I had sent off a few missives to various Labatt contacts – emails, letters with stickers, social media appeals – over the years, but had some up empty-handed. And yet, just today, an email appeared like magic in my inbox.
Yes, Labatt has finally responded to my Winchester questions. Kind of.
I now have the contact info for some “brewerianists” out east, and with any luck, they’ll be able to shine a light on this mystery beer.
Stay tuned.
Another traveller on this dust path, this entry dates back to 2008, from Palmer’s World:
“We did end up at the Castle for the last few days. The Castle was a nice old pub built 100 years ago and Uncle Brent knew the owner Kenny very well. The most exciting part about this place was the price of beer…a round of four drinks came out to around $11. We were all impressed with the price and the beer (Labatt Winchester which we had never heard of.) “
The writer seems to be referencing the southern end of Vancouver Island, near Victoria, BC. Unfortunately, I can’t find any pubs that match this description. However, this was over a decade ago, so it might have disappeared into time.
To be clear, this isn’t about the promotion of irresponsible alcohol consumption, this is a search for a very particular and elusive type of beer. I’m not selling anything here – just seeking the truth.
Hey, if you’ve ever had a pint of Winchester, share your thoughts! Did you like it? Where did you have it? Was it labelled as Winchester, or something else?
While we might take issue with the description of the beer, we can assure you, Tristan – it’s not a dream.
Welcome down the rabbit hole.
Found this recently, although it’s not a recent post:
The important part was this:
“you can’t get lucky on tap. It just doesn’t exist. If they say its Lucky, its most likely Labatt winchester (low grade draft – most breweries have one of these)”
Very interesting, and it makes sense. A lot of the Winchester spots I’ve been to in the past have recently advertised their tap beer as Lucky Lager.
Is this just another layer to the coverup for Winchester?
So, you enjoy beer, do you? Consider yourself a bit of an amateur aficionado? Okay smart guy, here’s a challenge for you. Go on down to your local liquor purveyor, and grab a Labatt Winchester. Go on, I’ll wait here for you.
Actually, don’t bother, because I can tell you right now, you won’t find it. But I’ll tell you something else – something that might question everything you know about beer.
You’ve probably had Labatt Winchester.
Want to find out more? Stay tuned!