The Bar Towel

I saw this at the LCBO the other day. I think it's part of their seasonal specials. Has anyone ever heard of it or tried it?

BOUCANIER beer, made for them by Van Steenberge.

The other VS box is not bad, it's there too - costs a dollar more. I wonder what similarities they will have from the yeast used, etc - you could probably do well with either one.

I have tried the one in the white bottle, enjoyed it so much that I quickly drank the second one that came in the gift pack. Good stuff, haven't tried the others yet.

If this is the gift pack with gulden draak, which I believe is in the white bottle it is worth every penny for the six pack just for the one beer. Piraat is not bad either imho.

I tried one of them - the Dark Ale (9%). (Something happened at the LCBO to the box or something like that so they were selling singles for $1.50 each - cheaper than the half litre bottle of Sprite I bought today!)

As Belgian says these are brewed by Van Steenberghe of Gulden Draak fame, but these Boucanier beers are not a part of the same package as Draak, Piraat, Bruegal, and the rest that we normally get each Christmas. Though like some of those this one comes in an all white bottle.

The dark ale was a very tasty Belgian-style strong ale, perhaps a bit too carbonated, but nonetheless worth picking up. It was reminiscent to me (I'm no "Belgian" expert) of the usual Van Steenberghe beers but easier to drink. Perhaps I'm just more used to Belgian strong ales now but I found I had to sip those beers like Guilden Draak and Piraat Ale for some time but the Boucanier, despite a similar taste, went down more easily.

The gift pack also had a strong red ale, a golden ale, and a couple of others.

mustang3 wrote:If this is the gift pack with gulden draak, which I believe is in the white bottle it is worth every penny for the six pack just for the one beer. Piraat is not bad either imho.

No. That's a different pack of Belgians.

mustang3 wrote: the gift pack with gulden draak, which I believe is in the white bottle it is worth every penny for the six pack just for the one beer. Piraat is not bad either imho.

Piraat is a bit similar to Gulden Draak. We get the higer-ABV Piraat in the box.

Don't know if either those is worth fiftteen dollars by itself, but the usual Van Steenberge pack is pretty impressive. Had the Bornem Dubbel yesterday, pretty complex and long, malty taste - was a "transitional beer" for me!

It's okay LCBO aren't using shelf space for the super-fat Kasteel Donker, however... who has ten years to age this stuff to a drinkable balance?

Belgian wrote:Piraat is a bit similar to Gulden Draak.

How so? Piraat and Gulden Draak are both 10.5% abv, but apart from that they're about as similar to each other as Fringante and Terrible ... unless you're talking about the Boucanier Dark Ale, which is in the same ballpark as Gulden Draak. (Incidentally, I wonder which is correct: the 9% abv on the Boucanier Dark Ale's label, or the 10.4% abv on the sticker on the box? Did the beer test higher at the LCBO lab?)

As for Kasteel, I've got to agree. My tastes are pretty broad, but that's one beer that I find hard to drink. It's great for braising, though.

We did encounter an alcohol variance on one of the Boucanier beers so we re-labelled the packs (at a cost of several thousands of dollars because the LCBO apparently employs brain surgeons to do the work as applying stickers to bottles apparently requires people who earn $60 per hour) so this is an issue. It's unlikely we'll see the Boucanier box here again (it is contract brewed by Van Steenburge) in the near future as few breweries like to lose money selling to the LCBO. Of course, this is all in the name of protecting you flaming alcoholics from consuming somethng that might be 1% stronger than declared on the label as you're likely to start raping cats and rats and humpy-back camels and chimpanzees when exposed to so much alcohol....a rant....maybe!!!

TIt's a great thing that the LCBO is so committed to being a responsible retailer/babysitter that they constantly screw small beer producers in the ass. This way we drive away good products - and who really wants a free market anyway?

I guess it might have saved Boucanier money if they had tested their ABVs before shipment. Maybe that's costly - but I'm sure it's inevitable the LCBO will hold people to their contractual obligations if the ABV's wrong, as they are oblgated to act as our big Crown Corp watchdog.

(Unfortunately using wasteful solutions that would insult the intelligence of a llama.)

Belgian wrote:TIt's a great thing that the LCBO is so committed to being a responsible retailer/babysitter that they constantly screw small beer producers in the ass. This way we drive away good products - and who really wants a free market anyway?

Van Steenberg is hardly a small producer, but the point still stands. 1% alcohol difference is fairly insiginificant. Its not like it had CHERRIES in it or something

JerCraigs wrote: Van Steenberg is hardly a small producer

I thought it was Boucanier's money lost, not Van Steenberge.

Anyway Peter said they are "losing money" due to the re-labelling costs so yes my assumption they are 'small' may be faulty. Clearly any brewer that isn't a giant conglom will have a hard time making money here, which I think still stands to reason eg. the Cantillon brewery which you allude to.

The system (eg. huge labelling costs) does not seem comprehensive to the real-world range of brewery sizes and the varied nature of brewed products - ie. they don't really know what they're doing or they're ignoring facts. Intentionally or not it the Board's system appears streamlined towards the big and the bland, in defiance of the responsibility they should take on when they presume to control retail for us all.

Brouwerij Van Steenberge brews the Boucanier products.