I went to a gentlemen's club recently that had Goose Island 312 on tap! They actually had it $1 cheaper than Bud Light! For $6 a pitcher, it was certainly the most enjoyable experience I've had drinking 312! How about you guys? Have you been finding better beer in unexpected places?
My neighborhood supermarket has been carrying Boulevard Love Child #2, Collage, and Black Butte XXIV (among others) for weeks or longer. The beer section usually isn't much to write home about (standard Stone IPA, various locals and imports) but they've been getting a few of the one-off/limited beers lately. What's more, they stay on the shelves for weeks/months. I'm guessing this is because of the prices. P.S. is a gentlemen's club the same as a strip club? If so let's call a spade a spade.
Yes and no. Grocery stores and liquor stores have done a pretty good job expanding the craft sections. The crappy dive bars are mostly sticking to their BMC around here.
I was surprised Applebee's by me had some Defiant brew on draft. I never expected to be able to order a local micro especially on draft at such a big chain. I was happy to see it and hope it sticks around with more to come.
Go to NC Ohio. I mean Two-Hearted and In-Heat Wheat have popped in on tap in small towns, but still no Goose Island. I do see local NC beers EVERYWHERE in Durham.
This is not a dig a BMC or Goose but I find myself less impressed by finding 312, Honkers,or what not on tap in new venues. It speaks more towards the increased marketing, distribution and sales force behind it than it does the growth of craft. In Kalamazoo Oberon is on tap everywhere, we drown ourselves in it. More and more often I am seeing Two Hearted as well. A local chain of restaurants/bars, who is notorious for their micro of the month special only to put the seasonal Shock Top on, has spread the legit craft offerings from about 2-4 to 6 maybe 8 at a time. Even the smaller bars seem to be more willing to expand and diversify, the market is growing.
Yeah, it seems like its a trend everywhere I go now. Usually the choices are not great but as long as they have at least one IPA or a Pale Ale I am good to go!
Almost every bar in the city of Cleveland has at least a few craft beer options. At the very least they all have something from Great Lakes—Cleveland is big on supporting local business like that. It is definitely nice to see craft beer popping up in traditionally BMC bars.
i saw the title of this thread and thought it was going to be about the home brewery in the white house. i couldn't have been more off.
Locally, the Jewel grocery store chain has been carrying actual craft options. Different selection at each store, it seems: Sucaba and others near my house, Three Floyds, Half Acre and more near where I work close to Chicago. Last week I saw they had Gumballhead.....for $14.95!!!! That's the highest I've ever seen it. I cut out their silly promo bubble I saw in one of their circulars and attached it to my beer fridge: "Join the Craft Craze!!!"
So was it Club 390 or Atlantis Gentlemen's Club? Always enjoying seeing the options get better and better at the closest liquor store to our families place in Northern MN (Liquor store is in Grand Rapids, MN and the family place is in Squaw Lake, MN). Found some Pretty Things randomly in a cooler there last year, will be interested to see whats available this year. Cheers!
Pretty much what I thought when I read the OP. GI recently made it to PA. I don't see it as more craft on the shelves, but more ABInbev.
there is a phillips 66 here in town that has a "beer cave". they have the nessessities... deschutes, SN, Anderson Valley, Big Eddy, Marble, Santa Fe and other odds and ends. And there is a small hole in the wall mexican restaurant (a bit of a college kid / old couples' dive) that has decent craft bottles for cheaper than most domestics/imports. Except Pacifico and Sol, those are always $2. I was impressed that i could get SN pale or marble IPA with my fish tacos; considering this place only accepts cash
