An Open Letter to My Friends at Dierbergs
September 25, 2008 10:50 am Beer MusingsDear Dierbergs,
You may not know me, but my name is Michael Sweeney and believe it or not, we go way back. I worked for you during high school, tending the produce department on many an early Saturday morning. I’ve shopped at your stores for my entire adult life. I’ve always appreciated your efforts to strive to not only be the friendliest store in town, but to also offer a wide selections of premium products (even if they are at premium prices sometimes).
One of the first things instilled in me during my first few days of employment was that Dierbergs Markets went out of their way to try and offer the best products and the best service one could find in St. Louis, which is why I don’t understand the disconnect when viewing your beer selection. I don’t think it always this way. In fact I can remember a time when you offer mix-a-six selections, but they are no more.
I understand that shelf space is always in huge demand, but why is it that you can offer such a large and diverse wine selection (even at case pricing) but still not have the same sort of love for beer. Sure if I want to find all of Sam Adams, Leinenkugel, Schlafly, and O’Fallon’s offerings, they’re always on the shelves waiting for me. But sometimes I want something more, sometimes I want an impulse buy.
I just can’t quite understand why a store that emphasizes itself as offering some of the best products in St. Louis fails to offer things like Bear Republic, Unibroue, Avery, or even Bell’s. It seems like you attract the perfect clientèle to offer some of these “unusual” beers from around the globe. Perhaps you could even have beer samples on the weekends sort of like you sample many of your other products.
With more and more breweries making their way into St. Louis, this is your chance to step out in front and say, “We’re your beer store in St. Louis.” Seize this opportunity and make us believe that you really do provide some of the best products in town.
Sincerely,
Michael Sweeney
P.S. Thanks for helping instill some great customer service instincts that have helped me my entire professional career.
Tags: beer tasting, dierbergs, grocery store, selection
BMock :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 11:32 am
Hey Mike,
I think you’ll find that the selection at Dierbergs varies from store to store. The one near me doesn’t carry much, but one close to my work in St. Charles county carries Unibroue and some other unique items. Just an FYI.
Spartan :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 11:46 am
I should have a t-shirt printed that says “My wife and my money goes to Dierbergs.”
CMart :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 11:50 am
I’ve seen Bell’s at the Dierberg’s along Eager Road. I believe they were selling Two Hearted Ale for 9.99 a six pack. If they do expand their craft brew selection, I would hope that Dierberg’s could offer more competitive prices than this!
Andrew :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 12:07 pm
Part of me sympathizes with your desire to see a more diverse selection of beers on a major grocery store’s shelves, however I only see their beer responsibilities to be the following.
1. Stock enough BMC, Carona, Heineken etc., in all their packaging permutations, to keep Joe six-pack satisfied.
2. Support local breweries and give their beers proper shelf exposure.
3. Offer popular and widely distributed micros such as Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams, New Belgium.
The last two should satisfy any beer nerd who is in a pinch (not to mention it can be nice to revisit a first love like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale long ago forgone for more “exotic” pastures) and will offer the opportunity for a BL drinker to expand his/her horizons.
As for the beers further outside the mainstream, most St. Louis residents are a relatively short drive from one of the following: 33, TW&CP, Lucas, Starr’s, Friar Tucks, Whole Foods, Randell’s, Bon Vivant, Corral.
Besides purchases made out of convenience, why not exclusively support the stores who are already doing their best to improve the scene and are passionate about beer?
mattb :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 12:08 pm
Like CMart said, the Dierberg’s on Eager is one of my favorite places to shop for groceries because they actually have some interesting beers and glassware. I’ve gotten Rogue there and I think some Young’s Chocolate Stout. The other Dierberg’s are pretty weak though.
btkrebel :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 12:24 pm
I agree with Andrew 100%. I don’t need my local grocer to carry the more elite microbrews when I can get those at a store dedicated to the “beer geeks” of St. Louis. The only time I look to Dierbergs is when TWCP is closed already and I need something right then. I think for a grocer, Dierbergs carries a good variety of microbrew selections.
Dave :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
I’m with Andrew on this too. I prefer to make my esoteric beer purchases from someone who takes care of their stock. I can’t imagine how long most craft beer would rot on the Dierberg’s shelves - not good for them; not good for the breweries.
The Dierberg’s on Eager is the only one remotely close to me, and I’ve hit it a few times for groceries. They do have a very decent selection for a grocery store, but I do wonder about how quickly it turns. I’ve never bought non-dated beer (a whole other issue there . . .) from them as a result.
sneagrams :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 1:35 pm
I’m all for getting better beer in more places around town, but at the same time, you’re cutting me off at the knees. The Dierbergs on Eager does indeed have a nice selection, and that’s prpbably because the executive suits from their company are constantly in our store checking things out. Andrew, btkrebel and Dave all share my outlook. If you want the good stuff, there are pleanty of places around town to get it!
mattb :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 1:41 pm
I agree completely about going to places where people care about beer, but when I’m at the grocery store with the girlfriend, it’s nice to be able to wander off and peruse a decent beer selection. The Dierberg’s on Eager is really the only place where I can do this.
Someday I will hopefully be able to do this at Whole Foods, Sneagrams, but grocery shopping there right now would render me naked, homeless, and most importantly, with no money for beer.
vyvvy :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 3:04 pm
I’m all for keeping the good stuff where it is. Let’s have our money for the good beer going to the stores that specialize in beer & have knowledgeable staff to help.
This reminds me a bit of how people were excited when Best Buy started selling good music and movies at a cheap price. The money that went towards the independent retailers started going to the big boys. Now look at the indie record situation. I know the internet has some to do with this, but Best Buy was chopping them down before that happened.
Mike :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 3:13 pm
My issue with some of the premium local beer places is that some of them close relatively early. Let’s say I need something a 8PM or on a Sunday, then I’m out of luck.
Mike :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 3:18 pm
Plus guys, I agree with your assessment of buying beer from the people who care about it the most. But maybe I’m under the delusion that great beer should be available everywhere, not just a few boutique shops.
Sam H :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 3:31 pm
I understand your point Mike, I too get a little diappointed when I walk into Dierbergs, but then again, I shop primarily Schnucks, and they carry my O’Fallon passion.
I think Unibroue might be a stretch for a grocery store, but I don’t think Goose Island, Bells, Avery, Flying Dog, or any other six pack brewery is out of the question. I think the premium bombers and singles are not going to happen, but the nicer 6 packs would probably be viable and possibly a hit.
Now that I think of it, I think some of the Unibroue 4 packs would be a good idea for Dierbergs. The Ephereme would be an excellent idea to try and compete with the wines as a dinner drink. Even showing the pairings with some of the cheeses or meats would be a good idea and not cost that much.
I do think that the rare stuff should be left to the local boys, since that is where I look for things like O’Fallon BASP, or Rouge DDG, or Old Odense. If the grocery stores (not including our WF friends) carry those I think it kind of takes away from the whole appeal of the rare beer. It makes it feel “easy to get” and ends up pulling sales away from the locals.
All in all I don’t think sales of micros at Dierbergs would be a bad thing, just as long as Dierbergs doesn’t start looking like Lukas
Mike :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 3:43 pm
And as long as we’re at it (because you’ve all brought up some excellent points and I enjoy a good debate) places like Lukas, Whole Foods and Friar Tuck aren’t locally owned, so you’re really not supporting “local” even though you may be supporting someone who cares about beer.
And to the three places I mentioned, I’m not picking on you, I promise. Because, like I said, I want to see great beer everywhere. While your stores may not be “local” they do help to benefit the local beer drinker and the community as a whole.
Sneagrams :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 4:00 pm
This goes out to MattB, I just talked to one of the managers of the grocery dept, and he told me that our private label “365″ products are on a competitive pricing scheme with the other stores in the area. I’m not saying that certain items in my store won’t break the bank, but overall, one can shop here and stay on par with Dierbergs! Ultimately, I just want you to gimme a chance! I can change, baby! And I’ll tell ya, the beer aisle is a great place to loiter while the lady’s doing the shopping!
Light hearted fun!
Cheers
Andy
Sneagrams :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 4:09 pm
…And this goes out to Mike about the store hour issue! Both Whole Foods Markets are open til 11pm. And are available to sell Beer and Wine all day Sunday!
Man, this is my kind of banter!
Mike :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 4:14 pm
You’ve got me there Andy. Though I don’t really think of you as a boutique store, I think of you as a grocery store.
scottyp :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 6:59 pm
im with andrew as well. i am really never in a bind where i need a good beer and ill admit i always look. id rather give my money to the guys that go above and beyond to not only stock but contribute to new beers coming into our community.
scottyp :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 7:01 pm
ps
i shop mainly at whole foods so thats my go to in a bind spot and the wife approves of a few with the groceries. its perfect
Mike :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 7:05 pm
But what’s so wrong with someone seeing the errors of their ways and then going above and beyond? I’m here to tell you, having a large grocery story interested in better beer means that we have more out of state brewers interested in coming.
Joe :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 7:36 pm
I’ll take the lame route and agree with all of you. But shopping at Schnucks or Dierbergs on a whole is out of my price range. I’ll shop at Shop n Save or Aldi’s and get my beer from Lukas, Bon Vivant or TWCP(sorry I’ve still haven’t made it to some of the others yet). I’ve had excellent experiences at the three I’ve been to and will do my best to support them with my beer purchases. Kuddos to Andrew and Shelby so far!
matt h :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 8:04 pm
on this matter, i like to see good beers at grocery stores. i’m not necessarily talking about overly high end beers, but like mike said, unibroue, bear republic and other good beers like that are nice to be able to get at good prices and not have to drive to one of the boutique beer shops. nicely enough between the schnucks and dierbergs in oakville here, we can get everything from bells amber to SN bigfoot to ommegang and the boule 750’s, so i can’t complain when it comes to getting decent beers at the stores withing 2 blocks of my place.
vyvvy :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 10:54 pm
I don’t know if I’m one of the lucky ones, but my Dierberg’s has a good selection of beer for a grocery store - I’ve bought plenty of Schlafly (year round & every seasonal), O’Fallon, Boulevard and such. If they are going to fill their beer shelves, why not have it be the local guys they are helping out? Dierberg’s generally blows away Schnucks with selection and freshness dates. I think they do a good job in a lot of ways really.
For the high end domestic and import material, I shop at W&C and Whole Foods mainly. While WF may not be locally owned Andy does one hell of a job with the beer selection and I’m all for supporting the highly organic and natural food selection there. The local chains are way behind on that aspect ~ the locals will decide how that goes I suspect, but I’ll put my dollar vote for WF when I can.
Dave J :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 11:29 pm
Dierbergs has been getting a lot better about craft beer the last couple of years. They sell a lot of our products. This year they started to have beer pairings at a few of their cooking schools. Brian and Derek have done at least 2 this year and they went over great with the attendees and the people at Dierbergs. Somebody mentioned the thing about shelf space, that is a big deal with any of the grocery chains. When Schnucks and SNS started carrying 5 Day, Dierbergs told us they didn’t have any shelf space and they already had a IPA (Bridgeport and Redhook) and they don’t sell very much of it. After a few months they learned how much the other guy’s were selling and they brought it on. There are a few stores in all 3 chains that will only sell a couple of our beers because the liquor mng. thinks all those weird beers take up the space he needs for his camo Busch can 30 packs and Miller light BBQ displays.
STLMonkeyknife :
Date: September 25, 2008 @ 11:48 pm
It would be great to see better beer at Dierbergs and Schnucks. In fact, the Schnucks by my house (Hampton Village) just started carrying the Boulevard Smokestack series. Nice.
BMock :
Date: September 26, 2008 @ 7:25 am
I consider it this way. Schuncks and Dierbergs are similar to Wal-Mart/Target in their ranges. I don’t expect Wal-Mart to carry high end electronics, computer equipment, etc. and I don’t expect Dierbergs to carry high end beer. I go to those stores that carry what I want. If I need a cheap DVD player, I go to Target. If I want everyday beer, I go to Dierbergs. If I’m looking for something special, I go to TWCP.
Mike :
Date: September 26, 2008 @ 7:38 am
But I’m not advocating for something “special” I’m advocating for a better selection. I don’t think that’s out of bounds to ask for.
Also, how does Dierbergs have a decent wine selection but not a beer selection? They’re obviously not trying to be “Wal-Mart” they’re trying to be something more. If so, prove it by expanding and kicking up their beer selections.
Bill Burge :
Date: September 26, 2008 @ 7:48 am
While the wine selection in Dierberg’s might appear more vast than the beer selection to someone who prefers beer (Mike), the reality is that much of the wine is crap (AB/Miller style) or just a slight step up (Sierra/New Belgium style).
In other words, I could just as easily complain about the wine selection as someone that likes wine. But then again, just like your finding out above, it varies from store to store.
I worked in the UN-Friendliest store in town instead, the Ladue Crossing Schnuck’s specifically. Their wine and beer selection was (and still is) distinctly different from a lot of their stores because it’s a different clientèle.
Dan D. :
Date: September 26, 2008 @ 8:27 am
My local Dierberg’s (Eager Rd) carries Boulevard Smokestack, Unibroue, and a full line of O’Fallon and Schlafly, including barrel-aged beers. I think that’s pretty good. And with the wines, sure there’s plenty of dreck, but there are enough good bottles to make me happy if I happen to need one (which I really never do). If I were to criticize Dierberg’s and Schnuck’s, it wouldn’t be for their beer and wine selection, it’d be for their lack of commitment to local product in other areas.
All that being said, if they really want to offer the best products they can, sure, they need to carry better beer.
Mike :
Date: September 26, 2008 @ 8:35 am
I agree with everything you said Dan and I’m glad to hear other stores have better selections. Must just be my store.
cubby_swans :
Date: September 26, 2008 @ 8:45 am
We do our regular shopping at Schnucks in Affton, and hit Dierbergs on Watson (near River Despair) for their organic selections for the baby. I can always get 5-Day at either, and we’ve bought Goose Island Honkers and IPA at that Dierbergs. I’ve been to some nicer grocery stores in Chicago area where I can’t find Goose Island IPA on the shelves. While I think it would be nice if their selection improved, I really have no complaints with what is available. TWCP and Bob’s Liquor are both on my way home from work, so I never have a problem remembering to stop and get something if I want something out of the ordinary. And Friar Tuck is open till something like 10pm on the weekends.
And Monkeyknife, I did see the Boulevard Smokestack at Hampton Village Schnucks a few weeks back. I was pretty surprised by that one.
Eric :
Date: September 26, 2008 @ 10:38 am
Andrew and a couple of the guys that agreed with him had some good points.
And fyi, the Schnucks in Eureka also started carrying Unibroue & Delerium in the past year or so.
JP :
Date: September 26, 2008 @ 1:36 pm
Since the discussion on where to get beer is afoot, I have to mention that I stopped in at the Shell Station at Lemp and Arsenal (right off 55 at Arsenal)last weekend after leaving the Stable. They had a pretty decent beer selection. I picked up a case or so that consisted of Goose Island 312 and IPA. Bell’s Levity Ale, Bell’s 5 barrel IPA. Pretty nice for a gas station. The prices didn’t even seem to be too out of line either. (Though I had a few beers in me, so price was not a concern at the time.)
The place also carries a large selection of cigars and tobaccos if anyone is interested in that as well. I though it was a pretty good find.
JP :
Date: September 26, 2008 @ 1:39 pm
On another note- My Loughborough Schnuck’s has a lousy beer selection, and I haven’t been to a Dierberg’s in years. Macklind Avenue Deli wins for me on the South side.
Dan D. :
Date: September 27, 2008 @ 8:32 pm
Today I noticed the Schnuck’s at Big Bend and Clayton carries Left Hand. I didn’t have time to really look around, but they also had Smokestack beers.
Andy :
Date: October 10, 2008 @ 4:47 pm
Late to the game here… I agree that the Dierbergs on Eager is pretty good, but still could have a far better selection. So where is the best place to buy beer in St Louis? If you were to say best selection at the most reasonable price? What is the mecca of beer stores around here?
Paul :
Date: October 12, 2008 @ 7:27 pm
I think Dan D came pretty close. The Schnuck’s in Richmond Heights has a decent selections and usually has some good sale prices–unlike Friar Tucks,
If you consider selection more important when choosing what’s “best,” I would say either TWCP or Starrs.