The Beer Store Experiment

adventures_alc · Post by **adventures_alc** » Fri Jan 04, 2013 10:46 pm

those are fair points. I am just pointing out that there is so much volume in the major brands there's no way something else makes it onto the top 10 list. I bet they would increase how many cases they stock in an individual store if enough people asked. Not sure what it would take to have the number of cases in the system go up. I do think asking for your favourite brand is a good idea and should be encouraged.

As for the beau's example, I meant more distribution to bars more than retail store shelf presence. It would be worth the money to pay into the system if they'd load up trucks with kegs and deliver them for you across the province.

I don't know what the listing fees are but I can tell you I never saw a keg in there that wasn't A MolBatt keg. Maybe there was an occasional Cameron's keg but I may just be making that up (we did move Cameron's cases). I don't have a clear memory of one anyways.

I don't know what the listing fees are or what they cover but it seems like the offer is for retail shelf space and not for any access to the trucks. Do any Ontario Craft brewers distribute this way? I am curious to know.

Lecocq · Post by **Lecocq** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:11 pm

I could be mistaken but I believe Mill Street distributes this way through the TBS warehouse. I have never seen a Mill St delivery truck in this area anyways. Maybe throw Flying Monkeys into this mix as well??

adventures_alc · Post by **adventures_alc** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:41 pm

I am really not sure. It's been a while since I worked in the warehouse. I would be very curious to know who else (besides MolBatts + Sapporo) uses the warehouses for keg delivery. I wonder if that is even an available option. Perhaps TBS is only willing to sell shelf space. I really don't know what they are willing to do for small brewers

I asked a friend who worked in the call center (taking all the orders for Ontario and other provinces) and he sais Mill St. kegs were not available, only bottles.

ErkLR · Post by **ErkLR** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 5:54 pm

Non-big 3 brands can make it into the top 10, Lakeport Pilsner and Honey rode the buck-a-beer wave into the top 10 before Labatt aquired them (presumably to slowly kill them off).

I've purchased Newcastle kegs at the London distribution center (this was years before S&N was bought out). They had a list of what was available in kegs there, I assume it was all stuff that bars in the area regularly ordered. I don't remember what was on the list, but it was all macro stuff I think.

I have no idea how it is decided what is available in kegs vs only bottles though. You can certainly find Mill Street on tap here, so they must drive it down themselves. Weird system.
This is all the stuff available in kegs (no craft brewers I think): http://www.thebeerstore.ca/beers/search ... packsize=1

El Pinguino · Post by **El Pinguino** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 4:18 pm

I think a better experiment is to go to as many Beer Stores as you can and ask 'what is the best beer you have?'.

I'm sure some solid answers will be given by employees who actually like beer, but I also bet those Top Sellers would be mentioned too.

Brewbert · Post by **Brewbert** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 4:49 pm

El Pinguino wrote:I think a better experiment is to go to as many Beer Stores as you can and ask 'what is the best beer you have?'.

I'm sure some solid answers will be given by employees who actually like beer, but I also bet those Top Sellers would be mentioned too.

I did that the summer before last at three different beer stores that I knew carried some half decent stuff - black oak pale ale, hoptical illusion, mad tom ipa etc

No ontario crafts were mentioned at either of them. lol.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 1:41 pm

I think the TBS TOP TEN list should carry the disclaimer that the TBS is a foreign-owned monopoly that happens to own most of those brands they push so hard...

(brands they trumpet seemingly at the expense of others despite a policy of brand neutrality that forbids staff from recommending one brand over another.)

dwt · Post by **dwt** » Fri Jan 18, 2013 4:59 pm

El Pinguino wrote:I think a better experiment is to go to as many Beer Stores as you can and ask 'what is the best beer you have?'.

I'm sure some solid answers will be given by employees who actually like beer, but I also bet those Top Sellers would be mentioned too.

Still a subjective question. Not everyone who works at Ford drives a Ford, not everyone who works at TBS believes that small batch craft tastes better than Bud Light Lime.

El Pinguino · Post by **El Pinguino** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 2:48 pm

Very true dwt.... like I said, I'm sure you'd get 'some' solid answers...and some people working at TBS may legitimately feel that one particular macro beer is the best thing there, good on them.

I do wonder if TBS employees get to sample new beers that arrive? Do they do tastings of different beers or have any product education sessions? I worked at the LCBO one Xmas years ago and was pleasantly surprised by how often our product experts would allow us to sample new wines and beers in the name of knowledge.

MetalHead · Post by **MetalHead** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 6:14 am

El Pinguino wrote:Very true dwt.... like I said, I'm sure you'd get 'some' solid answers...and some people working at TBS may legitimately feel that one particular macro beer is the best thing there, good on them.

I do wonder if TBS employees get to sample new beers that arrive? Do they do tastings of different beers or have any product education sessions? I worked at the LCBO one Xmas years ago and was pleasantly surprised by how often our product experts would allow us to sample new wines and beers in the name of knowledge.

No we don't get any sorts of tastings. Occasionally a brewery rep will give us some vouchers but this is against company policy so it doesn't happen very often.