Buying Craft Beer at the Supermarket: What to Look Out For
Craft beer is more popular than ever. It’s no surprise, then, that the selection in supermarkets is constantly changing and continuing to grow. But what should you look out for when buying craft beer at the supermarket? And is there such a thing as good and less good craft beer?
These days, the selection of craft beer is so large that it can sometimes be difficult to choose and find the beer you like best. In addition to the different beer styles, such as IPA, tripel and, for example, bock beer, you have beer in cans and bottles (which is better?) and one beer is cheaper than another (why?). First, we’ll explain the different types of beer, so at least you’ll know what to expect in terms of flavor from the beer you buy at the supermarket.
Beer styles at a glance
- India Pale Ale (IPA): a hoppy, fruity and bitter beer.
- Weizen: a German wheat beer (so not a witbier) with a soft and slightly sweet flavor.
- Witbier: has Belgian roots and is fresh and citrusy.
- Tripel: a sweet, spicy and robust beer.
- Saison: is spicy, hoppy and fresh.
- Pale Ale: a soft, sweet and fresh beer that is richer and fuller because of its caramel flavors.
- Lager: the best-known lager in the Netherlands is pilsner.
- Stout: a dark beer with flavors of coffee and chocolate.
- Dubbel: is a Belgian beer style. Medium to dark in color, with flavors such as caramel, chocolate, nuts and raisins, and not very bitter.
- Quadrupel: a dark beer with the highest alcohol percentage. The flavor is slightly sweet but fairly bitter.
- Blond beer: is not a beer style in itself, but it is a type of beer. It is characterized by its color and alcohol percentage, which is between 5.5 and 6.5/7 percent.
- Sour beer: is a sour beer. Sour beer can have fruity flavors.
- Fruit beer: sweet, fruity and fresh beer.
- Cider: is often labeled as beer, but the process of making cider actually resembles that of wine more than that of beer. It is made using fruit juice as its base. The best-known cider is apple cider, which is made from fermented apples.
Cheap versus more expensive beer
Just as with wine, the price of beer styles varies. Unlike with wine (there is no such thing as budget Barolo), the price does not say much about the quality. “Cheaper beers, such as Leffe Blond, are technically well brewed but more accessible in flavor and often sweeter because of added corn and sugar,” explains top beer sommelier Arvid Bergström, owner of Proef Bier. Also, not all the beer sold in supermarkets is brewed by the beer brands themselves; they have larger breweries produce it for them, and you can see that reflected in the price.
Craft beer from a can versus a bottle
For years, the story has circulated in the beer world that beer from a can is of better quality than beer from a bottle. This is supposedly because cans keep out light. When beer is exposed to light, it starts to smell a little skunky and the flavor also deteriorates. But that doesn’t mean bottled beer is worse. If the beer is packed in boxes immediately after bottling and remains stored in them, it stays almost as good for just as long as canned beer. It is true, however, that the darker the bottle, the better the beer keeps if it is not stored in a dark box.
Shopping for local beer
In supermarkets, you will mainly find beers that they know will sell well. Popular beers, which you may well have tasted before. If you really want to go on a beer-discovery journey, head to your local beer shop. Tell them which type of beer you like and you’ll see that there is so much more to try!
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