This Popular Costco Kirkland Signature Product Is Getting Axed After Just 2 Years On Shelves

As its members are well aware, Costco giveth but Costco also taketh away. One of the latest products to get the axe is something shoppers are really going to miss: the popular Kirkland Signature lagers. Costco may be better known for its Kirkland Signature-branded liquors like the vodka customers say beats Grey Goose as well as such oddities as hotdog-themed bourbon, but it doesn't have too many house brand beers and it's about to have none at all. The reason for this is the big box store recently canceled its contract with Deschutes, the Oregon brand behind Kirkland Lager.

Deschutes produced two beers for Costco, Kirkland Signature Helles Lager and Kirkland Signature Vintage Ale (the latter being an imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels). The former product even won industry awards, earning a 2025 silver and 2026 bronze medal in the Munich-style Helles category at the World Beer Cup. The partnership with Costco began as recently as 2024, but it doesn't seem to be ending on a sour note (or even a bitter one, despite the product). Deschutes CEO Peter Skrbek said publicly that he wouldn't rule out the idea of renewing the partnership someday. As for now, Costco will purchase and sell the remaining beer that Deschutes has brewed for the Kirkland label but won't be ordering more. Existing supplies are expected to run out as early as September, so you might want to stock early for any Oktoberfest celebrations.

The Deschutes-brewed Kirkland Signature beers weren't the first to be sold under that label. In 2013, Costco offered a variety pack featuring pale ale, IPA, amber ale, and German lager, and subsequently introduced Kirkland Signature Light Beer. The latter was produced by Wisconsin's Regal Brau Brewing Company, a subsidiary of Minhas Craft Brewery.

The current Kirkland beers aren't being discontinued due to unpopularity, but that wasn't the case with Kirkland Signature Light Beer. Costco customers hated the stuff so much it was removed from the shelves in 2018 after a four-year run. As one Redditor said of the beer, "I simply don't know how they made it this bad. It feels like a choice and not an accident." It did, however, have one superfan named Randy Colpek. In 2017 he posted a viral video which amounts to an unpaid ad for the product. The video is clearly meant to be satirical with lines like "Kirkland Light: It's 11 a.m. somewhere," but Colpek and his drinking buddies still managed to put away enough beer to build a wall of empty boxes. The video may have inspired a few imitators, but it wasn't enough to keep a subpar product afloat.

So, will Costco try its hand at the beer game again? It's had both hits and flops, but ultimately it comes down to the bottom line. Beer may simply not provide enough of a profit margin to be viable. Whether or not you'll ever see Kirkland brews again, the store continues to offer an ample selection of name-brand brews.