Who Makes Costco's Kirkland Signature Lager?

It's no secret that Costco often contracts with major brands to create its wide selection of Kirkland-branded products. Sometimes, the producers can be difficult or even impossible to trace, leaving customers to wonder about the items' true origins. But in others, it could be more obvious who partnered with Costco to produce it. The latter scenario is undoubtedly the case with Kirkland Signature Helles-Style Lager, which reveals on the packaging that it's produced by Deschutes Brewery.

In addition to printing it on the case, Costco mentions the association prominently in the first sentence of the product description. The company, established in Bend, Oregon in the late 1980s and named after the nearby Deschutes River, sells over 225,000 barrels of beer annually in all 50 states and abroad, according to its website. However, the Kirkland lager, produced in the German Helles style known for its pale color, malt accents, and light, floral hop notes, is likely unique to Costco, as none of Deschutes' other publicly promoted lagers are of the same type.

Deschutes first conceived of this beer in the early 2020s. In 2023, it won an award at the Great American Beer Competition (under the name "Prinz Crispy") before the brewery partnered with Costco to rebrand it and make it widely available.

Mass production hasn't kept Kirkland Signature Helles-Style Lager from continuing to win critical acclaim, including a bronze at the 2026 World Beer Cup. It's not just beer judges, either — on Reddit, Costco shoppers praised it as a "solid clean lager," with one commenter writing, "[T]his beer has no right being as good as it is for the price." Another noted it had "become a household staple" due to its quality and affordability.

Beyond its lager, the answer to who actually makes Kirkland beer becomes a bit murkier and more complex. For example, the address of the supposed "Hopfen Und Malz Brewing Co." behind other Kirkland beers is that of Gordon Biersch brewery, although the company's name and branding aren't used on the Costco packaging like Deschutes. The warehouse chain's past beers haven't always been so well-reviewed, including Kirkland Light (from Regal Brau brewery), which was widely criticized for bland, poor flavor.

Over the years, there have been many name brands hiding behind Costco's Kirkland products. Some are easy to recognize (like Kirkland Signature Jelly Beans, made by Jelly Belly), while others require a bit more sleuthing. Kirkland Signature Lager squarely falls into the former group, proudly displaying its Deschutes Brewery origins on the packaging for all shoppers to see.