Whether you’re a craft beer aficionado or an average beer drinker looking to break out of a rut, our in-store beer specialists are always ready to make recommendations and chat about the latest trends.
Their styles are as unique and varied as the communities where they live and work, but the Whole Foods Market beer specialists are united by a common passion: discovering great beers and sharing them with the world.
To give you a taste of their expertise (and local flavor) we asked a few beer specialists to talk about what they’re loving right now:
Teresa Mikulastik
Austin, Texas
Known as “the beer princess,” Teresa is an enthusiastic booster for the Texas craft beer community: “All of the local breweries support each other. They are a true community of beer lovers — sharing ideas, space and even the spotlight.” At the Domain store in Austin, Teresa hosts monthly pint nights and tap takeovers to introduce new local breweries and get people excited about their beer.
What she’s drinking right now:
Real Ale Brewing Company | Oktoberfest Bavarian Style Lager
“Slightly toasty with some caramel sweetness. Drinks smooth and ends with a crisp, clean flavor. Enjoy with Brats or BBQ.”
Ballast Point Brewing Company | Grunion Pale Ale
“A perfect pale ale with flavors of tropical fruit and citrus that balance out the hoppy bitterness. Enjoy with fish tacos or Tex Mex.”
Arian StevensBend, Oregon
When you live in a city with one brewery for every 4,500 people, an enthusiasm for craft beer “kind of just goes with the territory.” Bend bills itself as “Beer Town USA,” and Arian puts local brews in the spotlight with an annual Summer Brew Fest that raises funds for the Central Oregon Humane Society.
What he’s drinking right now:
Deschutes Brewery | The Abyss
“A really complex barrel-aged imperial stout with notes of bourbon and bittersweet chocolate. You could sip on this for hours. I like to buy several bottles of each vintage and age them in the cellar for years!”
Sierra Nevada | Oktoberfest
“Perfect for the transition from summer to fall. A medium-bodied märzen with light notes of caramel and toffee. Not hoppy or overly malty. An easy-drinking beer.”
Marc Reyes
Newport Beach, California
Instagram: @WFMNewportBeachBeer opens in a new tab
By his own account, Marc used to be a rather conventional beer drinker. Then a coworker invited him on a tour of local craft breweries. “My taste buds were opened to different styles of beer…and the rest was history.” Now Marc is passionate about tracking local trends like ciders, sour beers and beer/wine hybrids, which are introducing more and more California wine-lovers to the world of craft beer.
What he’s drinking right now:
Barley Forge Brewing Co. | The Patsy
“A medium-bodied rye stout brewed with coconut. Lots of coconut flavor. You might think of stout as very heavy, but this is an easy-drinking beer.”
Smog City Brewing Co. | Amarilla Gorilla IPA
“A great example of a West Coast IPA. Super hoppy, not too bitter and really smooth for the alcohol content, which is 7.8%.”
Many of our stores that sell beer* have beer specialists who are just as passionate about craft beer as these three. If you need help locating a good local brewery or want to find a new favorite just ask one of our knowledgeable team members in the beer section of your local store!
What local beer are you loving right now? Leave us a recommendation in the comments.
*Due to local laws not all of our stores sell beer or other types of alcohol.
