What’s interesting now that Free Our Beer has been going for a couple of years (god, time has flown by) is to see how things have changed (or haven’t) over time. For instance, we’ve tracked the process to get Garrison’s Imperial I.P.A. onto LCBO store shelves as part of its Autumn Ales release.  This has been a […]

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Today Brick Brewing announced that Labatt Brewing has sued them over trademark issues between Brick’s Red Baron brand and Labatt’s Brava brand.  The announcement certainly raises an eyebrow regarding the conflict of interest that our beer retail network is owned by the major breweries (48.5% Labatt, 48.5% Molson) and their products dominate the network at […]

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Recently I was in The Beer Store staring at the famous label wall.  For those who don’t know, the “label wall” is the menu of beers that are available at The Beer Store.  It’s a large grid with labels of every brand, with their packaging formats and pricing right below.  It’s a poor retail experience […]

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The Beer Store claims to be “The Ultimate Source for Beer in Ontario” and we discussed one of the reasons why this is unfounded.  Another one is The Beer Store’s claim that the beer selection they have is one of the best in the world. Let’s put aside the fact that The Beer Store don’t […]

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In today’s Toronto Star, Josh Rubin has written an article about the latest Ontario Craft Brewers’ Discovery Pack.  This pack, the second one to be released, is a special six-pack with different beers from a number of Ontario craft breweries.  Sold exclusively at the LCBO, the first one was a success and it’s hoped that […]

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As we originally discussed in July, Beau’s was having serious challenges with The Beer Store and Beau’s unique swing-top bottles.  Since Beau’s does not sell their beer in The Beer Store, they were refusing to give them back to Beau’s when customers return them.   Good news for Beau’s however.  As Beau’s reported, as did […]

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The CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) has an extensive online archive of TV and radio clips from their broadcasting history.  One of the topic areas that’s available is entitled “Selling Suds: The Beer Industry in Canada” that covers clips from 1961-2005.  It’s very interesting to see some of changes to the industry over the years.  Something […]

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Today marked the completion of the acquisition (PDF) of Anheuser-Busch by InBev, creating the world’s largest brewing company, now named Anheuser-Busch InBev. This also makes the world’s largest brewer the 48.5% owner of The Beer Store. Along with co-owners Molson Coors and Sapporo, The Beer Store continues to distance itself anything remotely Canadian. Remember folks, […]

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Did you know that the LCBO offers alcohol purchase and delivery online?  I’m not sure if many people do, and it’s certainly not something that the LCBO makes a big deal of – there doesn’t seem to be any links to it from their main web site.  But at LCBOgifts.com, you can order select wine, […]

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The Beer Store and its claim to be “The Ultimate Source for Beer in Ontario” is one of the most ridiculous statements imaginable.  Refuting this claim is not a difficult task, but it is a lengthy one.  Hence, this post is entitled “Part One”, and will be an ongoing series looking at The Beer Store and […]

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