The Bar Towel

I was going to be upset it was only available in Thunder Bay, Kenora and Keewatin so far....

http://www.lcbo.ca/lcbo-ear/lcbo/produc ... ber=206847

"The beers featured in the OCB Holiday Discovery Pack are:
Trafalgar Elora ESB
Mill Street Coffee Porter
Flying Monkeys Netherworld Caskadian Dark Ale
Skeena's Wolfgang German Lager
Old Credit Pale Pilsner
Niagara's Best Blonde Ale."

Really?
Except for the Netherworld (which is great), this Discovery Pack is not really interesting to me.

Just sayin'.

Anyone interested in a few open 5 packs?

http://www.ontariocraftbrewers.com/DiscoveryPack7.php

NRman wrote:I was going to be upset it was only available in Thunder Bay, Kenora and Keewatin so far....

http://www.lcbo.ca/lcbo-ear/lcbo/produc ... ber=206847

"The beers featured in the OCB Holiday Discovery Pack are:
Trafalgar Elora ESB
Mill Street Coffee Porter
Flying Monkeys Netherworld Caskadian Dark Ale
Skeena's Wolfgang German Lager
Old Credit Pale Pilsner
Niagara's Best Blonde Ale."

Really?
Except for the Netherworld (which is great), this Discovery Pack is not really interesting to me.

Just sayin'.

Anyone interested in a few open 5 packs?

http://www.ontariocraftbrewers.com/DiscoveryPack7.php

2 good ones
2 new ratings
2 drain pours

sounds about right for an ocb pack

and not to nit pick (he said while nit picking and being a terrible speller himself) but the spelling of Cascadian is wrong on the OCB site "Caskcadian" (even though on the next line in the Tasting Note it's correct and assuming the packaging is correct - see pic.)

http://twitpic.com/35oayn

I admit I do find the Netherworld Tasting note the most entertaining of the six. This tasting note must have come directly from Barrie?

"..releasing a strange aura of green leafy hops in the miasma of dark aromas wafting from its foam."

miasma

For the next OCB pack they should let people vote as to what beers are included. Kettle Chips does something similar for their mixed packs.

Mmmmmmm... Miasma.

"Oh Lordy, with this smog alert miasma's actin' up today"

I don't think that avid craft beer drinkers like us are the target market for these OCB Discovery Packs. Hopefully for the average beer drinker who buys one of these, the Netherworld opens their eyes...

TheSevenDuffs wrote:I don't think that avid craft beer drinkers like us are the target market for these OCB Discovery Packs. Hopefully for the average beer drinker who buys one of these, the Netherworld opens their eyes...

what if the average beer drinker opens the trafalger first?

matt7215 wrote:

TheSevenDuffs wrote:I don't think that avid craft beer drinkers like us are the target market for these OCB Discovery Packs. Hopefully for the average beer drinker who buys one of these, the Netherworld opens their eyes...

what if the average beer drinker opens the trafalger first?

Maybe Trafalgar is secretly owned by Molson or Labatt's for that very reason... lol

TheSevenDuffs wrote:I don't think that avid craft beer drinkers like us are the target market for these OCB Discovery Packs. Hopefully for the average beer drinker who buys one of these, the Netherworld opens their eyes...

I agree with this.

I note at work, that most of the OCB purchasers are also often buying products from the macros. It seems like a "treat" for these folks that drink the regular good stuff.

matt7215 wrote:

NRman wrote:I was going to be upset it was only available in Thunder Bay, Kenora and Keewatin so far....

http://www.lcbo.ca/lcbo-ear/lcbo/produc ... ber=206847

"The beers featured in the OCB Holiday Discovery Pack are:
Trafalgar Elora ESB
Mill Street Coffee Porter
Flying Monkeys Netherworld Caskadian Dark Ale
Skeena's Wolfgang German Lager
Old Credit Pale Pilsner
Niagara's Best Blonde Ale."

Really?
Except for the Netherworld (which is great), this Discovery Pack is not really interesting to me.

Just sayin'.

Anyone interested in a few open 5 packs?

http://www.ontariocraftbrewers.com/DiscoveryPack7.php

2 good ones
2 new ratings
2 drain pours

sounds about right for an ocb pack

Just re-gift the ones you don't like. my poor brother will be enjoying the Elora, Wolfgangs and Old Credit - and possibly the Blonde.

TheSevenDuffs wrote:

matt7215 wrote:

TheSevenDuffs wrote:I don't think that avid craft beer drinkers like us are the target market for these OCB Discovery Packs. Hopefully for the average beer drinker who buys one of these, the Netherworld opens their eyes...

what if the average beer drinker opens the trafalger first?

Maybe Trafalgar is secretly owned by Molson or Labatt's for that very reason... lol

Holy crap don't say that in public! You could get a 'visit' in the middle of the night, wake up in some God-forsaken back-room at Trafalgar's 'brewery', cold, half naked, covered in gasoline, bruised, possibly violated in your nether regions but you're not totally sure because the looping Katy Perry music is so damn distracting...

Trafalgar, man. They're pretty serious about shitty beer.....

NRman wrote:I was going to be upset it was only available in Thunder Bay, Kenora and Keewatin so far....

http://www.lcbo.ca/lcbo-ear/lcbo/produc ... ber=206847

"The beers featured in the OCB Holiday Discovery Pack are:
Trafalgar Elora ESB
Mill Street Coffee Porter
Flying Monkeys Netherworld Caskadian Dark Ale
Skeena's Wolfgang German Lager
Old Credit Pale Pilsner
Niagara's Best Blonde Ale."

Really?
Except for the Netherworld (which is great), this Discovery Pack is not really interesting to me.

Just sayin'.

Anyone interested in a few open 5 packs?

http://www.ontariocraftbrewers.com/DiscoveryPack7.php

These mixer packs can be useful for two reasons:

1. Trying a new (and possibly not mind-blowing) beer without committing to a 6- or 12-pack.

2. Getting wider distribution of products that tend to be more local.

Trafalgar, Wolfgang's and Niagara's Best fit #1. Old Credit, #2. I'm getting a little tired of Mill St. sneaking that damn Coffee Porter into their own mixer packs, and now this one! It is widely available and not that good. The Netherworld is good enough to enjoy an entire 6-pack.

And I TOTALLY agree with some sort of voting system for the next round. Breweries like Trafalgar and Mill St. already enjoy significant shelf presence at the LCBO. Could we focus on the smaller, lesser known/distributed brewers? Or perhaps some more rare offerings by some of the bigger guys?

Cameron's 266 (doesn't make it to Ottawa).
Something from F&M (very limited distribution)
A one-off from Black Oak or Nickel Brook (tasty)
Something new from County Durham (hop to it)
Stratford Pilsner (very limited distribution)
A sixth...Barley Days, Black Creek, Railway City?

My two cents.

On another thread I noted a 54% increase in Ontario craft beer sales and wonder if these mixed packs may be playing a significant role in that?

Sure, most of them have been a very mixed bag in terms of quality, but it is an easy and inexpensive way for someone to sample six beers they have not had before. If they like even two, and it moves them in the direction of craft, then it's a victory for the brewers involved.

BooBoo wrote:On another thread I noted a 54% increase in Ontario craft beer sales and wonder if these mixed packs may be playing a significant role in that?

They're probably playing a pretty big role, yeah.

Although I think the increase in the amount of OCB product at the LCBO in general is also pretty key. Combining general list, seasonal releases, and one-offs, the number of Ontario beers on the shelves now versus several years ago has increased substantially.

picked this pack up today and am working my way through it on a lazy Christmas vacation day. Working is the operative word here, as most of these beers are unfortunate. I've had the Mill Street before and am saving the Netherworld for later, but I am extremely indifferent to the other four.