BevMo Strengthens Dedication to Craft Beer
When I began my journey into craft beer and soon after The Full Pint, I did so full speed ahead. With far less family obligations that I have now, I would scour the region for the latest beer releases. Whether it was the newest Stone Special Release, or a beer from Northern California that finally made Southern California distribution, I had to “tick” it. While I would hit up local shops, the bulk of my craft beer purchases were made at Beverages and More, commonly referred to as BevMo. Back East, we had similar warehouse type stores, Monster Beverage (Now Canals) being the top contender. I am a man who likes selection, and for a guy with many beers to tick, BevMo was my spot.
As a young man, not only was I on a mission to try as many beers as I could, I was also budget minded. From my brief research, BevMo had lower prices than most liquor stores and bottle shops. I fully agree with the philosophy of supporting the small local guy, however some extra popular items tend to get marked up a bit too high for my pocketbook.
Fast forward to present time, and I still have a wonderful shopping relationship with BevMo, even with many more options out there for a craft beer drinker. BevMo stocks all of my favorite daily drinking beers, again Stone Brewing Co. (Go-To IPA), Firestone Walker (Union Jack), and they are seemingly the first store to get 12 packs of Sierra Nevada seasonals, which I snatch up due to them having the lowest price around. When I go to buy someone a fancy bottle of booze at BevMo, I never leave without treating myself to a bomber or 12 pack of beer.
You might be wondering why I’m talking about BevMo! Well, they have reached out to The Full Pint to let them know that they have their ear to the street, and want to show more love to not only craft beer, but to craft beer drinkers.
Well, to kick off their new craft beer initiative, they will be holding weekly events at their stores featuring some of the major players of craft beer, such as Stone Brewing Co., Ballast Point Brewing and Sierra Nevada Brewing. They have also started a well produced video series featuring some of my craft beer industry idols. As far as the events go, they have planned to hold a beer tasting Fridays 4p.m. – 7 p.m. and Saturdays 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. This will be fun for not only people new to craft beer, but for those who want to “try-before-you-buy.” Please make sure you call ahead before to make sure there’s no change in schedule.
As for their new video series, here are some of my favorite people in the industry, sharing their passion for craft beer.
Steve Wagner – Stone Brewing Co.
Ken Grossman – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Yuseff Cherney – Ballast Point Brewing and Spirits
February 20, 2015 @ 3:42 pm
BevMo needs to speak with actions, not words. Visited the one in Emeryville a week ago, found so many expired beers on the shelf it was ridiculous. IPAs months past the “best by” date, marked on the bottle to keep refrigerated (but stored warm). Their buyer obviously doesn’t know what sells, how much to buy, how to handle craft. Pipe this into their “ear to the street”: treat the beer like the perishable food product that it is, not just a bulk commodity like sacks of flour or paper towels. You can make all the videos you want and host all the tastings you can, but when I see that, I take my business elsewhere.