link love

off the rail is almost ready!

some westender love for the donnelly group

there's gonna be a new brewery in victoria town soon

beer bribery, pay to play, whatever you call it, it is considered a pretty evil practice by most craft beer loving folks
here are some wise words about the concept
from half pints in winnipeg
pretty things' twitter war
from esquire.com
from westcoaster blog

this is hardly a new phenomenon, nor is is just happening in north america
check out this 2010 article about chicago
and this 2010 article about baltimore
and this one from the uk

does it happen in vancouver?
i have no concrete proof that it does, but c'mon, why else would so many bars tie themselves to so many taps of crappy beer?  loyalty and swill-drinking clientele can only account for part of the phenomenon.  and frankly, brewery reps for a few local breweries have mentioned to me that they've been asked what they can offer an establishment or two around town - nothing overt mind you, just the suggestion that the establishment would be open to incentives.

question for all y'all:  should breweries be allowed to give swag to bars to give away to patrons who drink their beer?  while not actually purchasing taps, they are offering incentives to the bar to keep them on tap and to consumers to choose their tap over the one next to it.

question 2 for all y'all:  do tap takeovers count as beer bribery?  don't get me wrong, i love me a tap takeover, but perhaps we should be wary of decrying pay to play so soundly that it precludes such "monopolies" being allowed.  it wouldn't be the first time that the gov't misunderstood us!

and to conclude my rant, tied house rules have been relaxed in b.c. and our stadiums sign enormous exclusive contracts with breweries, why is anyone surprised that breweries bribe bars to carry their beers?  it just makes those who do carry a range of beer all the more respectable, and the tasting room all the more important for independent breweries.  so drink local and vote with your dollars.