Coming soon to the LCBO

Personalty, I am hoping to find St. Peter's Winter Ale by December, but I haven't heard anything.

 

Great to hear about the return of Saison Dupont. I preferred the big bottles but beggars can't be choosers.

St. Peter's Winter Ale has been brought in seasonally for several years running now. It usually shows up around the same time as all of the seasonal gift packs and boxed glassware bundles (i.e. mid-November).

I'd be kind of shocked if they didn't bring it back again this year. It seems to sell very well, at least locally - there's almost never any bottles left on the shelves by Xmas.

 

Someone on BT mentioned Orval and Westmalle Dubbel had been released. No sign of stock. Anyone?

 

I'd be in for 3-4 bottles. It's an expensive one!

 

no need to split!

Order the whole case. When it arrives for pick-up at local store sign sales slip, open up the case, take out the ones you don't want and ask for refund.

easy!

 

LCBO policies are consistent across the board and employees are always willing to help so this shouldn't be a problem.

 

I can't tell if this is sarcasm or not having never been to an LCBO.

Assuming it's not, does this mean that you Ontario folks could theoretically stock the stores with whatever you like just by ordering cases and returning most of them?

 

Pretty sure it was heavy sarcasm.

The various return policies are one of the few 'decent' things about the LCBO (sometimes), assuming the fates are on your side.

How the details of one's return will be handled is anyone's guess. For example, you can return unopened product without a receipt whenever you want providing the product code is current, and the labels haven't changed (your mileage may vary). If you've said the appropriate prayers to the gods and sacrificed the correct number of chickens to Asclepius, you might get a gift card for the dollar amount returned to be used whenever you want. If you botch the sacrifice, you may be compelled to spend the amount of the return then and there all at once. Perhaps you chose a Tuesday to make your return when you should have chosen a Wednesday. As everyone knows, on Tuesdays, only returns of product currently for sale in that particular store will be accepted...

The ability to return without receipt or time restrictions is great. Of course, the possibilities for abuse by the unscrupulous are myriad. A guy could return some Rochefort 10 after a couple years, and the average LCBO employee would be none the wiser. Was it kept in a cool cellar for 2 years, or in the trunk of a car? How would one know?

My favourite aspect of the LCBO returns policies is the fact that you can return a single bottle of a beer that you are not allowed to buy as a single, only as a six pack. Then, depending on the store, the next guy may or may not be able to buy the returned bottles as singles because of the missing bottle. He may have to buy five. Exciting stuff!

 

So that means one can buy a beer in Quebec and return it in Ontario? Crazy stuff.

 

Heavy sarcasm.

I'm more confused by their return policy that says you must return the product you purchased. But when we are talking about the online purchases you haven't purchased a bottle, you've purchased a case. So how can you manage to return part of the whole?

 

Actually, you are purchasing 12 or 24 bottles, NOT one case (if you type in the sku, it comes up with price of single bottle). Look closely at the website/order, the beer is priced by-the-bottle, not the case. The receipt shows purchase of 12 (or 24) bottles.
http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/catalog/ale/11022#contentBeginIndex=0&productBeginIndex=0&beginIndex=0&orderBy=&categoryPath=beer/ale&pageView=&resultType=products&orderByContent=&searchTerm=&facet=onlineexclusiveonly%3A%22true%22&storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&fromPage=&loginError=&userId=-1002&objectId=&requesttype=ajax

 

I enjoyed Saison Dupont when I was in Belgium, it would be nice to get a few more bottles. I might have to plan a trip to Ontario!

 

I would be into bottle splits IP for EMJesus, any Del Ducato or interesting Keep 6 brews. Willing to travel. Message me.
Cheers!

 

Not to steer business away from our illustrious LCBO (/sarcasm), but Saison Dupont (~$10/750ml bottle and $5/330ml) and Bons Voeux (~$12/750ml bottle and $8/375ml) are currently/always available via private order through the SAQ.

 

I didn't know you could do that. It looks like an awful lot of work. Frankly (not that there is much of a 'free-market' in the system up here), I would rather travel and spend my money in Ontario as a reward for them bringing new things in and listening to their customers*, than to fill out a bunch of paperwork and pay the SAQ money that they'll use to import more two-year-old bottles of the Shipyard beers no one wants in Maine.

*- I'm aware that you ON folks probably think I'm crazy to say that, but just the fact that this thread exists tells me that the LCBO is pretty open within the framework they have.

 

I imagine. Minimum of 150$, 80% down and a bunch of other crap.

 

Yes, it is full cases only.

The good: It's pretty straightforward. You order through the Office des Grands Crus. You pay the shipping cost (getting the case from the warehouse to your local SAQ) up-front via paypal to the office manager. When the case arrives at your SAQ, they call you and you go pick it up for the exact price listed on the OdGC website + bottle deposit. C'est tout. It works quite well actually provided you are only looking for "normal" stuff, like Dupont.

The bad: Anything listed there that is rare (Cantillon, 3F, etc.) is held for ransom and used to clear the bad stock they could not sell in the store (e.g., you need to buy 4 cases of crap before being permitted to buy 1 case of gueuze at full price...true story). Also, the shipping cost is inflated with rarity (e.g., x12 bombers of Dupont ships for $14 where x6 bombers of 3F ships for $45...true story).

 

It is OdGC doing it...and now you know why Cantillon is coming in through TdD.

 

Yeah, I think I'll just wait until the next time I'm in Ontario to grab some, rather than spend a fortune getting a whole case. Nabbing 4 or 5 at the LCBO sounds like a much better deal to me!

I've known about importing through the SAQ for a long time now, but there has never been anything that I wanted in large enough quantities to buy that way. Unless they start importing cans of fresh Heady Topper...

 

I've always been hesitant to use OdGC and other importers, especially for their "in stock" inventory. They don't provide any dates for what's on sale and I'm also a bit concerned about how the beer is stored. Products that are ordered a few months in advance I'd assume wouldn't come with this risk. Still seems like a large enough gamble considering the quantities one has to order.

 

Keep6 have added some cool new stuff since the launch of the LCBO online store. Del Ducato Beersel Morning, Oud Beersel Kriek and Gueuze, Evil Twin Even More Jesus, Dunham Assemblage #6 (for $14 a bottle!). Only downside is that stock is limited and sells out in hours.

 

Geezus, that's cheaper than at the brewery!

 

And there we have the upside of the LCBO.
All those who want privatization, get your wallets out!
Personally, I still think trading rocks!

 

Old Weller Antique 107 $35 a bottle. Another great value.

 

350 bottles available for online order ($114.95 each) the day Fall CANBIF pairings are due to be released ...

 

You planning on surprising someone?? LOL

 

If anyone's looking for a single bottle package I suppose.

 

Oh hells yeah. I've been craving Karma Citra since the end of LAST summer. Wonder if they're going with the bombers again or switching to tallboys (like with Lake Effect)?

 

Looking for some input...I usually go to the LCBO in Hawkesbury (as it is the closest) but their track record of ordering/receiving Great Lakes IPAs is crappy. Any one know how I can force their hand to ensure they will be ordering this?