Liberty Ale Discontinued?

Cale · Post by **Cale** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 9:13 am

Just noticed this on the LCBO website. Surprise to see it listed as such - feels like we've had it forever. This used to be one of my favourite summer beers, and was a nice stand-by. Sad to see it go

irishkyle21 · Post by **irishkyle21** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:14 am

Noooooooooooo!!!!!

Ukie · Post by **Ukie** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:26 am

Cale wrote:Just noticed this on the LCBO website. Surprise to see it listed as such - feels like we've had it forever. This used to be one of my favourite summer beers, and was a nice stand-by. Sad to see it go

I guess you will be heading down to the centre?

I hope they leave the Anchor Steam alone, I'm down to my last bottle.

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:08 am

Liberty removed from the LCBO... oh the irony!

sprague11 · Post by **sprague11** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:49 am

Gotta make way for the new Trafalgar products!

Jon Walker · Post by **Jon Walker** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:59 am

I remember back in 2002 or so when Anchor Liberty was first announced as being added to the LCBO...it was a huge deal! Very little of that beer's quality and relative hoppiness was being sold at retail in Ontario and barely anybody was making such a beer at a provincial brewery (Perry at Scotch Irish being the first to make a true IPA at about that time). In those first few heady years I believe the beer sold pretty well. I bought a whole case of it as soon as it became available. But then in the years since the availability of hoppier beers in Ontario has increased and I think Liberty suffered as a result. I think it also suffered for being sold in bombers rather than 6 packs. From memory the beer was often being discounted. So it's not entirely a surprise that it is being de-listed. Sad to see it go though...it introduced a lot of Ontarians to what a solid APA was and left more than a few craving hoppier beers.

SteelbackGuy · Post by **SteelbackGuy** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 12:09 pm

You guys would be shocked at how little this beer sells. I could see this coming a mile away.

cannondale · Post by **cannondale** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 12:39 pm

SteelbackGuy wrote:You guys would be shocked at how little this beer sells. I could see this coming a mile away.

Could you provide us with an endangered species list?

Perhaps this one could have been saved had we known?

SteelbackGuy · Post by **SteelbackGuy** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 1:00 pm

cannondale wrote:
SteelbackGuy wrote:You guys would be shocked at how little this beer sells. I could see this coming a mile away.
Could you provide us with an endangered species list?

Perhaps this one could have been saved had we known?

Sure. I'll look at some sales stuff and post it here later on. Its a shame really, but the beer got such little support. I maybe bought one a week or so. Not a lot. And I assume a lot of folks on here are doing something similar to that. Then of course, we're outraged that something like this gets de-listed.......of course no one cares till something is essentially gone!

Cale · Post by **Cale** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 1:12 pm

I guess Dundurn was one of the few stores where it had a healthy turnover - seems like it sold out on a regular basis there. Hopefully they find a good replacement to sit there, between the Chimay and various wheat beers, where it sat for so long.

I might go down to Centre to grab a couple, but will not likely bother - primarily due to spring releases taking priority. Especially with the pricey Gemini and Panil coming up!

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 1:24 pm

Jon Walker wrote:I remember back in 2002 or so when Anchor Liberty was first announced as being added to the LCBO...it was a huge deal! Very little of that beer's quality and relative hoppiness was being sold at retail in Ontario and barely anybody was making such a beer at a provincial brewery (Perry at Scotch Irish being the first to make a true IPA at about that time). In those first few heady years I believe the beer sold pretty well. I bought a whole case of it as soon as it became available. But then in the years since the availability of hoppier beers in Ontario has increased and I think Liberty suffered as a result. I think it also suffered for being sold in bombers rather than 6 packs. From memory the beer was often being discounted. So it's not entirely a surprise that it is being de-listed. Sad to see it go though...it introduced a lot of Ontarians to what a solid APA was and left more than a few craving hoppier beers.

Here is the original news report from the home page of Bar Towel from way back then. Funny to see how things have/haven't changed over the years:

January 7 - Anchor coming to Ontario!

The Bar Towel has learned that the LCBO will release the outstanding Anchor Steam Beer and Liberty Ale from the Anchor Brewery of San Francisco, California in the spring of 2001.

These beers are being released through the Beer and Special Markets Category, the LCBO's beer division which recently assumed premium beer importation responsibilities from Vintages. These beers will be regular, permanent releases at the LCBO.

Microbrews from the United States are unfortunately one area that the LCBO and Vintages have not serviced very thoroughly in the past. Whereas plenty of fine Belgian, German and English beers are frequently released in Ontario, U.S. micros rarely see the province. There have been a few notable U.S. releases in the past year or so, including Rogue's Wild Irish and Dead Guy Ale from Oregon and Ommegang from New York. However, the U.S. produces many diverse microbrews, and most Ontario beer lovers do not realize this due to the mass distribution of American mainstream lagers.

Anchor's famous Steam Beer. Anchor is one of the most renowned and loved microbreweries in the United States. The brewery has been around since 1896, but was saved from closure in the 1960s by Fritz Maytag (of the appliance company). Their flagship brew, Anchor Steam, is a style unique to the United States and Anchor specifically (they own the trademarks). We have seen "steam" beers recently from Sleeman and Lakes of Muskoka, but Anchor's is the original. The Anchor Steam beer is almost a hybrid brew, possessing characteristics of both lager and ale.

The Liberty Ale, first produced in 1975 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Paul Revere's historic ride, is a classic American ale. The Liberty Ale is a delicious brew, with a nice hoppy aroma and flavour. Without question an excellent addition to the selection available in Ontario.

Anchor produces a number of other high quality brews, including the wonderful Old Foghorn Barleywine, a Porter, a Wheat, a Christmas seasonal named Our Special Ale, and most recently, Small Beer. Hopefully we will see some of Anchor's other beers released in the future.

This is a greatly welcome and anticipated release, which hopefully is a sign of increased support of U.S. microbrews by the LCBO. The Bar Towel will announce the exact release date of these brews when it is determined.

Inkling · Post by **Inkling** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 3:03 pm

$%#@#$%%$!! This has ruined my day...one of my favourites for years. Don't remember ever seeing it on the Quebec side of the river either.

Cass · Post by **Cass** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 3:16 pm

This is a shame (if true) but not unsurprising. It's a beer that has been a stalwart on the LCBO shelves for many years. But it was never available on draught and wasn't seen much bottled at bars. Nothing was ever done to keep the brand top-of-mind. Other shiny new products came out which grabbed the attention of drinkers.

Unfortunately in Ontario just having a great beer sitting on a shelf doesn't mean people are going to buy it. However, this is the case with most consumer goods though.

Rosko · Post by **Rosko** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 3:50 pm

Brutal.

Liberty was always a great fallback - you know, a beer you grab when there's nothing new to sample. A beautifully made ale.

The_Jester · Post by **The_Jester** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 3:58 pm

Jon Walker wrote:... I think it also suffered for being sold in bombers rather than 6 packs....

Bingo!

Liberty Ale Discontinued?

Liberty Ale Discontinued?

Re: Liberty Ale Discontinued?