Dogfish Head 60 MInute IPA

[esprit]

We've had one heck of a time trying to get this beer to Toronto. The LCBO's appointed trucking company just didn't seem to have a temp-controlled truck in the area even though they booked an appointment to pick up. Finally, after our intervention, another trucking company was found and the good news is the beer was picked up yesterday and will arrive in Toronto today. It'll take a few weeks for lab clearance, etc....but it will be in the stores this month. At this risk of sounding real needy, we need people like bartowellers to step up to the plate and support this product. As I've mentioned before, sales of Dogfish haven't exactly been great and the LCBO is reluctant to order more U.S. micros as a result. If you try skipping lunch and dinner for the next few weeks and use your savings to buy a case, it would be much appreciated.

[HogTownHarry]

I'll be buying a case ... but after my experience with the Chicory Stout, I'll buy two bottles and try it first. I am willing to be the 60 Minute doesn't disappoint, but I would have been seriously ticked off if I'd bought 24 of that Chicory Stout - I still have a bottle in my cupboard that stares balefully at me every time I open the door. Pretty lame stuff.

But I'm still stoked for the 60 - just slightly wary.

[Steve-E]

I will definitely take a case. Hopefully some will make it's way to the London area, otherwise I'll make a trip into the GTA.

Maybe Chaucer's will but some in stock.

[Blankboy]

Practically everyone on this site has said they want a case of it so selling it won't be a probelm -- most of us are worried it will sell out too quickly!

[Al of Kingston]

Thanks for the heads up, esprit. If you look at my blog you will see I am a big consumer of US micros and I am a bit surprised that the LCBO would make any decision over stocking US micros (if Dogfish is really a micro anymore) based on beers like the Chicory Stout or the Raisin D'Etre. These are somewhat experimental brews compared to the masses of good pales, IPA and browns (for example and not to mention the Belgian styles) just NY state micros from Brooklyn, Ithaca, Southern Tier, Middle Ages or any of the large number of great brewers to the south.

Does the LCBO actually prefer the experimental or do they even know we can hit so many great brewers just to the south and are losing a huge amount of business to US retail vendors? I'd be lucky to spend 300 bucks a year on LCBO beers preferring to spend over 1,000 to the south, encouraged as I am to arrange my life due to their policies . Sure I am not the average guy but you would think they would take an interest in stocking shelves with greater diversity. Sorry to hear that the 60 minutes is going to be locked in lab clearance - I was able to drink one five minutes after bringing it in myself the other week from a small store in Oswego.

So - what else could folks like me do for folk like you to get more good ale into the LCBO?

Alan
Kingston

[HogTownHarry]

you would think they would take an interest in stocking shelves with greater diversity.

But they DO show diversity! They have generic pale lager from - what? - 426 different countries around the world. The fact they all look and taste exactly the same is irrelevant - "You can buy a beer from Vietnam in our stores - aren't we cool!" they crow.

But I hear you and agree.

[Belgian]

That's right, monkey boy!

DFH do some amazing things but Chicory Stout (or Chicory anything?) was a puzzling choice for deeper market penetration. I bought nearly a case regardless. Raison D'Etre was incredible for belgiophiles, I'll miss my few remaining bottles.

I hope the 60min has "the stuff" to promote US micro quality here with a less-esoteric offering, I mean I really wish them luck and that the 60min opens the doors to great Imperial Pales and Stouts from the West Coast. Hmm.

Does this 60min have a solid half-year storage life if I get a 24 case? That's only one beer a week to knock off, not much in those terms.

[Steve Spong]

Sometimes I almost think that the LCBO deliberately sabatoges itself in order to justify scaling back their more unusual beer offerings. If you are trying to appeal to the Molbatt crowd, I doubt that the likes of Raison D'Etre and the Chicory Stout are a good wedge product to get their foot in the door, a fact which I would surely hope that the LCBO would realise.

Having said that, I think the 60 Minute is a decent start, as would be some beers like Great Divide Titan IPA. As has been said time and again on this forum, we Bartowellers are but a small minority of the consumption of beer in this province, so broader appeal is a good start, the benefits of which could percolate down to us. Of course, I think that the overwhelming problem is the almost universal belief that American beer is crap and that we brew far better beers. Evidence in point is that even cheap schlock beers like Pabst Blue Ribbon have been discontinued, (a fact I noticed when checking the database for the 60 Minute) - and let's face it, if they can't sell a generic American macro like PBR, what's the chance for an interesting micro?

The curious thing is that we used to get some ace micros like Rogue and Hair of the Dog on a regular basis. Speaking of which, has anybody heard if Ralph's order of Hair of the Dog has arrived at Volo yet?

[Manul]

Peter I don't think you're fair in your statement. Last week I was visiting friends south of the border and I returned with two cases of hop wallop. A month ago I bought 1 case of 90min and 1 case of ruination. So it's not the fact that we don't support the sales of US micros but rather LCBO doesn't give us much to support e.g. chicory stout and so on. Please try and bring in a few US imperial IPAs, barleywines or even IPAs and I think the support will be more considerable.

[lister]

If the hope of more US micros hinges on the selling out of an IPA then we're never going to get more US micros. There are plenty of other US micros out there that aren't as "extreme" to more ordinary beer drinkers. Yeah we don't need to replace a tonne of generic European lagers with generic American lagers. However for a better metric of US micro consumption, wouldn't it be better to bring in things like Rogue Kells Irish Style Lager and Magic Hat Potion #9 (for example) that would see wider acceptence? Then for the winter release have the US ales, stouts, porters, etc from those US breweries which may intrigue people who had the summer stuff.

I know I won't be buying any DFH 60min since I could barely get down their Aprihop...

[Al of Kingston]

Maybe the Bartowel needs to consider some sort of advocacy role, lobbying for rational importation which very well would include reduction of 3297 identical eastern European lagers and increase of interesting real ales.

[Philip1]

Of course, I think that the overwhelming problem is the almost universal belief that American beer is crap and that we brew far better beers

I also think that is the main problem. Bartowellers will, of course, be open-minded about US micros but in my experience the general public's negative views are too ingrained. Even in the UK last year a friend sniggered at "light American piss" when I opened a bottle of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale - the friend was drinking some generic European lager from a can! Here in Canada I detect a nationalist tinge to the rejection of American beer. I know Canadians who drink Molson and Corona who laugh at any beer that is American. I guess the only way to get over that hurdle is to do as Peter asks (buy a case!) and maybe in time the decent US beers will become known beyond beer geek circles.

[Zithal]

I'm just going to repeat what people on here have already said. In order for us to support the LCBO, we need something to support!!

I'm also one of the few that prefer to travel southward to pick up a $300 order than be satisfied with the selection here.

For examples the Biergotters gathered for our second tasting, a Stout tasting. I've been gathering good stouts for a while, most I've had to go to the US to get. When I went to the LCBO to grab some local fare I was able to get..

Guiness Extra Stout
Sinha Stout

Wah. Hoo.

There should be plenty of literature on the micros that are selling well in the US. Bring those up! Hell, ask us!! We'd be happy to provide feedback on stuff we'd be willing to by multiple cases of.

Bring Stone up here and I'd be stupidly happy.

Better yet.. kill the monopoly that is the Beer Store and LCBO and let enterprising people like myself establish niche beer stores.

[Al of Kingston]

Clenched Fist Salute, bruvaah!!!

I am discussing the importing market with that new shop in Oswego and would be interested in ideas they might want to know about to supply the market with what the LCBO will not provide. What would it take to get, say, 100 eastern Ontarians buying from them in larger orders periodically. They indicated they would stack what is wanted.

Alan

[A]

Why not try getting some better-than-average US beers in like even Sierra Nevada Pale Ale? Rather than expecting the masses to jump on an insanely-hopped beer. I mean lets get real.