Beer shouldn't be a lottery ticket.
I know, I know.
Not exactly something most people think about when it comes to their beer, but when it comes to Craft Beer, it is something that continues to pop up more and more. The growing market share of our favourite beverage will not continue it's rise if breweries start to cut corners and put out sub standard beer to control costs or hit a planned release.
The macro beer producers learned long ago that consumers demand a consistent, albeit boring, quality product that will give them exactly what is advertised. Beer that delivers the same thing whether you buy it in Toronto, Vancouver or St. John's. A Canadian or a Labatt's Blue may not be the things beer nerds like myself line up for on a Saturday morning, but the people who buy 24s of them on a regular basis are never disappointed in what they purchase. While you or I may have left these plain lagers far behind, the majority of beer drinkers still enjoy them because they are what they say they are, every time.
I am certain that there are a few Craft breweries that could learn a lot from this kind of quality control, dedication to consistency and being prepared to admit when their product is less than optimal.
I have had beer that contains off flavours, resembles poorly conceived home brew or generally lacks in any kind of quality control and yet still it was released to the public, even when privately you hear whispers that it would have better to sit in the tanks longer or even meet its fate in the drain on the floor.
While the recent Flying Monkey's "Sparklechunks" debate is still running on Twitter, it is the lack of concern from some people that truly concerned me. Phrases like "I got lucky, no chunks." accompanied photos of the very good version of this beer, while other times people would lament their fate and report a clear, chunky mess of a beer that appears to be something completely different. While I am not privy to all the world, I know that if I buy your product and you tell me it is one thing, it had better be that or we have a problem.
This is not about not liking a certain style or even a certain brewery and their take on it. It is about being honest with your consumers. I was not a fan of Collective Arts IPA No. 6 last year and talked about how it was just not balancing well together for me. Trying it a few weeks and another batch later, it was better but still had me questioning the release of the first one. Too many times I find beer that is not quite ready for prime time and whether that is a decision based on money or production is a questioned best left to be explained by those who released it.
This industry grows every year but people will not suffer sub-standard fare for long. The hope of more market share rests on delivering a good product at a fair price on a consistent basis. $5 for a lottery ticket of a tall boy is not something I'd like to keep trying my luck at.
While the wild and crazy things we see in craft beer are no doubt entertaining and helping to open a world of creativity and flavour, quality must remain the watchword and in a time when anything goes, it is paramount to always keep the bar moving up when it comes to making sure every pint is on point and consistently well made.
It falls on consumers to make the choice to support those who follow the path of good beer and fairness. Your dollars speak and when you spend them, you are showing support for what you believe in. Believe in better beer and demand nothing less than the best from what you buy.
Cheers!
Polk
If you're reading this, I'm going to assume you fall into one side or the other of the recent government announcement and inducement to Ontario's craft brewers to lower prices to $1. The floor price prior to this was $1.25 and despite that, no one had thought to sell at such a level. There have been many brewers who've come out about the actual costs of making their beer, the commitment to quality ingredients and paying a fair wage to their employees as solid reasons why this will not work. To sell a beer, even a 355ml can, for such a low price is not only a silly idea, it is not viable for any craft brewery to do so without incurring losses.
That the Conservative government of Doug Ford wants private business to voluntarily lose money in order to fulfill an ill thought out campaign promise would be laughable if it wasn't so real. The so called inducements of free ads and prime shelf space at the LCBO are not only small and not worth the loss of money and respect, they do take money out of taxpayers pockets through lost revenue. While larger brewers, i.e. Molson's or AB-Inbev, could absorb or even minimally profit from volume sales, there is no indication they desire losing money to help prop up this ridiculous fantasy.
Some have pointed to some recent government grants to Ontario Craft brewers as the public subsidizing the beer industry as proof that they should play along with this scheme. While it is true that many breweries have accepted grants, they have been used to modernize and expand plants, adding jobs and tax revenue which outweighs the initial investment. There are a myriad of businesses, most much larger and not Canadian owned, that have benefited from government money and intervention with less return to the public purse. We heavily subsidize or control prices in many industries, but never has a government tried to force a business to sell their product for less than they can make it in order to distract the population from the real and present consequences of their policies.
I am not an economist, just a regular guy who loves his beer and speaks with his hard earned dollars. Paying for quality is what we do when we go to our local craft brewer, pub, restaurant or any other place for a pint. Would I love to pay less? Of course I would, it's always good to see your dollar go further. I'd like to pay less for gas, food and a host of other necessities of daily life too. But this policy announcement wasn't about beer at all. It was about trying to continue the politics of separation, of dividing people and taking eyes and voices away from the other policy decisions this neophyte government has made. This is bread and circuses at its finest, distracting us away from the 350 million dollar cut to mental Health funding, the reversal on Sex education and the destruction of local democracy in Toronto to name just a few. Buck a beer is nothing more than a smokescreen and any attempt to frame it as greed or being a snob about beer is not only disingenuous but feeding into the class division that is being driven by a rich populist dressed up as a blue collar guy.
The previous government in Ontario was responsible for some truly terrible decisions, many bordering on dereliction of duty. There is no doubt that trying to cast dispersions of Kathleen Wynne fuels many of the comments and discussions around this policy. But again, this is a distraction from just what is happening in an industry that is providing jobs directly and indirectly, growing every quarter more than the last. Our Craft brewers are important parts of the places they reside in. They fund and participate in local charities and events, they work side by side with each other to promote the entire community and they are, for the most part, committed to creating lasting improvement to where they make and sell beer.
In small towns and large cities across the province, the taprooms are becoming community hubs, hosting events for everyone and promoting an inclusive and diverse place to get together. While far from perfect, the craft beer people I have met are a caring and genuine group of people who span economic, social and racial divides. We don't agree on everything but we all want our little corner of the world to be a better reflection of who we are. We want to be a big tent for everyone to feel safe and accepted for who they are and as you have seen by the response to this misguided policy, we are united in our passion for good beer and great people.
So don't be fooled or distracted by the chatter of Buck A Beer. It is politics dressed up in an aluminum can to distract from the real issues of the day. No reputable brewer will attach their names to such a poorly thought out plan and the one's that do will either produce poor beer or lose so much money selling a good product well below profitability that they will suffer the financial consequences. Your dollars matter, vote with your purchasing power and support the large portion of Ontario Craft who have said loud and clear that they are not going to be pawns in this game of musical beers.
I stand with the Boycott of anyone who makes Buck a Beer, because it is about so much more than just beer.
Cheers!
Polk
