Beer at the Rink on Renfrew

[old_time_hockey]

OK, I know many people don't like the fact that the only thing on tap is Canadian and Honey Brown. Honestly, if I am watching a game, I like Canadian. Guess it is tradition for me I don't know. But at home I don't buy it.

I was at a Victoria Salmon Kings game last Saturday and their beer selection even owns what they have at GM Place in the Siemens Club. They have Molson products, but they also Pipers Pale Ale and Hermans Dark Lager (my personal fav) from Vancouver Island Brewery. It is nice that they support a local brewery that makes some damn fine product. They don't have kegs of the VIB stuff, just bottles. But that is fine. And VIB also sponsors a trivia question and fan give aways at the games.

Why couldn't the Giants have say Granville Island products? Like the Pale Ale and maybe the Winter Ale for a dark(er) alternative? A local producer for visiting fans to try something different.

I know that the PNE has a contract with Molson. But if other teams/venues can have multiple contracts with different producers, why can't the PNE? Or are they getting a sweetheart deal and NOT passing their savings onto us?

[Section_Z]

But if other teams/venues can have multiple contracts with different producers, why can't the PNE? Or are they getting a sweetheart deal and NOT passing their savings onto us?

Was that a rhetorical question? =)

[old_time_hockey]

Just curious more than anything.

I realize that both the PNE and Giants miss many great PR opertunities. Either by not caring or by locking themselves into stupid contracts.

But since the Giants just extended their lease at the PNE, and upgrades are going to be made like a new scoreboard, I thought that it wouldn't be too far out of the way to upgrade the libations we consume at games.

[scrunt]

Thank goodness I'm not the only one who wants a better beer selection at the Giants games!. I have actually boycotted the beer at the PNE this entire season, because I think the selection is garbage. And adding Coors Lite and Bud wouldn't make it any better.

I need a lot more time to go off on the rant I am bottling up (sorry), but it's time for me to meet up with dondo and have a Tree Hophead India Pale Ale or two before going into the Coliseum for the game...

[dondo]

Actually I like micro-brewed beer because of the lack of preservatives. The much better taste aside the predominant reason I hate Canadian and Canadian with food colouring (Rickards) (as well as most of the mass produced product) is that they use large amounts of preservatives, and use grain substitutes like rice and corn which as I recall have the wrong kind of sugars or maybe more sugars so ferment more quickly to reduce fermentation time, there-by increasing volume and turnover of the kettles.

So all that extra crap and substitutes that were never supposed to be in beer, plus the extra bubble enhancers, and the excess carbonation, make it filled with air and crap that gives worse hangover headaches, more gas (you know the kind I mean) and basically sucking all the natural nutrients out of what beer is intended to be. Sure it makes you drunk, but its usually a pretty rough drunk and affects the stomach far worse than non-preservative, unpasteurized beer will.

Not having other options denies patrons a more reasonably healthy alternative. If it was all about getting hammered well then I'd pound back a half dozen shots of tequila before every game, but for me its not, so paying a ridiculous price for crappy beer that has no positive qualities whatsoever just does nothing for me.

anyway that's how I see it.

[Swando]

My Hockey Team went to Europe in 1992 and we played an 8 game exibition tour over 21 days. Of course we socialized with the teams afterwards !!!
Every city we went to in Holland, Germany, Switzerland and Austria had unbelieveble beer that was "home brewed" and served a little warmer than here but was !!!!!!! great..No hangovers etc and flavor was !!

Honestly I could not drink a pint of draft/draught here for 2 weeks when we came home. I ordered Heiniken/ etc by the bottle but not Canadian. I'm over it but thot I'd pass this on. On a funny note ...with out good beer here up north how must an American feel when he goes to Europe?

Another funny note. Our team was given a tour of the Heineken Factory at 9:30 am and it lasted an hour. They then took us to a room at 10:30 am and said we could consume as much beer as we wanted during the next hour. They served us beer in 4 ounze glasses. Boy were they easy to shoot!! We couldn't figure out why there were no green bootles in Holland and were laughingly told that it was only for export in the US and Canada. Everywhere else it's brown bottles, but willnot sell in the Americas with brown bottles!

[nelson951]

At least Seattle has(had?)Pyramid. Gotta be something good about Key besides space to lie down. :)

[old_time_hockey]

Oh, yeah....for got to mention.

At the SOFMC in Victoria you can order VIB products that cost....hold onto your hats.....$6.50!!!!! We are paying $6.25 for Richards.

Not only do they have BETTER beer. It costs the same.