The Bar Towel

I agree and I've written to their beer product manager chris.robertson@lcbo.com. in the past. If no one complains, no one will correct the problems.

Same situation tonight at Ottawa...only a few Bombardier left...although the well informed clerk (looked like he couldnt care less!) told me they were expecting some more spitfire and Monty ...didnt know when though!

So far in Oshawa only I've only see Daleside.
I'll check again tonight and if nothing is avaiable I'll e-mail Chris at LCBO, and include my concern about the lack of Chimay and Duvel in Oshawa

I think that the Fall promotional selection at the LCBO this year is extraordinarily disappointing. I am happy to be able to get Old Leg Over again, but it is hardly an Earth-shatteringly good beer. I think that I only really rate it for nostalgic reasons.

What else is there? Another dreadful product from the piss-poor Fuller's brewery, a couple of fairly average beers from Shepherd Neame, a pointless-to-the-extent-that-it-is-not-even-worth-my-while-discussing Keith's product, the Monty Python Holy ail, which is just about worth picking up for the pretty label, Bombardier, which I recall being very mediocre, and that just leaves Deuchars IPA, Propeller and Rogue Dead Guy Ale. I think Propeller is alright and will probably drink that while it is here, Rogue Dead Guy Ale I have drunk previously but do not really remember it well enough to comment and Deuchars IPA, which I have not tried before now and will have to have a few of. The first Deuchars IPA I tried seemed quite bland, but I had just drunk a few more stongly flavoured ales beforehand, so I am not really in a position to pass judgment yet.

I will enjoy those which I think are okay or nostalgic and sampling more of the two that I don't know especially well, but it is sad to have a selection from which there is not even one "must-have" great beer.

And why no Belgian ales??? IMHO, the Fall is the ideal time of year for drinking those.

Mind you, to be fair, I was actually very pleased with the LCBO's Summer promotional selection, so I guess that I will just have to take the rough with the smooth. Hopefully the Winter selection will serve me better.

As tme major purveyor of Belgian beer in Ontario we were quite shocked when not a single one of several Belgian beers offered were chosen...you're absolutely right, Autumn is perfect time some of the heavier Belgian ales and we're as frustrated as anyone about this oversight...I joked with Chris Robertson that this release should have been renamed the "England and former colonies" release as all of the brews are from England, Canada and the U.S.. The selection and variety of Belgians being offered by the LCBO continues to decrease since the VINTAGES days when the Belgians actually dominated their releases. The LCBO will rationalize that the Gift Program has good Belgian representation but that's because the Belgians are big on glassware and in fact make the most attractive gift packages. The only way to counter this trend of declining Belgian selection is to buy aggressively when they are available and let the LCBO know hou you fell...others have posted e-mail addresses where you can address your concerns. At the end of the day you can always come to us as our Consignment portfolio now includes 32 Belgian beers, 2 Dutch, 2 French, 3 English and 1 Scottish.

Hi Peter

Actually, I already do order directly from you, for which I am grateful as it is really the only way I currently have to pick up a decent range of Belgian, Dutch and sometimes English beers for home consumption. (Aside from the few which are general-listed, of course.)

I have tried e-mailing Rubaiyat too, but never seem to get a reply. Ah well...

But before I swing too far wildly off topic, I will bring this post to a sort-of conclusing by asking if you know which beers are planned for the Winter promotion at this time?

On 2003-09-27 14:39, esprit wrote:
...you're absolutely right, Autumn is perfect time some of the heavier Belgian ales ...

That may very well be, but at this time of year, I think Oktoberfest, and once again, LCBO acts as if this important season in the beer calendar doesn't exist - although I guess I should be thankful that they've dropped the annoying habit of celebrating that other "great" day on the beer calendar, Hallowe'en, by bringing out Pendle Witches Brew & Hobgoblin Ale.

I can't agree with borderline_alcoholic's low opinion of the current release. "Piss-poor Fuller's brewery?" You can't be serious. The brewery came in at #8 in RateBeer's 2002 RateBeer Best competition. Not bad for a piss-poor brewery. For me the ESB is the highlight of the release, and I am also enjoying most of the other beers on offer, especially the Spitfire and the Deuchars IPA.

I can buy the argument that summer would have been a more appropriate time to bring out these beers - it would have - but an autumnal release hardly makes these beers mediocre.

Anyone notice that the Deuchars comes in either a clear or brown bottle?

Cass many know the entire Winter release...my products are Weltenburger Asam-Bock from Germany, Rogue Yellow Snow Ale from Portland, Oregon and Barbar Winter Bok from Belgium. Our gift sets coming out around the same time include Chimay with all 3 beers and a glass, Maredsous with all 3 beers and a glass, Koningshoeven (La Trappe) with all 4 beers and a glass, Orval with 2 bottles and a glass and, last but not least, Samuel Smith with 3 x 550ml bottles and a glass (Nut Brown, Pale Ale, Oatmeal Stout).

You are welcome to your opinion on Fuller's but I have always regarded their products as the beers to fall back upon when there is absolutely nothing else available on cask. Consequently, I have never understood why Fuller's products are held in the esteem which they are on this site.

As I do not know ratebeer, I have no idea how credible a source of information they are. But if they list Fuller's as the number 8 best brewer in (presumably) the world, I think that this a laughable claim at best. Even just in terms of the UK I can think of well over 8 better brewers off the top of my head. I would take Hopback, Roosters, Crouch Vale, Adnams, Samuel Smith's, Elgoods, Bateman's, Hook Norton, Mighty Oak, Oakham, Flowers, St Peter's, Titanic and Woodeforde's products over anthing which Fuller's produces any day of the week. (I can provide a more extensive list, but I would have to look them up to remind myself.)

There are also no shortage of Belgian, Dutch, Canadian, American, French and Czech brewers which I would prefer to Fuller's too.

To be fair, I may have been a bit harsh on the Shepherd Neame beers. Spitfire and Bishop's Finger are both okay, but neither is especially exciting. When confronted with a list this disappointing, I think it is expected that I will be perhaps harsher than usual.

Your thoughts?

Thanks Peter. Winter looks a lot more promising.

Hey Borderline, I love you man....that is because I represent Samuel Smith, Adnams, Hook Norton, Hopback and St. Peter's....you've got some great palate!!!

On 2003-09-27 15:59, borderline_alcoholic wrote:
As I do not know ratebeer, I have no idea how credible a source of information they are. But if they list Fuller's as the number 8 best brewer in (presumably) the world, I think that this a laughable claim at best.

In my opinion, Rate Beer is an extremely credible source of information. Here is a description from the site:

RateBeer is an independent community of beer enthusiasts dedicated to the pursuit and appreciation of good beer. It was founded in May 2000 by Bill Buchanan as a forum for beer lovers to come together and share their opinions of beer and breweries. Established and maintained by dedicated volunteers, RateBeer has become the premier resource for consumer-driven beer ratings, features on beer culture and industry events, weekly beer-related editorials, and an internationally recognized, semi-annual RateBeer Best competition. The community now has thousands of members from more than 60 countries who have rated more than 23,000 beers from around the world. Our mission is to provide independent, unbiased, consumer-driven information about beer and breweries and to enhance the image and worldwide appreciation of beer.

Check it out. It's a fun and perhaps the single best resource for beer lovers other than The Bar Towel.

Cheers, Joe.

I have to agree with Mississauga Matt regarding Fuller's brews. You simply cannot put this brewery down. I find most of their beers quite good and above many other from UK, and their "1845" shooting to the UK top brews. Fuller ESB is even a very good representation of the ESB category.

Peter - Thanks for the kind words. They are much appreciated, even if you do have something of a slight vested interest in some of the breweries that I favour.

Joey - I'll take a look around the ratebeer site and see what it is about. Thanks.

Manul - of course I can say what I like about and, where I deem it appropriate, "put down" any brewery that I choose. I've drunk Fuller's beers many times over the years, and I have never been much enamoured by them. You clearly rate them quite highly. Fair enough. I very much do not and stand by my previous comments.

On another note, I have now had a chance to properly sample the Deuchars IPA without my palate being compromised by much stronger tasting beers. I actually quite like its underlying flavour, though the beer itself seems overly watery. If the flavour that is there was a bit more powerful and up front than I think it would really quite suit me. As it stands, I think that it's an inoffensive beer, but I know that if I drink just about anything else I will no longer be able to taste it at all. I'll probably pick up one or two more bottles while it is available to see if it grows on me at all.

On 2003-09-27 15:38, esprit wrote:
Weltenburger Asam-Bock, Rogue Yellow Snow Ale,Barbar Winter Bok from Belgium. Our gift sets include Chimay, Maredsous, La Trappe, and Samuel Smith

Oh man... I might as well just sign over my paychecks... I don't particularly want the glassware but will probably pick up a couple of those... hmmm...