By Pepper Parr
August 16, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
It was one of those corporate media releases – filled with an upbeat message and all kinds of promise.
Big Rig Brewery is ecstatic to introduce three beers to grocery stores across Ontario.
Alpha Bomb, Canadian Amber and Salute 1179 will be available in 473mL cans at select grocery stores later this month.
“Having the ability to sell beer in grocery stores across Ontario has been a game changer,” says Lon Ladell, Big Rig Brewery’s co-owner and brewmaster. “It allows us to sell beers to the public that up until now may not have been available in retail spaces outside of our brewery store.”
Alpha Bomb is a 6.2% unfiltered IPA that uses a trio of hops, and is double dry-hopped for a big, fragrant punch. Canadian Amber is a 5.2% amber ale with light malt sweetness and balanced hops to allow its depth of flavour to shine through. And Salute 1179 is a 4% light lager based on the brewery’s Gold Medal-winning pilsner.
Not in Burlington supermarkets.
“They are all quite different stylistically, but they showcase different strengths of our brewery,” Ladell says. “Alpha Bomb blends multiple hop varieties to craft something greater than the sum of its parts; Canadian Amber is malt-forward, balanced and accessible; and Salute 1179 is an incredibly refreshing craft lager that doesn’t sacrifice any flavour. I think we’ve succeeded to create something everyone can enjoy!”
Alpha Bomb and Salute 1179 will be available for $2.95 per can, and Canadian Amber for $2.85 per can. All three beers will be available at select grocery stores later this month, with more locations across the province expected to pick them up later this year. Click here to find the store nearest to you.
You can stop right there – no point in clicking.
We looked and then got in touch with the brewery and asked where the suds could be purchased in Burlington. The response:
“Unfortunately there isn’t a grocery store in Burlington that sells beer at the moment! There are some in surrounding towns, though. Hopefully when the government announces that next wave of grocery stores there will be one in Burlington.”
Write your council member – this is worth complaining about!
City councillors have nothing to do with it. Nothing. This is all Premier Mom. The Ontario Liberals managed to devise the world’s most expensive, complex, and convoluted plan to get beer into a very few grocery stores. Then, they shouted “Beer coming to grocery stores!” from the rooftops in a pathetic effort to distract Ontarians from their sale of 60% of Hydro One. Don’t count on seeing in Burlington stores or anywhere new any time soon. The big brewers and the Ontario Liberals have been in bed together for a while and The Beer Store has essentially dictated to Wynne’s Liberals how this beer-in-grocery-stores plan is going to go down. Check out how much Molson donated to Wynne and to pretty much every Liberal candidate running for MPP in the last provincial election.
City Council has no clout when it comes to Beer in the grocery stores.
Council needs to focus on more pressing issues such as Twin City visits, Uselessly expensive Bike-lanes, Traffic calming measures that don’t calm.
After that being said, I sure could go for a Cold One, So I’m off to the Beer Store