Sunday Night Suds - Kirkland Signature Pale Ale

After a week's hiatus for packing, moving and all around family celebrations, Kosher Beers returns with a review of Kirkland Signature Pale Ale.

As many of you no doubt know, Kirkland is the house brand for Costco. If you don't live in one of the forty states which have Costco - it is a warehouse club like Sam's or BJs. Costco sells many household goods in large packages and always at a discount over the price of the item in a competing store. I always get a kick out of how postage stamps at Costco are sold in rolls of 100, but the stamps are 1% less than the cost at the post office. Its not like the postal service sells it to Costco at a bulk rate, the store just has a need to prove that there is some discount for shopping at Costco.

As I mentioned above, Kirkland Signature is the Costco house brand. When visiting Costco there is usually a Kirkland brand which is slightly less expensive than the name brand that you came to buy in the first place. For some items there is little difference in quality such as detergent, trash bags, or baby wipes. But can the same be said about beer?

I must disclose before going further with this beer review, that the Kirkland Signature beers are not brewed by Kirkland. I first spotted these brews while on a tour of the Saranac Brewery and warehouse last October. I had heard a rumor that Saranac would be brewing for Costco, but had not seen any Kirkland brand beer in any Costco prior to the tour.

But enough about the store, lets talk about the beer. The Kirkland Signature Pale Ale pours a deep amber with quite a bit of white head which is retained for longer than most Pale Ales. The beer has some malt to it and quite a bit of hops. Having said that, the flavor is a little on the thin side - almost like a paler version of an American Pale Ale.

I would recommend this beer to someone looking to move beyond macro lagers and take a baby step into the world of craft brewers. This beer reminds you of its craft brewery roots, but does not take you too far into the world of true Pale Ales.

Kirkland Signature Pale Ale is under the Kosher Supervision of the Va'ad of Detroit and bears the Va'ad logo on the bottom right corner of the front label. To see what the experts on Beer Advocate think about Kirkland Signature Pale Ale, please follow this link http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/21516/48555.

As always, please remember to drink responsibly and to never waste good beer unless there is no designated driver.

If you've tried this beer or any others which have been reviewed on the kosher beers site, please feel free to post your comments (anonymous comments are acceptable).

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