This past Sunday I finally made it to the new Whole Foods Market at Plymout
h Meeting Mall. My soul purpose for going was to check out the beer which has been receiving a fair amount of coverage from fellow beer aficionados.
If your not from PA then you may not get the hoopla over beer being sold in a super market. Similar to Wegmans and Market District (Giant Eagle) Whole Foods is jumping through the legal loophole of having a sto
re within a store in order to sell alcoholic beverages. The structure is silly and a little awkward, but it's nice having the option to grab a beer when you're buying groceries.
The Whole Foods set up for beer is in The Cold Point Pub located in the front of the store. The pub design is fairly generic with it's own entrance, register for wine and beer sales, a few
comfy leather chairs, high stools along the counters and a great view of the check out area. Perfect for spotting your significant other in line when trying to figure out whether or not to order another beer. Separated with sliding glass doors the back of the pub is a cold room filled with sixes and single bottles for take out. The selection isn't huge but does offer a surprisingly good mix of craft brews, macros, Belgian
s and other imports. The prices for PA seem very fair and in some cases low. This is really noticeable when it comes to growler fills and drafts.
h Meeting Mall. My soul purpose for going was to check out the beer which has been receiving a fair amount of coverage from fellow beer aficionados.If your not from PA then you may not get the hoopla over beer being sold in a super market. Similar to Wegmans and Market District (Giant Eagle) Whole Foods is jumping through the legal loophole of having a sto
re within a store in order to sell alcoholic beverages. The structure is silly and a little awkward, but it's nice having the option to grab a beer when you're buying groceries.The Whole Foods set up for beer is in The Cold Point Pub located in the front of the store. The pub design is fairly generic with it's own entrance, register for wine and beer sales, a few
comfy leather chairs, high stools along the counters and a great view of the check out area. Perfect for spotting your significant other in line when trying to figure out whether or not to order another beer. Separated with sliding glass doors the back of the pub is a cold room filled with sixes and single bottles for take out. The selection isn't huge but does offer a surprisingly good mix of craft brews, macros, Belgian
s and other imports. The prices for PA seem very fair and in some cases low. This is really noticeable when it comes to growler fills and drafts.Everything on drafts is local: Yards, Victory, Flying Fish, Troegs, Sly Fox and Lancaster. All 14oz pours were $2.99, small growlers (32oz)
$3.99-$5.49 and large growlers (64oz), $7.99-$10.99. Since Whole Foods is big on recycling you can bring your own growler or if you need to purchase one both 64oz and 32oz sizes are only $3.99.
Since everything is so new I'm sure there are a few bugs to work out. The employees seem slightly overwhelmed by all the traffic and since the seating area is fairly small it doesn't take many people walking in
to create an overcrowding situation. Hopefully that changes as the newness wears off. I didn't quiz anyone so I'm not sure of their overall beer and wine knowledge. What I do know is the arrangement to get a draft is odd. I had to pay for a beer upfront then take the receipt to one of the employees who got my draft (Lancaster Milk Stout). Not horrible just different.
$3.99-$5.49 and large growlers (64oz), $7.99-$10.99. Since Whole Foods is big on recycling you can bring your own growler or if you need to purchase one both 64oz and 32oz sizes are only $3.99.When Kelleigh and I arrived the place was packed. We managed to grab 2 leather chairs which turned out to be the perfect place to observe the swirl of activity. Most people coming in had oooohs and ahhhs for the place and seemed warm on the set up. While in the cooler area I
overheard nothing but good words about the beer selection and prices.
overheard nothing but good words about the beer selection and prices.Wine fans were having the most fun with the interesting wall-o-wine machine that dispenses various sized pours from a selection of approximately 15 bottles. After getting a wine card from the cashier you place whatever monitary value on it you wish, get a glass, slide the card into the wine machine, select the beverage and the size sample you want and tadda liquid happines
s. Slick, clean, perfectly chilled and wonderfully impersonal.
s. Slick, clean, perfectly chilled and wonderfully impersonal. Since everything is so new I'm sure there are a few bugs to work out. The employees seem slightly overwhelmed by all the traffic and since the seating area is fairly small it doesn't take many people walking in
to create an overcrowding situation. Hopefully that changes as the newness wears off. I didn't quiz anyone so I'm not sure of their overall beer and wine knowledge. What I do know is the arrangement to get a draft is odd. I had to pay for a beer upfront then take the receipt to one of the employees who got my draft (Lancaster Milk Stout). Not horrible just different.
Even with it's quirks, having another place to get good beer is a huge plus. The system is odd and far from perfect but it seems like Whole Foods is doing well with the parameters they have to work within.
Will I pop in just to have a beer? Probably not. Will I have one before or after shopping for my flax seed cereal, fresh baked multigrain loaf and organic soy milk? Damn right I will.
Will I pop in just to have a beer? Probably not. Will I have one before or after shopping for my flax seed cereal, fresh baked multigrain loaf and organic soy milk? Damn right I will.
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