Bargain beer

[Lee]

Hi all,
This is my first post. I've been lurking here for awhile and now ready to post. Lots of interesting stuff here, but I havn't seen this subject discussed.
I do my grocery shopping at one of those stores that sell discontinued items, closeouts, things that are about to expire, etc. This kind of store used to be called a canned food warehouse. Anyway my point is that I find some great bargains on some really good and expensive beer.
At the present I am enjoying SLO brewing pale ale at $4 a six pack. Not the best, but very drinkable, especially now that the weather is warm. They also have SLO amber. I am also enjoying Angelique at only $3 a bottle. The last time I was there I picked up two beers fron Baltika. The first time I had this beer was when I was in the city where it is brewed, St Petersburg Russia. I got sreveral 16.9 oz bottles of a wheat ale and a dark lager for 50 cents each. They are very good beers, though not the quality of Spaten, maybe Spaten light.
In the past I have gotten such beers as St Bernardus. (I forget wich one) Various Thomas Kemper products. Many are from countries that you would not expect, like one from Namibia called Ur Bock. There are many others that I can't remember and will probably never see again.
Does anyone else have a similar experience?
Lee

[geexploitation]

Unfortunately, no, I don't have a similar experience. You seem to be pretty lucky to have such an eclectic and interesting store in your area. BTW, the Namibian Ur-bock might be something that Michael Jackson has written about in the past; check out some of his writings and compare them to your find...

[corkybstewart]

They all sound like great beers, but I wonder if they're out of date, been horribly mishandled or otherwise abused to the point that they really are misrepresenting the brands. A truly great beer can quickly become nasty if not stored and handled right. You should do a quick experiment-do a side by side tasting of these cut rate beers and their fresh counterparts. Then you'll know if you're buying good beer, or just the bottle and label.
And welcome to the site. Lurking is fine, but participating is what makes the forum work.

[Lee]

I should have said that occasionally I do get some skunky beer. I think that sometimes the lighter beers become old but the heavier ones seem to always be okay. It might be a good idea to taste test some of them with one from a store where I know it is fresh or not mishandled. The only problem is that so many of them are not available anywhere else around here.
Lee

[dparsons]

Perhaps stay with the heavier beers then. They age better and will more likely be good.

[steveh]

Didn't even know SLO bottled - nice.

S.

[newportstorm]

Local beer store on the way home from work clears out beer all the time.

In the past few months I've been happy to snag:
-Westmalle Trippel & Dubbel - $1.99/per bottle (small)
-Chimay Red & Blue - $2.49/bottle (small)
-Rogue Santa's Private Reserve & Monk Madness - $1.99/bomber
-Ommegang Rare Vos & Witte - $2.99/750ml
-Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale - $3.99/sixer
-Orval - $2.99/bottle
-Spaten Optimator - $4.50/sixer
-Brooklyn East India Pale Ale - $3.99/sixer
-Craft brewery pint glasses for less than $1
etc., etc.

Yes, I've been burned a couple times over the past 4 years (oxidized, stale beer). Small price to pay for some great bargains and I've learned to be more selective - the store allows you to buy singles of anything if you're unsure about quality.

Most of the beer is repackaged in plain or old sixer holders. In my conversations with the manager, they buy aging/slow moving cases (or broken cases) from the distributor at deep discounts and passes the discounts along. I'd be surprised if the store makes much of a profit at all on these beers.

Another major liquor store in MA was clearing out cases of Geary's Winter Ale (English IPA) for $11/case and Smuttynose Winter (Dubbel style) for $13/case. I passed on those.

[animal]

Welcome!
________
Lovely Wendie99 (http://www.lovelywendie99.com/)

[wortchillergoal]

Hello and greetings to another beer lover. I can't blame you trying beers priced like that. I would not pass up such a deal.

Skunking comes from the beer getting to much light. So you may to avoid clear bottle beers no matter the price in a store like the one you posted about.

[Otis_The_Drunk]

sound like Trader Joes, they are known for having Quality Products (beer and wine) at cheap prices.
I used to buy their 2 buck a chuck wine deals when I lived in Cali.

[Lee]

Trader Joes is a good place to buy any alcoholic beverage. They have the best everyday prices. Thier beer selection is not nearly as good as thier wine selection. Also they have dropped some of the more extreme beers that I really like such as barleywine and Russian Imp Stout. I guess they were a bit too much for the average yuppie that is the typical shopper at TJs. Beverages & More has a real good selection of beer, but thier prices are not so good. You have to catch the beer you want on sale and join thier club to get thier sale price. Something I refuse to do. One time I went into Safeway to buy a 12 pack of Red Hook IPA that was on sale. They wouldn't give me the sale price without joining thier club so I walked out leaving the beer on the counter. Lee

[BrewDog]

Its amazing that at Safeway, there's a REAL LIVE member named
George Orwell......

[Lee]

That explains the Big Brother red ale. Lee