Your Comments, Criticisms and Contributions - June 2002
Thanks for your December 2001 column on deceptive names. I feel vindicated. While at the Toronto Planet Hollywood I was rather insistent with the barmaid, and then the waiter, etc., about the fact that they MUST have their taps wrong. My companion had a Labatt Blue and I tried the Alexander Keith's IPA. I tasted them both - back and forth - and could not tell a difference. After the manager assured me that the taps were correct, I still couldn't believe it. I thought they were just trying to cover themselves. Evidently not. The beer is just incredibly mis-named.
Oh, Canada, you can keep it.
- Dave Pratt.
Just so you know, there are some decent pale ales and IPAs in Canada. Keith's simply isn't one of them.
(David Pratt responds)
Oh yes, I agree. I didn't mean any disrespect to Canada (which it came across as, sorry). Lord knows we here in the US have plenty of brews to be embarrassed of. And actually, the Keiths wasn't bad, I just wasn't in the mood for a Labatt Blue...
- Dave.
Maybe you can help clarify something for me. Last August I was in Toronto, and as in my last two trips had a wonderful time. I discovered a fabulous new beer, Steam Whistle and generally had a lot of fun, but one thing bothered and confused me. The almost total lack of beer from the States. As an example, I went to a really cool bar near the water that had like 100 beers available and about 30 or more on tap; not one US beer was on tap which I found out when I requested a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. The bartender said they had no US beers on tap and why would I want one anyway. Then later I heard there was some kind of clause in NAFTA that protects Canadian breweries. What ever you can do to help would be appreciated.
- John
There are two sides to every story, and two parties in every beer distribution. Part of the reason there is so little U.S. draft in Canada has to do with the difficulties in getting it in here -- nothing to do with NAFTA, everything to do with the LCBO. But a lot also has to do with the breweries not being interested in bringing it in. For example, as I understand it, Sierra Nevada simply doesn't want to sell their beer in Ontario.
I found an empty Smirnoff Ice bottle on my kitchen counter this morning, and curious about the malternative concept, looked at the ingredients list. The first four ingredients are "carbonated water, Smirnoff vodka, sugar, natural and artificial flavours, ...". No mention of anything to do with barley or malt. Is this no longer a malternative beverage? Just curious.
- Geoff Barley
You must reside in Canada or the U.K. It's only in the U.S. that Smirnoff Ice is made with a malt base, owing to taxation issues.
Where in eastern Pennsylvania can I find a distributor, seller, or retailer of near-beer? Thanks.
- Nick Cicchini
Most supermarkets carry several brands of non?alk beer. Some of the more respected and flavourful brands are Clausterhaler, Tourtel and Swiss Gold, but personally I'm not at all a fan.
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