The Bar Towel

I don't think there is a perfect system out there but I know I sure liked the liquor and beer stores in Calgary when I lived there. Although the closest store does not always have the best selection there is probably something nearby that has what you want. Any of the better stores are willing to bring in a product if they can. In the years I lived there I was able to try many more different brews than I have found at the LCBO. This was before the explosion in craft brewers that has happened over the past few years. I can't hardly imagine what sor tof selection they have now. The LCBO is great for people in smaller towns, they get access to the same selection as in the city that otherwise they would never see but I think a 'Beer Boutique' specialty store would be perfect for larger cities.

I'd sure like it if the LCBO could bring in some from the Tin Whistle Brewery out of BC. They were available in Cowtown but I haven't ever seen it here. Yum Yum

One sad New Year's Eve I had to take my cat in to get put down. Although it was a sad occasion I was glad to be able to pick up a bottle on my way home from the vet at 11:45pm New Year's Eve.

I know this is off topic for this thread ( really the whole thread is sort of off topic ). I think this is a discussion that merits a thread of its own.

My dog barks some.

good point Belgian...we should be debating the quality of beers (and that Christoffel is suprisingly good, I must add...at the risk of always being cast as a Negative Nelly).....and not service.
But hey...what if the LCBO did not do lab testing? We'd all be dead!
Thanks to Andy Brandt for looking out for us. And his alter ego Jon Walker..the LCBO hop head....
if it were not for him...I'd still be spending my money on "the good stuff"

It now appears that ST IPA is now at least listed on the LCBO website. Product #81737.

Yeah. The price point is slightly higher than originally promised. They list it as $14.10 per six rather than the $12 I first heard mentioned. Regardless, still a decent price for a great beer.

As for the availability delays...what I found out this past week is that the barcodes for the packaging weren't simply wrong they were missing entirely. Just the shipping codes were on the order which means the LCBO couldn't deal with them at all until it was worked out. Apparently an honest and legitimate error on the part of the brewers shipper but one that has held things up while all the proper barcoding was affixed to the shipment. I'm told the whole order is scheduled to begin distribution later this week. Should hit shelves by next week.

And Bujubanton I appreciate your thanks. Once again, you're welcome!

I'm so glad BeeJay & Jon Walker are now fast friends! Now we can all have tea parties in the garden... I'll bring the paint-ball guns.

Another shipment of ST IPA is on its way from Lakewood to Toronto. It should hit the stores soon.

Consignment shipments of Crème Brûlée and Cherry Saison will also arrive shortly. Quantities are very limited due to high demand in the US, much of what we were allocated has already been pre-sold so what is left is on a first come, first serve basis. We will post pricing details as soon as we have them.

Thanks to everyone for making the IPA a success.

Excellent....no worries downing my last 6-pacvk of ST IPA this weekend then!

did the bottle cap problem get solved for this shipment?

Yes, we have been assured that everything is in compliance this time.
Thank you for asking.

So, theoretically, since we are no longer paying for the strip labelling, the cost per 6 should be dropping, no? I don't mind paying around $12-$13 for the stuff, but $14.10 is a bit steep when you can get it in Buffalo for $7.99/6 or $25/24. Imagine our "buck-a-beer" options were this good...

velovampire wrote:So, theoretically, since we are no longer paying for the strip labelling, the cost per 6 should be dropping, no? I don't mind paying around $12-$13 for the stuff, but $14.10 is a bit steep when you can get it in Buffalo for $7.99/6 or $25/24. Imagine our "buck-a-beer" options were this good...

Don't count on it. Apparently the ST IPA has sold well at the higher price point...what possible motive could R&R have for lowering it? The fact is we'll never know if the strip labelling was the cause of the added cost per six pack or not. Even though it's a reasonable assumption the points raised by R&R about higher transport cost and the fluctating exchange rate still have some merit (in fact the exchange rate is now less favorable by about 5 cents on every dollar even though the price of gas is down since the last shipment by about 15 cents a litre).

Bottom line, if the stuff sells at $14.10 (which it does) why take less? They are a business after all.

Jon Walker wrote:Don't count on it. Apparently the ST IPA has sold well at the higher price point...what possible motive could R&R have for lowering it? The fact is we'll never know if the strip labelling was the cause of the added cost per six pack or not. Even though it's a reasonable assumption the points raised by R&R about higher transport cost and the fluctating exchange rate still have some merit (in fact the exchange rate is now less favorable by about 5 cents on every dollar even though the price of gas is down since the last shipment by about 15 cents a litre).

Bottom line, if the stuff sells at $14.10 (which it does) why take less? They are a business after all.

True on all counts, but I was hoping a price decrease would occur less as a motive of good business and more as an act of good will (if such a thing still exists....too idealistic?). I forget in which thread it was mentioned, but I'm pretty sure that I read somewhere on here that ST was doing all they could to get the price down for future shipments.
I realize that there are many factors affecting the price of the final product over which R&R have no control, but I also know a few people (myself included) who have bought a couple sixes at $14.10 but would have bought (and still would) far more at, say, $13. And that's not to mention those uninitiated (I'm guessing) who were perhaps curious but never even made an initial purchase because of the price...
I'm sure that R&R and ST have considered all these factors already, but was merely hoping that the price may be brought down as R&R (and, as a direct result, we) are no longer paying for the labels. Bad business? Perhaps.... but is it not good business to show the customer, who is well aware of the supplier's own decreased cost of product, that said supplier is a just one by passing on the savings? Good will goes a long way (in my shiny, happy bubble, at least).

R&R are a great company with excellent customer service so...anything's possible. I just got back from Vancouver and I can tell you we already get bargain prices here on U.S. stuff. Just about every Rogue beer is available there and the prices, despite the shorter shipping distance, are 20-30% higher on average that the same products here.

If some people actually buy less ST IPA at $14.10 than they would at $12.95 so much the better for those of us who know it's a relative bargain even at the higher price point.

Jon Walker wrote:R&R are a great company with excellent customer service so...anything's possible. I just got back from Vancouver and I can tell you we already get bargain prices here on U.S. stuff. Just about every Rogue beer is available there and the prices, despite the shorter shipping distance, are 20-30% higher on average that the same products here.

If some people actually buy less ST IPA at $14.10 than they would at $12.95 so much the better for those of us who know it's a relative bargain even at the higher price point.

I appreciate ST IPA (and R&R for their part) and have been buying at $14. But it's a captive market right now.
If DFH60 comes in at a lower price as expected, ST IPA will no longer be a relative bargain and sales will suffer.