Costco has ended its brewing partnership with Oregon-based Deschutes Brewery, and stores across the country are already running out of two fan-favorite Kirkland Signature beers that won't be restocked.
The warehouse retailer announced in July that it was pulling the plug on the roughly two-year collaboration that produced the Kirkland Signature Helles-Style Lager and the Kirkland Signature Vintage Ale. Neither Costco nor Deschutes Brewery has publicly explained why the partnership ended. Many locations have already sold their remaining stock, and once it's gone, it's gone, The Sun reported that no restocking is planned.
For shoppers who made the Helles-Style Lager a staple of their Costco runs, the news landed hard. A 12-pack sold for $13.99, a price point that made the beer one of the best deals in any warehouse aisle. One Costco member, quoted by the Wall Street Journal, put it bluntly.
"The cost-to-value is insane on this beer."
That value wasn't just a matter of price. The lager earned serious recognition from the craft beer world, winning a Gold medal at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival, where it beat out 171 other entries. It later picked up a silver medal at the 2025 World Beer Cup and a bronze at the same competition in 2026.
Deschutes Brewery, based in Oregon, first partnered with Costco in 2024 to produce beers sold exclusively under the Kirkland Signature label. The Helles-Style Lager was modeled on the traditional Munich style, brewed with domestic and imported hops and malt, including specialty malts from Weyermann in Bamberg, Germany. That kind of ingredient sourcing, paired with a sub-$14 price tag for a dozen cans, made it a standout in a market where craft beer routinely costs twice as much.
Costco has built a reputation for offering surprisingly high-quality products under its Kirkland Signature house brand, from vodka to olive oil. The beer program fit that mold perfectly, an award-winning lager at a warehouse price. Shoppers noticed, and they kept coming back.
Costco's knack for generating buzz around limited or exclusive products is well documented. The retailer has seen seasonal items fly off shelves and end up resold at steep markups online. The Kirkland beer, while not a seasonal novelty, built a similarly devoted following during its short run.
A Deschutes Brewery spokesperson confirmed the partnership's end to Business Insider and acknowledged the reaction from Costco's membership.
"We've been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support for the beer from Costco members since the announcement."
The spokesperson added that the response made the beer's impact clear.
"The feedback on the beer has been exceptional, and it's clear that the beer has built a fan base across the US and internationally."
What remains unanswered is whether Deschutes plans to sell the same lager or ale under its own brand now that the Costco exclusivity is over. The brewery's statements focused on gratitude, not on next steps. Costco, for its part, has not said whether it plans to find a new brewing partner to replace the Kirkland Signature beer line.
The retailer continues to expand its offerings in other areas. Costco recently partnered with major delivery platforms for nationwide bulk delivery, signaling its interest in reaching members beyond the warehouse floor. But on the beer front, the shelves are going bare.
The silence around the split is the most frustrating part for loyal buyers. Neither company has offered a reason for ending a partnership that, by every public measure, was working. The beer won medals. It sold at a price customers loved. The brewery itself said the fan base stretched internationally. And yet it's over.
Costco stores that still have remaining inventory are selling through it, but shoppers hunting for the Helles-Style Lager or the Vintage Ale should not expect to find them for long. The products were in Costco stores across the country for roughly two years, a short window for something that earned this much loyalty.
The warehouse giant has shown it can bring back popular items when customer demand is loud enough. Costco brought back its Twisted Churro to food courts after shoppers made their feelings known. Whether the same pressure could revive the Kirkland beer program is anyone's guess, but the situations differ: a food court snack is an in-house decision, while a private-label beer requires a willing brewing partner.
Costco has also been tinkering with its food court lineup in response to member feedback, suggesting the company does listen when customers speak up. But listening and acting are two different things, especially when the other party to the deal has walked away, or been shown the door.
A gold-medal beer at $13.99 a 12-pack was the kind of deal that made Costco memberships feel worth every penny. Whoever decided to end it owes the customers who kept buying it at least an explanation.