The Bar Towel

Keith's can be OK when in good condition, as pointed out elsewhere in the forum. Molson Stock is decent but harder to find than most micros, so that doesn't really answer the question. When trapped in a Labatt-only event, I generally have a Stella, as it is often available now with the Labatt/Interbrew beers. I'm hopeful Molson will come to treat Creemore in a similar fashion. I also find the Sleeman line quite drinkable in a pinch, and it can sometimes be the only option.

The only macros I buy on a regular basis are Samuel Adams (surely people aren't still calling this a micro?), Lowenbrau, and Beamish (missing from my Beer Store and LCBO for several months now). When it comes to Canadian macros Moosehead or some Sleeman products are the only ones I would even consider and I'm not that keen on them. OK I suppose on a hot day after cutting the grass or if the alternative is Labatt's or Molson.

Someone earlier mentioned the Molson-owned Rickard's beers. I've tried all three in bottles and thought they were pretty poor. But then I had the Rickard's Pale on tap at a Kelsey's restaurant and it wasn't bad. It was certainly tastier than the couple of bottles of it I'd previously struggled through.

Mill Street got it quite deservedly, launching with a lousy, ridiculously-priced beer. They also got it quite deservedly for their wonderful Tankhouse and seasonal products. I found their treatment here to be quite fair for both the things they've done well from a beer geek's perspective and the things they haven't.

As for macros, I'd just as soon stay away from anything Molson, Labatt's and Sleeman makes. Maybe the Sleeman Porter could be considered worth drinking, if there weren't other, better porters out there.

But one brewery that hasn't been mentioned yet and probably should be is Northern. Red Maple, Edelbrau and Northern Ale are all among the best macrobrews in Ontario. The first absolutely slaughters the likes of caramel-spiked Export; the second is a slight step away from being a decent dortmunder, the last much better than Cinquante.

Interesting thread, and I think that there is some useful discussion to come out of this... Once I'd really started to nail down the styles I enjoyed, I got to the point where pretty much if I couldn't get a Microbrew, I'd drink something other than beer, but there are times now when I really do want a beer, even if it's not going to be a great beer... Example, I just returned from Puerto Rico, the only beer available at the resort were Medalla Light (a locally brewed yellow fizzy beer), Corona, and occassionally Bud/Coors Light. Pretty much blech selection-wise, but nonetheless, I started getting right into the Corona w/ the Lime stuck in, in the hot weather, I found it a pretty enjoyable drink...

Anyway, to get back on topic, it might be interesting to put together a sort of downward spiral of beer selection that you will 'accept' before opting not to drink a beer at all, for me, for instance it would be something like this:

Generally Speaking: Brewpub Beer is my favorite, if/when it's available.

if not available then:

Microbrewed Beer

if not available then:

British Imports (Caledonia 80/, Kilkenny / Guinness / Bass / Tetley's / Boddingtons / Caffrey's / Fuller's)

if not available then:

Heineken (Not sure why, but I've had a few times, it's not BAD tasting, it's quite light and drinkable, I can put up with it...)

if not available then:

Any other non-Canadian or non-US Macro (like at an Indian Restaurant, I might try a Kingfisher, or at a Chinese place a Tsing-Tao or whatever it's called, just to be a little creative...?, or a Corona?) Again, at this point, I'm more likely to just have a non-beer drink...

if not available then:

Rickard's Red (This is only in absolute desparation, like at a Hockey Game...)

if not available then:

Water.

I pretty much categorically refuse to drink any other US or Canadian Macro (Molson / Labatt / Bud / Coors / etc), I'm not saying this is right or wrong, it's just where I draw the line... I know it's snobby, perhaps it's stupid but I just hate to support these companies that brew such sh*tty beer!

I'd be interested to hear how other bartowelers approach this problem...?

I have been out a number of times and made the server give me the 20 odd names on the tap list only to get a little peeved when I ordered my diet coke.

A friend once asked "How come you didn't get a beer?" and my ex-gf answers on my behalf "Because they didn't have any." hehe

JerCraigs wrote:I have been out a number of times and made the server give me the 20 odd names on the tap list only to get a little peeved when I ordered my diet coke.

I do that too on occasion but usually when there's only MollbatCoBud available.

Generally my downward spiral is based on availability and what I'm fancying at the time. Assuming I'm not wanting anything specific I will get whatever I like that is usually hard to find. If there's absolutely nothing appealing I'll get a martini, not the classic one but a fruity one. Actually if I'm out at a place that has both good beer and good martini's then I'll bounce back and forth between them. If the place has absolutely nothing I like (why haven't I left yet I'd like to know) then I'll have a Mike's Hard Lemonade or a white russian.

For me this circumstance usually occurs after hockey.

Hockey rinks serve some of the most awful beer. And they are complete wh*res to the promotional merchandise put out by the big breweries to coincide with sponsored events and ad campaigns. Everything from strings of decorative plastic pennants promoting the Indy, to signed hockey shirts leveraging the Leaf brand to sell beer, to felton jackets offered as door prizes at Super Bowl parties. These pubs are visual jumbles of gack strung from every available fixture. You have to wonder what the marketing strategy is beyond simply overwhelming the consumer and crowding out reference to any other brewer or product.

And the beer never gets a lick better.

Anyways, our old rink, Art Thompson in Pickering, was (apparently) one of the biggest movers of Labatt product in Ontario. So while there I would drink Mick's Red, or when it became available, Rickard's Red. Mostly it was simply the least objectionable of what was available. However on occassion it was better than okay. Perhaps it was a new keg, or perhaps they had cleaned out the pipes. But the beer was fresh and effervescent. Clean and malty. And I would actually check the glass to make sure that they had given me the right beer.

Otherwise Guinness is the macro that I will most commonly drink. And it is now commonly available in a lot of pubs. The pub that now sponsors my team (and is run by one of our guys) is an Irish bar in Scarborough, and they pull a consistently good pint there.

And that pub is unapologetically festooned in Molson-associated paraphenalia.

-Uncle Bobby

Josh Oakes wrote: But one brewery that hasn't been mentioned yet and probably should be is Northern. Red Maple, Edelbrau and Northern Ale are all among the best macrobrews in Ontario. The first absolutely slaughters the likes of caramel-spiked Export; the second is a slight step away from being a decent dortmunder, the last much better than Cinquante.

Thank you for that Josh..now I feel vindicated...I have always had a 6 of Edelbrau around because it is my only Canadian back up when I can't find a good Helles or Dortmunder....it will do in a pinch...and I have put may Northern ales past these gums when fishing up north....glad to see you apprecite them for what they are.