Coming and Going From a Massive Retailer Near You: Kirkland Lager Out, Super Lager In

Back in May, a subscriber reached out because he couldn’t find Costco’s Kirkland Signature Helles Lager on his last visit. After locating an employee and asking about its status, he was told that the lager brewed by Deschutes - something of a first in private label-adjacent beer due to its sheer volume and nationwide scope - was no longer available to order in their system. I asked the same question on my next visit to Costco and received a similar answer.

Upon reaching out to the brewery, I was told, “The initial commitment started in late 2024 and we’re 80% of the way through but it should still be available for reorder!” While Deschutes understandably didn’t have official news they could share with me at that point in May, I had a feeling based on the framing of their response that the Kirkland Lager’s days might be numbered.

Sure enough, Beer Business Daily broke the story last week, reporting that distributors received a note from Deschutes’s CEO Peter Skrbek that production was winding down. He shared that Costco remained committed to selling through the remainder of their inventory, but the product would be removed from their ordering portal and expected to be sold through by early Fall.

The lager was a viral sensation in 2025, with well-respected content creators from all across CPG praising its quality and beer connoisseurs seeming to agree unanimously. Yet heading into the final quarter of the partnership, the brand was still discontinued.

The obvious takeaway is that private label beer has limits. The more interesting insight, however, is understanding where private label creates value, where it falls short, and what another major retailer’s new lager partnership suggests about the future of brewery-retailer collaborations.