!!"

I tried the Kirkland beer a couple of months ago, Wasn't too bad. Tasted a lot like GB, which I'm not crazy about.