The Bar Towel

cratez wrote:Looks like I'll be reverting to the 2010/2011 days of buying most of my beer in the States.

I'd love to do this, but 2010-11 was basically the height of the strength of the CAD, and I couldn't justify loading up regularly when we're at 75c on the US dollar. I'm envious of those who can.

cratez wrote:Am I the only person who's noticed that, ever since the beer in grocery stores announcement, the LCBO has been scaling back its seasonal releases in a major way? Unless stores like Whole Foods and some of the independent grocers step in to fill the void left by these releases being cut in half, I think craft beer consumers will end up suffering under the new order of things. Looks like I'll be reverting to the 2010/2011 days of buying most of my beer in the States.

It's not by accident. The LCBO has straight up admitted they're scaling back the special releases as a result of that. We had a fairly long discussion about it in another thread a while back.

nickw wrote: I'd love to do this, but 2010-11 was basically the height of the strength of the CAD, and I couldn't justify loading up regularly when we're at 75c on the US dollar. I'm envious of those who can.

Yeah, I hear ya, although it depends on what you buy. As you know, there's still plenty of six packs of quality U.S. craft beer that can be had for ~$9.99 USD, which works out to $13.25 with the exchange. So less than FM Smash Bomb, Muskoka Harvest, Sierra Nevada here. I usually buy two cases when I cross and tend to avoid bombers/dinner bottles, but I know a lot of beer geeks would not be willing to forego Alesmith, Jolly Pumpkin, and other large format gems when shopping across the border.

Craig wrote: It's not by accident. The LCBO has straight up admitted they're scaling back the special releases as a result of that. We had a fairly long discussion about it in another thread a while back.

I recall people speculating on the potential impacts of the "beer in grocery stores" arrangement back when it was first announced, but haven't seen many comments about the LCBO's obvious and immediate scaling back of seasonal releases. I'm starting to think that, even with the addition of a few new LBCO and TBS general listings here and there, we're going to come to resent the government's decision to "open up" the beer market to grocery stores. Unless a handful of grocers step up to the plate and start to specialize in craft beer.

cratez wrote:

nickw wrote: I'd love to do this, but 2010-11 was basically the height of the strength of the CAD, and I couldn't justify loading up regularly when we're at 75c on the US dollar. I'm envious of those who can.

Yeah, I hear ya, although it depends on what you buy. As you know, there's still plenty of six packs of quality U.S. craft beer that can be had for ~$9.99 USD, which works out to $13.25 with the exchange. So less than FM Smash Bomb, Muskoka Harvest, Sierra Nevada here. I usually buy two cases when I cross and tend to avoid bombers/dinner bottles, but I know a lot of beer geeks would not be willing to forego Alesmith, Jolly Pumpkin, and other large format gems when shopping across the border.

That's a good point. I suppose I'm always chasing something when I'm in the States so I tend to forego the staple, but nonetheless world-class, six-packs (or I'm flying and have very limited space for beer).

Craig wrote: It's not by accident. The LCBO has straight up admitted they're scaling back the special releases as a result of that. We had a fairly long discussion about it in another thread a while back.

This is where i Just wish they would go a little bit further with the specialty beer stores. Let SummerHill, for example, order its own inventories. Not every store needs to carry every release. If the local LCBO stores were allowed to specialize a bit more, we could have a lot more options.

I also thought that part of the reason the beer shelf space shrunk was because they combined ciders/coolers/beer into one category.
I remember reading an annual report about it.

admviolin wrote:I also thought that part of the reason the beer shelf space shrunk was because they combined ciders/coolers/beer into one category.

Ciders, coolers and beer (both craft and otherwise) have always been grouped together in the same category. Crazy if you ask me.

biegaman wrote:

admviolin wrote:I also thought that part of the reason the beer shelf space shrunk was because they combined ciders/coolers/beer into one category.

Ciders, coolers and beer (both craft and otherwise) have always been grouped together in the same category. Crazy if you ask me.

Yes. Or this - I can picture some LCBO big-wig at his cottage with all this crap thrown together in the same fizz-pop cooler, ie. beer is condescended to as a 'generic' commodity to a lot of uninformed people (unlike oh-so-precious Vintages wine or hundred-dollar Scotch.)

Belgian wrote:

biegaman wrote:

admviolin wrote:I also thought that part of the reason the beer shelf space shrunk was because they combined ciders/coolers/beer into one category.

Ciders, coolers and beer (both craft and otherwise) have always been grouped together in the same category. Crazy if you ask me.

Yes. Or this - I can picture some LCBO big-wig at his cottage with all this crap thrown together in the same fizz-pop cooler, ie. beer is condescended to as a 'generic' commodity to a lot of uninformed people (unlike oh-so-precious Vintages wine or hundred-dollar Scotch.)

Its not just Beer that is second class for LCBO. Talk to any Scotch/whisky nerd and they'll fill your ears with similar gripes to yours.
The bottom line is this: LCBO is a foreign wine merchant 1st and 2nd, domestic wine merchant 3rd. Everything else is irrelevant except as a way to extract taxes. Take a look at any Vintages release: 98% wine (including fortified which is typically lumped in the spirits page), 2% spirits, 0% beer.

Now that I've picked up the petrus winter and the leffe Royale, there wont be anything new for me at the lcbo until the spring release...

spinrsx wrote:Now that I've picked up the petrus winter and the leffe Royale, there wont be anything new for me at the lcbo until the spring release...

In a few weeks we should see Stone Smoked Porter, Stone Coffee Milk Stout and the Bastard Box - Arrogant Bastard, Double Bastard, Oak-Aged, Depth Charged (espresso)...

You just saved Christmas!

Wonder what the Bastard Box will sell for in canada.. a bomber of stone ipa was $9 at the lcbo.. so this 4 pack must be north of $40?

biegaman wrote:

spinrsx wrote:Now that I've picked up the petrus winter and the leffe Royale, there wont be anything new for me at the lcbo until the spring release...

In a few weeks we should see Stone Smoked Porter, Stone Coffee Milk Stout and the Bastard Box - Arrogant Bastard, Double Bastard, Oak-Aged, Depth Charged (espresso)...

spinrsx wrote:Wonder what the Bastard Box will sell for in canada.. a bomber of stone ipa was $9 at the lcbo.. so this 4 pack must be north of $40?

Bastard Box will retail at $34.45... not bad, considering two of the beers are 11% and the CND dollar is so crap.

biegaman wrote:

spinrsx wrote:Wonder what the Bastard Box will sell for in canada.. a bomber of stone ipa was $9 at the lcbo.. so this 4 pack must be north of $40?

Bastard Box will retail at $34.45... not bad, considering two of the beers are 11% and the CND dollar is so crap.

Nice Xmas present from Stone.

biegaman wrote:

spinrsx wrote:Now that I've picked up the petrus winter and the leffe Royale, there wont be anything new for me at the lcbo until the spring release...

In a few weeks we should see Stone Smoked Porter, Stone Coffee Milk Stout and the Bastard Box - Arrogant Bastard, Double Bastard, Oak-Aged, Depth Charged (espresso)...

biegaman wrote:

spinrsx wrote:Wonder what the Bastard Box will sell for in canada.. a bomber of stone ipa was $9 at the lcbo.. so this 4 pack must be north of $40?

Bastard Box will retail at $34.45... not bad, considering two of the beers are 11% and the CND dollar is so crap.

This is excellent news. Thanks for the info! Speaking of Stone, has anyone seen the Delicious IPA on tap at any of the Bier Markts or other beer bars?