Who Really Makes All The Beer at Aldi?
If you’ve ever shopped at an Aldi, you’ve probably noticed their beer selection seems a little off. Like in most of the rest of the store, Aldi’s strategy for beer is to make it look like they’ve got all of the most popular beers in the world – provided you’re not wearing your glasses, or you’ve recently sustained a traumatic brain injury.
But who really makes all those beers that are the alcoholic equivalent of Bart Simpson’s carton of malk?
Well, as you might have guessed, Aldi doesn’t have their own breweries to make all of these in-house brands. Instead, they rely upon craft beer brands and contract brewers to create them for the grocer. But it’s not always easy to figure out who those brewers are from the packaging, since federal labeling laws allow brewers to use different trade names on the label.
So we dug into the TTB filings to get to the bottom of all of these Aldi beers. Take a look:
Limaveza Lime Lager – New Realm Brewing
This lager brewed with Lime is clearly trying to be a lookalike for Stone Brewing’s Buenaveza, but the similarities to Stone are deeper than that. The production company on the label, “ABW Virginia Beach” is a pseudonym for New Realm Brewing, which was founded in 2016 by Mitch Steele – the former brewmaster at Stone.
Hopping Nomad IPA – Asahi
Although the label shows that it was brewed by “State of Brewing,” federal filings show that this Session IPA is brewed by Octopi Brewing out of Waunakee, Wisconsin. Octopi was conceived as a premier contract brewer in 2015 by Isaac Showaki, and is now one of largest contract brewers in the country. In 2024, Showaki sold the brewery to Asahi Holdings, which wanted to expand their production of Asahi Super Dry in the United States.
Maguire’s – Asahi
This Irish Stout (with a matching Irish name) is also brewed by “State of Brewing,” and was first brewed by Octopi in 2020.
Shuteye Peak Pale Ale – Asahi
Aldi seems to be going after Sierra Nevada with this one, with camping vibes and mountain imagery. It’s also brewed by Asahi’s subsidiary Octopi.
Holland Lager 1839 – Swinkels Family Brewers
People often get confused by the difference between Holland and the Netherlands, so let’s make it even more confusing. This beer was introduced in 2014 (not 1839) for the American market by Bavaria Brewery, which was based not based in Bavaria but rather Holland. It should absolutely not be confused with Holland Import Pilsner, which is an entirely different beer made by the entirely same company. Clear enough for you?
Well in 2018, Bavaria made it slightly easier on us and changed their name to Swinkels Family Brewers – though they still use the pseudonym “H.West” on these bottles.
Independence Harbor Amber Ale – FIFCO
This Amber appears to be trying to imitate Samuel Adams Boston Lager, with similar Revolution-era imagery and a malty profile. It claims to be brewed by “Custom Tap Brews”, but federal filings list its producer as High Falls Brewing Company, which is the name Genesee Brewing has used for its craft brands since 1995. Genesee has been owned by Florida Ice and Food Company, based out of Costa Rica, since 2012.
Locken’s Tropical Pineapple Kölsch – FIFCO
Its label says it is brewed by “Rock Wall Brewing Company,” but its filings show that it is also brewed by High Falls Brewing, the Genesee subsidiary that FIFCO controls.
White Tide Belgian White Ale – FIFCO
“What’s that Belgian White ale? I forget what it’s called, but I know it has a color in the name, and it has something to do with the moon?” Obviously you’re thinking of White Tide, the totally-not-a-ripoff found exclusively at Aldi. In fact, this one is so not a ripoff, that until 2022, it was actually made in Belgium, by Brouwerij Martens, the second largest brewer in the country (a not-very-close second, behind Anheuser-Busch InBev).
Now, however, the beer is a Belgian STYLE White ale, as it is brewed by FIFCO’s High Falls Brewing, also under the name Rock Wall Brewing.
Covista Mexican Style Lager – FIFCO
The Spanish word “covista” doesn’t have a direct translation in English, primarily because it’s not a real word. Nor is it really a Mexican lager – when it was introduced in 2021, it was made by Cervecería Centro Americana, based in Guatemala City, Guatemala. That company is most known for Gallo, which in the United States is known as Famosa to avoid confusion with the winemaker of the same name.
In 2023, however, the brand was given to FIFCO’s High Falls Brewery, again using the “Rock Wall Brewery” name on the label.
Wild Range IPA – FIFCO
Wild Range is also the widest range of beer offerings from Aldi, with at least seven different styles going as far back as 2010. It does have the distinction of getting its own fictional brewery name though, as beers here are listed as being brewed by the Wild Range Brewing Company. But they’re still made by Genesee.
Wernesgrüner Pilsner – Carlsberg
Out of all the brands on this list, Wernesgrüner is the most legitimate, in that it actually has existed outside of the walls of Aldi. In the English-speaking world, however, it is sold exclusively at the grocery store. Founded in 1436, it has undergone several ownership changes, and most recently it was sold by Bitburger to its current owner, Carlsberg, in 2021.