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.