Beer geeks don’t typically get beer at a major grocery chain. Either the selection is sub-par or the good stuff has been sitting for awhile because the typical buyer is picking up the cheapest or largest box of industrial water lager they can get into the cart.
But the Ralphs near me has really improved of late. Hangar 24. Dig from New Belgium. Some good Widmer bombers and I even saw Sublimely Self-Righteous on the shelf. So I have been making a point to buy beer there on occasion to endorse the changes. Letting my wallet do the talking and taking advantage of the fact that they are tracking my purchases and someone in data analysis will see that I started buying when the changes were made.
And one of those purchases was my April beer allowance money from my wife…..
I have heard good reports on the Discord and Outburst IPAs from Pyramid and throwing in a maibock and their decent but not exciting hefe is a steal. And like the first three months. I even saved a bit of my $20 to spend at the end of the year!
The Ralphs location in Downtown LA has a pretty good selection too. Firestone Pale 31, DBA, Union Jack. Rogue Dead Guy, Brutal Bitter, Hazelnut Brown. A slew of Ballast Point and Stone offerings as well.
Maybe the mighty Kroger conglomerate has seen the craft beer light. Or they were tired of losing sales to beer friendly stores.
I work for Ralphs and was VERY happy to see these changes.. I picked up that same Pyramid seasonal from work. Was pleasantly surprised with the Discord and Outburst.
Discord was my favorite. Surprisingly, the Maibock would be my second choice.
Keep pushing to get Ralphs to stock more craft beer.