Hey all you twenty-one plusers out there. If you are looking for a fun inexpensive way to spend a Sunday afternoon why not head over to the Whole Foods in Tustin. A grocery store for beer tasting? Yup. They have a small bar and seating area in the wine/beer section. Natch. 

The hubby and I found the tastings purely by accident. Isn’t that the way most good things are found? 

From 2:00 – 3:30 p.m. every Sunday they offer a beer tasting. For $10 you sample seven beers. Each pour is two ounces. A great way to try beers you might not otherwise buy or choose. A light food pairing is also included in the price. They also have a tapas menu with prices ranging from $0.99 to $9.99. 

Considering it’s a grocery store the atmosphere is fun and lively. JJ, the bartender really seems to enjoy his job, as do all of the wine/beer staff. Other patrons share insights and opinions on the drink offerings.

In addition to the Sunday Beer Tasting Whole Foods also has Wine Tastings (every Friday – Sunday) and Sunday Brunch. We’ve only done the beer tastings so far (twice), but will try out a Wine Tasting as well. Check out their events calendar.

For those of you who are interested here is a list of the beers served this past Sunday, March 8th, in the order served. The food accompaniment was an aged gouda, which was really, really good. Oh, and in parenthesis my two cents.

• Coney Island Albino Python (my favorite. thumbs up)
• Coney Island Sword Swallower (too hoppy for me. thumbs down.)
• Coney Island Lager (good kinda “regular” beer. even.)
• Rogue Dead Guy Ale (“regular” beer, but better. thumbs up.)
• Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar (limit one. heavy. needs to be sipped. thumbs up.)
• Rogue Chocolate Stout (actually smells like chocolate. limit one. another sipper. thumbs up.)
• Shakespeare Stout (eh. even.)

For $1.99 the hubby tried the Piney the Elder, which was very, very aromatic. Different for sure. He really liked it. I could take it or leave it. On the other hand, for $2.00 – all of which goes to charity – I got the dessert Youngs Luxury Double Chocolate Stout with Vanilla ice cream and a few drops of cherry juice. Believe it or not is was good. I was a bit skeptical at first, but YUM, especially after the ice cream started melting. 

So, have any of you gone to Whole Foods events? If so, share your experiences with us via the comment section.