The Bar Towel

So I crack open a bottle of Creemore urBock tonight that has been in the fridge since I bought it a week or so ago at the Spadina & Dundas LCBO, and I find that it's more than a bit on the skunky side.

I've found this to be the case on a relatively frequent basis with beer that I've purchased at that location, especially with clear bottle beers like the XO I mentioned in another thread. Has anyone else experienced this problem with that particular store, or any others that they can think of?


Greg

This is not a big surprise to me since I've seen Creemore stored at room temperature at many LCBO locations. They just have a buffer of some bottles in their fridge, the rest of it sits somewhere on floor.

Admittedly, the LCBO system fails in the cold storage of beer. We have for the most part sucessfully addressed this by keeping short inventories and reminding people to refrigerate the product when purchased. The oxidation rate of the beer at an LCBO not in the cooler is 3:1. For example, a 3 week old beer kept in a fridge would be like 1 week stored on the floor at the LCBO. This is not perfect, but it still provides LCBO customers with the product on spec as long as it is consumed within 2-3 weeks of purchase.

The urBock tasting off surprises me. We have forced archived that beer for QC purposes and it holds up significantly longer than the lager (still very good at 10-12 weeks). We don't advertise this as fresh is still best. It is the higher level abv and complex unfermented protiens that provide it with a more robust character. I would be interested to know what the code date on the bottle (or case was). Please e-mail me at howardt@creemoresprings.com. I will also ensure that any unacceptable product is replaced or reimbursed.

We have a woman named Erica that will be in touch with the LCBO in question to check code dates and inventory. If you e-mail me, you may hear back form her as well.

Thanks for the reply, Howard. I've just sent you an email.


Greg

Howard, its that kind of positive response that has made Creemore the class of the micros.
Perry

I think you are missing the point here Perry. No one is disputing the quality of Creemore but rather the way LCBO handles non-pasteurized products. And by the way Howard one reason sometimes I'm reticent to buy Creemore is because there is no clear production or expiry date on the bottle (maybe I'm wrong but anyway I couldn't figure that one out so far). Given the outstanding freshness that you guys always advertise in your products, I wouldn't think printing this kind of information in clear on the bottles like other breweries do, would be a problem.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Manul on 2002-11-11 07:13 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Manul on 2002-11-11 07:14 ]</font>

On 2002-11-11 07:06, Manul wrote:
I think you are missing the point here Perry. No one is disputing the quality of Creemore but rather the way LCBO handles non-pasteurized products.

How was Perry missing the point? It looked to me like he was paying Howard a compliment for his quick reply to me and his willingness to try and rectify the situation, even when my complaint was directed towards the LCBO and not Creemore Springs. It was very classy and professional of him, and he deserves some kudos for it.


Greg

Manul, you have identified one of the odd, but real challenges, we faced as a small brewer. 2 points on date coding bottles. The first is that because we do not pasteurize, our bottles are cold and covered in condensation when we label and box them up. We have not been able to find an ink that will set on a wet bottle. Secondly, we have always date coded our boxes, and could finally afford the technology to date code our labels as of last year. The date code is the industry standard, and you are right it is cryptic. We use it because that is what we can most consistently print on a label (due to size and complexity).

The code system works like this. Each month is represented by a letter Jan = A, Feb = B and so on. The number that follows the letter is the day it was packaged on. A10 = Jan 10th. The only wrinkle, is the letter I is not used (looks too much like a 1) so Sept = J, Oct=K, and so on until Dec = M.

A note about freshness. What impacts the beer's flavour (ours anyway) is oxidation. The small bits of oxyen picked up in the filling process, over time, react with the sugars in the liquid. This is why I am such a crusader for fresh beer. Our new filling equipment has so far been operating with 0% oxygen pick up. This is further augmented in our smaller bottles with an oxygen scavanging liner in the cap. So starting now, even the less than perfect handling and storage of our product by the retailers, will be increasingly protected by our investment in filling technology and dedication to direct delivery.

I appreciate all your candid feedback regarding our product quality. It helps us keep doing our job right.

I'm sorry Perry and Greg. I obviously misunderstood Perry's comment. And thanks to Howard for clarifying the date code for us.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Manul on 2002-11-11 11:08 ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Manul on 2002-11-11 11:09 ]</font>