The Bar Towel

Josh Rubin's take on the issue from the Business section of the Star last weekend.

And here is an article from today's G&Mboth announcing the opening of the store and the fact that this branch will not accept empties.

There is implicit scepticism in both articles, but not nearly as much as there should be.

Here are some more:
Toronto Life.
BlogTO
Torontoist

Making some of the micro options more visible can't be a bad thing. It's just not as good a thing as some people were hoping.

I have to believe that there will be a few more people who grab a sixer of Black Oak or McAuslan or whatever just because it's there. "Oh look at all of these different beers! I didn't know they existed! Maybe I'll try one! This one with the Monkeys looks exciting!"

I'd love to see some comparative numbers after about six months.

I mentioned this on BT a few months back. Ontario Craft Brewers ought to open their own beer boutique. Test-drive one shop in a high-traffic, high-density location. Yes, there is risk but so what? The craft brewers are entrepreneurs and risk is inherent in the drive toward success and profit.

Or is the OCB stuck in bureaucratic inertia? If the OCB itself is gun-shy about this concept, the brewers themselves should band together and do it.

zane9 wrote:I mentioned this on BT a few months back. Ontario Craft Brewers ought to open their own beer boutique. Test-drive one shop in a high-traffic, high-density location. Yes, there is risk but so what? The craft brewers are entrepreneurs and risk is inherent in the drive toward success and profit.

Or is the OCB stuck in bureaucratic inertia? If the OCB itself is gun-shy about this concept, the brewers themselves should band together and do it.

This would require enabling legislation from the province.

icemachine wrote: This would require enabling legislation from the province.

It would be great if there was some way to partner up with the Wine Racks. Local wine and local beer in a BOUTIQUE setting.

icemachine wrote:This would require enabling legislation from the province.

Then that's the job of the OCB, to get the legislation process moving. The OCB is a lobbying organization to get things done on behalf of its members, isn't it?

what's with all these scensters at the launch, that prob drink bud lime.

also notice it's 99% white people, very representative of Toronto as per usual w/ these industry events. By industry, I don't just mean beer, but take a look at pics for any party covered by media like Toronto Life.

I should note I was referencing this....

http://casiestewart.com/beerboutique-libertyvillage/

Why was there a red carpet and celebrities at an opening of a beer store?

Wine Racks are individual winery-owned stores. There is no way to get beer into them unless one of the wineries opens a brewery. And they were grandfathered in after an FTA (pre-NAFTA) challenge, so there aren't going to be any movements forward in that regard, period. An OCB only store would be a NAFTA violation.

And regarding all the media fuss over the Beer Boutique, I repeat: “Only in Ontario could the opening of a nice beer store be a media event.”

What does NAFTA have to do with beer sales in Ontario? Didn't realize there was more then just a change in legislation needed to allow other venues to sell beer.

It's all about access to retail. The original challenge was over opening up the province and country to unencumbered competition, which as funny as it sounds today was much more restrictive back then. Among the results from the various challenges were the end of the off-site winery stores, except for a grandfathered number, a change in the fees charged by the Brewers Retail and the end of the federal "must have a brewery in the province to sell there" law.

Steve Beaumont wrote:Wine Racks are individual winery-owned stores. There is no way to get beer into them unless one of the wineries opens a brewery. And they were grandfathered in after an FTA (pre-NAFTA) challenge, so there aren't going to be any movements forward in that regard, period. An OCB only store would be a NAFTA violation...

So let's buy a winery and start making beer!

Steve Beaumont wrote:... An OCB only store would be a NAFTA violation.

I'll wager that the OCB could open an Ontario-only product store, and there would never be a NAFTA challenge. Who would launch a complaint? Some brewery in New Mexico or Oregon? Not likely.

All North American brewers already have unencumbered access to Canada (Ontario) under NAFTA. They simply have to sell their products to the LCBO.

zane9 wrote:

Steve Beaumont wrote:... An OCB only store would be a NAFTA violation.

I'll wager that the OCB could open an Ontario-only product store, and there would never be a NAFTA challenge. Who would launch a complaint? Some brewery in New Mexico or Oregon? Not likely.

All North American brewers already have unencumbered access to Canada (Ontario) under NAFTA. They simply have to sell their products to the LCBO.

You don't think Molson and Labatt's would want their own stores? An InBev only beerstore in downtown Toronto?

That said - how come Quebec gets away with allowing convenience stores to carry Quebec products? Did that pre-date NAFTA?

JerCraigs wrote:
You don't think Molson and Labatt's would want their own stores? An InBev only beerstore in downtown Toronto?

InBev + Molson-Coors have their own store. I think it's called The Beer Store. Yes, they do carry other breweries' products but from what I know the price of admission is set very high.

OCB could do a boutique that complies with NAFTA, by selling non-Canadian micros, but that would be self-defeating.