#micro brew

Wow. I feel like I’ve untapped a special resource that is Safeway’s beer section.

I am a new found fan of Safeway – I have never been to one before. On a sunny Sunday afternoon I went to the Safeway located at 1855 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007. This is right in the affluent Georgetown neighborhood. This is definitely a superstore and you get the feeling that you could find anything and everything you need for your kitchen here. The sheer size of the store when I walked in was eye-catching. The lighting was bright white and is mirrored by the linoleum floors.

Nobody could come to look for beer and leave empty handed. Everyone could find a beer they like in this massive selection. Plus, this is considered the “social” Safeway - so you may make a friend or two, or meet a significant other!

According to Safeway’s website, their mission is to “be the first choice for those customers who have the ability to shop locally in a Safeway store.” The items on offer were vast in number and variety and were reasonably priced, making this an attractive place for buying beer. The prices were shown on their bright yellow price tags.

The beer section was located in the far back corner of the store, but the walk to get there is totally worth it. At first I looked at the end cap of the beer offerings and saw large boxes of notable brands such as Heineken and Corona. Prices were reasonable: $14.99 for a 12-pack of Heineken.

Then much to my delight, as I turned the corner an entire aisle of beer appeared! I was shocked. This aisle seemed to be never ending with its incredible beer options and was fully stocked. This aisle was split up into 4 sections: micro brew, craft beer, premium beer, and domestic beer. Safeway easily points its customers to the beer they are looking for, but also makes it easy to browse for a new one.

A “Choose Your Brew” section offered customers the option to pick a mixture of 6 bottles or cans of beer to make your own six-pack. This allows customers to test different brands without needing to buy a whole set of them. One six-pack costs $10.99, which I would say is pretty good since you get to mix and match.

My favorite part of Safeway’s beer aisle was that above every section, were short, catchy notes suggesting food pairings. For example, one tip for Pale Ale  suggested pairing it with: burgers, cream based sauces/soups, cheddar cheese, or carrot cake. A pretty random mix, but cool nonetheless!

On this Sunday afternoon, I was the only person browsing the beer aisle. My guess is that most people were out enjoying the sunshine rather than shopping for beer. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a very social experience for me.

7.1% from Hamilton, Ontario 80 IBU Collective Arts IPA series showcases different combinations of hops, this one uses Mosaic, Simcoe and Waimea hops. Sampled from a tin, the beer pours a hazy golden orange colour with a large off white head,. The retention is quite long and leaves abundant spidery lace on the glass. The nose contains lots of tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, papaya, citrus), earthiness, florals, and resinous piney hops. This beautifully balanced brew also contains a plethora of tropical fruit flavours, followed by a wallop of citrus and piney hops with a lovely rich malt backbone. The carbonation is very active, the beer is full bodied and has a slightly creamy texture. The finish is dry with a slightly lingering bitterness. The beer is bold and has a lovely complexity. Really enjoyed this one! Recommended. Hops: Mosaic, Simcoe, and Waimea Malt: Pilsner, 2-Row, Oats, Flaked Oats, Flaked Wheat.

This stout is brewed with organic cocao nibs and cherries Sampled on draught this stour poured almost black with a generous beige head. The aroma had notes of dark chocolate, charred malts, and cherry. The flavour was slightly tart with lots of dark roasted malts, chocolate and cherry. The finish had a bitter charred quality to it. Unlike other chocolate fruit stouts, this one retains more of its stout qualities. The mouthfeel was medium and the carbonation was quite soft. Nicely balanced, not over done, very pleasant.

Jellyking is a citra dry hopped sour. The brew has been soured using a 5 strain house blend of lactobacillus. Sampled on draught the beer poured a hazy yellowy orange colour, with a small white head that a quickly settled into a ring. The nose was tart and sour containing notes of peach, apricot, lemony and grapefruit citrus, bready malts, a little funk and grassy floral hops. The taste was pleasantly sour with lots of stone fruit, lemon, grapefruit and earthy herbal-floral hops. The finish is low in bitterness with a crisp tartness. The beer was medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Very drinkable, quite pleasant.