South Hills Giant Eagle adds Beer

Giant Eagle to add Beer

Starting Wednesday, the Giant Eagle located in Bethel Park will begin selling beer.  According to the Tribune Review, Giant Eagle began selling brews back in 2009 at licensed locations, with a focus on craft brews. 

Personally, I have been to the Cranberry Giant Eagle, where they have been selling beer for a while.  It is really great if you are a craft beer enthusiast, as most of the beer offered comes from microbreweries.  In fact, the whole refrigerated area at the Cranberry location only offers craft brews - check out the variety offered.  The list offers micros from all across the nation, not just the locals.

I visit the Bethel Park Giant Eagle quite often, and have seen them clearing a large area in anticipation of the beer shop.  It is a little larger than the area at Cranberry, but only by a little.  As long as it offers the same type of micros as the Cranberry location, this beer shop should do quite well.

What remains to be seen is the impact it will have on other bottle shops, such as Barley & Hops nearby.  In my opinion, it will not hurt that much, as the people who already visit the bottle shops will not stop going just because they offer some craft brews at Giant Eagle.  Rather, it may increase the volume at the bottle shops as the Giant Eagle will introduce people to micros, and get these people more interested in craft beers.  As this interest increases, so will the traffic to the bottle shops, as the bottle shops offer a much wider variety.

The Giant Eagle at Robinson also has beer available for sale.