All About Beer Magazine

We asked, but the BCLDB declined our request to interview one of their representatives for this story. It did, however, provide some answers in written form:

Q: Some small craft brewers say that they are at a disadvantage in getting their products sold in LDB stores, because they can’t supply enough to compete with the major brands for shelf space. What is your policy in determining which beer products are sold in BC government liquor stores?

A: The LDB has a wide selection of craft beers in its stores in order to provide consumers with unique products and choices. BC craft beer is strongly represented in LDB stores, with approximately one-third of the domestic beer listings. The LDB lists craft beers based on a number of factors, including uniqueness, qualify of product and packaging, etc.

Q: By way of example, how many new applicants were there last year, and how do you decide which of those craft brewers qualify for shelf space?

A: Four new craft breweries entered the marketplace last year and we listed products from all of them.

Q: Many large industrial breweries are now owned by foreign interests like InBev and SABMiller, and some of Canada’s larger craft beers like Sleeman’s and Okanagan Spring are owned by Sapporo. Does LDB have any kind of mandate to promote smaller, local artisan breweries to foster regional employment and investment?

A: The LDB has three levels of mark-up based on a brewing company’s production size. Smaller production breweries have the lowest level of mark-up.

Hmmm. I’m guessing you could really use a beer right about now.

Closing Time

So, as the dust settles over the rolling distribution trail, what is to be gleaned from this wandering pub-crawl?

It’s true that the beer you seek travels a complicated and often confusing bureaucratic gauntlet. For reasons that bemuse and bewilder, you can’t always get what you want. Yet you can find more and better beers out there than ever.

Ultimately, as awareness of craft beer culture grows,  will influence the direction of the marketplace. An encouraging case in point was the May signing by Alabama’s governor of the “Gourmet Beer Bill.” measure now allots shelf space for higher-octane suds in that Bible Belt bastion of blue-haired laws.

But I’m not driving through The Cotton State any time soon, for fear that a breakdown or flat tire might maroon me in one of its dozen or so counties that still remain dry.