Secret agreement between LCBO & Beer Store - Star exclus

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:25 pm

FEUO wrote:2015 New Years Resolution: DO NOT BUY ANY BEER FROM LCBO OR TBS.

How many folks can make it happen?
I think I am going to give it a go.

Everything I want or need I can buy from the brewery or the US.

I basically did that in 2014 (to date). I can only think of about 4 bottles of beer that were not either purchased south of the border, at Bellwoods or at Great Lakes.

atomeyes · Post by **atomeyes** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 8:36 pm

i go to the Beer store 3-4 times a year when i make beer butt chicken.
the LCBO: i buy wine there. sometimes spirits.
this beer release was the 1st time i've bought significant quantities of beer at the 'BO. a case of Roch 10. some Dragon Milk. will buy some Rodenbach as well. and then..nothing likely for ages

mgmoney · Post by **mgmoney** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 9:48 pm

Get all my beer from Bellwoods , Great Lakes , 5 paddles and USA ...long over the beer store....also get most my wines from USA or niagara wineries...fight the power y'all

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 10:25 pm

Dissenting vote: the beer selection at LCBO is getting better and better, and I'm particularly pleased with the ever increasing number of OCB selections, at least in the main Toronto stores. So I'm usually pretty pleased when I walk into Laird or Summerhill or Wilson/Dufferin. TBS, of course, is another story entirely, and I never darken their door except to return empties. As well as all the reasons cited by posters above, the Star article points out that the government of Ontario could earn as much as $1 billion in additional revenue if the LCBO was able to sell 12s and 24s. I understand the "lack of shelf space for more esoteric beers" argument, but that revenue would be a significant benefit for all of us.

El Pinguino · Post by **El Pinguino** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 10:41 pm

FEUO wrote:2015 New Years Resolution: DO NOT BUY ANY BEER FROM LCBO OR TBS.

How many folks can make it happen?
I think I am going to give it a go.

Everything I want or need I can buy from the brewery or the US.

Don't forget to include beers you drink at bars, restaurants in your resolution....you need to make sure they haven't gone through the LCBO or BS either.

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 10:43 pm

Agreed. TBS's treatment of bars and restaurants is particularly egregious, according to the article.

El Pinguino · Post by **El Pinguino** » Tue Dec 09, 2014 10:58 pm

midlife crisis wrote:Dissenting vote: the beer selection at LCBO is getting better and better, and I'm particularly pleased with the ever increasing number of OCB selections, at least in the main Toronto stores. So I'm usually pretty pleased when I walk into Laird or Summerhill or Wilson/Dufferin. TBS, of course, is another story entirely, and I never darken their door except to return empties. As well as all the reasons cited by posters above, the Star article points out that the government of Ontario could earn as much as $1 billion in additional revenue if the LCBO was able to sell 12s and 24s. I understand the "lack of shelf space for more esoteric beers" argument, but that revenue would be a significant benefit for all of us.

Agreed that the LCBO is offering a much better selection (in certain stores) than previously. If the LCBO did start stocking 24s, then this creates the perfect void for a Craft Beer Store niche. LCBO can stock more of the big boxes and a new player can start up and stock craft. If one overall issue is not enough shelf space for all our Ontario beer...then we need Craft beer Stores.

As for the LCBO, them getting better in terms of what is on those shelves is not because they are doing a "better job", but because the number of local breweries is so much better. In terms of US / import beers I think the LCBO is at par with where they were 5 years ago.

The only exception being some special one-off beers like Utopias, that have popped up more recently. Remember when Westmalle, Orval seemed to always be at the LCBO? Now we have Rochefort...but it seems like a revolving door for Belgian beers.

Remember when we had DFH, Southern Tier, Great Divide? Every time a new US brewer makes it to the LCBO we get excited thinking about their beer lineup and what "might come in next!" but they all tend to fade away or stick to the same products year over year.

It's nice to have changing beer options, but imagine if ALL those previous US, Belgian beers we've had were available regularly?

Then we'd have a system that is working properly for consumers.

Kel Varnsen · Post by **Kel Varnsen** » Wed Dec 10, 2014 7:57 am

ercousin wrote: Another thing, why are corporations and unions allowed to donate to political parties at the provincial level? This was outlawed years ago at the Federal level...

I wondered about that too. Reading the article I wondered how campaign contributions could be such a big deal (thinking it was like federal politics). But I looked it up and it appears that a company can donate around $20,000 a year to an Ontario political party (half to the party and half to specific ridings). That number doubles in election years. Plus if a company owns subsidiaries and they are leagally considered separate companies each one of those can donate the same. For a huge company like InBev I wonder how many different subsidiaries they would own.

Baulz · Post by **Baulz** » Wed Dec 10, 2014 8:11 am

El Pinguino wrote: Agreed that the LCBO is offering a much better selection (in certain stores) than previously. If the LCBO did start stocking 24s, then this creates the perfect void for a Craft Beer Store niche. LCBO can stock more of the big boxes and a new player can start up and stock craft. If one overall issue is not enough shelf space for all our Ontario beer...then we need Craft beer Stores.

I would rather not see the LCBO fill up with 24s, but would be thrilled to get a slightly better price for buying 2 6packs like the beer store does.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 9:56 pm

The non-agression pact might explain why craft beer was SO absent at LCBO for a long time, and Vintages Beer was abandoned, almost as though good beer at LCBOs had been suppressed to avoid 'stealing' customers away from the inferior TBS. How else can you explain the LC ignoring the market that was always right there for the picking?

Kel Varnsen · Post by **Kel Varnsen** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 7:43 am

So it appears that the Canadian restaurants Association has filed a complaint with the federal government about this. Not sure if anything will come of it, since from the sounds of the article I read, this kind of collusion is all nice and legal as long as the government is the one involved in it.

http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/ ... _lcbo.html

The more interesting thing to me is that the restaurant association is the one filing the complaint, and that as far as I can tell the Ontario Craft Brewers haven't made a single comment.

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 8:02 am

I'm not sure (as has already been discussed) this development is at all good for the OCB. Could severely limit their shelf space in the end. Might be a case of be careful what you wish for.

Kel Varnsen · Post by **Kel Varnsen** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 8:30 am

midlife crisis wrote:I'm not sure (as has already been discussed) this development is at all good for the OCB. Could severely limit their shelf space in the end. Might be a case of be careful what you wish for.

This is true. But at the same time it has basically been radio silence from the OCB. You would think they could come up with some totally not taking sides non-committal comment about how the system needs to change.

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 9:38 am

Kel Varnsen wrote:
midlife crisis wrote:I'm not sure (as has already been discussed) this development is at all good for the OCB. Could severely limit their shelf space in the end. Might be a case of be careful what you wish for.
This is true. But at the same time it has basically been radio silence from the OCB. You would think they could come up with some totally not taking sides non-committal comment about how the system needs to change.

I think the OCB likes the system where they dominate the shelves at the LCBO. Their market doesn't really shop at TBS anyway, so why rock the boat when you're getting prominent product placement right in front of your captive market?

ercousin · Post by **ercousin** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 9:40 am

Kel Varnsen wrote:
midlife crisis wrote:I'm not sure (as has already been discussed) this development is at all good for the OCB. Could severely limit their shelf space in the end. Might be a case of be careful what you wish for.
This is true. But at the same time it has basically been radio silence from the OCB. You would think they could come up with some totally not taking sides non-committal comment about how the system needs to change.

The OCB is run by the big craft brewers (Mill St, Steamwhistle, etc.), and TBS works for them. Plus they only represent less than a third of the brewers in this province, some trade organization they are...