Beer in the news

[mr x]

Chris Selley: If Ontario banned corporate donations, would The Beer Store even exist?

The Ontario government announced its long-foretold changes to the province’s retail market in beer on Wednesday. In prepared statements, Premier Kathleen Wynne and Finance Minister Charles Sousa used words like “modernizing,” “convenience,” “choice,” “opportunities for small brewers” and “economic growth.” What they actually unveiled, in a 195-page “master framework agreement” with three major breweries — Labatt, Molson and Sleeman, which are co-owners of The Beer Store, a privately held near-monopoly — is on the face of it nothing less than a cry for help.

This document is to modernizing Ontario’s liquor retail and helping out small brewers and consumers as John Hinckley trying to assassinate Ronald Reagan was to impressing Jodie Foster.

Two big changes are coming down the pipe. One is that supermarkets will now be allowed to carry beer. This, we knew. We also knew that the price of any given bottle would remain uniform across the province; and we knew supermarkets would not be allowed to carry beer in package sizes larger than six, or to offer a volume discount — that being The Beer Store’s (nearly) exclusive privilege. So 24 bottles will cost around 20 per cent more at a supermarket than at The Beer Store.

We knew supermarkets would be forced to stock beer from “small brewers,” regardless of demand; that should they exceed a certain annual sales quota, they would incur a success penalty; that their hours would be as limited as Beer Store and government-run LCBO outlets (which sell beer in six packs, wine and liquor); that the number of possible licensees would be capped at 450 in perpetuity and at 150 until May 2017; and that the government would ensure neither a single company nor a preponderance of large supermarkets won the licenses.

Fun new revelations on Wednesday included that supermarkets are prohibited from selling any brand of beer in which they have a “commercial interest” — so Loblaw’s presumably couldn’t sell their store-brand President’s Choice beer, but Metro presumably could; that supermarkets would actually be legally prohibited from refunding empty bottles; that online ordering would not be allowed, despite the LCBO trumpeting that prospect in April; and that, should the new licensees also hold a license to deliver alcohol, they must never deliver from their own stock, but instead purchase it directly from an LCBO outlet.

We also knew there would be a “pilot project” under which 10 LCBO outlets would be allowed to sell 12-packs of beer. (Ten additional LCBO outlets, that is: there are already 167 allowed to sell 12- and 24-packs at Beer Store prices, provided they’re far enough away from a Beer Store outlet.) We did not know until Wednesday that it wouldn’t be 12-packs in general, but 11 specific 12-packs — one-third of them swill — and no others.

And we knew the results of that pilot project would essentially amount to this: if it takes too much business away from The Beer Store, then the deal’s off. But we could never have imagined the hilariously impenetrable 238-word formula prescribed in the agreement. Suffice to say, the word “cannibalized” is used to describe what might happen to The Beer Store’s business. For the record, the word “competition” appears twice in the agreement, both times in the section about conflicts of interest.

If this is the extent to which politicians are willing to indulge corporate benefactors in public and on the record, what do you suppose might be going on behind closed doors?

It is easy just to laugh at poor old big-government Presbyterian Ontario. It is easy to play the sophisticate and note that the Ontario Liberals invariably drop these announcements on days when they’d prefer people ignored more important issues, like Wednesday morning’s less-than-stellar auditor general’s report on the provincial home care program.

But this matters. Bizarre as liquor retail in Ontario is, it shares most of its bizarreness with other Canadian jurisdictions save Alberta. (Sweet, sweet Alberta.) What makes Ontario special is its privately and latterly foreign-owned beer monopoly. And what’s extraordinary is that anyone who’s paying any attention simply takes it as read that all these hoops are being jumped through to protect The Beer Store’s interests, and thereby the very generous donations its owners lavish upon the parties at Queen’s Park. An unnamed official actually boasted to the Toronto Star about this new agreement — “nobody thought you could get this agreement with the beer guys” — as if it had been a negotiation among equals, rather than between the granter and recipients of a very cushy deal.

To the extent this is a story about beer, it doesn’t matter all that much. And to the extent it reveals how suspicious this government is of the free market … well, we already knew that. The best way to think about The Beer Store and this insane new 10-year agreement is this: if this is the extent to which politicians are willing to indulge corporate benefactors in public and on the record, what do you suppose might be going on behind closed doors? If Ontario banned corporate donations, would The Beer Store even exist?

National Post
cselley@nationalpost.com
Twitter.com/cselley

Unreal

[cagiva650]

Bier Markt is opening in NFLD in about 6 months.

I heard this rumour as well. Is it anything more than a rumour?

[cagiva650]

"Alternatively, haul your beer belly out East. “Halifax has nine breweries and brewpubs plus another 10 within a couple of hours’ drive,” says Maritimes beer blogger Chris McDonald (acbeerblog.ca), who recommends trying Granite Brewery and Unfiltered Brewing."

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/tra ... e26518245/

[mr x]

Bier Markt is opening in NFLD in about 6 months.

I heard this rumour as well. Is it anything more than a rumour?

It's as real as you can get in print news.

[cagiva650]

Bier Markt is opening in NFLD in about 6 months.

I heard this rumour as well. Is it anything more than a rumour?

It's as real as you can get in print news.

This was on the VOCM website this morning.

http://www.vocm.com/newsarticle.asp?mn= ... 5&latest=1

[McGruff]

The Beer Store just opened up near me a drive through. You can still walk in to a cold, huge warehouse type walk through where they surprisingly have a huge selection of Craft beer. I don't think this place is going anywhere any time soon.

[Toni]

Another sizeable micro being picked up by the big boys.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/labatt- ... -1.3264359" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/la ... 54681.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mikeorr]

Another sizeable micro being picked up by the big boys.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/labatt- ... -1.3264359" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/la ... 54681.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Gotta love Beau's press release in response. Especially the last line.

http://beaus.ca/beaus-brewery-becomes-c ... anic-beer/

[GuingesRock]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-c ... -1.3264379" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Stephen Harper appearance triggers backlash for Red Truck brewery
Conservative leader made a campaign stop on Thursday morning in the Vancouver-East riding

A B.C. microbrewery in an NDP stronghold is facing considerable backlash online for hosting a campaign stop for Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.

Harper appeared at the Red Truck brewery in East Vancouver on Thursday morning, but the event was only open to invited members of the media.

Nevertheless, it wasn't long before people started tweeting their plans to boycott the brewery.

More oops, we whish we hadn't done it, stuff on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RedTruckBeer" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

stephen-harper-at-red-red-truck.jpg

[mcgster]

It is sad that our country has come to the point of lashing out against a brewery for allowing a political party to use their space. Pretty sure political views have nothing to do with wether or not you are allowed to let someone use your space. If you start not allowing people to use your space because they have different political views than you it is a slippery slope.

I find it so funny that people who hate Harper act just like the things they say they hate about him. If a brewery didn't allow Trudeau or Mulcair to use their space for a campaign stop everyone would be saying typical Harper.

[mcgster]

Some of the Twitter comments they received are about as pathetic as the worst things i have ever heard die hard conservatives say. I don't understand why people can't focus on the good things their party stands for, to me thats much more effective.

[GuingesRock]

Some of the Twitter comments they received are about as pathetic as the worst things i have ever heard die hard conservatives say. I don't understand why people can't focus on the good things their party stands for, to me thats much more effective.

I'm not very political, but does it mean anything at all if a party stands for something, and if it does mean anything, are there any good things? Maybe that's the problem

[mcgster]

It doesn't mean anything about the brewery. It looks like the conservatives rented the space for the event. Next week the liberals are renting the same space (according to their twitter). I can't wait until his election is over, its been the worst one from all three parties that i have ever seen.

[GuingesRock]

Politics and sex are supposed to be taboo subjects at any social events.

Probably, it's a bad idea for breweries to get involved in either as well.

Also farting loudly in church is supposed to be bad.

[GuingesRock]

Some of the Twitter comments they received are about as pathetic as the worst things i have ever heard die hard conservatives say.

Evil Goat made a similar comment

Props to @RedTruckBeer for not cow-towing to the wingnuts & whackjobs quivering with faux outrage over a Harper visit.

[GuingesRock]

Just remembered, it's "Sex, Religion and Politics"

[Toni]

Another sizeable micro being picked up by the big boys.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/labatt- ... -1.3264359" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/la ... 54681.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Gotta love Beau's press release in response. Especially the last line.

http://beaus.ca/beaus-brewery-becomes-c ... anic-beer/

That press release is absolutely hilarious. I love the Simpsons reference.

[McGruff]

I am sure that if InBev bought every brewery in the world, Beaus would refuse to sell out.

[toddthebeerdude]

He said last year when he wants to retire he is selling the company to his employees

I am sure that if InBev bought every brewery in the world, Beaus would refuse to sell out.

[GuingesRock]

Justice Department investigates AB InBev's competitive edge in beer market:

http://www.theguardian.com/business/201 ... SApp_Other" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[GuingesRock]

Anheuser-Busch InBev NV closed in on the biggest corporate takeover in U.K. history after proposing to pay almost $106 billion for SABMiller Plc to create a brewer selling one in every third beer worldwide.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/ ... ecord-deal" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[LeafMan66_67]

http://canadianrestaurantnews.com/canad ... -brewhouse

By Bill Tremblay

DARTMOUTH, N.S. – When Shaun O’Hearn opened Rockbottom Brewpub, he didn’t anticipate demand for craft beer would reach the need for a standalone brewery.

O’Hearn opened the Halifax brewpub about five years ago out of an interest in micro brewing.

“I figured a brewpub would be a great way to go,” O’Hearn said, who also owns Your Father’s Moustache in Halifax.

Following the opening of Rockbottom, craft beer began to quickly gain popularity in Nova Scotia.

“Over the past three years it has just grown exponentially,” O’Hearn said. “I had other restaurants approach me about selling the beer at their bars.” 

Despite demand, the province’s liquor laws prohibit a brewpub from selling its beer to other establishments. Legislation aside, Rockbottom also reached its brewing capacity.

“Some of the beers we have are extremely popular, especially our IPA. It’s our flagship,” O’Hearn said. “I’ve often have lots of customers ask where else they can get the beer.”

One night, while discussing the craft beer explosion, O’Hearn and his cousin Daniel O’Hearn, a sale representative for Moosehead Brewery, decided to open a brewhouse. They found a location in Dartmouth, N.S., purchased a 930-gallon system and created Nine Locks Brewing, a name that pays homage to Dartmouth’s Shubenacadie Canal.

“A brewery didn’t even cross my mind until about a year and a half ago,” O’Hearn said.

To tackle brewing, O’Hearn recruited Jake Saunders, brewmaster at Rockbottom, and Chris Downey, who previously worked at Brewtopia in Montréal. The brewmasters aim to start brewing in mid-November.

“Hopefully, we’ll be open and selling beer before Christmas,” O’Hearn said. “We’ve already had a number of restaurants contact us to sell our beer as soon as it’s ready.”

The beer will be available in growlers and cans at the brewery’s retail store, the NSLC and bars and restaurants throughout the province.

“We feel canning is better for the beer, it blocks out 100 per cent of light and blocks out 100 per cent of air,” O’Hearn said. 

The brewery will launch with six types of beer, an IPA, extra special bitter, American pale ale, porter, India session ale and a white beer.

Although Nine Locks isn’t an extension of Rockbottom, O’Hearn said the beer should be similar to the brewpub.

“We’ll probably take a few of the recipes over. If they’re not the same, they will be very similar,” O’Hearn said. “We’re also going to brew new beers.”

[jacinthebox]

Good for Shaun

[GuingesRock]

Good for Shaun

.

I heard latest NSLC figures on the radio yesterday. Craft beer sales up another 25%. I think that's what they said. Seems the more there is available, the more people will drink it.

[Toni]

Good for Shaun

.

I heard latest NSLC figures on the radio yesterday. Craft beer sales up another 25%. I think that's what they said. Seems the more there is available, the more people will drink it.

This is the Q2 report, available at http://www.mynslc.com/Content_Communica ... /2015.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.mynslc.com/Documents/News%20 ... 0Final.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;