Walgreens diving into beer and winemaking business

By Emily Bryson York, Tribune reporter

6:20 PM CST, January 26, 2011

Walgreen Co. isn't just selling alcohol again. They're also making it.

The Deerfield-based drugstore chain has quietly rolled out a private-label brew called Big Flats 1901, which is in more than 4,600 of the chain's 7,655 U.S. locations. Walgreens has been stocking Chicago-area stores as alcohol licenses are approved.

If the name isn't enough to tempt you, the price might be: about 50 cents per can. Prices will vary by market, and the beer will be available in states where private-label alcohol is legal.

"In this tough economy, consumers are looking for value and ways to make their money go (further)," a Walgreens spokesman said in an e-mail. "Big Flats 1901 offers our customers a premium lager at a great price."

Big Flats is made by Novato, Calif.-based Winery Exchange, which also provides private-label alcohol for chains like Costco Wholesale and Trader Joe's.

Sales for Big Flats have "really taken off" since the products began arriving in stores last month, Kathleen Burns, Winery Exchange's senior marketing manager, said in a statement to the Tribune.

Walgreens also plans to launch a red wine called Colby Red next month.

Colby Red is made through a partnership with Australian winemaker Daryl Groom and Napa, Calif.-based Treasury Wine Estates, which owns Beringer, Lindeman's and Penfolds. The brand, named after Groom's 12-year-old son, who was born with heart defects, will be dedicated to raising awareness for heart disease. Colby Red will have a suggested retail price of $12.99.

This isn't Walgreens' first wine label. The company launched Southern Point in December 2009 for $3.99. It followed up with David Stone for $7.99 in March. Walgreens has been working to grow its alcohol business. The chain stopped selling alcohol in the 1990s but in mid-2009 announced plans to begin selling it again.

This looks like something from Wisconsin. Is it?

This looks like something from Wisconsin. Is it?

convenient, you can buy the cause of and solution too a lot of headaches in the same place.

Drinking causes a lot of typos, to.