As far as chain grocery stores go, without going to Whole Foods (which is hellish to shop at) or specialty stores, this is probably as good as it can get if you want to pick up an interesting beer spontaneously. We live right by this QFC, and we've been most impressed by their international beer selection. It's not a huge wall or anything, but it's way beyond the other QFC's (maybe the one in Capitol Hill has a good selection too but I don't know). The one that impressed me the most is the Red Rice Ale by Hitachino Nest in Japan http://kodawari.cc/engpage/kodawari/html/product_beer/red_rice_ale.htm , mostly because I hadn't even seen that in Japan. It's made from the ancient red rice (which is the only native rice to Japanese soil), and it tastes like nothing you've ever tasted. They have all the usual suspects - local microbrews, different stouts, ales, lagers, lambics, ciders (okay that's not technically a beer but I enjoy a good cider)... plus they have high quality/interesting beers like different Trappist ales and the red rice ale mentioned above.
Well not to sound like a complete drunk, first and foremost it's a "grocery" store, and it does that pretty well, too. Good bread and produce selection (much better in quality than the Safeway next door), decent section of organic foods, great ice cream selection, etc. It also has SBC, a bagel shop, and FREE childcare. Their flowers are pretty good as well.
The service is not too shabby either - whenever I had a problem with the self checkout machines I've always been offered a prompt refund.
While QFC stands for Quality Food Center, we've been disappointed by other QFC's, and this one hasn't let us down - yet. So the next time you're shopping at the Village, go ahead, pick up an interesting beer just steps away.
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