I'm throwing this out there, we're going to Toronto next week for the week with the family. Are there any good bottle shops to hit? I've looked at the reviews in the "Places" section and besides Mill Street Brew Pub, LCBO, and The Beer Boutique, there's nothing else coming up, are these all the places? For what it's worth, we'll be spending the week at Canada's Wonderland, is there anything in that part of the area? Any input from our Canadian friends is very much welcome! (Or anyone in our community who travels to that area.) Prost!
Was in Toronto a few years back, this is the biggest LBCO in Toronto, http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/12717/?view=beerfly
You'll be up in Maple (north of Toronto), a good 40-45 minute drive from the Summerhill LCBO. Really nothing up in Maple to speak of. If you are able to make it downtown, while there's a great absence of anything interesting at the government operated LCBO's, there are quite a few bars/places worth checking out, notably: Bar Hop Volo Beer Bistro C'est What The Only Bellwoods Brewery ...among others
provincially monopolized liquor and beer sales make for a bit of a boring market. If you absolutely must grab a few bottles to bring back with you, avoid the beer store. It's owned by more or less foreign/multinational entities - with a 49% share owned by molson-coors, another 49% owned by AB-inbev (who owns labatts), and the last 2% being owned by Sapporo (who owns Sleeman's). If the business end doesn't bother you, most of these places store most of the beer in the back, with only the most popular packages being accessible from the front (or in singles in the front), everything else you're going to have to ask them if they even have it. The LCBO's are better than the beer store - they sometimes have a good selection of local craft brews and generally specialize more so in smaller package sizes (like 6-packs) and single bottles/cans. The Import selection isn't too bad, at least not in my opinion, just don't expect a stellar selection. Usually in bigger cities there's 1 LCBO that seems to be well-stocked with the better beers, and then every other store generally has a mediocre selection unless you get them on the right day.
When you're coming up from PA, you can hit the 401 & Weston LCBO before heading north on the 400 to Vaughan/Maple. The selection is just as good as the two best "inner city" stores (Summerhill & Cooper Street) and it's a more convenient location if you're not able to make it downtown. You can read my review here: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29525. There's also a brewery and retail store in Vaughan called Magnotta. Their beers aren't too special but the IPA and Altbier are decent: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1296. If you ARE able to go downtown, all of the spots that liamt07 mentioned are well worth checking out. Hope that helps! Cheers
I would say hit ontariocraftbrewers.ca and see if there are brewries near your travels for one-offs or hard to get one that you would work to find at the LCBO. The LCBO at Queens Quay has a good selection.
THANK YOU everyone for your responses, very, very much appreciated! (I've been off BA for a few days.) This is exactly what I was looking for and once again, the community comes through! Many thanks again!
