Few places on the Prairies will offer this kind of tap selection

The other day I needed to take my car into the shop for servicing. I had an hour or so to kill, so I wandered into a nearby pub for a pint to bide my time. I won’t name the establishment, but I will say it is independently owned, prides itself on its local connections and it books and promotes a variety of local musicians to play there.

It seemed like the kind of place I might want to be. It was quiet when I walked in. I slipped up to the bar and inquired as to what they have on tap. I looked over at the tap lines and found 4 Big Rock product, 2 Sleemans, Blanche de Chambly (owned by Sapporo/Sleeman) and Guinness (distributed by Labatt). This is a fairly common sight in Edmonton, so I wasn’t all that surprised.

I decided to ask the server (who, I discover later, is one of the owners) why they don’t carry any local beer. At first they say they carry a couple in the bottle, but when I push they admit to having none in stock at the moment. I keep at it. I mention that there are a number of great local beer that their customers would enjoy, and that it would fit into the atmosphere of their pub. Their response? “I need to make money. I carry what sells.” I respond by saying that if they carried the local beer, they would sell as that is what happens at other pubs in town. They retort that maybe in the future they might pick one local beer up but they need to keep what they have because they “make me money”.

I had a quick glass of Blanche de Chambly (a beer I quite enjoy) and left before my car was ready. And as I walked back to the mechanic’s shop, I got to thinking about our exchange. And the more I thought about it, the more miffed I got.

Here was a bar marketing itself as a local, independent option to the big pub chains and it refused to carry any local beer. Yes, it had Big Rock, which is a couple of steps above most places. But couldn’t it find space for even one local beer? It was very discouraging. And mostly because this place was not the exception, but the norm. Most pubs in Edmonton refuse to even glancingly consider a local option. They are far too conservative.

I don’t expect anything from the Boston Pizzas or even The Pints of the world, because they are controlled by large chains and most decisions are made centrally. But if you run an independently-owned, local pub, I expect more. You can go your own way and if your clientele back you, there is no downside. But far too many independent places play the same game as the big boys.

And that game is “inducements”. This is the promise from the brewery of some kind of reward for carrying their beer. It might be a free keg for every 5 or 10 kegs sold. It might be an allotment of swag like t-shirts, glasses, coasters and so on. Or it might be paying for a tap line installation, or covering the costs of a band or a promotion. It might even be the costs of a contest prize. The range of quiet encouragements is endless.

Of course, few owners “own up” to these kind of arrangements. I have asked many pub owners about their beer arrangements and I have learned there is a code. “I need to carry what sells”. “My tap lines are committed”. “No one asks for X beer”. “My customers want X”. There is an evasiveness when asked about contracts, inducements and encouragements.

I have no hard proof, although I have heard the story too many times from different beer people to believe it doesn’t exist. But no one will talk. The reason might be that such gifts are illegal in Alberta (see sections 81 and 82 of the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Regulation). Not that anyone enforces the law, but they do remain officially verboten. There is a mutual interest in keeping the whole practice under the rug. This is neither new nor unique to Alberta. It is basically standard operating procedure across North America. And, while it frustrates me, I am resigned to it. Except when the recipient is a locally owned pub proclaiming to be proud of their local roots.

You would think they could rise above such crass inducements. Their clientele usually have integrity and so would appreciate an option. Most of the local places that have offered local or good craft beer find it outsells the corporate doppelganger previously offered (case in point, see Sugar Bowl). So, frankly, there is no excuse. The reluctance is purely a consequence of buying into the system – which is something a local pub should avoid.

I left that pub unhappy, and will likely never return for the simple fact they refuse to support local beer. The local Edmonton breweries work hard to be a part of the community and do their best to support other local businesses.

When will local pub owners reciprocate? It is about time.