How to shop for craft beer at Target

When Target stores in California started selling craft beer a few years ago, it meant that you could ease the pain of a too-long shopping excursion with a nice cold brew after. The beer options may have been limited to the big brands at first, but the amount of shelf real estate dedicated to craft beer has been steadily growing. Each Target store’s inventory varies greatly, but most offer a selection of IPAs, pale ales and other craft options.

We recently visited the West Hollywood Target and found the craft beer offerings were quite respectable. While a beer geek won’t get overly excited, there was a good breadth of styles and brands to choose from. And even an inveterate beer snob couldn’t complain about the prices. There were a variety of 12-packs priced at less than $12 each, and none of the six-packs broke the $10 mark.

The beer section was well organized and well signed, and while some faux-craft products from the world’s largest breweries — such as Blue Moon (MillerCoors) and Shock Top (AB-Inbev) — were mixed into the craft brands, as you’d expect, there was a large selection of Boston Beer Co. (Samuel Adams), Sierra Nevada, and New Belgium beers — all in the top-5 largest craft breweries in the country. There was also representation from some of the other big names in California craft beer, such as Stone Brewing, Firestone Walker, and Lagunitas. And there were also two Angel Cty Brewery beers, including six-packs of IPA and pilsner, both priced at $9.

But the biggest caveat of buying craft beer at Target (and really any other big retailer), is freshness. If you’re going to the trouble to search out the more flavorful and interesting craft beers, the last thing you want to do is buy months-old beer that can be anything from less vibrant to downright oxidized and flabby. Freshness is doubly important when you’re a fan of hop-forward styles like IPAs and other pale ales; that alluring hop aroma and complex character is the first thing to deteriorate as a beer ages.

Thankfully, most of the large craft breweries — like those on offer at Target — print date codes on their product. Sometimes breweries use an “enjoy by” date and other times a “bottled on” date. In the later case, try to buy beer that was packaged less than three months ago.

The freshness of the products on the shelf varied greatly on our visit. The Stone Go To IPA was actually past the “enjoy by:” date stenciled on the bottle necks. Most everything else was around two months old, though the bottles of Sierra Nevada’s excellent Nooner pilsner were just a couple of weeks off the bottling line — a must buy, especially at $8.50 for a six-pack.

Another issue with the beer at Target is the storage conditions. All the beer on the sales floor (and presumably all the backstock in the warehouse) was stored warm. While keeping beer at room temperature doesn’t technically damage the brew, it does accelerate the ravages of time. Beer kept refrigerated will taste noticeably fresher for much longer than the same beer kept at room temperature. Another reason to pay attention to the age of the beer.

While you’re not likely to find the newest, most exciting local brewery’s offerings on the shelf at your local Target, the selection of craft beer is actually pretty respectable (and very attractively priced). It’s certainly good enough to trust when you know you need a couple 12-packs for a party, or a six-pack to help relax after a stressful shopping excursion. Just be sure to check for freshness.

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