Unibroue Beers

Jan Primus · Post by **Jan Primus** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:01 pm

Well after hitting 4 beer stores in my city, I scrounged up 3 dusty sixers of Trois Pistoles (was hoping for a couple cases)...I can't figure out the date codes on these, how can I tell how old these are? thanks, JP.

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:04 pm

http://www.unibroue.com/beer101/date.cfm

Jan Primus · Post by **Jan Primus** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 9:19 pm

thanks alot, looks like I got some Dec 05...will continue the hunt tommorrow.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 11:22 am

Well, those of you in Quebec are about to become REALLY popular with BarTowellers wanting to do trades... funny how one of the best brewers in North America can't sell their product "right next door" - thanks to restrictive Ontario legislators giving major head to MolBatt, and preventing the existence of small retailers.

Stupid, really. ANY private retail shop could sell premium UniBroue ales (alongside Belgian imports) quite successfully in Toronto... this just drives me nuts. Prohibition is dead but the hunger for power lives on -- right Ontario?

skaghevn · Post by **skaghevn** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 12:09 pm

Belgian wrote:funny how one of the best brewers in North America can't sell their product "right next door" - thanks to restrictive Ontario legislators giving major head to MolBatt, and preventing the existence of small retailers.

Let's place the blame for the upcoming Unibroue drought at the proper source: Sleeman. They purchased an ultra-premium line of beers and then proceeded to f*ck it all up. Killing the 750ml in Ontario, limiting the availability of the mix pack, out-right denying us a chance to buy the 15, and now pulling it from the Beer Store -- which of those steps seems remotely in keeping with maintaining a label's cachet? For Unibroue to go from thinking about opening up a micro-distillery to pumping out Carnaval de Québec and Cerezo -- it is more than enough to make this former Unibroue shareholder weep.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 12:29 pm

skaghevn wrote:Killing the 750ml in Ontario, limiting the availability of the mix pack, out-right denying us a chance to buy the 15, and now pulling (Unibroue) from the Beer Store -- which of those steps seems remotely in keeping with maintaining a label's cachet?

I hear you, I do.

I'm thinking less of cachet and more of profitability - points 1,2,and 3 might help them very little monetarily, but point 4 - the Beer Store - well, it must be expensive to do business with small numbers there, no? I admire Sleeman's efforts to at least maintain 5-6 ales in all those stores for some time now, but looking at those year-old six packs of Trois Pistoles gathering dust... it doesn't indicate that Unibroue fit the crude Beer Store model so well. Perhaps it was only a matter of time?

'Cachet' is nice when there are some good numbers, so maybe smaller private retailers would better serve companies like Unibroue, in Ontario.

At very least it is incumbent on the LCBO to provide some shelf visibility for now, so let's email them & lobby some extra support. (Hey LCBO - Unibroue is an environmentally superior choice as an import - shorter shipping distance, standard bottles & organically sourced.)

cannondale · Post by **cannondale** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 1:50 pm

It would be nice to know what the LCBO's plans are for Unibroue so that we know whether there is an issue. The article I read in the GLBN mentioned that the LCBO was planning to pick up the slack left by the BS, which would render all of this a moot point. However, the shelf space previously occupied by the Unibroue products at my local LCBO has been empty for several weeks now, and I haven't noticed any other locations re-stocking it either. Furthermore, I've never seen a single bottle of Trois Pistoles at an LCBO store. So I'm not convinced. In fact, I'm not even convinced that they are planning to continue listing Unibroue.

I sent them an e-mail asking what their intentions are. No response thus far.

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 3:38 pm

skaghevn wrote: Let's place the blame for the upcoming Unibroue drought at the proper source: Sleeman.

Isn't it actually Sapporo now?

GregClow · Post by **GregClow** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 3:53 pm

Responsible Drinker wrote:
skaghevn wrote: Let's place the blame for the upcoming Unibroue drought at the proper source: Sleeman.
Isn't it actually Sapporo now?

No. The deal has yet to be finalized.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 5:08 pm

cannondale wrote:The article I read in the GLBN mentioned that the LCBO was planning to pick up the slack left by the BS, which would render all of this a moot point.

OK, if that happens I will sit down and be quiet.

Much better sales location for the products anyway - visible shelves and more niche-market buyers.

We could still email requesting 'seasonal' items - the rare Unii-Brews would be an easy choice, eg. the La Terrible they included once in the past. (and How about La Fringamte? Eau Benite? The ones with funny numbers?

)

John Aitken · Post by **John Aitken** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 12:16 am

The beer stores really are awful for pushing something different, all the big 10 sitting in view and the rest in the back room where no one can see it. The LCBO will be a much better home for Unibroue.

emjay · Post by **emjay** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 12:37 am

I guess it's a welcome change... it used to be the only reason I even went to TBS and now I only have to go to one place

Jan Primus · Post by **Jan Primus** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 10:12 am

Considering the LC currently has no Trois Pistoles in stock anywhere, I have lttle to zero faith that they'll be stocking the Unibroue line.

JerCraigs · Post by **JerCraigs** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 2:50 pm

Perhaps a Unibroue order would be a good one for the next bartowel thing? The reps are easily accessible and its probably cheaper than more distant brews. 12 packs of bombers would be awesome.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:51 am

Jan Primus wrote:Considering the LC currently has no Trois Pistoles in stock anywhere, I have lttle to zero faith that they'll be stocking the Unibroue line.

Good point.

Is that a 'transitional thing' you figure, that perhaps they haven't worked out the distribution to 'pick up the slack' left by the Beer Store?