Ontario is DEFINITELY almost there. The pandemic has opened some doors that we didn’t think would be as easy to open only a couple of years ago.
That is, you can buy an assortment of craft beer and wine from places that are NOT the LCBO, Beer Store, Wine Rack OR the winery or brewery that produces them.
Exhibit A:
www.bevi-birra.ca birreriavolo.com or barvolo.com or keep6 Imports (all the same people)
These guys will ship whatever you want within the province.
Exhibit B:
4thand7
Sidewalk Bottle Shop
Pressuredrop
and on and on…
These are local spots/bars selling whatever they bring in to go. These beer sales have helped keep some of them afloat during the pandemic. Buy a mix 6er vs a big order from each brewery individually. Its been a great expansion of the archaic system.
Welcome to Alberta: you’re never more than 500 feet from an establishment selling liquor. Moving from New Brunswick 15 years ago, where NB Liquor was the only game in town, it was amazing. Most of the private retailers here are nothing fancy but some have great selections.
One of my favorite experiences was in AB at a Liquor Mart or something in Canmore. They had fucking Peche Mortel ON TAP for GROWLER fills. My fav beer ever in a huge format for my vacation drinking? F’ing A, man.
Importing booze in to Canada is still kind of a massive pain in the arse, right? I remember I used to shop at a little store called Richmond Wines in Calgary that was one of (I think) only a couple of businesses with import licenses in the city. They specialised in interesting (and often well-cellared) European wine that was tough to get even at the better independent shops. Really neat store, and then could also sell to other retailers.
It was definitely a shock moving to ON and seeing just how difficult the province made it to buy this stuff compared to Calgary. But definitely positive to see it getting better, and easier here. And the fact is, the pandemic definitely spurred me on to go to breweries directly and make that extra effort, which isn’t terrible I suppose.
I’ve mentioned this before, but at the LCBO level the volume requirements are just so fucking high. The LCBO is really good at securing decently priced/good selection at the low and high price points, it just absolutely blows at the mid range.
Need a 15 dollar bottle or a 200 dollar bottle, we got you. Want a 85/100 dollar bottle, crap selection.
I thought in Alberta, only the province (through Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis) could import. I’m pretty sure the province still controls it all, though I’m not sure how easy it is for any special one-off orders would be.
The other thing with the lcbo is building relationships with staff, or in my experience, the inability to do that. I was on first name terms with people in a couple of shops in Calgary - we’d kick around wine options based on what was for dinner, or they’d show me the latest sour beers when they landed. Here it’s just, pick what you need and roll out.
I’m sure there are people in those stores that have opinions to offer, I just haven’t found them anywhere yet…
I believe that is largely the case, but (at least as they explained it at the time) specialist licenses could be obtained if you put in enough effort I guess? I remember is was definitely a big deal to them - passionate folks happy to be able to get their hands on some otherwise-hard to find bottles.
They’re rare. I’ve had a few that have really given me a hand and chatted wine and Scotch, but some are very much there for the union pay, which is fine too, but not the best on the customer level.
I also find if you ask them, they’re usually amazing, they’re just not going to strike up thr conversation.
This makes sense. There must be a way to bring in the genuinely rare or small demand items, but given that it would mean dealing with us bureaucrats, it’s probably neither quick nor easy.
There are specialty importers still out there but they have to bring it in using the LCBO in some minor fashion so they get their piece or “control” of it.
Keep6 and Gleemer Imports in Ontario have been bringing in some killer beer selections over the years. Unfortunately it is very difficult and its a feast or famine situation (more famine in the past 8 or so years). There was a time I could post up at Beer Bistro in TO and get a bomber of Lou Pepe Framboise for $30 CANADIAN. Thats bar prices. Nowadays if you can find it at all its easily $100 at a bottle shop.
Alberta used to have a good lot of Cantillon just collecting dust on shelves. Those days are long gone.
Not sure how it works but a local wine store I frequent get a lot of smaller run and unique natural wines through a company called Juice Imports that must handle all the hard work on the back end
I was born in the West Kootenays and Kokanee was pretty much what everyone drank…when I moved to Vancouver Island, my Dad would buy it and the person at the till would always say “From the Kootenays?” Then Labatt bought it and no one in the Kootenays will drink it any more!
The best part about privatized alcohol sales is that you get purveyors who are reeeeaally into beer, wine or other liquor, which is awesome as a consumer. Talking to the staff in my favourite wine store, it sounds like it is pretty easy to be able to import pretty much anything they want.
Still, I don’t understand why we can’t buy alcohol in a grocery store like civilized countries. In Alberta grocery chains can sell, but it has to be a completely different retail unit to the grocery. So dumb.
