Who Makes Kirkland Light Beer? (Are They Good? Quality + Review)eers)

Have you ever wondered who makes Kirkland light beer? Look no more. We´ve got you covered.

Kirkland was founded in Jackson, Tennessee back in 1966 and has long been associated with Costco Warehouse

Costco has stocked variations of Kirkland beer and liquors for years, but who exactly makes Kirkland light beer? Kirkland light beer was brewed by Regal Brau Brewing (via Guys Drinking Beer). However, Costco continues to market and sell Kirkland branded products throughout their warehouse stores, many of their Kirkland beer products have either been discontinued, or Costco no longer carries it as a rebranded product.

When Costco ditched Kirkland Light in 2018, that marked the end of its tenure as a cheap alternative to bigger, brand-name, light beers sold at other retailers.

The actual brewers behind the Kirkland brand, Gordon Biersch, no longer make it.

What Happened To Kirkland Light Beer?

During Kirkland Light Beer’s heyday, there was quite a bit of interesting commentary on its, for lack of a better term, taste.

As far as Beer Advocate was concerned—yes, they have online beer raters—the quality of Kirkland’s light beer was poor and the ridicule didn’t stop there.

Some said it tasted like urine, while another got a little more specific, comparing the Kirkland Signature Light brand to urine-soaked diapers. 

Apparently, Costco went with quality over quality and it didn’t go over very well with customers. Ironically, a man named Randy Colpek made a supportive video that captured the funny bone of over 720,000 viewers.

Unfortunately, he seemed like a lone voice to Costco, who went ahead and snatched it off of the shelves anyway. 

Who Makes Costco Light Beer

Costco light beer was brewed by Regal Brau Brewing (via Guys Drinking Beer).

Does Costco Sell Any Other Kirkland Beer Products?

Costco still sells a variety of Ales under four different flavor offerings:

• Kirkland India Pale Ale
• Kirkland Pale Ale
• Kirkland Blonde Ale
• Kirkland Brown Ale

There are two breweries primarily responsible for the Kirkland Alcohol that finds their way onto Costco shelves across the country. For the West Coast, you have Hopfen Und Malz Brewing Co.

The East Coast Supplier is Bricks and Barley Brewing Company.

Both companies keep Costco stocked with Kirkland liquor for the masses. Unlike Kirkland Light Beer, the majority of the selections from these lagers, ales, and hard liquors, receive better customer reviews. 

Since Kirkland is not responsible for actually manufacturing any of its stock, the next obvious question is, who makes the other liquors?

Who Makes Kirkland Signature Liquors, Ales, and Wines?

What Costco likes to do is make cut-rate contracts with established brands, eliminating the middleman and slashing the price of its products.

Some of those products have expensive brands subtly hiding behind the Kirkland label.

Read also: Who Makes Kirkland Liquor (Costco Liquor States)

Kirkland Wines

Kirkland wines come from several different wineries across the country, with the primary wines coming from E;J Gallo Winery and Ethica Wines.

They’re actually well-reviewed wines for a far better cost than you would get straight from the source.

Kirkland Hard-Liquor Brands

Vodka is one of those liquors that can give you an earth-shattering, toilet-overflowing hangover if you drink the cheap stuff.

Thankfully, Kirkland’s vodka label is conspicuously hiding the fact that it’s Grey Goose, a top-shelf vodka.

• Kirkland Scotch: It’s really Alexander Murray
• Kirkland Bourbon: Once upon a time it was really Jim Beam, but now it’s George Dickel
• Kirkland Tequila: Another case of recent changes, Kirkland Tequila was once Ed Hardy Tequila but Costco has since moved on to La Madrileña
• Kirkland Rum: There’s some level of controversy with this one, with some saying that it’s Captain Morgan or Cuzan, while others insist that it’s LeVecke Corp
• Kirkland Canadian Whiskey: Royal Crown. It even looks similar, just without the purple bag
• Kirkland Gin: DC Flynt MW Selections. They openly advertise that they’re responsible for Kirkland Gin stock

Since Kirkland doesn’t manufacture any kind of beverage with alcoholic content, it stands to reason that they have to get their supply from somewhere. Well, now you know. 

Of course, none of these brand suppliers are written in stone. As you can see with Kirkland’s tequila and rum lines, the background suppliers change from time to time. 

Sometimes you can find it on the bottle by reading the small print, other times, you have to dig into public tax records or other documentation that Costco releases to the public.

Costco Beers List

Below you will find a list of beer brands sold at Costco, with included:

1.         Kirkland Pale Ale (APA)

2.         Kirkland India Pale Ale (IPA)

3.         Bud Light

4.         Kirkland Double Bock

5.         Coors Light

6.         Blue Moon Beer

7.         Kirkland Session IPA

8.         Sierra Nevada

9.         Kirkland Brown Ale

10.       Sam Adams Beer

11.       Kirkland Variety Pack

12.       Corona Imported Beer

13.       Kirkland Blonde Beer

14.       Pacifico Beer

15.       Pizza Port

16.       Belching Beaver Beer

17.       Alpine Beer

18.       Stella Artois

19.       Kirkland Kolsch German Ale

All Things Considered

When it comes to Kirkland Light Beer—or shall we say, Gordon Biersch—Costco simply went with a brewery that doesn’t produce a fine-tasting, light beer. 

Obviously, that doesn’t convert to all Kirkland products, as there are some huge and well-received brands behind the Kirkland name.

That also rings true with a vast majority of Costco’s other products, hiding in plain sight behind Kirkland. 

As far as Kirkland Light Beer was concerned, anything that costs an average of less than $0.50 per can is probably a case of getting exactly what you pay for. 

References

https://www.thrillist.com/

https://apple.news/ANV1o4W7lQPCsB0Jn8aqvrQ