Canadian Macro Lagers

It’s funny. I went to school for some time about 20 minutes from the Vermont border. We would do the same; head down on a Tuesday night for a cheap movie and dinner and come back with a case of cheap beer. I remember Busch being particularly cheap. Also, one of my first craft experiences in the US was accidentally having some Magic Hat at their hard launch in Burlington.

Laurentide was my go to for several years when it became impossible to find Dow anywhere other than the odd convenience store. If memory serves, the bulk of the marketing was to French Quebec. I liked it, but half the reason I drank it was nobody else ever brought it to a party. I could always tell if someone was stealing my beer.

 

Yeah, Labatt '50' Ale was pretty commonly found in import-heavy markets in US by the 1980s (made it to California). Note the major difference in packaging... not just the different label or IMPORTED on the neck label.

USA:

CANADA:


More Labatt trivia: Labatt Beer was brewed and canned by General Brewing Corp. (Lucky Lager) in the 1960s, when the Canadian brewery owned a controlling share of General and it was also apparently imported in bulk and canned by Latrobe (Rolling Rock) in PA, around 2005 when both breweries were owned by InBev (Labatt had bought Latrobe in the late 1980s).

 

That US labeling would have been a hard sell in 80’s Quebec with the ‘Canadian Ale’ descriptor and red maple leaf logo on the label, not to mention illegal with the “ ‘s” at the end of Labatt.

I used to have a belt buckle with the ‘50’ label in the latter photo. I need to dig that up.

 

I can not begin to tell you how many of those brown bottles I pounded in my younger days.

Beer identity in Canada (80s - early 90s) was really centered around 2 types... you either drank Labatt or you drank Molson. Everything else was an anomally.. Heineken Lowenbrau... etc..

There was a Labatt plant that eventually closed in my city. I had a great story from my computer professor who actually worked at that brewery plant before he started teaching at the college. He told us stories that for managment to get the IT (info tech) employees to stay late on fixes, or work to be done... the company would offer them a case of beer to take home as an incentive. HA HA! gotta love it... what a time..!

 

The only current Molson product I can get in Tennessee is Golden. And I have liked it for many years, and still have a soft spot for it on occasion. It's flavor is excellent for a macrobrew, and distinctive. It's malty note is something I love, smooth and rich.

 

I just saw a post on a local forum about a new listing here for Molson Golden. It is going to be sold in the old 625ml format that was popular at bars in the 1970s/80s.


https://www.lcbo.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SearchDisplay?

categoryId=&storeId=10203&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&searchSource=Q&pageView=&beginIndex=0&pageSize=12&searchTerm=molson+golden&authToken=-1002%252CetYHJunN2fPHnqWYb6iXk2V4thGGKMCP7yRvypmsoac%253D

 

Listed as Molson Golden Ale, no less.

Does the LCBO typically sell the products of the Canadian macro breweries? I thought that market was served by the Ontario "Beer Store".

 

The LCBO has always had macros, but only as singles or 6-packs. I think this has opened up a bit but I haven’t paid enough attention to the macro offerings there. With the opening of sales at grocery stores a couple years ago, there was a thought it would change further, but The Beer Store seems to be the only place you can buy 12 and 24 packs still. so most of it is sold there.

Whenever Molson brings out a retro beer it seems to have an LCBO placement. This one for instance.

https://www.canadianbeernews.com/20...-archival-series-with-1908-historic-pale-ale/

 

Very interesting. I've seen Labatt 50 at stores in Pennsylvania but this is like 2-3 years ago. I believe it's still around.


Has Alpine ever made it to the US before? Interesting looking label. I wouldn't mind trying it.

 

Wildcat is/was brutal, those high ABV varieties in particular. The one that used to kill me in mid-nineties was Molson XXX.

https://www.thebeerstore.ca/beers/molson-xxx/

We used to drink a bunch of those very quickly before heading out to the bars to save some money. The headache would last into the following evening.

Quebec has some of the best breweries in the country. I’m hoping no one south of the border ever discovers Brasserie du Bas Canada. They seem to have very quickly become the leaders here in Pastry Stouts and Hazy IPAs. Messorem Bracitorum in Montreal is another that is getting rave reviews. Maltstrom for lagers and Sir John and Nouvelle France for IPAs seem to be getting good press. Of course Auval for Saisons and sour stuff too. Hard to get though being so far from civilization. Lots of great ones.

 

Definitely drank Moosehead back in the eighties. Began taking annual ski trips to BC in the nineties, and can remember drinking Kokanee and Island Lager. Eventually we started smuggling beers north because of the sad selection up there. We did the math and realized we could bring 4 Anchor Christmas magnums one year. The border patrol thought they had the bust of the century ("couldn't be beer ay") but had to admit defeat. Good thing they didn't find the baggie of mother nature stashed in a ski bag on top

 

Grab a moose and get loose! Solid marketing.. anyone remember Grizzly, maybe 1990??

 

Safe to say you are not a fan of AAL beers in general?

Cheers!

 

Interesting. By the 2000s, Labatt/InBev was still exporting it to the US but had pretty much dropped the "50" term (well, it's there in "fine print") and calling it just "Canadian Ale".

NAB/Fifco, owner of the brand in the US post-AB/InBev merger, has brewed a number of Labatt-branded beers (other than Blue/Blue Light) at their Genesee brewery in Rochester - apparently a US-brewed "Labatt 50" was one of them.

 

Well, needless to say I was 'off the mark' here.

Do you have AAL favorites? Any 'trend' as regards nationality (e.g., like Mexican brewed AALs, dislike American brewed AALs, love Carling Lager from the UK, etc.).

Cheers!

 

You specifically stated you dislike Bud, Bud light, Millers?

You then mention that you like Pilsner Urquell (a Pilsner) and Cigar City Lager (a Helles).

But no mention of an AAL brand that you do like.

You might enjoy Hamm's or Yuengling Traditional Lager (which are both adjunct lagers) but you have never actually tasted them so...

Is there an AAL beer that you have actually tasted and that you liked?

Cheers!