The Bar Towel

They seem to be making a big deal of this.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/263622

Everytime I have a Blue/Stella etc. I feel sick too.

Why would they use pure alcohol for something like that?!? Moosehead did something like that for promotional purposes when the book about the theft of the truckload of beer for the Mexican market was released. They were smart enough to fill the cans with WATER. That has to be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard of a company doing.

Nope. Not possible, not even in their wildest moments. Cover-up - a twisted one - but this makes no possible sense at all.

I was struck by the same thought, Rob. I mean, why on earth would they use bottles filled with ethanol? And further, the CP story in today's Globe states that Neil Sweeney said the bottle was filled by one of the brewery's "suppliers." Since when does a brewery need "suppliers" to provide it with full beer bottles?

Another follow-up in The Star today: http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/263909

I have to admit, the opening line hooked me: "This is a story of how a relatively bland, inoffensive Belgian beer developed an extremely powerful kick."

I still have a hard time believing the stupidity of it...

"The bottles were filled with ethanol because it ages better in a display case than either beer or water, said Neil Sweeney, vice-president of corporate affairs for Labatt Breweries."

How does water age poorly?

Now what would a high grav industrial brewer be doing with pure ethenol??? Or have such easy access to it that they fill display bottles with it???

Smelly story...don't buy the "Marketing firm strawman".


From the things that make you go Hmmmm file: I wonder how all these mega brewers hit their 5% ABV right on the mark every batch..batch to batch..repeatedly....anyone who brews knows it's pretty tough to get repeatable ABV%...at least ABV% so accurate as the mega brewers.

The only way I could see ethonol ending up in bottles was if they used it to clean the bottling line. But this would not be a cheap way to do so.

This is either an insane marketing plan(no publicity is bad publicity!)

Or Malicious intent

I cannot see how this could have been an accident nor do I believe that display bottles would ever be filled with ethonal for any reason.

Fuggles wrote:The only way I could see ethonol ending up in bottles was if they used it to clean the bottling line. But this would not be a cheap way to do so.

I cannot see how this could have been an accident nor do I believe that display bottles would ever be filled with ethonal for any reason.

Industrial cleaning and degreasing demands would probably use isopropanol(rubbing alcohol) or Metheyl (wood) alcohol..these are cheap and easily available without paperwork......pure ethonol (grain alcohol) is palatable in diluted form, is fairly expensive and a controlled substance ..unless of course you make your own.

Again, how does a controlled excise substance like grain alcohol end up in a brewery?

Was it Inbev London that did Zima or DNA, Popper's or some branded mixed alcohol drink?