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sofakingdrunk wrote:...Tankhouse was one of the first beers that turned me away from the watery piss I had been drinking(along with optical illusion) I Still have a soft spot for it, when stuck for choices but it definitely isn't the same
Agreed, and I've had tremendously good pints of Tankhouse but can't always count on that. The Mill Street Pale and Scotch Irish Sgt Majors IPA were a 'light in the dark' for years when hoppy ales were scarce, even if brewing variances of strange hopping and dark, caramelly malting could be ongoing frustrations.
Those were very different times with fewer choices. I do still like Black Oak Pale once in a while, a good one!
From what I've been told by our head office, it's something like:
1. Mill St
2. Steam Whistle
3. Beau's
4. Muskoka
5. Amsterdam
6. Great Lakes
7. Wellington
8. Lake of Bays
9. Flying Monkeys
10. Nickel Brook
3 & 4 could be reversed, as could 5 & 6. 8, 9 & 10 could also be in a different order. But that's the Top 10 and that's pretty close to the output.
Of course this all changes with Mill St gone, with NB's new brewery and when you add in contract brands.[/quote]
I would have assumed Nickel Brook to be higher up on that list based on their presence at the LCBO over the last year. My local LC always seems to have skids worth of Headstock/Naughty Neighbour/Green Apple/Mix 4 packs as well as their seasonals on hand.
Winter is Coming wrote:
From what I've been told by our head office, it's something like:
1. Mill St
2. Steam Whistle
3. Beau's
4. Muskoka
5. Amsterdam
6. Great Lakes
7. Wellington
8. Lake of Bays
9. Flying Monkeys
10. Nickel Brook
3 & 4 could be reversed, as could 5 & 6. 8, 9 & 10 could also be in a different order. But that's the Top 10 and that's pretty close to the output.
Of course this all changes with Mill St gone, with NB's new brewery and when you add in contract brands.
I would have assumed Nickel Brook to be higher up on that list based on their presence at the LCBO over the last year. My local LC always seems to have skids worth of Headstock/Naughty Neighbour/Green Apple/Mix 4 packs as well as their seasonals on hand.
The big difference is that Nickelbrook are focused more on stocking LCBOs vs stocking bars with kegs. I constantly see Wellington, Amsterdam, Muskoka trucks on the road.
LOB is a weird one for me, but I'm sure every bar/restaurant north of Barrie has a LOB tap. Flying Monkeys (and Beaus to a degree) have been working on expanding stateside, so while you might not see them up here as much...
There are a lot of things at play here. I've seen (and been jealous of) NB skids in certain LCBO stores, however they're distribution isn't close to the LB does. Take a look at the amount of store the Top 3 brands for each brewery are in.
Spark House 443 stores, Crosswind 395 stores, Rock Cut 327 stores
Even 10 Point, number 4 in store listings for LB, is in more stores than Headstock. Much of this has to do with distribution up north. We have a rep in the North Bay to Sault region and a part-timer in Thunder Bay. Plus there are people like me working the tiny towns along with the cities. Also, LB is in 4 other provinces so the numbers get a bump their too.
As I stated though, I think NB has potential to really move up this chart with the new brewery. I wouldn't be surprised to see LB & NB up to 6 & 7 by the end of next year, taking into account that Mill St will be off the list. And where will Collective Arts come in once they go national (as I've heard is the plan)?
The problem with the concentration, now adding AB-Miller, is distribution. Distribution is now a more concentrated oligopoly. This is more of a problem in the US and will start to squeeze true craft
While I don't drink Mill St beer very often, at least this probably means we'll see it at shitty bars (which I occasionally have to go to) much like Goose Island.
I guess the math has been done and it's cheaper for macro breweries to buy craft breweries than make and brand their own crafty beer.
jeremyg wrote:
Beau's throwing shade at it all kind of annoyed me, though. pretty comical coming from a company that makes even worse beer.
Beau's did what?
He's probably referring to this news release on Beau's web site where they declare themselves the largest Canadian craft producer of organic beer following Mill St's acquisition by a "compu-global-hyper-mega-net brewery":
Normally, I'd applaud a vintage Simpson's reference but the "holier than thou" tone of this post leaves a bad taste in my mouth [insert joke about Beau's beers here].
jeremyg wrote:
Beau's throwing shade at it all kind of annoyed me, though. pretty comical coming from a company that makes even worse beer.
Beau's did what?
He's probably referring to this news release on Beau's web site where they declare themselves the largest Canadian craft producer of organic beer following Mill St's acquisition by a "compu-global-hyper-mega-net brewery":
Normally, I'd applaud a vintage Simpson's reference but the "holier than thou" tone of this post leaves a bad taste in my mouth [insert joke about Beau's beers here].
Thanks. That is an absolutely AWFUL press release. Pairs well with most of their beer
I came into this thread to pick some low-hanging fruit, but I'm sad to say it looks like everyone else has already plucked the bottom branches bare. Ah well.
lister wrote:While I don't drink Mill St beer very often, at least this probably means we'll see it at shitty bars (which I occasionally have to go to) much like Goose Island.
I'm with this. Whereas Creemore is at least better than Rickard's Red, so too will [whatever Mill St. brand ABI gets their promotional muscle behind -- Tankhouse?] be better than Keith's. If you're in a small town or at a golf course, etc., this matters. Of course, they might blow it and choose to promote the nondescript Organic Lager -- I already see that in too many places, including lots with craft pretensions.
sprague11 wrote:I would expect to see the Organic Lager everywhere. This is the jewel in the Mill Street lineup from a marketing standpoint.
Yeah, that kind of dawned on me as I was writing the post. Is it any good at all? Don't believe I've ever had one. I mean, is it comparable to Steam Whistle even?
