Friday, July 3, 2009

First Impressions - Supermarkets

I will admit it openly and unashamedly, I am a fan of American supermarkets, and have been since the first time I wandered around a fruit and veg section and saw the produce being automatically sprayed with water, to a soundtrack of thunder!

In the last couple of days we have been to a Walmart and a Kroger in Columbia and like a good homing pigeon I went straight to the beer aisle to see what was there. At Kroger there was a huge selection of brands that I already recognised; Budweiser, Bud Light, Bud Ice and the like. There were however a few interesting beers:
  • Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
  • Sam Adams Boston Lager
  • Sam Adams Summer Ale - the first beer I tried last time I came to the States
  • Sam Adams Light
  • Tap Room 21 Pale Ale
  • Tap Room 21 Amber Ale
  • Tap Room 21 Lager
Nestled however in a corner of the beer aisle was a little box of golden treasure, a six pack of Budvar, which will hopefully still be there later today, when I pop by. At Walmart it was a similar story, although they also had a variety pack from Sam Adams, and no Budvar. I walked out of Walmart with a case of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and the Sam Adams variety pack and several bemused looks from people with trolleys loaded with Bud Light.

4 comments:

  1. Good call on the Sierra Nevada-- it's pretty hard to go wrong with that one.

    Have fun enjoying all the new American beers!

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  2. Already started stocking up on the good stuff! As you can see from the Little Cellar Holdings things on the sidebar.

    I love Sierra Nevada, ever since I had one in Galway - it may well be my standard beer in the fridge.

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  3. Was Galway the first time you had a Sierra Nevada? I have enjoyed (and sometimes not enjoyed for some reason) lots of Sierra Nevada when in the US.
    I am currently sipping a Sierra Nevada Torpedo.

    Enjoy the beer in the US, try some of the ones owned by larger breweries too like Michelob amberbock or Coors Blue moon.

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  4. Yes Galway was my first Sierra Nevada, and if the rest of the range match up to the Pale Ale then I will have cases of the stuff floating around. I also plan to try the stuff from bigger breweries, and had AmberBock a couple of years back and want to try it in the light of greater experience. In fact I have no intention of being some kind of obtuse beer snob when exploring the market, and part of me is quite looking forward to trying some Bud Light - for old time sake!!!

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