LCBO – Page 3 – Ben's Beer Blog

Never mind the LCBO strike, here’s the local brewers

Posted on May 15, 2013July 11, 2014 by Ben

As we rapidly approach the long weekend that unofficially marks the start of summer here in Canada and one that quasi-officially requires that we drink beer in order to celebrate it, we are also faced with the looming threat of an LCBO strike.

As has been repeated in the media ad nauseum as of late, the LCBO is urging us to “stock up” now lest we be caught without any other options for booze this weekend.

I’m growing fairly tired of this refrain for a couple reasons. First, I’m inherently suspicious of any solution being offered by an organization that stands to profit massively from said solution. Perhaps they really are just being nice, but hearing the LCBO say “You better come spend a lot of money at our stores ASAP!” really turns me off actually doing it and, given my tendency to leap to unlikely conspiracy theories, is almost enough to make me think that maybe the whole strike is just a massive, brilliant marketing campaign to get us all hoarding booze (Whether or not the ghost of Elvis is involved remains to be seen). Continue reading “Never mind the LCBO strike, here’s the local brewers” →

Black Oak Brewing’s Ten Bitter Years is coming to the LCBO year round

Posted on May 2, 2013June 3, 2014 by Ben

10 Bitter Years Glass

There’s even more great news for bitter beer fans (that is fans of bitter beer, not people who drink beer who are angry at the hand they’ve been dealt in life): Black Oak Brewing Company’s award-winning Imperial IPA Ten Bitter Years is coming to the LCBO.

Originally brewed as a one time only offering in 2009 to celebrate the brewery’s tenth anniversary, Ten Bitter Years proved so popular with local beer drinkers that Black Oak has opted to bring it back once a year every year since. Each year, however, the small batch that Black Oak brewed was available only at the brewery’s retail store and typically sold out in a hurry; leaving the majority of the beer’s fans, well, uh bitter, I guess. Continue reading “Black Oak Brewing’s Ten Bitter Years is coming to the LCBO year round” →

Another screaming example of why Ontario’s liquor laws need revising

Posted on April 23, 2013June 3, 2014 by Ben

Today a post I wrote went up on blogTO announcing the release of a single malt whisky distilled by Ontario’s first micro-distillery, Still Waters. My previous conversations with Barry Stein and Barry Bernstein about their booze have been enlightening–prompting me to write about the fact that most “Canadian” whiskies aren’t really Canadian at all and then later, based on my new understanding of Canada’s booze laws, I wrote about a whisky on Ontario’s shelves that seemed to be in defiance of those laws.

As with these previous conversations with the Barrys, my recent correspondence with them about their impending release likewise proved enlightening, unveiling yet another way that our province’s liquor laws are hurting Ontario businesses. Specifically, it was revealing that Barry informed me that a majority of their whisky–made just north of the Big Smoke in Concord Ontario–is destined for out of province sales elsewhere in the country, north of the border and even overseas. Continue reading “Another screaming example of why Ontario’s liquor laws need revising” →

Great Lakes Brewery’s “My Bitter Wife” coming to the LCBO

Posted on April 17, 2013June 3, 2014 by Ben

Well, it ain’t Karma Citra, but it will certainly do the trick.

Fans of brewer Mike Lackey’s great IPAs will be pleased to learn that Great Lakes Brewery’s IPA “My Bitter Wife” is slated for an LCBO release.

The release is part of the brewery’s Tank Ten series, which is apparently a “a tickle trunk of tasty treats,” and is designed to let GLB’s brewers flex a little of their creative muscle, reserving the eponymous fermenting tank number ten at their brewery to let them “brew whatever they heck they want.”

I was lucky enough to be at the brewery on Friday while the 650mL bottles were rolling off the line in anticipation of the LCBO release next week so I was granted this “scoop” as it were (Incidentally, the purpose of my visit was a collaboration brew with Mr. Lackey to brew what I hope will be another of his fantastic IPAs…but more information on that soon). Continue reading “Great Lakes Brewery’s “My Bitter Wife” coming to the LCBO” →

It’s time for a Great Lakes Brewery LCBO release for Karma Citra

Posted on March 7, 2013November 1, 2016 by Ben

If there’s one thing that this city’s beer fans can likely agree on, it is this: Mike Lackey brews some damn good beer.

Having been with Great Lakes Brewery for over 20 years now, the guy knows a thing or two about craft beer and, with his recent releases it seems that he is only getting better with age. It’s almost like his power to brew phenomenal beer emanates from his beard and the longer that thing gets the better his beer gets.

I haven’t done the research, but I bet the day he shaves that thing off would be the day he walks in to Peter Bulut Jr.’s office and proposes brewing a low carb lager. Continue reading “It’s time for a Great Lakes Brewery LCBO release for Karma Citra” →