Hy-Vee Council Bluffs

July 26, 2008
When traveling on I-80 cross country, this Hy-Vee grocery story is conveniently located at the Mall of the Bluffs exit off the interstate and has one of the best selections in the Twin Cities area (if you consider Omaha and Council Bluffs to be twins). Yes, Beertopia in Omaha has a better selection of exotic stuff, but Kevin and KJ at Hy-Vee CB do an amazing job of stocking some of the best stuff that Iowa can get. This is because they are savvy enough to parasite off of John’s Grocery’s hard work with state distributors to bring in things that we cannot get in Nebraska from time to time. Therefore, I keep this place on my regular beerrun list and am never disappointed. Much of what they have is available in single bottles. One of my only complaints about the place is the Build Your Own Six Pack shelf is usually limited and try as I might, KJ has failed to take the hint that he should break any six pack for me that they sell. I’ll keep working on him, though. Please remember that this is a grocery store, so most of the nice folks working here will not be able to answer your beer questions in meticulous detail, but if you happen to be there when KJ is working, he will likely know more about german bier than you. The prices are good, but be informed that the State of Iowa charges you additional $ for each bottle as a recycling fee.