The Polkaroo & The LCBO - It's Complicated

There is nothing that can match visiting a brewery to pick up your beer. The smell of brewing is intoxicating as soon as you open the door and it is always great if you are lucky enough to get to meet the folks who brew your beer. Sitting down for a flight or a pint can be a great way to spend an afternoon and when you head home, it is usually with a smile and a trunk full of awesome new craft beer.

One of the highlights of my year. Meeting Steve Innocente and sharing a pint!

But it isn't about breweries that I am here today, it is about the monolith in our lives that controls and regulates the distribution of liquor and beer in this great province, The LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario). Along with the foreign owned Beer store, this Crown Corporation controls the majority of beer sales in Ontario and is viewed negatively in craft beer circles for the regulations and nanny state like distribution process. I fully believe in the earnest claims we make for greater access to all the great craft beer made here and all over the world and wish nothing more than to see more options of where I can buy them that will hopefully lead to better diversity. But the hard truth is that for most people, the LCBO is their main source of new and regular beer purchases and I will say that I have been impressed with their response to our demand in the last year.

I can remember when I would go in search of something new to fill my beer glass with, there would be little in the way of Ontario Craft beer outside of the established and close by breweries. Nickel Brook, Cameron's, Amsterdam, Mill Street (at the time) and Great Lakes. They pretty much filled the small section dedicated to the Craft and unless your LCBO beer purchaser was also a fan, it changed very little. Fast forward a single year and I can scarcely believe the turnaround. What was once a tiny fraction of shelf space has become a cornucopia of choice. I would say almost overwhelming if you are unsure of what you are looking for and that is pretty amazing. Responding to a changing public demand isn't easy for a company so rooted in the past and despite many misgivings, I can be nothing but fairly happy at my choices now.

 

I have been and will continue to be a proponent of going to the source for your beer. I love a beer road trip, meeting people who love craft beer as much as I do and hanging out talking all things hops. But I also recognize the reality that most people are not like me nor do they have the free time or inclination to do that. For the vast majority, a brewery visit is a special thing, a treat and one they look forward to. The rest of their lives are busy and that means accessing beer at a LCBO. Maybe I am just lucky, but the people who work at the ones around me are enthusiastic about craft beer and are always there to help you find something new or different if you ask. Picking a beer can be a daunting task when you have no idea what you want and they have been more than happy to answer my questions, even going so far as to check on things or let me know when something new has come in. I do perhaps treat the people who work there with courtesy and respect because I have spent a lifetime working retail and understand what the public can be like, especially during the holidays. The people who work at the LCBO are just that, people and I always try to bring that with me when I visit.

  While time has come for the government to let us have a greater access, perhaps an Ontario Craft Beer store, run by the membership of the OCB themselves or at least some more privitization and greater competition, we must deal with the reality of the day to day in our province. Online sales are increasing at the breweries themselves and indeed, the LCBO's own online delivery program was launched to great fanfare this year. But we must continue to push for better access for our Craft brewers, more choice and a spot at the table for the smallest of producers without onerous fees and over regulation. The problem we have should remain with the powers that control the situation and not the people who work at the LCBO, they often share our passion for great beer. Try to remember that the next time you stop in for something to celebrate the season with. Happy shopping, be patient and remember that great beer will always be waiting for you, no matter where you buy it...

But go the brewery when you can, it's the most magical place in the world, trust me!

Where the Magic Happens!

Raise your Glass and your standards, One beer at a time!

Cheers!