Sierra Nevada coming to LCBO?

[icemachine]

The Avery Rep I talked to in Cleveland said for now they are focusing on getting deeper in the markets they do serve, rather than spreading themselves out thinner with new capacity they are adding. I expect that's the same for many US micro's

[grub]

The Avery Rep I talked to in Cleveland said for now they are focusing on getting deeper in the markets they do serve, rather than spreading themselves out thinner with new capacity they are adding. I expect that's the same for many US micro's

good, we don't need no stinkin' avery anyway.

[mgmoney]

This leads me to think about other big US breweries I'd love to see here that has the capacity to...Bell's, Founders, Sixpoint, Stone, Great Lakes, Dogfish Head, Deschutes etc etc etc..ahhh pipedreams

[BakaGaijin]

this would be great. Pretty amazing that we don't have stone/new belgium/lagunitas/sierra nevada/firestone here in canada, considering how big they are in the states.

On the other hand pretty much all of those breweries don't distribute to the entire US. I think for New Belgium and Stone they only distribute to somewhere around 30 states. Why go after another country when there are still 20 more states you can go after. Although Stone is working on building that brewery in Germany.

Because the LCBO is the largest purchaser of alcohol in the world. Sounds like reason enough to me. Ontario is also a lot closer geographically for some U.S. breweries to ship to than some States which are on the other side of the Continent.

I still don't understand why the LCBO doesn't deal with some of these bigger craft brewers directly and why we have to have these agencies act as middle-men.

The members of Bar Towel should start an agency that focuses on bringing the best beer into Ontario.

[Derek]

I've heard the refrigerated transport issue is what kept SN from dealing with the LCBO in the past. Would be interesting to know if they resolved that.

They must have relaxed those expectations. We've got the pale and torpedo all over BC and it definitely isn't all refrigerated.

I really like the pale, and drink it on-tap whenever I'm in the states, but I've never actually bought it here.

I have purchased quite a few torpedo's though. Great brew, and it's more consistent than Fat Tug (the FT seems to be best in the spring, when the hops are relatively fresh... Centennial hops are finicky).

[Kel Varnsen]

Because the LCBO is the largest purchaser of alcohol in the world. Sounds like reason enough to me. Ontario is also a lot closer geographically for some U.S. breweries to ship to than some States which are on the other side of the Continent.

I get that they are the biggest purchaser in the world. At the same time they are also in a different country which means you have to deal with all kinds of export rules (Plus language and metric system stuff) that you wouldn't have to deal with if you were selling your beer to say Texas. Plus if a brewer from Oregon wants to sell there beer in say Texas, all they have to do is get it approved and then find a distributor to buy it. That distributor from my understanding usually handles things like pick up from the brewery and delivery to stores, so it is one less thing for the brewery to handle. I doubt that the LCBO is sending trucks to California to pick up bottles of SNPA.

[Kel Varnsen]

They must have relaxed those expectations. We've got the pale and torpedo all over BC and it definitely isn't all refrigerated.

The person from SN who told me about the refrigeration thing told me that it was just refrigerated transport and warehouses. They made no mention of requirements for their product to be refrigerated at retail.

[saints_gambit]

Well, they have that new plant in Asheville. It's so much easier to transport beer refrigerated when the distance is that much shorter. I don't know about warehousing, but you've got to imagine distance from Chico was a factor.

[Tapsucker]

I have purchased quite a few torpedo's though. Great brew, and it's more consistent than Fat Tug (the FT seems to be best in the spring, when the hops are relatively fresh... Centennial hops are finicky).

I too have found Fat Tug to be inconsistent, but couldn't put my finger on it since I only get it when visiting BC, v.s regularly consuming it. Despite that, I still enjoy it a lot. The best thing is that Howe has got good momentum and it seems you can find it on tap almost everywhere in Vancouver, even when there is nothing else decent to choose from. Good on them and good for us.

[Tapsucker]

this would be great. Pretty amazing that we don't have stone/new belgium/lagunitas/sierra nevada/firestone here in canada, considering how big they are in the states.

On the other hand pretty much all of those breweries don't distribute to the entire US. I think for New Belgium and Stone they only distribute to somewhere around 30 states. Why go after another country when there are still 20 more states you can go after. Although Stone is working on building that brewery in Germany.

Because the LCBO is the largest purchaser of alcohol in the world. Sounds like reason enough to me. Ontario is also a lot closer geographically for some U.S. breweries to ship to than some States which are on the other side of the Continent.

I still don't understand why the LCBO doesn't deal with some of these bigger craft brewers directly and why we have to have these agencies act as middle-men.

The members of Bar Towel should start an agency that focuses on bringing the best beer into Ontario.

As an agent in a different industry, I'll defend the value of agents. Demand creation and product management are not what the LCBO does (well o.k. they do demand creation, but not brand specific unless paid to). Without agencies, breweries would need their own territory sales reps or we would only have the big established brands at the LCBO.

I don't know any of the agents in this industry well, except for Keep6, so I can't comment on how well they earn their commission, but judging by how many beers are showing up at the LCBO that I can confidently say they would have never sought out, the agents are our friends. Ultimately, agencies are employees of the breweries, they lower their sales force and marketing costs, as opposed to the notion of them increasing cost. Think of them as outsourced freelance sales people.

[Rob Creighton]

I believe this is simple demand/supply. SN has never had the capacity to look at our market. An importer/distributor friend of mine (who has the rights to SN) indicated that they have had the rights for quite some time but until SN opened an eastern plant, supply was simply not realistic. Things are changing

[BakaGaijin]

On the other hand pretty much all of those breweries don't distribute to the entire US. I think for New Belgium and Stone they only distribute to somewhere around 30 states. Why go after another country when there are still 20 more states you can go after. Although Stone is working on building that brewery in Germany.

Because the LCBO is the largest purchaser of alcohol in the world. Sounds like reason enough to me. Ontario is also a lot closer geographically for some U.S. breweries to ship to than some States which are on the other side of the Continent.

I still don't understand why the LCBO doesn't deal with some of these bigger craft brewers directly and why we have to have these agencies act as middle-men.

The members of Bar Towel should start an agency that focuses on bringing the best beer into Ontario.

As an agent in a different industry, I'll defend the value of agents. Demand creation and product management are not what the LCBO does (well o.k. they do demand creation, but not brand specific unless paid to). Without agencies, breweries would need their own territory sales reps or we would only have the big established brands at the LCBO.

I don't know any of the agents in this industry well, except for Keep6, so I can't comment on how well they earn their commission, but judging by how many beers are showing up at the LCBO that I can confidently say they would have never sought out, the agents are our friends. Ultimately, agencies are employees of the breweries, they lower their sales force and marketing costs, as opposed to the notion of them increasing cost. Think of them as outsourced freelance sales people.

Some of what you say makes sense, but here's the problem as I perceive it: there is a serious lack of agents representing many of the most sought after craft beer producers and the LCBO has put itself in a position to do nothing about it. The LCBO issues quarterly calls for product submissions, if the agents only submit shit beer, then only shit beer will get listed at the LCBO. Many agents deal primarily in wine because of the high volume and profit margins. They may bring in some beer/spirits on the side once-in-awhile, but they really mostly only care about wine. This is why the LCBO beer and spirit selection is lacking.

This is only my perception ...perhaps I am off base here, but that's how it appears to me.

There are some exceptions. Keep6 does a great job bringing in some fine products. Unfortunately, not many get listed. I suspect this is because Keep6 can't get their hands on enough volume.

[Belgian]

The person from SN who told me about the refrigeration thing told me that it was just refrigerated transport and warehouses. They made no mention of requirements for their product to be refrigerated at retail.

Strangely, a lot of our LCBO stores are now BETTER at serving retail than the USA counterparts in terms of walk-in cold storage areas. I'm thinking of the new shops on Danforth/Playter, Kingston/Morningside, Laird/Eglinton and Queen/Waverley. It seems to be a trend that this is the "new-build" upgrade standard, very surprising since even Summerhill and Cooper St are still mostly warm storage (though high turnover which does help.)

I could see the arrangement with SN working well here, especially if the HellCBO doesn't let Torpedo rot in warehouse purgatory for half a year tied up in red tape. Sierra Nevada is to me the benchmark for a 'large micro' and a good market influence (since everyone will buy the stuff - I could see it grabbing a steady segment of the market who trust the SN brand.)

The very best USA micro, you think? Well that's a moot point. I'd love to have HOTD, Stone, Bells or Victory up here, but baby steps...

[Philip1]

Because the LCBO is the largest purchaser of alcohol in the world. Sounds like reason enough to me. Ontario is also a lot closer geographically for some U.S. breweries to ship to than some States which are on the other side of the Continent.

I get that they are the biggest purchaser in the world. At the same time they are also in a different country which means you have to deal with all kinds of export rules (Plus language and metric system stuff) that you wouldn't have to deal with if you were selling your beer to say Texas.

I doubt it is that much more difficult than doing business in the UK where more than half a dozen SN beers are available in bottles and SNPA has been available on draught for a decade or so. Although it would not surprise me too much if the LCBO offers unique challenges.

At their website FAQ under "Where are Sierra Nevada's beers distributed?" it says:

We also have limited distribution in the following countries: Australia, British Columbia, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and United Kingdom.



http://www.sierranevada.com/faq

BTW congrats to BC on its quiet secession

[Ale's What Cures Ya]

I hope this is true.

Means the only beers I'll have to buy in Ontario are Sierra Nevada and Black Swan.