The Bar Towel

northyorksammy wrote:

Blasphomet wrote:Looks like it's all gone at both locations now. Witchshark not showing at Hafis.



Just out of curiosity, since I'm not one to hang around breweries and small talk much... more just a bottle grab in-and-out kind of guy... but has anyone ever heard or spoken to anyone regarding whether or not Bellwoods has any aspirations to have anything in the LCBO? I kind of thought that would be on the horizon with the new second brewery.

yes, and forget about it. Bellwoods does not need the LCBO to sell all they can produce.

So what are you saying 'yes' to? That you've spoken to them? Or that they have aspirations but I should forget about it? lol

I don't care either way, I was just curious. Thought they might want to get some of their core beers into the stores at some point. Not only in Toronto but throughout Ontario and even Canada.

Their last official statement to the public around when Hafis was about to open was that they were expanding simply to meet local demand, no interest in the LCBO.

As for other distribution, they were aiming to sell kegs to bars outside of the GTA, with most of the local sales directly from their bottleshops/taps (essentially avoiding competing with themselves for sit down customers).

Rad. Thanks. Personally I'm cool with it because I have easy access plus it makes me feel super cool to get a hold of the smaller releases these days and make people jealous. Lolol. I kid... sort of. It is nice to have those rarities though... makes it more fun for me going to breweries too. I admit I'm a little surprised... but hey, if they don't need to or care to, that is all fine and well with me!

Cheers folks.

Blasphomet wrote:Personally I'm cool with it because I have easy access plus it makes me feel super cool to get a hold of the smaller releases these days and make people jealous. Lolol. I kid... sort of. It is nice to have those rarities though...

It's also a pleasure to try everything, all these little Bellwoods experiments are a passing moment in time you might only have in the glass once. It's fun to watch these breweries grow in skill and exceed all expectations. Being near there would be a bonus.

Weeks ago at Stone City I was fairly blown away how fast they are improving, a Milkshark type fruited IPA and an impressive Gose. They had a guest tap, Halcyon Barrel House Infinity Mirror which is a nice wine-barrel-aged, brett IPA.

I'm pretty sure I saw a post by someone on Beer Advocate stating that they are being distributed in BC (or will be soon). Anyone else hear this? T

Coronaeus wrote:I'm pretty sure I saw a post by someone on Beer Advocate stating that they are being distributed in BC (or will be soon). Anyone else hear this? T

I've got a trading partner in Calgary that says Jelly King is sitting on shelves out there. I think it's from private stores somehow ordering it/having it shipped out there, as I don't think Bellwoods would start distroing that far to start off. I could be wrong.

Private stores bringing out Bellwoods on their own sounds like something that would be happening, given a friend of mine telling me back in April that a few of Burdock's beers were showing up in Vancouver bottle shops (Ero, Brett Peach, Clean Saison), brought in in super limited supply by an importer called Copper and Theory, who also brings Cantillon, Tilquin, Upright to BC. (Though Burdock isn't on their website currently as one of the breweries they deal with...)

Did some digging and found the agency that's apparently bringing in some Bellwoods to AB/BC: http://www.untapped.ca/wp-content/uploa ... ckaged.pdf

Napalm Frog wrote:Their last official statement to the public around when Hafis was about to open was that they were expanding simply to meet local demand, no interest in the LCBO.

As long as they can sell everything they produce relatively quickly, why deal with a retailer that is the Walmart of beer (by that I mean a retailer that looks for every opportunity to screw their suppliers)?

Napalm Frog wrote:As for other distribution, they were aiming to sell kegs to bars outside of the GTA, with most of the local sales directly from their bottleshops/taps (essentially avoiding competing with themselves for sit down customers).

This is true, Bellwoods is available almost daily at a bunch of places in KW now. Arabella Park also brings in a bunch of Keep 6 stuff. Just saw they are starting a bottle sale tomorrow for this weekend to make space. I know they got in on the Cantillon, but not sure which bottles. A lot of the Bellwoods bottle releases they bring in last only a few days.

Blown away that Bellwoods is being sold at South Street Burger at Bay and Temperance. Wizard Wolf, Jelly King and Monogamy.

Oh brave new world.

Same with Buster Rhino's in Oshawa. As far as it looks to me though... all these places are going and buying bottles themselves, just as any of us would.

Blasphomet wrote:Same with Buster Rhino's in Oshawa. As far as it looks to me though... all these places are going and buying bottles themselves, just as any of us would.

They've delivered to KW, but sometimes bars have gone and picked up too. As far as I've been told though, licensees were not allowed to purchase the newer Milksharks (Mango and Peach).

Kish84 wrote:As far as I've been told though, licensees were not allowed to purchase the newer Milksharks (Mango and Peach).

These are tiny-batch, quota purchase beers people make time to go line up for. Not much point in that if Johnny Corporate can cut the line and (as a result) a lot of customers are turned away empty-handed.

And another Monogamy release. Gah... can hardly keep up. I probably should drink nothing but Bellwoods.