Planning a trip to Premie...

[Gmonk]

Well...just read your post. I am glad that you enjoyed your trip down here. It was a pleasure meeting you. As always, we really appreciate our customers from Canada. It's always great dealing with enthusiastic customers north or south of the border.
Also...I did find your bag of goodies. If you have someone who can get them for you that would be great. If possible, save your receipt and we weill have it for you.

-Karl

[Jon Walker]

Might I suggest finding one of the Bartowelers that is going down for the Buffalo Brewfest in one month? If you can't get it before then I'm sure someone who is going will swing into Premier and retrieve your chocolatey love tokens...

[Belgian]

This could be the beginning of e great friendship... Premiere and BarTowel, united against the tyrannical LCBO!

I, too will inquire about a few things next time I'm down there.

Any hassles at the border you guys? Just declare it & it's all cool?

[Cass]

This could be the beginning of e great friendship... Premiere and BarTowel, united against the tyrannical LCBO!

Premier and BarTowel have had a long and fruitful friendship over the years. Many a BarToweller has enjoyed the benefits of Premier.

[joey_capps]

Just declare it & it's all cool?

Yes and no. Unless, you are bringing back a stupid amount of beer. There is a maximum amount of beer that you can bring with you, and they will make you surrender any above that number. Also, you may have to pay duty. I always declare the beer I have (usually 10-12 bottles) and I have yet to pay duty. Nonetheless, I always factor in that I might have to pay the duty, and take it as a bonus when I do not.

[Blankboy]

Re: paying duty: the two times I've gone to Premier, both times they've simply waved us through. The first time there was 3 of us and we each had 24 beers. This time there was 2 of us and we had 75 beers in total. Both times we only had beer though which seems to make a difference.

[HogTownHarry]

to Gmonk:

Thanks for finding my "treats" - a coworker of mine is likely going to drop by over the Labor Day weekend - I will give her my receipt and print your message to this forum, in case you are away when she stops in - she is going to pick up the bag with the choccies in it for me.

Also, if there are any Victory Storm King or Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout left, I am going to ask her to pick up to 4 of each for me. Is that likely? If not, I won't bother to ask her.

To other Premier-curious BarTowelers - I am not convinced there is a hard and fast number of bottles you can bring across the border, even with duty - I think it's a judgement call for CRA officers - if they think your xx bottles (24? 45? 144?) are potentially for commercial use - or are just cranky that day - they can refuse, yes, but I really don't think it's codified - I kept hearing the magic "24" bottles, but I don't see that.

Use your judgement, and be prepared to pay duty or even lose some stuff - and for God's sake, don't volunteer too much info! Let them ask - "did you buy anything?" - "just some beer" - "any hard liquor?" - "no, just beer" - "okay then, on you go" is how it went for us. I was prepared to say we bought several six-packs between us, and if he wants to do the paperwork for 45+30 bottles (pretty much all singles!) then it's 2 hours out of HIS life for about $75 of duty.

I pay my taxes - including over 25 adult years of education tax as a child-free person - they can make up this "shortfall" by jacking the smokers for another $10 a carton.

Here's hoping Premier finds a new Dogfish Head connection - and is able to add Three Floyds, Alesmith and a few others to their excellent US selection.

Cheers,

- Harry

[joey_capps]

to Gmonk:

To other Premier-curious BarTowelers - I am not convinced there is a hard and fast number of bottles you can bring across the border, even with duty - I think it's a judgement call for CRA officers - if they think your xx bottles (24? 45? 144?) are potentially for commercial use - or are just cranky that day - they can refuse, yes, but I really don't think it's codified - I kept hearing the magic "24" bottles, but I don't see that.

Use your judgement, and be prepared to pay duty or even lose some stuff - and for God's sake, don't volunteer too much info! Let them ask - "did you buy anything?" - "just some beer" - "any hard liquor?" - "no, just beer" - "okay then, on you go" is how it went for us. I was prepared to say we bought several six-packs between us, and if he wants to do the paperwork for 45+30 bottles (pretty much all singles!) then it's 2 hours out of HIS life for about $75 of duty.

You are allowed to bring back 24 x 355 ml cans/bottles or 8.5 L of beer after an absence of 48 hours (and providing you don't combine that with wine, liquor, etc.). Canada Customs allows you to bring back more than your free allowance (except in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories) but you must pay the duty and applicable taxes. You quantities must be within a provincial or territorial limit, which I am 99% sure is 45 L in Ontario. (I can't find any supporting documentation for this at the moment.)

Here is a link to the Canada Customs website:

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/E/pub/cp/rc4 ... P203_25788

That being said, you really are at the mercy of the Customs Officials. If you are out of the country for less than 48 hours (even by minutes) they could charge you duty for a single bottle of beer.

Also, I try not to be too vague with Customs. I certainly don't surrender any information, but if they ask a question I answer it as specifically as possible. "Several Six-packs" sounds more evasive than say nine six-packs--though I have never tried to bring back that much beer on a single day trip to the States. What I worry about is the "f-you" factor. For example, you declare 12 bottles and they discover 48. Rather than simply charging you duty, they might confiscate the beer to teach you a lesson. (In fact, I believe they have the right to impound your car.) And, then I wouldn't doubt that you are flagged, brought to the attention of Homeland Security, and put on a no-fly list.

Joe.

[Wheatsheaf]

If you are out of the country for less than 48 hours (even by minutes) they could charge you duty for a single bottle of beer.

From what I understand, the length of your absence from Canada isn't measured as precisely as that when it comes to determining your personal exemption and/or any duties and taxes that need to be paid. According to Canada Customs:

To calculate the number of days you have been absent, do not include the date you leave Canada but include the date you return. It is dates that matter, not times. For example, we consider you to have been absent seven days if you left Friday the 7th and returned Friday the 14th.

Presumably, this means that if you enter the US at 11:00pm on Friday the 7th, and return to Canada at 1:00am on Sunday the 9th, you are considered to have been absent for 2 days/48 hours, even if it's only been 26 hours. But I could be wrong...

[joey_capps]

If you are out of the country for less than 48 hours (even by minutes) they could charge you duty for a single bottle of beer.

From what I understand, the length of your absence from Canada isn't measured as precisely as that when it comes to determining your personal exemption and/or any duties and taxes that need to be paid. According to Canada Customs:

To calculate the number of days you have been absent, do not include the date you leave Canada but include the date you return. It is dates that matter, not times. For example, we consider you to have been absent seven days if you left Friday the 7th and returned Friday the 14th.

Presumably, this means that if you enter the US at 11:00pm on Friday the 7th, and return to Canada at 1:00am on Sunday the 9th, you are considered to have been absent for 2 days/48 hours, even if it's only been 26 hours. But I could be wrong...

You are probably right. However, the section you quote is found under the seven day exemption section and not the 48 hour exemption. I have heard that they can be very time specific, but have never ecountered a problem myself, even on short trips of an hour or two.

[northyorksammy]

strictly speaking it is 24 or 48 hours
and yes, it is 45 litres for Ontario
The above are on the Fed's webistes

but that doesn't mean the basic officer you meet is well informed.

[Wheatsheaf]

You are probably right. However, the section you quote is found under the seven day exemption section and not the 48 hour exemption. I have heard that they can be very time specific, but have never ecountered a problem myself, even on short trips of an hour or two.

No, you're probably right; I didn't notice the different sections. It's still a little ambiguous (would it be a government publication otherwise?), but I suppose 48 hours means 48 hours.

45 litres is only slightly more than five cases of beer, but that amount of beer could easily cause a US$400-600 receipt to come out of Premier's cash register, so as a practical matter I can't imagine that the limit is much of a problem for most people. To put it in perspective, 45 litres is about half the amount that a person can bring back from, say, Belgium to Britain (duty-free within the EU, of course), but on the other hand it's about 45 litres more than someone in Utah can bring back from anywhere. I guess that puts Ontario in the glass-half-full category.

[lister]

On our way to Boston for the week starting tomorrow we're going the Buffalo route...and...a stop at Premier Gourmet! Our first trip there. Looking forward to it.

[Belgian]

Re: paying duty:... Both times we only had beer though which seems to make a difference.

Yeah, but it's "Stealth Beer!" 8-10% Belgies and Impy Stouts etc, I mean if they only bothered to check WHAT beer you were carting over...

This is excellent news!

[Gmonk]

Some new arrivals.....Triple Karmeliet 4 pks-one of my personal favorites
Great Divide Old Ruffian Barleywine with 90 IBU's...you can taste it.
Great Divide St. Bridget's Porter.
We are also getting in all our Oktoberfest beers as well: Saranac, Beck's, Spaten, Brooklyn...etc.

-Karl