Whole Foods 6 Pack Mondays

I used to hate grocery shopping. Like when you bang into the cart of the lady who parked her butt in the middle of the aisle, and she gives you a dirty look. Or the surly cashier that rolls his eyes because he has to un-bag a solitary item when you tell him you don’t want plastic. Sorry for not wanting to liter the planet, dude, didn’t mean to undo all your hard work. It all leaves me wanting to take a bat to the collective skull of humanity.

Then I found Whole Foods. It’s my happy place.

There are annoyances there as well, like the people who reach for the samples with their bare hands (the toothpicks, folks, are not just for picking crud out of your teeth), or the brats who run circles around displays whilst Mom gives a half hearted, “Don’t do that, Honey”.  But what Whole Foods does better than anyone is creates a cool vibe and make you feel excited about what you’re buying.

Case in point: Six Pack Mondays. From 6-8, a fiver gets you a sampling card with tasting notes plus a wee hobbit sized mug. Stands are set up around the periphery of the store, with six regional beers paired with little gourmet snacks. Packs of soccer moms giggle and couples stroll around shopping leisurely whilst munching and slurping on their tiny mugs. The whole scene comes off like a yuppy neighborhood cocktail hour—but instead of cocktail wieners you get “quorn meatless balls with barbeque sauce” or “pasta rustique”.

Having just polished off my dinner, I unfortunately didn’t try most of the food, apart from the tasty jalapeno cheese bread being served with Bell’s Oberon. It could have been the fact that the wet, miserable weather called for something heartier, but these seasonal spring brews struck me as just okay. Maybe I'll be more enthusiastic when the sun comes out. My impressions:

Troegs Sunshine Pils: I haven’t had too many European style Pils, but this struck me as being slightly sweeter in the middle and earthier hop wise than Pilsner Urquell. Would be great with dogs and burgers.

Elevator Horus: A double red ale from our downtown brewpub. Started off a bit too syrupy sweet, but improved a lot after the hops kicked in to balance it out.

Victory Whirlwind: A serviceable wheat beer, with a dry stick of gum sweetness that would hit the spot on a hot day.

CBC Summerteeth: An annual release from Columbus Brewing, this Kellerbier was a bit too fizzy and cold to tell if it’s any good. I’ll have to look for it on tap around town.

Bells Oberon: Some beer geeks have given this wit beer a hard time for not being as flavorful as Bells other offerings, with even the tasting notes describing it as having “not an incredible taste”. I find it mildly fruity, juicy, refreshing, and I can drink buckets of the stuff. Not everything has to peel the lining off the roof of your mouth to be considered “flavorful”.

Brooklyn Summer Ale: I had to come back to this one, since the first time around a large gaggle of soccer moms were congregating around the stand flirting with the server. Unfortunately, by the time I had made it back Marnie was ready to go, so I slammed it down too quickly to give it due judgment. One to revisit.

I might give the 6 Pack Mondays another go, just to try the food pairings next time around. If nothing else it gives you a chance to try some seasonal brews before you spend all your money on a six pack you end up disliking. And it is certainly nice to have a beer alternative to the many wine tastings around town.