LCBO Summer Release!

esprit · Post by **esprit** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 7:20 pm

It's always the same reason...limited shelf space. Good news is that Esprit carries the cassis, kriek, peche and gueuze and you can contact us about availability...esprit@primus.ca

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Fri Jun 17, 2005 8:00 pm

esprit wrote: One more negative comment about Mort Subite and I'll only offer Eastern European lagers to the LCBO for future promos...I'm not kidding and don't push me!
________________

...ok, now that I got it off my chest, the fact is the Mort Subite serves a good purpsose as a transition beer and doesn't deserve the disprespect being shown to it. Having been the person who brought in the first, and probably last, order of Cantillon, I can tell you I find Cantillon undrinkable. I don't mean one or two of them, I mean all of them and I can't even for one second imagine the LCBO selling them...actually, I can't imagine myself presenting them to the LCBO. I would rather drink pickle brine any day (I'm of Ukrainian descent and we do dring pickle brine).

Certain Gueuze, well, are what they are. I don't like fruity new-world reds or a lot of Chards, that doesn't mean they are enjoyed only by nitwits.

And it irritates me when other people sniff about how a really nice beer is so poor just because there are more extreme examples. Kind of irrelevant. Sometimes I like less extreme.

I for one will always like my Belle Vue Gueuze, it's a terrific beverage and a different thing than really 'serious' gueuze.

Publican · Post by **Publican** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 10:48 am

Peter, hopefully you've submitted some English ales to the LCBO for future releases. Whilst I'm glad that Adnams SSB is still around, the LCBO most likely wished it sold quicker and won't order it again. I believe that the LCB0 ordered a lot and thought it would last a couple of months, if they promoted the seasonal releases it probably would have sold out a lot quicker.

I will be buying Saison Dupont and Erdinger Weissbier from this release but last summers release was better for me when I bought Hop Back Summer Lightning and Hook Norton Haymaker.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 1:13 pm

I wanted to say the summer release looked pretty good, in all. Good effort LCBO and importers.

Hope it does well, regardless of the time limit given products to spontaneously gain recognition, acceptance, and then conveniently disappear for the next season.

__ecit___

Please note that once again LCBO are de-listing the previous release on the website before they all sell. So, while you can see (on lcbo.com) there are lots of bottles of St. Louis Gueuze Lambic available, the Mort Subite Gueuze probably sitting right next to it is mysteriously unaccounted for in their 'system.'

So if anyone's looking, a small tip - don't trust the website, call.

esprit · Post by **esprit** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 5:34 pm

FYI, we submitted 9 English ales for this year's Summer promo including some new offerings from people like Hop Back...I won't list them so as not to upset you but all were rejected so there is not a single English offering from in this promo. I'll say nothing further on the subject.

DukeofYork = Richard · Sat Jun 18, 2005 7:15 pm

I know this is a stupid question, but...

What person, or group of persons, is in charge of these selections? Why can't we speak to them directly? Why won't they tell us their selection/rejection criterion (criteria, if it isn't just 'what sells')? No disrespect to esprit, but it would be nice if the government officials whom I pay to choose what I can drink were somehow accountable to me.

Ah, perchance to dream...

northyorksammy · Post by **northyorksammy** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 11:03 pm

[quote="DukeofYork = Richard"]I know this is a stupid question, but...

What person, or group of persons, is in charge of these selections? .[/quote]

13 senior buyers who all have to agree..its like the story of the committee that got together to design a horse and came up with a camel

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 10:09 am

DukeofYork = Richard wrote: No disrespect to esprit, but it would be nice if the government officials whom I pay to choose what I can drink were somehow accountable to me.

Peter is just the messenger (albeit a very informed one) who presents viable choices. The rest, you know.

These LCBO buyers are not accountable to you and I, probably because their selection rationale could be debatable in some instances. The Liquor Control Board might want to perpetuate an unquestioned, opaque authority. You are free to email the addresses Peter posted (in the thread re: the Spring Release) - expect a very guarded, diplomatic reply, but your e-feedback may be the only hindwards route to the accountability you profess to desire. Silence is approval of their choices in any case.

If you have a fertile imagination, you can also nurse a fantasy that the Board members are receiving perks and kickbacks from certain of the producers who get chosen, that is, I say, IF you are given to such crazy notions... I'd think in these small short-term releases the Payola system isn't worth it.

Andicus · Post by **Andicus** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 10:46 am

It'd be nice if there were some sort of "As voted by the consumer" slots in each of the seasonal releases. It would at least allow us to get a couple of 'wanted' items in the mix.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 12:34 pm

It'd be nice if there were some sort of "As voted by the consumer" slots in each of the seasonal releases.

(To the tune of "wouldn't it be nice" by the Beach Boys)

Wouldn't it be nice to vote for our beer
that the Liquor Board puts on our shelves
Wouldn't it be nice to have the choices,
that we could select all by ourselves...

The Belgian Abbeys and the West Coast Hopheads,
the British Ales and all the cool... Dogfish Heads...

Ohh, wouldn't it beee nice...

borderline_alcoholic · Tue Jun 21, 2005 3:54 pm

Andicus wrote:It'd be nice if there were some sort of "As voted by the consumer" slots in each of the seasonal releases. It would at least allow us to get a couple of 'wanted' items in the mix.

Um... Which organization do you think you are dealing with? And what possible advantage for any quango do you see in opening themselves up to public scrutiny? As far as they are concerned, it is bad enough that they are accountable on some level to the government of Ontario...

Expect a bloody revolution before you see that change.

Have a nice day.

Philip1 · Post by **Philip1** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 5:44 pm

According to the LCBO website they only have bottles of Christoffel Blond in 2 stores - neither of them near to where I live. Anyone know if they're getting more of it in? ( it's mentioned in the first post of this thread).

GregClow · Post by **GregClow** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 7:33 pm

Philip1 wrote:According to the LCBO website they only have bottles of Christoffel Blond in 2 stores - neither of them near to where I live. Anyone know if they're getting more of it in? ( it's mentioned in the first post of this thread).

The summer promotion officially started today, and it usually takes a while for the beers to trickle out into the system, and a day or two longer for the LCBO website to show the true numbers. It should be popping up in lots of stores soon.

Philip1 · Post by **Philip1** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 7:56 pm

GregClow wrote:
Philip1 wrote:According to the LCBO website they only have bottles of Christoffel Blond in 2 stores - neither of them near to where I live. Anyone know if they're getting more of it in? ( it's mentioned in the first post of this thread).
The summer promotion officially started today, and it usually takes a while for the beers to trickle out into the system, and a day or two longer for the LCBO website to show the true numbers. It should be popping up in lots of stores soon.

Thanks Greg. Next question

. I live in an area that doesn't normally get that good a selection of micros and foreign beers (unless they're British). If just one person (yours truly) were to ask the local LCBO to get a specific beer in would that have any impact? Or do you have to commit to purchase so many bottles or cases? I'm assuming this is something some of you Bartowelers have tried before. Thanks.

GregClow · Post by **GregClow** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 11:19 pm

Philip1 wrote: I live in an area that doesn't normally get that good a selection of micros and foreign beers (unless they're British). If just one person (yours truly) were to ask the local LCBO to get a specific beer in would that have any impact? Or do you have to commit to purchase so many bottles or cases?

I don't know what the official policy is (or if there even is one), but while you should be able to have any product in the LCBO system brought in to your local store for you, they generally say that you need to order a full case. If you just want a couple of bottles, it would probably be better for you to make a special trip to a better store, or have someone who lives closer to one of the better stores pick stuff up for you while it's available.