Great distribution in grocery stores

The grocery store I go to has a nice selection. Nothing crazy but it's good. The 12 packs are $1-$4 dollars cheaper than I see elsewhere and they run sales to make sure everything moves. Everything is very fresh. It's where I buy my go-tos/everyday beers. I wouldn't stop going to my beer shops but the supermarket is good for what it is and I won't stop shopping there either.

 

The grocery chain that I use is Wegmans. Pretty decent selection, but the freshness is hit or miss. They are terrible when it comes to Firestone Walker, Ithaca, and Sixpoint. I've learned my lesson in the past and always check dates. If I can't find a date then I pass all together.

 

I'd say overall there's a lot of great beers that are getting a broad distribution. There are some grocery stores that have a pretty good lineup but specialty stores are always going to have the edge with variety and rarity. I mean the fact that you can walk in to most gas stations and get Dogfish Head 60 minute these days says a lot about how far craft beer has come. I am lucky and have some really good grocery stores that also have amazing beer sections, but at the same time I have some amazing craft stores like "Half Time" that are near by me. For me it just depends on what I'm in the mood for and what I'm close to.

 

Some of the grocery stores in Seattle have a better selection than some of the dedicated bottle shops. There is simply too much great beer, too widely available, everywhere in this town.

 

The closest grocery store to my house has ~800 options and 16 taps for growler filling, but I almost never buy beer there so I have no idea how well they do on freshness. I look at everything when I'm there to make sure they don't have anything new in stock that one of my distributors failed to mention to me, but otherwise I buy most of my beer at work.

 

Is this a Whole Foods? I was just at one in PA recently and they had some of the freshest FW I've seen on the east coast.

 

Whole Foods, Earth Fare, Harris Teeter

 

I like my local Wegman's selection of six-packs and 22-oz singles. The prices are more reasonable than most bottle shops/bars and the selection is very good. There are a few good bottle shops around with a better selection, but they usually require me to drive out of my way, and I'm over chasing the whalez. I have seen some beer at my Wegman's lingering on shelves for awhile, but I have never seen out-of-date beer, so I think that store's managers do a good job of pulling old stock (but I've heard this is not always the case with grocers).

In PA, the distributers still have the best prices and selection, assuming you're willing to buy a case. I still go to my local distributer regularly, and add variety to my beer drinking with smaller beer purchases at the grocery. (If PA allowed distributers to sell in quantities less than a case, I would probably purchase less at the grocery though.)

 

Yeah, but to avoid derailing this discussion, more about PA beer laws are in this thread: http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/people-in-pa-what-are-your-beer-buying-options.154059/

 

Grocery stores have upped thier game in craft beer offerings IMO especially in the last 3 years or so i see many dedicated beer/wine area's now, singles and build your own sixers areas along with growler stations and in store tastings craft beer has become a draw card for men and woman we all have to buy groceries both sexes now shop with disposable income you come in for a nice selection you most likely will leave with some groceries

 

We've got a couple great grocery stores in my area, and I usually hit them up for the staples (Lagunitas, Victory, Bell's, Founders etc) and some easier to get bomber. Really need to watch the date though as things tend to sit on shelves a bit longer. Hi-Res just got pulled. I'll go to my bottle shop to get some tougher to find things, singles etc. They also tend to get new breweries to the market a few weeks before the grocery stores do.

 

I work for for a major chain grocery company, and the beer selection is significently better than it was even five years ago. At the store I work at, we have Goose Island, La Fin du Monde, stone Ruination, Chimay Blue, Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA, Deschutes, Lost Coast, Lagunitas, Sculpin, Green Flash. Honestly, its a better selection than some of the listed places here on this website!

 

I live about a mile from a big chain grocery store which has expanded its offerings to include Bell's, Victory, Dogfish, some Oskar Blues, and other good stuff. They are about $1 a sixer higher than TW, but with gas figured in, the grocery is cheaper in a lot of cases. I grab some if the mood strikes me. Gotta watch dates, though. The open cooler is sure nice and bright with fluorescent lights shining on the beer. I haven't got anything skunked, and wonder why. Sounds like a perfect set-up for that problem. Why not?

 

Man, I just got burned by this last night. I love Wegmans but I got a mix 6 with a Southern Tier Hopsun. It tasted like Bud Light. I found that date after I finished it. 6 months old. My fault, I know, just need to be more diligent.

 

I go to my local grocery store all the time for beer. I'm in PA atm, so the prices are little goofy, but I can get singles of stuff I've never tried, so it's whatever. One thing I can certainly agree with the OP on is the freshness. I get my Bell's Two Hearted Ale and Fat Heads Headhunter at the local store. (Giant Eagle and it is rarely over 2 weeks old)

 

In NY, Deciccos is the best. Has a bar with 16 taps, and constantly has tap takeovers every couple weeks. Plus the owners collaborate with Captain Lawrence, Evil Twin, etc. to bring beers exclusively to their chain.

 

I picked up a bottle of victory wild devil at a grocery store today, pretty excited to try it.