OMFG this explains SO much!!

[ciroccoj]

Beer drinkers choose next prime minister of Canada
Wed Jan 18, 7:17 PM ET

OTTAWA (AFP) - Staff at an Ontario brewery believe they have an insight into who will be elected prime minister when Canadians vote after launching new beers with the effigy of party leaders on the labels and counting sales of each to predict the outcome.

"We started that last December with four new beers representing the main political parties," Lindsey Key, a spokesman for Trafalgar Brewery told AFP Wednesday.

The results, posted on a billboard, have so far echoed conventional polls throughout the election campaign, he said.

"It's interesting to see how similar it is to national polls," he said.

"In the beginning, the Liberals had a very good lead with 37 percent, and the Conservative were at 19 percent. But the (Conservative) beer has been gaining ground. The Conservatives are now at 31 percent of the sales and the Liberals at 26 percent."

Other polls using traditional survey methods indicated Stephen Harper's Conservatives have a seven to 18 point lead ahead of Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberals.

According to Key, sales of beer associated with the socialist New Democratic Party and separatist Bloc Quebecois also reflected fluctuations in public opinion.

The unusual poll has attracted the attention of politicians. The local Conservative candidate bought a dozen beers, not wanting to miss an opportunity to boost his party's numbers.

The brewery will host a party Monday night, promising to be the first to announce the election results.