After reading a BeerGuy LA post about buying beer at Costco without a membership, I decided to give it a whirl and see what the experience (and selection) was like. Here is what I found….
I haven’t been to a Costco in a long while, so after hustling by the food court that was pretty busy, I headed to the entrance to test a couple employees on the buying without a membership question. Because, it may be a corporate / state legal issue but that may not have filtered down to individual locations. Both answered that I could though, so I trundled on to the beer aisle.
Which was both cool and not cool. Nothing refrigerated. Big ol’ cases of Coors but also a good little selection of Eagle Rock beers, Goose Island and Firestone as well. There was Golden Road IPA packs stacked up as well as the Kirkland House variety box. But I was there to test another rumor. Was the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp variety box in abundance? That answer was yes. So I hoisted one up and headed to check-out.
Is a trip worth it? Should it be added to the beer buying rounds? If you already shop there then check out your store’s selection. The prices weren’t out of whack with what is being charged elsewhere. But I wouldn’t make a special trip unless you knew they had something you couldn’t get elsewhere or would have to go farther afield to acquire.
At least in Western Washington the beer selection varies greatly from location to location.
At least in Western Washington (home to Costco HQ) the beer selection varies greatly from location to location. Stores closer to Seattle and in affluent suburbs have a very good selection and have started selling a variety of bombers/750’s. Farther afield it’s all BMC plus the lager heavy Kirkland Select variety pack, a couple of micro/craft cases, and a handful of bombers. If the beer selection at the first Costco you visit doesn’t impress you consider the demographics of the location and consider visiting a different store.
Just last week I was at a store selling a vertical 2011-2013 sampling of Deschutes Not The Stoic bombers for $5.50 each. Not exactly a summer beer but we’ll enjoy them eventually.
That is a hell of find! The selection was fine. It was the shelf space that could have been expanded.