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Great Canadian Beer Festival


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#41 spanky123

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Posted 25 June 2012 - 02:04 PM

This year there will be likely be a lot fewer American breweries due to the BCLB (incompetent, malicious idiots that they are).
It was really nice to have the small US brewers who do not import into Canada, that will not happen this year from what I heard. So basically it will be all beer that is already available here.


If that is true then I hope that the organizers tell people that before they sell them the tickets. The only reason I go to the GCBF is to try beers that I CAN'T buy in the beer store!

#42 Tim

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Posted 26 June 2012 - 02:57 PM

Keep a watch on the list of brewers coming on the GCBF website. I doubt they will yell the reduction out loudly.
On the good side they are going to get a bunch of entertainment this year which could well be a nice change. I would feel better about the steep price myself with something more of value added.

#43 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 26 June 2012 - 03:21 PM

What did the authorities do to change this?
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#44 spanky123

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Posted 26 June 2012 - 04:08 PM

Keep a watch on the list of brewers coming on the GCBF website. I doubt they will yell the reduction out loudly.
On the good side they are going to get a bunch of entertainment this year which could well be a nice change. I would feel better about the steep price myself with something more of value added.


The website says that the list of brewers isn't coming out until after the tickets have been sold!

#45 Tim

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Posted 27 June 2012 - 02:21 PM

What did the authorities do to change this?


I found a good explanation here, with more about the turn to Canadian beer as well.
http://www.mondaymag.../159777735.html

#46 amor de cosmos

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Posted 27 June 2012 - 03:50 PM

I guess it's a trade-off. Instead of breweries from the western US we might get more from Quebec & the Maritimes. Not necessarily a bad thing imho. Too bad we can't have both though. :/

#47 spanky123

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Posted 27 June 2012 - 06:42 PM

I can't see how they can sell 8,000 tickets at $40 per and then claim that they are a non-profit. The management salaries must be huge!

#48 baconnbits

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Posted 27 June 2012 - 11:30 PM

are you kidding? that is $320,000 in revenue.
there's the cost to get the permits and any licenses required, the cost to rent out RAP for two days. any other payments to the city. there could be a revenue line that goes straight to the city.
the cost to set up all the equipment and facilities, to rent the facilities. the cost to take all the facilities down. the security costs.
the marketing costs. the insurance costs for 8,000 probably drunk people.
$320,000 is not a fortune in that light.

#49 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 28 June 2012 - 08:01 AM

are you kidding? that is $320,000 in revenue.
there's the cost to get the permits and any licenses required, the cost to rent out RAP for two days. any other payments to the city. there could be a revenue line that goes straight to the city.
the cost to set up all the equipment and facilities, to rent the facilities. the cost to take all the facilities down. the security costs.
the marketing costs. the insurance costs for 8,000 probably drunk people.
$320,000 is not a fortune in that light.


They also get revenue from charging each exhibitor. Most of the "staff" are volunteers that work in exchange for a t-shirt and a great after-party.

The organizer nets more than $175k. This is all he does for a living. He does quite well for two days of intense work a year, and 363 days of organizing.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#50 spanky123

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Posted 28 June 2012 - 08:53 AM

I am not suggesting that the organizaer shouldn't make money.

I am only pointing out that I think it is amusing that he is bemoaning the fact that the Government refuses to recognize him as a non-profit.

#51 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 28 June 2012 - 09:19 AM

I am not suggesting that the organizaer shouldn't make money.

I am only pointing out that I think it is amusing that he is bemoaning the fact that the Government refuses to recognize him as a non-profit.


I agree. He's got quite an event here, I'm happy that a guy can pull that off, and make lots of money. I'm curious why nobody else does a similar event.

I'm not even sure he is all that concerned about the non-profit thing and the restrictions on the US brewers.

I can run a "non-profit", and pay myself $500k a year. And that's OK with me.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#52 Tim

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Posted 28 June 2012 - 10:09 AM

I know originally the event was CAMRA's http://camra.ca/ and some people were not happy at all when it was taken from CAMRA by the folks who run it now.
I would be and always have been very curious to see a break down of where all the money goes as the event is quite expensive for what it is.
I went to beer fest a few months back in Seattle which was Belgian style beers done by mostly pacific northwest brewers. It was a pretty good size, for sure 30+ brewers with 2-4 beers a per. It was hosted inside and for 30$ you got entrance, 10 tokens and a very nice tasting glass. I think tokens were 1.25/per for more. It was shorter with 2 sessions in one day (probably the best being that the beers were Belgians so a high percentage were 7-11% ABV)
So it was pretty much 50% of the cost of GCBF.

#53 cakeman

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Posted 01 July 2012 - 02:20 PM

The website says that the list of brewers isn't coming out until after the tickets have been sold!


If that isn't a red flag, I dont know what is.

I went on the wagon last christmas as Ive found as Ive gotten older the hangovers have become really really unpleasant.. but prior to that I was a big fan off microbreweries.. Even as a fan though I found I couldnt be bothered to go to the gcbf more than once every couple/few years.. The combo of long lineups with small sample cups and the people that arent there to enjoy some good beer.. they're there to get hosed and stumble around yelling WOOOOO .. kinda took the shine off it for me.

Id rather hit the local store, grab a handful of beers I havent had and kick back at the house with a few buddies..

cakes..

#54 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 12 September 2012 - 05:04 PM

An article in this week's Monday Mag says the festival is facing cancellation if they can't stop the liquor people from strictly enforcing the special occasion license rules.

Things like charging two tokens for the expensive beer, moving unfinished kegs from the event to the after-party, and the organizers (as non-profits) keeping too much profit (paying themselves too high a salary) are all frowned upon by the liquor authorities.

I've always wondered why the Sticky Wicket doesn't just do one. It'd be much simpler and with longer hours etc.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#55 spanky123

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Posted 12 September 2012 - 06:06 PM

Either everyone should be allowed to take advantage of the special occassion rules and reap the benefits, or the rules should be enforced as they are written. This should not be a suprise to the GCBF peeps.

I am entirely in support of someone creating an event and making a profit, it is not fair to the bars and restaurants though if they are told that they cannot do the same thing.

#56 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 12 September 2012 - 07:12 PM

Either everyone should be allowed to take advantage of the special occassion rules and reap the benefits, or the rules should be enforced as they are written. This should not be a suprise to the GCBF peeps.

I am entirely in support of someone creating an event and making a profit, it is not fair to the bars and restaurants though if they are told that they cannot do the same thing.


Well hold on, SO licenses are only available to non-profits (and weddings and stuff).

Bars can have a festival, albeit not one that can fit 7,000 people or whatever it is. Why don't the bars get together (God forbid) and do a big festival downtown. Strath, Bard, Irish T., Darcy's, Swans, Bart's etc*. One entry fee, 5 or 8 bars. Again, then they can more or less do as they choose with prices and profits. Octoberfest?

*Gee, making this list sure reminds that there are not really that many daytime bars around. Nightclubs could get special permission for this event, to open early though, like how Upstairs had Hockey (Canucks) House.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#57 G-Man

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Posted 12 September 2012 - 07:22 PM

How about changing asinine liquor laws. Crap like this makes me want to explode. The province should just get out of liquor laws entirely and leave it up to the municipalities to decide where, when and how much. I mean it is the munis paying the police anyways.

Ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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#58 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 12 September 2012 - 07:45 PM

How about changing asinine liquor laws. Crap like this makes me want to explode. The province should just get out of liquor laws entirely and leave it up to the municipalities to decide where, when and how much. I mean it is the munis paying the police anyways.

Ridiculous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I agree. How sad is it that it's impossible under current laws to have a wine festival, where participants can walk the harbour causeway sipping various $5-8/glass wines from nice acrylic wine glasses. Or Fort Rodd Hill. Or along the Paint-In. No, we can have beer pens with plastic cups and ugly 6' tall steel fencing and that's it.
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#59 spanky123

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Posted 12 September 2012 - 08:11 PM

What I was getting at is that a bar or restaurant cannot get a special occassion license. Corey can't pay $100 and open up his restaurant to 8,000 of his friends and serve them beer all day long as a liquor primary establishment.

The GCBF folks are potentially offside in a number of areas. The maximum you can charge for a 12 once beer is $4 and they charge up to $7.50 (and that assumes that the 4 oz glasses are filled to the brim), you can't remove beer from the premises and then serve offsite, and you must be a non-profit (as opposed to a business that pays out all of its profit to the owners!)

#60 G-Man

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Posted 12 September 2012 - 08:24 PM

^ The laws are offside. Government should be bending over backwards to support things like this though I would like to see it combined with what VHF was saying. A citywide beer fest now that would be awesome.

Visit my blog at: https://www.sidewalkingvictoria.com 

 

It has a whole new look!

 


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