The Midwest Grocery Store Chain Where Customers Can Drink A Local Craft Brew On Tap While They Shop

Not many people entertain the notion of simultaneously sipping craft brews and shopping for groceries. Perhaps that's because it's a relatively new concept, unheard of many places — but not in certain Midwest states and cities. That's where you'll find an upscale collective of stores belonging to a family-owned grocery chain called Heinen's. The 24-store chain basically treats draft beer like any other commodity, albeit with a few rules per state laws. 

The "beer on tap" concept inside Heinen's stores is surprisingly straightforward. Essentially, select Heinen's locations pour beer by the glass, crowler, or growler, stating that "you can even have a glass while you shop." The chain maintains a centralized "Local Craft Beer on Tap" guide that lists participating stores and posts the day's lineup. 

In most stores, the setup doesn't include cozy little nooks where you sit and sip, as that's not the intention of Heinen's craft beer program, which focuses on supporting local craft brewers around the country. Rather than a grocery-store "bar" vibe, it's more like on-premise sampling while you shop, introducing customers to local or special craft brews that they can also purchase for home consumption. Just pay for your in-store selection, choose the vessel (or bring your own), dispense the brew, and then sip while you shop. Variations to this procedure do exist, but that's the general idea.  

To date, Heinen's operates stores primarily in Northeast Ohio, plus five locations in Illinois. All offer "local craft beer on tap," listed as an ordinary "service" right alongside more mundane supermarkets offerings such as rotisserie chicken, salad bars, and self-service olive oil and vinegar dispensers, per location. 

Depending on state laws or how individual stores design their craft beer program, you may find employees pouring the beer instead of, or in addition to, the self-service model. Many Heinen's venues push the boundaries, adding "wine by the glass" to the mix. That includes the Napierville store in Illinois, which pours by-the-glass wine in a self-service Cruvinet for just $5. Other stores routinely host wine-tasting events for shoppers. 

Many, however, stick to dispensing beer, and the tap list varies across the chain of stores. For example, a recent posting showed the Aurora, Ohio, brew lineup highlighting an abbey-style Boulevard Bourbon Barrel Quad Ale with 12.2% ABV, sold in a bring-your-own growler or a complimentary Heinen's aluminum self-pressurizing crowler can. At Heinen's Rocky River in Ohio, shoppers had the chance to taste the Branch & Bone "Happening After Happening," described as a Hazy IPA collaboration with Masthead Brewing. Also showcased that day was a Half Acre "Far Star" lager at 5.2% ABV, offered by the glass or in take-home filling options.

When all is said and done, Heinen's is a grocery store that supports U.S. breweries, especially small ones creating local craft beer. If you don't live near a Heinen's venue, take heart: Some Kroger stores offer beer-on-tap as well.