The Bar Towel

Cale wrote:Disappointing selection of stouts. People may love the Choklat but that shit is undrinkable to me. I've yet to have a maple beer I could finish so I'm not very hopeful about the Cannery offering, but I'll give it a try.

If you can get to Gatineau soon, an amazing maple beer is L'Equinoxe du Printemps from Dieu du Ciel; an incredible maple scotch ale.

I should start sending these to someone at the BC Liquor.

Maybe I'm too pesimistic after some serious IPAs hit the LCBO shelves for the summer release for the first time but this fall release is really unremarkable.

I like the:
173534 / Southern Tier Choklat / 11 / 650 / $9.85
where the beer purist really shouldn't, but they did a good job here.

Overall not excited about this.

Where is the Westmalle Double? That beer alone would rescue the whole fall release for me.

GregClow wrote: The following beers are planned to be included in the LCBO's Autumn 2011 Specialty Beer Release, which is scheduled for release on September 12, 2011.

Planned to be? Why not will be? Customer service at its finest! Also, September 12th can be interpreted as October 1st, at least for the good beers that people actually want. And some of those will be almost exclusively distributed in Toronto (as always).

I'll be grabbing a few of these, since that is all that will be available after the 24 bottles of each hit one store in this city of 375,000 people:

Ayinger Celebrator
Garrison Imperial I.P.A.
Southern Tier Choklat
Fuller's 1845
Affligem Dubbel
Charlevoix Dominus Vobiscum Triple
Les Trois Mousquetaires Porter Baltique

And I'll try these, if they even come to London:

Cannery Maple Stout
Renaissance Stonecutter Scotch Ale
Box Steam Funnel Blower

Overall, another muddled/disappointing release with a plethora of uninteresting English beers that the Controllers obviously believe will sell to the middle aged and elderly dads who populate this sad province. Given that our retail beer selection heavily caters to this demographic, it's no wonder why things are so dire (no offence to the old farts on this site who, unlike others in their age range, possess demanding/adventurous palates).

Meanwhile, there's still no Smash Bomb or Red Racer around here. I'm glad I got my "ration" of RR at the Cooper Street 'BO, and can readily access SB IPA on tap at various local bars. I've walked out of 3 LCBOs ever since coming back from Chicago, as there simply wasn't anything on offer that interested me. It's been said 1000 times before, but the LCBO really is an antiquated and insulting relic that sucks hardcore monkey dick when it comes to craft beer. But let's keep pretending like things are "progressing."

Rant over.

Cale wrote:Disappointing selection of stouts. People may love the Choklat but that shit is undrinkable to me. I've yet to have a maple beer I could finish so I'm not very hopeful about the Cannery offering, but I'll give it a try. Here's hoping Peche Mortel is part of the Halloween release.

I'll be buying lots of LTM Porter Baltique, Garrison IIPA, Celebrator, and 1845 - if given the chance, that is.

There is another new stout on the LCBO site, listed but no stock yet, that's not mentioned in this Autumn release or the upcoming OCB feature:

BLACK CREEK OLDE STOUT
http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo-ear/lcbo/produ ... ber=256636

I hope it is something new, and not just their porter -- which I found kind of stout-like -- renamed.

254656 / Ayinger Celebrator / 7.2 / 330 / $3.45
173658 / Garrison Imperial I.P.A. / 7 / 500 / $4.25
236992 / Renaissance Stonecutter Scotch Ale / 7 / 500 / $4.60
173534 / Southern Tier Choklat / 11 / 650 / $9.85
504670 / Fuller's 1845 Bottle Conditioned Ale / 6.3 / 500 / $3.50
239475 / Charlevoix Dominus Vobiscum Triple / 9 / 500 / $5.95
244376 / Les Trois Mousquetaires Porter Baltique 2011 / 10 / 750 / $9.95

I'm happy with seeing these (in some cases again) and will likely visit anything I haven't tried before at least once. Having Celebrator (for a very good price) The garrison and LTM works for me.

But just so I don;t sound like i'm giving the LCBO too much credit: WHY OH WHY ISN'T (insert your favorite here) ISN'T ON THE LIST! LCBO SUX!!!!

FWIW I think the DDC beers will be part of the Halloween release.

Cale wrote:Disappointing selection of stouts.

It's the Winter release that is usually heavy on the stouts & porters, so hopefully there will be a few more coming in Dec/Jan.

austin wrote:Don't remember seeing Ayinger Celebrator at the LCBO. Glad to see the 1845 back. It ages well.

Some of us older folks will recall it being available at the LCBO somewhere around 1999, give or take. I distinctly recall seeing the bottles with the little plastic rams hanging around the necks. Of course, I didn't purchase any at that time...because in those days I still felt that drinking McEwan's lager and the like was intrepid enough, thank you very much.

Fuller's 1845 is on my list of transient LCBO offerings that I love to see each and every time they return (others being Okocim Porter, Westmalle Dubbel, etc.)

Kish84 wrote:WOW!!! No Trafalgar!! When's the last time that happened?

Remarkable, isn't it?

Perhaps Trafalgar are no longer putting out (seasonal releases)..

GregClow wrote:

Cale wrote:Disappointing selection of stouts.

It's the Winter release that is usually heavy on the stouts & porters, so hopefully there will be a few more coming in Dec/Jan.

While I certainly expect more to show up in Winter releases, to be fair the Autumn release from last year had five stouts and a porter. Although I'm glad that the Smoked Oatmeal Stout isn't filling a slot again.

Looking at the last years list also reminds me of Muskoka Harvest Ale - hope to see that again soon.

236992 / Renaissance Stonecutter Scotch Ale / 7 / 500 / $4.60

I wonder how much of this stuff we are going to see. Since if it is widely available I am pretty sure I am going to end up with the Stonecutter's song from The Simpsons stuck in my head everytime I go to the LCBO.

Happy with most of these. The cannery stout is fantastic and it is one that I will surely ensure I get a good haul of.

Kel Varnsen wrote:

236992 / Renaissance Stonecutter Scotch Ale / 7 / 500 / $4.60

I wonder how much of this stuff we are going to see. Since if it is widely available I am pretty sure I am going to end up with the Stonecutter's song from The Simpsons stuck in my head everytime I go to the LCBO.

It's a secret....

*nudge*Shhhh-ut up.

Going to need cases of Celebrator, Garrison, 1845, and Affligem, and then 2's and 3's of everything else. Pretty decent list actually.

I like it! I've never tried Celebrator so I'm looking forward to it...Will bebuying lots of the bacchus...

Folks - we just got two sours in back to back releases! First a Gueze, now a flanders brown!!!

If I'm not mistaken, Garrison is releasing an Oktoberfest, and Beau's is releasing their Night Marzen...