Planning a trip to Premie...

StevenThrasher · Post by **StevenThrasher** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 11:05 pm

Gmonk/Karl,

Which of the following Stone do you have?

Imperial Russian Stout
IPA
Ruiniation IPA
Arrogant Bastard
Double Bastard

Thanks. I might make it out there this weekend.

Ale's What Cures Ya · Wed Aug 02, 2006 11:48 pm

Thank the good Lord!

StevenThrasher · Post by **StevenThrasher** » Mon Aug 07, 2006 10:47 pm

Just returned from the Premier Gourmet.

Here is what $675.95 US + $227.73 CDN (Duty) = $989.32 CDN got me:

Dogfish Head 90 Min IPA - 24 x 12oz
Dogfish Head Raison D Etre - 6 x 12 oz

Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale - 6 x 20 oz
Stone Ruination IPA - 14 x 20 oz
Stone IPA - 24 x 12 oz
[no Imperial Russian Stout or Double Bastard available yet]

Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA – 12 x 20oz
Weyerbacher Heresy – 2 x 20oz
Weyerbacher Old Heathen (Imperial Stout) – 2 x 12oz
Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot – 2 x 12 oz
Weyerbacher Quad – 2 x 12oz
Weyerbacher Prophecy – 6 x 20 oz (A Gmonk[Karl] current personal favourite and recommendation. He likes Bourbon apparently. Karl: I’ll let you know what I think when I try it. They are currently chilling in the cellar after the lengthy drive in warm temperatures)

Great Divide Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout – 4 x 20oz
Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout - 20 x 12oz [convenient new size]
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA – 20 x 12oz [also convenient new size]

Southern Tier Jah-va Imperial Coffee Stout – 4 x 20 oz
Southern Tier Un*Earthly Imperial IPA – 2 x 20 oz

Avery The Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale – 2 x 22 oz

Smuttynose Imperial Stout – 2 x 20 oz

Middle Ages Dragonslayer Imperial Stout – 1 x 20 oz
Middle Ages Wailing Wench – 1 x 20 oz

Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout – 2 x 20 oz
Bear Republic Racer 5 – 2 x 20 oz

Victory Hop Devil – 12 x 12 oz
Victory Storm King Imperial Stout – 30 x 12 oz (29 of the current version plus Karl’s last one from a special stock “in the back”. A superb aged bottled in 2003 version) Thanks a lot Karl for that!!.

Had a little fun with Karl and Greg: Told them to look at the suspension before they loaded my car with the beer and after. Knew the difference from experience.

Took Belgian’s advice to just say I had “some beer” instead of “10 cases of beer”. I thought it might work and I could sneak through, but then he asked me what was the total value of all goods brought into Canada. Damn. Couldn’t lie. The custom’s guy [like the last time] was amazed I had so much beer in the trunk of my sedan when I told him it was 10 cases. I told him it was beers you can’t get in Ontario thanks to the LCBO. He said can’t you order them?. He told me he had a friend that ordered two cases of Belgian beers through the LCBO. Had to tell him that sadly Belgian beers are easier to get than American craft beers. Then I lost him and he just said pull over and pay the duty.

All and all a fun day to spend a grand.

P.S.: I’ve just enjoyed the 3 remaining Stone IPAs I had from before. [no reason to save them anymore since I just got a new 24]. That’s a damn fine brew.

Jan Primus · Post by **Jan Primus** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 2:07 pm

Not much point going there now=).

Al of Kingston · Post by **Al of Kingston** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 3:33 pm

ST - you may have avoided another hazard. I asked once at the Thousand Island's border crossing what the limit was that I could bring back and pay the fees and duties for and was told five 24s per adult was as much as the LCBO would allow. ["The LCBO?!?!," thought I to myself.] I was told that anything more than that would be confiscated.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 8:13 pm

Al the beerblogger wrote:ST - you may have avoided another hazard. I asked once at the Thousand Island's border crossing what the limit was that I could bring back and pay the fees and duties for and was told five 24s per adult was as much as the LCBO would allow. ["The LCBO?!?!," thought I to myself.] I was told that anything more than that would be confiscated.

Wow, maybe I'll try a border run of 3-4 cases just to see if I can keep it under the radar - assuming they are more likely to check your haul IF it's over five cases!

Because 220 bucks pays for a lot of return trips, doesn't it? Still, very successful beer run & well worth the thousand-odd bucks w / driving costs.

JerCraigs · Post by **JerCraigs** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 9:49 pm

Anyone ever crossed into Quebec? I wonder if its any better.

StevenThrasher · Post by **StevenThrasher** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 10:01 pm

Al the beerblogger wrote:ST - you may have avoided another hazard. I asked once at the Thousand Island's border crossing what the limit was that I could bring back and pay the fees and duties for and was told five 24s per adult was as much as the LCBO would allow. ["The LCBO?!?!," thought I to myself.] I was told that anything more than that would be confiscated.

Forgot to mention I had my wife with me. I believe the limit is 45 litres per person (around 5 1/2 cases). This time I had around 80 litres so with the two of us we were safe.
The customs officer in the building asked me "Is any of this for resale" I gave a very quick "no" which is true. However bringing 80 litres of beer and claiming it is not for resale sure looks suspicious. I always worry I'll get more hastle than just paying duty. So far 3/3 for not getting searched.
(Also 3/3 for them being amazed at how much beer I fit in the trunk of my car too).

Belgian wrote:Wow, maybe I'll try a border run of 3-4 cases just to see if I can keep it under the radar - assuming they are more likely to check your haul IF it's over five cases!

One problem is technically you have to be in the U.S. a minimum of 48 hours to bring back any beer duty free. Its at their discretion to wave you through.

Back when I had more spare time I probably would have done more frequent trips with less of a haul per trip. Now having a young daughter at home any time I get out of Toronto for non-business I have to make the most of it.
I probably won't go again until December or January when all the winter seasonals come back. (I'll make sure I get more Dogfish Head World Wide Stout from this years batch)

inertiaboy · Post by **inertiaboy** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 10:03 pm

JerCraigs wrote:Anyone ever crossed into Quebec? I wonder if its any better.

It's much worse. After 48 hours, you can bring in one case duty free and a second with duty. And that's it.

Andicus · Post by **Andicus** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:27 am

inertiaboy wrote:
JerCraigs wrote:Anyone ever crossed into Quebec? I wonder if its any better.
It's much worse. After 48 hours, you can bring in one case duty free and a second with duty. And that's it.

That doesn't seem so bad when you consider what happens when you do have to pay. From my post earlier in the thread:

Interestingly, when we went to the Mondial de la Biere, we drove through New York State and entered at the Quebec border. For my purchases of around $130US, my border charges were only $11. My friends purchases of around $50 US cost him $4. I can't imagine it being quite so cheap at the Ontario border, even if it is only beer.

I'll add that they made no mention of any limit, but perhaps that is because we both had less than 2 cases.

Al of Kingston · Post by **Al of Kingston** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 8:42 am

I agree. Paying the duty (except for the LCBO's pound of flesh) does not irk me as it is usually still cheaper than buying the equivalent in Ontario. All and all it is an average 37% hike. Maybe the SAQ does not bother dinging people for their illusionary (dillusionary?) lost profits.

frosken · Post by **frosken** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 6:50 pm

The only thing I can say is that I did a little trek to Beers of The World in Rochester yesterday and my $228US order cost me $103CAD at customs... (OK, 93CAD as the shoes were about 10CAD)...

I only had 4 cases...the worst (or BEST!) part is that the BOTW cachier forgot to charge me for my 24 of Gaffel (rougly 40US)...

Try to explain that to the customs agent...when it doesn't show up on the receipt...

I also got her PO'ed as she tried to figure out how many cases I had with all those singles of all different sizes...she actually complained!

The worst part is that I was honest... I told them between 3 and 4 cases...they charged me for 4...

When I got back to the hotel, I counted them all up and I my calculations were good: 31 litres! (between 3 and 4)

In any case, I'm happy with my purchases...got my European favorites AND some American micros...

Frosken...on vacation in YOUR area...will be at the beer show tomorrow...

northyorksammy · Post by **northyorksammy** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 12:29 am

[
It's much worse. After 48 hours, you can bring in one case duty free and a second with duty. And that's it.[/quote]
you can bring in 6 total cases any time--with the max of 1 case dutyfree

inertiaboy · Post by **inertiaboy** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:23 am

northyorksammy wrote:you can bring in 6 total cases any time--with the max of 1 case dutyfree

this varies by province and territory. Ontario may be 6 cases but I think Quebec is 2. I tried to find the documentation for this on the internet but I couldn't find it. I have seen it once before.

Gmonk · Post by **Gmonk** » Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:16 pm

Bards Tale Gluten-free beer is back in after a lengthy hiatus
Lagunitas 10.....