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Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
Would love to see an importer submit this to the LCBO, if for nothing else than a good laugh at the board's reaction. If a pink elephant and a bunny rabbit get the kibosh, what would happen in this case? And if it somehow made it through the screening process, they could shelve it next to the John By bottles...someone up there's gotta have a sense of humour, right? Right? (Don't answer...)
On a related note I asked Peter whether he could get me some Santa's Little Helper along with my Rogue Chocolate Stout, and he wrote this reply, which while infuriating, made me smile:
Ontario law does not allow products which depict characters appealing to children on alcoholic beverages so Santa's cannot be imported into Ontario.
I think this is an AGCO regulation, we've seen this come up before. Not sure if it is this one (which specifically relates to advertising) or if there's a label-specific one.
1. Except for public service advertising, the holder of a licence to sell liquor or a manufacturer of liquor may advertise or promote liquor or the availability of liquor only if the advertising:
...
(4) does not appeal, either directly or indirectly, to persons under the legal
drinking age, or is not placed in media that are targeted specifically at
people under that age;
(i) No well-known personality may be used in liquor advertising who may
reasonably be expected to appeal, either directly or indirectly, to
persons under the legal drinking age if the advertisement contains any
direct or indirect endorsement of liquor or the consumption of liquor.
This may include historical, political, religious and cultural figures as
well as celebrities and sports figures. (This would not apply to public
service advertisements provided there is no direct or indirect
endorsement of liquor or consumption of liquor by the well-known
personality.)
(ii) Children's songs, fictional characters etc., or the imitation thereof, may
not be used in advertising.
(iii) A sales licensee or manufacturer may donate corporate or brand
identified scholarships, bursaries and scholastic prizes to be awarded
to post secondary school students.
(iv) The use of a medium that is targeted at persons under the legal
drinking age is not permitted. For example advertisements may not
appear in magazines targeted specifically at people under the legal
drinking age. Advertisements may run in conjunction with movies in
movie theatres or on videos which have a “Restricted to persons 18 or
older” (R) rating and may not run in conjunction with movies which
have a “Suitable for All” (G) rating. Subject to the Ontario Film Review
Board guidelines, movies with “Parental Guidance Recommended”
(PG), “Persons younger than 14 must be accompanied by an adult”
(14A) and “Persons younger than 18 must be accompanied by an
adult” (18A) ratings will have to be dealt with cautiously to ensure the
movie itself is not targeted specifically at persons under the legal
drinking age. Stationary outdoor advertising should not be placed
within 200 metres of a primary or secondary school.
(v) Advertisements should not be placed within areas which are
specifically targeted at persons under the legal drinking age if the
advertisement directly or indirectly endorses liquor or the
consumption of liquor. Statistics indicating that 51% of the audience
are above the legal drinking age may not in itself avoid the targeting
restriction since a medium or venue may be targeted at persons under
the legal drinking age and still have an audience which is predominantly
above the legal drinking age. An example of this would be a children's
concert which is attended by a large number of parents.
(vi) Songs, which have a specific appeal to persons under the legal
drinking age, shall not be used for advertising.
(vii) A contest run by an organization other than the manufacturer, which
the manufacturer is sponsoring, is not required to be limited to
persons of legal drinking age provided the contest is not specifically
targeted to persons under the legal drinking age. However, if the
manufacturer is presenting a contest, participation is limited to
persons of legal drinking age.
(viii) Portrayals of well-known personalities which would generally be
prohibited due to the potential that the personality may appeal to
persons under the legal drinking age may be used provided the use
of the personality is incidental to the advertisement and the use of the
personality does not make the advertisement appealing to persons
under the legal drinking age.
(ix) Notwithstanding this subsection, any advertising of a licensed
establishment, which does not refer to the availability of liquor, may
appeal to persons under the legal drinking age and may be placed in
media targeted specifically at people under the legal drinking age.
For example, a family restaurant may wish to sponsor an event
targeted at people under the legal drinking age. This may be done
provided the references to the licensed establishment do not include
any references to the availability of liquor.
"Our" Santa's Little Helper (Mikeller) is actually on its way and it should be here just in time to help us to survive another busy Christmas. It will be available on consignment. A good part of this shipment has been presold.
As far as labels go, we managed to bring in Het Anker Easter beer (bunnies and eggs all over the label!) through the consignment program with very little trouble, but we recently failed to get it to stores due to complex labeling issues. Our suppliers are sometimes unable to change the label either because of the cost or time restrictions. For some products, they simply have no problem placing it in another market where there is less regulation and paperwork.
There is a similar story with Schloss Eggenberg's Samichlaus (on its way to stores...). It had similar problems (wording "Santa Claus beer" on the back label) but the brewery was willing and able to come up with necessary changes in time. We sincerely hope Ontario will support this product and make it worthwhile for the brewery to go through these steps.
Roland + Russell wrote:Our suppliers are sometimes unable to change the label either because of the cost or time restrictions. For some products, they simply have no problem placing it in another market where there is less regulation and paperwork.
Just had to point out this first thing you said on this forum that I could see Peter from Esprit writing word for word. It starts with subtlety then after 20+ years in the business you get what Peter writes day after day.
(This is only in Jest don't take it the wrong way..... Keep up the great work on Southern Tier and others.)
StevenThrasher wrote:
Just had to point out this first thing you said on this forum that I could see Peter from Esprit writing word for word.
Well giving us the scoop on why Ontario says WE can't HAVE some products - in a cool & concise explanation - is completely relevant.... Importers are more than welcome to share those facts!!
On the shohchu front, the Korean version is called Soju...as someone who has killed more brain cells than he has remaining, this is without question the worst hangover on the face of the world...no wonder Koreans on both sides of their borders have guns pointing at each other and want nuclear weapons...a soju hangover is enough to make you want to kill many people in an effort to stop the headache...but chilled, it goes down so smooth...I have sworn an oath to God & country to never drink this stuff again. One of my California wine suppliers has a Korean girlfriend and there are no Korean restaurants in Paso Robles...when he comes up here he invariably wants me to take him to Little Korea on Bloor West but I won't drink that poison anymore. I drink Kirin or Sapporo or a nice sake....people be warned, this soju is the elixir of the devil.
I'm drinking a bottle of Wychwood Bah Humbug at the moment. I feel sort of weird, it being Halloween and all. I guess Christmas season at the LCBO starts in October (and usually ends some time in February) . Not bad, though I wouldn't drink boatloads of it.
I love Hallowe'en. It didn't mean a thing to me when I was living in a condo, but now that I'm in a house and have a kid, it's one of the most fun nights of the year. Went over to a neighbour's house, drank some chocolate martinis with eyeball garnish (lychee stuffed with a cherry) and then taught the young'un all about taking candy from strangers.
Now I'm home and it's time for something good. Popped open a corked Unibroue Quatre Centieme - brewed for Quebec City's 400th anniversary, they say.
Smells like a Belgian wit, tastes like a Belgian wit - though amped up at 7.5% abv. Good, though not great.
But that sure was a satisfying pop upon opening. Oooo and look how much more is still left!
esprit wrote:..a soju hangover is enough to make you want to kill many people in an effort to stop the headache.
That is SO Ukranian Pete... my Grandma was JUST like that.
Personally I drank my first MOLSON CANADIAN in about as many years as there are letters in the name... it was really good for a corn-based beer-like beverage, probably needed some lime juice but it didn't hurt that badly at all & I feel so very I AM CANADIAN.
Disclaimer - Some lady just put it in my hand and it was cold so I drank it.
Also had a Post Road and a Brooklyn Lager - that is a damn appetizing lager too!
For Halloween I had a black cat lager from Paddock Wood Brewery. It was a nice rendition of a german dark lager with a whole ton of fruity malt goodness. I then followed it up with a stout from Dunnham Massey Brewery in Cheshire. It was imaginatively called 'Stout'. The best beer I've had from that brewery so far.
It's well-crafted with a delicate flavour profile. Obviously it's not going to knock your socks off, but I'd be happy drinking this on a summer's day. Hopefully it'll have some appeal to the mass-market... 'cause it's a hell of a lot better than Corona!
Now I need some hops! So I'm on to my homegrown, fresh/wet hop ale weighing in at 7.2%. It's no Sierra Nevada Harvest, but considering I didn't even do a partial mash, it's pretty good. With all that DME, the final gravity was unfortunately 1.020, so it's a good thing it had some bitterness...
Here's the hop schedule (5 gallons):
2 oz Amarillo (pre-boil hops)
2 oz Centennial (60 min)
2 oz dried cascade (50 min)
1 oz Chinook (40 min)
14 oz Fresh Cascades (30 min) - actually between 35-25 minutes, it took me 10 minutes to get fourteen ounces in & maintain a boil!
4 oz Fresh cascade (15 min)
2 oz Cascade (secondary dry hop)
3.25 oz Mt. Hood (secondary dry hop).
Now the old hops had been in the freezer for 2 years, and it takes roughly 4.5 oz of fresh/wet hops to be equivalent to an oz of dried hops, so it wasn't quite as crazy as it looks. But yeah, there's some good hop flavour there! Strangely the cascade doesn't taste very citrusy when it's fresh.
By the way, my white plastic spoon is now green!
Last edited by Derek on Sat Nov 01, 2008 8:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
A Siletz Oatmeal Cream Stout that had, unfortunately, turned, so it was a drain pour. Made up for it with a bomber of Moylan's Ryan Sullivan's Imperial Stout that I picked up in Ohio. Big kick at 10%.
. Not bad, though I wouldn't drink boatloads of it.