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LCBO Summer Release!

Contribute your own beer reviews and ratings of beers that are made or available in Ontario.

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Belgian
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LCBO Summer Release!

Post by Belgian »

Well they've hatched a number of the announced items (June 14 'zero inventory" but on the site nevertheless.)

Christoffel, Shoffernhofen, Half-E-Weizen, few others.

Not yet showing Erdinger, Edelweiss, Chapeau or (most importantly) Saison Dupont - can anyone confirm Saison is coming, or is there any chance of some arbitrary no-shows like the Liefmans Goudenband last time?

Not to be jumping the gun here - just making conversation!
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mds
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Post by mds »

I think Sammy said that he saw Saison Dupont somewhere in another thread.

esprit
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Post by esprit »

The promo doesn't officially start until June 22 so be patient my dear friends. In the meantime, snap up those Spring offerings because sales were dismal. La Choulette Blonde, a great, strong biere de garde from France did badly and Mort Subite Gueuze did not fare much better. This is the last weekend for sales to impact the decision making process but if things don't change radically, this will be another promo where the average Ontario consumer has sent the LCBO the message "forget about this craft brewing crap and give us more eurolagers". It's a shame but that's the reality. We've already seen the size of our Autumn and Winter orders cut back so this program is going in absolutely the wrong direction. I know I'm preaching to the converted here but every bottle sold helps.
Saison Dupont is in and ready to go except for a last minute re-quote required in order to get the price down to a great $1.95 per bottle!!!!

detritus
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Post by detritus »

esprit wrote:...sent the LCBO the message "forget about this craft brewing crap and give us more eurolagers"....
Hmmm... the message I was trying to send was: "forget about all this sugary fake-lambic crap and promotional releases with only four beers in them and give us the real lambics and more choice..."

Great news about the $1.95 Dupont though!

-Josh

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

esprit wrote:It's a shame but that's the reality. We've already seen the size of our Autumn and Winter orders cut back so this program is going in absolutely the wrong direction. I know I'm preaching to the converted here but every bottle sold helps.
I appreciate the problem (you should see all the Winter Release stuff I have squirreled away for my own part.)

I can't support the spring offering much, I'm sorry.

To be more constructive, at least two of the last three releases will be good, so i'd settle for "fewer" programs and "better" content.
Last edited by Belgian on Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by lister »

Hey, I like the sugary fake-lambic crap. They make for a nice dessert beverage for most people and for sweet tooths like myself they're good anytime. They're light and tasty. There's no reason why they can't exist alongside the sour real stuff. Which I've tried. Several times. Cantillon, the three that have been available at Smokeless. I don't necessarily mind a small glass of it but not the whole big bottle. :o It's just not very refreshing to drink. My girlfriend however absolutely adores them though she does like the sugary fake-lambic crap as well.

I've bought more than my fair share of Mort Subite Gueuze. I should be able to last through the fall if I'm disciplined in my consumption. It would be nice if there's a lot left that the LCBO would have a sale on them. A meaningful sale, not their usual nickle, dime and quarter stuff. I might pick up even more.

I've given a few of the non-Blonde La Choulette's a try at Smokeless and they didn't really strike my fancy so I haven't bothered with getting the Blonde.
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Post by Belgian »

The blonde is worth trying just because it's different, it is no Achel but it has a hearty alcohol-driven warmth I kinda like.

I don't say I dislike all commercial lambic products, I just prefer Belle Vue!

I have bought entire cases of that Belle Vue gueuze, very nice everyday beer, and it was $2.95- And I prefer it to the current more higher priced selections.
Last edited by Belgian on Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by tupalev »

See, this is what I hate about these limited time releases. What if I don't have the cash to buy the spring release? What if I do have the cash and want to support the Ontario Craft Brewers launch and new displays instead? Give me permanent choice, not what feels like some high pressure sales technique (I better buy them, if sales are slow for one quarter that's it!). Whatever happened to allowing a product to find its market, and vice versa? I would gladly pay a little bit more a bottle if it meant a permanent better selection.

And this recent release was dreadful in terms of selection and product (all in my humble opinion of course, Choullette being a notable exception). It would be far easier to come crying bad sales after the solid winter release. We are a niche market, no question. When they list products late, market them with nothing more than the odd shelf tag, and then take them off their list when the product still available, what kind of sales do they expect? Compared to what exactly? Ethnic Eurolagers will always sell as long as Toronto has strong definable ethnic communities. And crap National brands will always sell as long as the big guys run the show and the government helps them. And Malt Liquor will always sell to folks looking for a quick fix. While I do wish the craftbrewers all the best in breaking into the Ontario beer drinker's consciousness (and I do think they can succeed and I will support them until they do) this is another topic. These imported "special" beers are never going to be more than a niche market (the odd one could break out, but as a whole), so give me the opportunity to participate in this niche market, that's all. I'll leave the anti-government ranting to others on the site who seem to enjoy it, but that's by 2 cents on the matter. Just rambling away.

Jeff

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Post by Belgian »

Then I'll join you. No, I'm very pro-Government,& be great if we got one.

3 views:

A) If the LCBO believe they will make money carrying out somewhat uneven seasonal release programs in a sort of confusing & obfuse manner, I can see very clearly how all the other beurocracy in this country must waste money with its controls and regulations, going in circles, kind of deluded and defeated with no progress to show. (Gun registry, anyone?)

___ IMO: This is not how an American retailer would ever try to feature
___ specialty brewed products; by contrast he would find the market
___ demand and support and nurture it over time (rather than deny it.)

B) If LCBO more logically assume they won't make money doing it their way, then how they carry out the programs would seem a Machiavellian plan to eliminate what they ostensibly promote and shut down the programs (but wait, lose jobs?)

C) Maybe LCBO in its fatherly wisdom doesn't think about things like profit at all, and we as its children should just forget about it all & grab the occasional good deal by the case before they vanish... so we can taunt our American friends with $1.95 Saison Dupont!

I'm going with C) for now. Socialism Rules.
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Post by borderline_alcoholic »

Belgian wrote: C) Maybe LCBO in its fatherly wisdom doesn't think about things like profit at all, and we as its children should just forget about it all & grab the occasional good deal by the case before they vanish... so we can taunt our American friends with $1.95 Saison Dupont!

I'm going with C) for now. Socialism Rules.
That rather hinges on you liking Saison Dupont. If not, then you are ******ed. Something else which the LCBO system is dependent upon; if you do not like *our* selection, you WILL get used to it.

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Post by Belgian »

borderline_alcoholic wrote:That rather hinges on you liking Saison Dupont. .
They have had many good products at some moment in LCBO history.

What troubles me is that they only sell some products long enough to establish a bit of interest before they vanish forever. Seems an expensive way to market products.
Last edited by Belgian on Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Josh Oakes »

Now we're getting to the heart of the matter. The LCBO appears to have the opinion that they are providing a reasonable sample of quality imported beer and thus if it doesn't sell there is no market for quality imported beer.

NONSENSE!

There may not be a market for mid-range stuff, but they don't grasp the difference. Mort Subite has no particular target audience, at least not one who is actively seeking it out. Cantillon, on the other hand, does have a target audience. Ditto Choulette Blonde. Biere de Garde in general is a low-cache style so even a great one like Bavaisienne would be a tough sell.

But if they want to successfully sell killer beer, they have to bring it in first. A recognition that there is a market for the highest-end stuff, the lowest end stuff but not for in-between (based on what I'm reading here mainly, I admit) would be the place to start.

There are plenty of people - pretty much the beer bar owners and Bartowellers really - who are qualified to make the high-end selections, so why are they so insist on doing it in-house when clearly they are failing?

I am offering my services to the LCBO. I will do this for very little money, because the beer drinkers of Ontario deserve it. I will pick four high-end beers for each seasonal release (6 for Christmas) and these will outsell the seasonal efforts of the past year. I don't need to come to Toronto to do this, and I don't need samples of the beers on the master selection list because I've probably had them all anyway (though samples would be appreciated!). It's money in the bank, Mr./Ms. LCBO purchasing and seasonal programs guru.

Sincerely, Josh Oakes

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Post by esprit »

One more negative comment about Mort Subite and I'll only offer Eastern European lagers to the LCBO for future promos...I'm not kidding and don't push me!

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Post by esprit »

...ok, now that I got it off my chest, the fact is the Mort Subite serves a good purpsose as a transition beer and doesn't deserve the disprespect being shown to it. Having been the person who brought in the first, and probably last, order of Cantillon, I can tell you I find Cantillon undrinkable. I don't mean one or two of them, I mean all of them and I can't even for one second imagine the LCBO selling them...actually, I can't imagine myself presenting them to the LCBO. I would rather drink pickle brine any day (I'm of Ukrainian descent and we do dring pickle brine). I don't understand anyone who likes this style of beer but, having said that, I'm glad to sell them so give me a break about lambics and Mort Subite...I LOVE MORT SUBITE and I don't think I'm a beer dufus and many other people out there do as well. Would you rather these people drink alco-pops or at least something bordering on lambic?
Having said that, in a fee market I would certainly be importing Cantillon and Drie Fonteinen.

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Post by lister »

My girlfriend likes the sour tartness of the Cantillon lambics. She doesn't drink it down like regular beer but more in the style of wine drinking. Sips rather than gulps. I don't understand the appeal of it either as I could only drink a small glass of it every now and then but people like what they like.

I'm a big fan of the Mort Subite line and I would be sad if it went away. One question, why doesn't the LCBO carry the other Mort Subite's like peach, cassis and cherry? In either the big or small bottles.
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