The most mainstream coverage of this yet

[Tapsucker]

Pretty well written. Hopefully it will spark some conversations outside the beer geek community.

http://torontoist.com/2013/01/in-toront ... -and-cash/

[ErkLR]

I realize why it's concerned mainly with Toronto, but I hope people realize it doesn't go on just there. I have no knowledge, but I'd guess it's not a coincidence that London bars are usually all or mostly AB Inbev beers.

[Tapsucker]

I've heard horror stories from Quebec as well. A guy I met a few years back had run a dive sports bar on the south shore early in the craft scene there. A buddy of his worked for Cheval Blanc. he decided to open up a tap for them. When the Molson rep saw it, he threatened to cut off supply.

While that would be no big loss these days, back then it meant not supplying his regulars the swill they were used to and causing some real economic hardship, so he ended up passing on his buddy's beer.

I wonder if Quebec laws are different to ours in this regard. With all the good breweries they have, it still blows my mind how lousy the selection in bars and restaurants is. I assume there is some pretty strong collusion to keep this going, but it could also be that so many of the drinkers there can only get their heads around what the see at the hockey game. It's Quebec's cultural rut.

[The Mick]

When the Molson rep saw it, he threatened to cut off supply.

While that would be no big loss these days, back then it meant not supplying his regulars the swill they were used to and causing some real economic hardship, so he ended up passing on his buddy's beer.

Maybe back then he would be unable to get someone else in there like you mentioned, but they would never cut supply to someone today, Ont, Que, anywhere. They might threaten it, but never, ever would they stop supplying someone. The kick backs might slow down or stop, but if theyre so upset about losing one tap to someone, theyre not about to give up the rest of them in my opinion. From what I understand they usually just offer even more money to get that line back.

I'm not against the practice of bar owners getting kick backs, many of them probably need help if theyre opening a new business, but I do think when a place carries at least some 'quality' craft vs a homogenous tap list from a macro it shows how passionate they are about their business and customers.

Thanks for posting the article though, it's nice that it's being brought more to consumer attention at least.

[Kel Varnsen]

I wonder if Quebec laws are different to ours in this regard. With all the good breweries they have, it still blows my mind how lousy the selection in bars and restaurants is.

The selection is pretty bad at the majority of grocery and corner stores as well. My conclusion is that the majority of people who drink beer don't give a shit what it tastes like, they just want something that is going to get them kind of drunk that is common enough that you can get anywhere.

As far as these kind of kickbacks go it is not only beer companies doing it. I was in a bar once that was really quite and a rep from I think Diageo was there and he was basically trying to convince the manager to order a bunch of whatever high end vodka they produce. He was offering all kinds of incentives including free bottles, and one of those bartop fridges full stocked full of Red Bull if the guy would make an order.

And as far as the legality of it all I am not sure why these kind of incentives should be a bad thing. I mean grocery stores make products pay extra if they want their product placed at eye level or at an end of aisle display. Why should beer be any different from breakfast cereal. Hell my dad used to own a video store and when he was making orders he would get all kinds of incentives. I mean if a popular movie was coming out, if he ordered more than a certain amount he would get a price break on all of them, and for a lot of movies he would get free merchandise just for ordering. I still have a ton of keychains from 80's movies that my dad got that way, and a set of promo sunglasses from the original Terminator movie.

And it is not just the big guys doing this. There are at least a couple of bars in Ottawa that I can think of that are completely decked out in Mill Street stuff.

[midlife crisis]

This has already been extensively debated in another thread, but I am baffled by those of you who don't see this as a bad thing. How are the smaller breweries that make the most interesting beer supposed to compete? I suppose you think The Beer Store is OK too?

[Belgian]

I've heard horror stories from Quebec as well. A guy I met a few years back had run a dive sports bar on the south shore early in the craft scene there. A buddy of his worked for Cheval Blanc. he decided to open up a tap for them. When the Molson rep saw it, he threatened to cut off supply.

* sigh *.

We'll have to kill him.

[Kel Varnsen]

This has already been extensively debated in another thread, but I am baffled by those of you who don't see this as a bad thing. How are the smaller breweries that make the most interesting beer supposed to compete? I suppose you think The Beer Store is OK too?

On the other hand, if there are people on this board who want beer in ontario to have less regulation and treated like every other consumer product out there then this is the kind of thing that is going to have to be dealt with.

[midlife crisis]

I am for less regulation! But not for illegal, anti-competitive tactics that force smaller craft breweries out of the market.

[Kel Varnsen]

I am for less regulation! But not for illegal, anti-competitive tactics that force smaller craft breweries out of the market.

But what I was point out was that this thing is legal for every other kind of product out there.