Beer Radar

Whole Foods opened its new crunchy granola store at Plymouth Meeting Mall yesterday, complete with a takeout beer section . (For non-Pennsylvania readers, this is a big deal involving complex state regs that weirdly require grocery stores to operate an in-store restaurant in order to be licensed for liquor sales.)

Whole Foods exploits the loophole with its so-called Cold Point Pub, a generic seating area behind large windows with a view of the checkout aisles.  If WF were smart, they’d create a new drinking game: Organic Bingo. Everyone chugs when a suburban mom loads her cart with rice milk, soy chips and fair-market bananas.

The pub’s drafts were all locals on my visit - Yuengling, Sly Fox, Yards, Victory, Troegs & Flying Fish. And well priced: just $1.99 for (14oz?) of Vitamin Y. That glass of St. Victorious above was $3.99, a real bargain for an 8.5 percenter.

Don’t expect bar service. In a completely awkward setup, you have to take your draft to a checkout register inside the pub and pay by the glass. (Note to WF: You oughta install another register just for drafts.) The menu card at my stool said tipping isn’t necessary, and I can see why.

They’re also filling growlers, but that’s another awkward setup involving too much foam; these folks really don’t know their way around a tap handle. Growler prices are excellent, however: just $7.99 for a half-gallon of Troegs Rugged Trail or $3.99 for a quart (with one of those Grolsch flip-tops). Glassware is extra (I forget the prices, but they’re not outrageous) or you can BYO.

Adjoining the pub (which, by the way, also serves wine and snacks) is a nice-sized takeout section that’s actually chilled to about 55 degrees, not unlike Moore Bros. in Camden. That’s a really nice touch because it means you can pop open a cold one on the way back down the Blue Route.

Beers were fairly well priced. Most local baseline sixers are priced between $7.99 and $8.49. Victory Storm King was $11.49, a four-pack of Guinness, $6.99; Brooklyn Local 1 (750ml) was $7.99; a 12-pack of Yuengling Lager cans was $8.99.

Selection is very good too - not as big as nearby Capone’s, but you’ll certainly find something you like. I mean, if you told me that one day I’d see Chimay, Westmalle and Orval in a grocery store…

The store was jammed yesterday, and I’d expect crowds awhile. But here’s a hint: park in the garage. Drive past the main parking area on the left and into the garage. There’s an escalator running directly into the store. The pub is at the front of the store.

As much as I appreciate the convenience and price of buying beer in a supermarket, that’s the ONLY thing WF has going for it. Ultimately, shopping for beer in a supermarket is a crappy, soulless experience. One of the pleasures of alcohol is enjoying it in an actual adult venue that respects booze. A bar, a distributor, even a deli - not some florescent-lit, industrial-sized box whose aisles are filled with snot-nosed kids and Cymbalta-addled moms, where beer is no more special than lemongrass-scented dish-washing soap.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 at 11:07 am and is filed under Beer store, Beer etc.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.