There apparently now has been a national rollout of a beer I first noticed last month in my local Walgreens pharmacy. Six months after the chain announced they would start carrying a small beer and wine selection again, they are now stocking their own "private label" beer. It goes under the name "Big Flats 1901," and runs $2.99 for a 6-pack of cans. Apparently the beer is already on sale on 4,000 locations. Considering that Walgreens has been expanding its stores until they're on every other block, I'm thinking 4,000 stores would just about cover the chicago metropolitan area.
The information above is from a stroy in the Tribune's Chicago Breaking Business blogroll. What isn't in the article is the fact that the beer was "created" by an outfit called Winery Exchange Inc., which makes up "house brands" for many store chains. They're responsible for the "R.J. King Wingwalker," "San Lucas" and "Buck Range Light" beers at Jewel, as well as off-brands of wine and vodka.
A news release from Winery Exchange fills us in on its quality ingredients:
Big Flats 1901 is made with six-row barley malt, corn grits, hops from Yakima Valley and bottom fermenting yeast. The traditional lager was brewed using the German kräusening process, in which the brewer adds freshly fermenting wort to beer that is ready to package, producing a natural carbonation.
I laid into a 6-pack of Big Flats as soon as I saw it. For $3 per six, what could I lose. Here are my tasting notes:
The can says "Brewed by Brewmaster's Choice, Rochester, NY," so Genessee is the contract brewer involved. The can also says "Genuine Beer," "Brewed from only the choicest hops," and "It's the water that makes it." Only my sense of propriety keeps me from reading this aloud like Billy Dee Williams in a malt liquor commercial. Well:
Sadly, this can has a skunk odor when opened. I thought oxidation would not happen in a can. Poured in a beer's best friend, the Sam Adams glass, it shows very pale, nearly clear in the narrow section, with a fizzy macrobrew head. After settling, the smell still can't clear of a slight skunk, but some of the adjunct is coming in beneath it. Taste is of some banana esters, a little acetone and corn syrup. Some hop bitterness is discerned, and some graininess, or maybe that's flaked maize instead of corn syrup. I feel a headache coming on after finishing it. Bubbly and a little sticky at the finish. In other words, exactly what I'd expected. Though I wish I could be surprised once in a while.
If this is the best you can afford, maybe you should consider your position.
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Comments
I have always been a budweiser fan even after Enbev took over. I find that the Bud products are missing the fizz and taste latesly and its Febuary and all of the born on dates are from last year. I recently tried some Big Flats and It is not bad for the price. I think i found a my new beer.
It's been claimed InBev is forcing Bud to stop using the imported German Hallertau hops they've had for years. Yes, A-B probably can approximate the hop profile from its own domestic hopyards, but the main thing the big guys have going for them its total consistency. Any perceived change in taste will drive off loyal drinkers.
I'd probably give any beer 90 days from its "Born on" date, but that is a sneaky way of keeping product on shelves longer than it would with a "Drink By" date. But see how well the Big Flats holds up if the local stores neglects to rotate the unsold packs at the bottom of the display pallets.
I agree RichardV....the guy who wrote this seems like a beer snob....
"Seems to be"?
Mark, nice article, I disagree with the color you show in your picture. I too have tried this beer but the color was much more like a Budweiser then the water you show in the picture. Might be the lighting or something. Also I agree the beer is similar to Budweiser, but it is horrible. Tastes old and the can and wording doesn't do it any favors. appreciate your articles. though keep them coming.
That was a cell phone photo (with a cracked lens cover) that needed some fudging to look a little less like one. Click on the bigger photo and you can see the JPEG artificting, I'm afraid. I did not <em>deliberately</em> lighten the beer photo, but that was the consequence of trying to improve the total picture in Gimp, which I'm still trying to learn. Another beer blogger picked up my photo (with proper credit) and started a whole comment thread on its pale appearance, so that's what I ran with in the caption. I know I also called it very light in the review itself, but the Sam Adams glass has a narrow section that will exaggerate any light-colored beer. Otherwise, well, it's as much as I'd expect from any 50 cent can o'suds.
Happily, I've had more visits to this article than to any of my other beer reviews, probably because I favor local stuff that can be hard to find nationally. I will welcome any civil disagreements in this section (and they're all civil so far). And I'll admit a preference for Bud over the other multinational macro swill, just because even in the frightening Bud Select 55, I can still taste some hops.
i actually use this beer as a hair treatment cause rinsing out your hair in beer makes it softer. i buy it cause it is like three bucks and i would think it is a waste of money to use any other beer cause this beer.... come on now it is from walgreens. what do you expect? but i would NEVER drink it, does make my hair soft.
I hope to do a little feature soon where I try using it in a beer bread recipe. Would I do this with a Three Floyds Dark Lord? Noooo…
Best deal in America is WALGREENS Big Flats Beer. This beer taste fine. Just like any other mid line out there... KEYSTONE, Busch, High life. This beer is equal to any of those. For $3.00 I'm in heaven. Thank you big flats and thank you WALGREENS!!! I'm gonna save alot of money this year. Not 1 headache over last 4 cases.
Mark, it looks like you poured dirty sink water in that glass instead of a Big Flats. If your going to review a beer, at least give credit where credit is due. The beer does not look like that photo. Not even close. Even in a S.A. glass. I have one sitting in front of me now, and I have seen several other pictures of the beer online. None come close to your photo. Yes, the beer sucks compared to the expensive stuff, but come on! 2.99 a six pack? If your wanting to drink cheap, this is your beer. No worse than Bud, Coors, or any other basic American mass produced beer.
Again, I admit to using a cell phone with a cracked lens. I did not touch up the color. But a Sam Adams lager glass really plays up the color of lighter beers.
I agree. This beer is terrible. I said the same thing when I first opened the can. "It smells skunky." I couldn't finish the can. What should I do with the remaining 5 cans?
I was going to try and bake a beer bread with my remainder. That might drive off the skuny aroma. Or save it for spring and use it to bait and kill garden slugs.
I wound up buying a six-pack of this while shopping for 12-packs of Pepsi one day. It's mostly for dad, who really can't get into craft beers. But I didn't taste any off-flavors or notice any skunkiness in the can I decided to drink.
Essentially, if I am going to sleaze out on a beer, I'll do it with a beer brewed at Genesee or Minhas rather than the equivalent from ABiB or MillerCoors.
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