Green Flash WC IPA coming this summer to LCBO

[sprague11]

I like the West Coast, but it can go downhill in the bottles pretty fast. I have yet to buy a good 4 pack from Buffalo.

[biegaman]

I like the West Coast, but it can go downhill in the bottles pretty fast. I have yet to buy a good 4 pack from Buffalo.

Hate to say it, but that's been my experience too. Drinking Green Flash products in California is, in my experience, completely different than drinking the stuff off Premier Gourmet's shelf.

[dale cannon]

Bartowel (for years): "Give us American west coast IPA! Give us American west coast IPA!"

LCBO (finally): "OK, here ya go."

Bartowel: "Meh...not fresh enough."

[andrewrg]

I can't really tell whether you're mocking us for being "ungrateful" or the LCBO for sucking. When I ask a store to bring in products that I want, I want them to be fresh, regardless of what they are. I don't want expired milk, and I don't want old IPAs. Seems completely reasonable to me. 4 or 5 month old IPAs are a totally different thing than 1-2 months.

[TheSevenDuffs]

Bartowel (for years): "Give us American west coast IPA! Give us American west coast IPA!"

LCBO (finally): "OK, here ya go."

Bartowel: "Meh...not fresh enough."

Having an infresh IPA is almost worse than having none at all.

Personally, I am not a big fan of Green Flash West Coast IPA, so this wasn't a release that I was particularily looking forward to. But had I been, I would be very disappointed with these LCBO delays and the impact on the freshness of the beer.

I am not sure why people haven't learned yet. The first shipment of a new IPA to the LCBO should always be a small one to get the beer through the testing delays. Subsequent shipments are always much quicker to get to the shelf.

[chris_schryer]

Hey Wayek, I don't know if somebody answered this for you as I only read the first and last pages, but Whitby is the main logistics distribution hub for the LCBO (not Cooper St, as many people think). The reason you can't get Muskoka, is because they don't use the LCBO distribution, they deliver their beer directly from the brewery to stores, and I guess don't send trucks up your way. The same is likely true of other breweries that do direct-delivery, like Amsterdam, Black Oak, Denison's etc. Hope that helps!

[liamt07]

Bartowel (for years): "Give us American west coast IPA! Give us American west coast IPA!"

LCBO (finally): "OK, here ya go."

Bartowel: "Meh...not fresh enough."

Sums up my sentiments exactly, thanks. Why send us a product that relies on freshness for a good deal of its character at such a slow rate?

[TheSevenDuffs]

Bartowel (for years): "Give us American west coast IPA! Give us American west coast IPA!"

LCBO (finally): "OK, here ya go."

Bartowel: "Meh...not fresh enough."

Sums up my sentiments exactly, thanks. Why send us a product that relies on freshness for a good deal of its character at such a slow rate?

Liam, I have come to realize that there are two types of people on Bar Towel:

(1) Those like you and I who demand the best from the LCBO and don't want second rate or unfresh products. We have no problem heading south of the border or making trades to get what we are after as long as the LCBO doesn't step up.

(2) Those who are LCBO apologists and accept every little bit of progress as monumental and as being enough to satisfy them. They see the aforementioned people as whiners and constantly make excuses for every little thing the LCBO doesn't do properly.

I will admit that I fall in to the first description. That said, I fully ackknowledge the significant progress that the LCBO has made over the past 12-24 months. We are worlds ahead of where we were. BUT, that doesn't mean that we should accept the fact that the Likbo holds on to a shipment of an IPA for weeks while they do "lab testing". That also doesn't mean that we shouldn't want the Likbo to continue to push to bring in more interesting and exciting products.

[boney]

@Duffs. Falsly dichotomize much?

[wilco]

Bartowel (for years): "Give us American west coast IPA! Give us American west coast IPA!"

LCBO (finally): "OK, here ya go."

Bartowel: "Meh...not fresh enough."

Sums up my sentiments exactly, thanks. Why send us a product that relies on freshness for a good deal of its character at such a slow rate?

Liam, I have come to realize that there are two types of people on Bar Towel:

(1) Those like you and I who demand the best from the LCBO and don't want second rate or unfresh products. We have no problem heading south of the border or making trades to get what we are after as long as the LCBO doesn't step up.

(2) Those who are LCBO apologists and accept every little bit of progress as monumental and as being enough to satisfy them. They see the aforementioned people as whiners and constantly make excuses for every little thing the LCBO doesn't do properly.

I will admit that I fall in to the first description. That said, I fully ackknowledge the significant progress that the LCBO has made over the past 12-24 months. We are worlds ahead of where we were. BUT, that doesn't mean that we should accept the fact that the Likbo holds on to a shipment of an IPA for weeks while they do "lab testing". That also doesn't mean that we shouldn't want the Likbo to continue to push to bring in more interesting and exciting products.

So you want all the rewards of a better beer selection but aren't willing to help by buying beers that the LCBO brings in?

[PeenSteen]

Sums up my sentiments exactly, thanks. Why send us a product that relies on freshness for a good deal of its character at such a slow rate?

Liam, I have come to realize that there are two types of people on Bar Towel:

(1) Those like you and I who demand the best from the LCBO and don't want second rate or unfresh products. We have no problem heading south of the border or making trades to get what we are after as long as the LCBO doesn't step up.

(2) Those who are LCBO apologists and accept every little bit of progress as monumental and as being enough to satisfy them. They see the aforementioned people as whiners and constantly make excuses for every little thing the LCBO doesn't do properly.

I will admit that I fall in to the first description. That said, I fully ackknowledge the significant progress that the LCBO has made over the past 12-24 months. We are worlds ahead of where we were. BUT, that doesn't mean that we should accept the fact that the Likbo holds on to a shipment of an IPA for weeks while they do "lab testing". That also doesn't mean that we shouldn't want the Likbo to continue to push to bring in more interesting and exciting products.

So you want all the rewards of a better beer selection but aren't willing to help by buying beers that the LCBO brings in?

Im not sure that was what he was saying.

He also made a good point about how the first shipment should be smaller as it is always the one that undergoes lab testing and takes the longest to arrive. This was the case with smashbomb, HSPA, supercollider, Tree etc. although the agents also want to sell as much as they can to the LCBO after all this is how they get paid.

[Torontoblue]

If an agent is on the ball, you can submit samples for testing before the order arrives, and therefore no hold up.

[TheSevenDuffs]

So you want all the rewards of a better beer selection but aren't willing to help by buying beers that the LCBO brings in?

That's exactly the mentality that encourages the LCBO to continue on with the status quo, which in fact HURTS you and I as the consumer.

To be clear: I don't avoid the LCBO all together. I always buy one of anything new that comes out of Ontario (save for Trafalgar) and if I lilke it, I go back and buy more. Whenever I entertain, I have a fridge full of ONTARIO craft beer for my guests. I also tend to try almost everything from the seasonal releases (assuming I haven't had it before and it is a style that interests me) and, again, if I really like it, I will buy more.

But why should I stock my fridge with some boring IPA from England or New Zealand when I cam drive down to Buffalo and buy a case of Flower Power or drive to Michican and grab some Two Hearted or Huma Lum-Lupa-Licious? Why would I buy a multiple bottles of Southern Tier's Choklat, Mokah or Creme Brulle just to support the LCBO when my alternative is to cross the border and pick up Old Rasputin, Blackout Stout, Expedition Stout or Founders Imperial Stout?

Believe me, I understand the concept of supporting the local breweries and the LCBO because they cannot grow and thrive without our support. And I do quite a bit of that. But I refuse to stock my fridge with bottles of imported beer that only moderately interests me when I can get way better stuff south of the border.

And to get back to the specific subject at hand: Green Flash West Coast IPA is one that I have tried a few times and although I like it, I don't love it. I would rather buy a 6er of something local, especially given that the LCBO is not going to be delivering us fresh product (at least not in this first batch) for something that freshness is so important.

[biegaman]

I don't think this has to be about the LCBO at all. For me, when it comes to IPAs, or vegetables for that matter, freshness is a key concern. Two points to consider:

1) I've gotten excited at Premier Gourmet and spent a small fortune on IPAs only to get home and find they're too long in the tooth to be enjoyable. I learned my lesson. Now I tend to stick to either what is local (better chance of being fresh), higher gravity styles, or domestic beers that have a date of production or best before date listed (so I can gauge how fresh it is). Or I simply ask Ethan when the last batch of Stone IPA actually came in.

Bottom line: stocking the shelves with fresh products is not a challenge only for the LCBO. You're bound to come across stale products anywhere you go and I think if freshness is a concern, then at least part of the onus is on you, as the consumer, to check before buying. It's almost like being a vegetarian or having peanut allergies, you need to be extra mindful. Actually, it isn't even that complicated. Put it this way: If you go to the market and vegetables look over-ripe, you wouldn't buy them, would you?

Which, on that note...

2) I don't buy peaches or blueberries in the winter here. Simple as that. If you don't feel a 3 or 4 month old IPA compares to a fresh, local one... then buy a fresh local one! The fact is I'm not going to blame the LCBO or the importer any more for 3 month old Green Flash than I will the local Loblaws for importing apples from Chile or garlic from China (even in the summer!) I won't buy them, but it's about selection and, although I might not chose to buy West Coast IPA this go-round (it's far from my favourite IPA anyhow), I'm excited to see it on the shelves.

I assume I speak for anyone here who, like me, is likely to pass on the West Coast because of freshness, when I say that we're all happy to have it in this market! We applaud the LCBO for listing it and Claude for bringing it in! That's not the issue here. The single and only issue is that we prefer a fresh IPA to a (however slightly) dated one. Plain and simple.

[JeffPorter]

Has anyone confirmed that these actually ARE from May?