Looking for the original Bar Towel blog? You can find it at www.thebartowel.com.

We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.

Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!

Search found 26 matches

by Bill Pierce
Fri Dec 14, 2012 4:09 pm
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

I like Belgian dark strong ales, and each year over the holidays we have a tasting of the ones I can find, typically either at the LCBO or across the border at Premier Gourmet. That's usually five or six different beers. It will be a pleasure to be able to include Westy 12 among them again this year...
by Bill Pierce
Fri Dec 14, 2012 11:08 am
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

I knew there would be a long line at Oakville, but I went anyway. I got there at 4:30 am and was number 12; the first two people had been there since 11:00 pm. Anyone who arrived after 5:30 was out of luck, which led to a couple of hundred people being very disappointed. The staff at the Oakville st...
by Bill Pierce
Thu Dec 13, 2012 11:26 pm
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

How many is Ancaster allotted to receive again?
I never heard a number for Ancaster. They've been very close-mouthed about the entire subject.
by Bill Pierce
Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:11 pm
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

I can say definitively (I was there at 9:40 tonight) that the Ancaster LCBO *does not* yet have their allocation. An employee said, "I cannot say" in answer to a question whether it could arrive tomorrow and be put on the shelves.
by Bill Pierce
Thu Dec 13, 2012 6:21 pm
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

I've been saying for a long time that beer should be treated like what Vintages does with wine and spirits. At one time special beers were indeed part of the Vintages program. However, the people who worked in that section of the LCBO were neither very knowledgeable nor very interested in beer (the...
by Bill Pierce
Thu Dec 13, 2012 4:47 pm
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

If I were a certain type of person (which I'm not), I'd be calling real estate companies and car dealers saying I was interested in buying a condo or a new car. I'd leave the contact number in the ad as a callback number.
by Bill Pierce
Thu Dec 13, 2012 4:08 pm
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

Here is the latest from the LCBO (http://hellolcbo.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1399/session/L3RpbWUvMTM1NTI3MzY4Mi9zaWQvbVR6Um13ZGw%3D): Toronto -Highway 401 & Weston (Crossroads) 416-243-3320 sold out -Queen & Coxwell 416-691-9758 - Pending arrival -Yonge & Summerhill 416-922-0403 sold ...
by Bill Pierce
Thu Dec 13, 2012 1:31 pm
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

It actually isn't that much cheaper even. I was curious so I looked it up. It is between 700-800 for a flight from Ottawa to Edmonton on Westjet in January. If you look up a flight from Ottawa to Brussels for the same week you are about $1,089 for the same week. Of course that doesn't include costs...
by Bill Pierce
Thu Dec 13, 2012 10:51 am
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

Kijiji ads have been quickly removed.
They'll be back. These people are like spammers; they have no shame and an almost infinite persistence at circumventing and evading the rules. Why do they do it? Because they know we can't stop them.
by Bill Pierce
Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:31 am
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

There was a report (posted in the store window) that Ancaster has not received their allotment yet. Depending on whom you believe, they will either put it out later today if it arrives, or have it available beginning Friday morning. I tend to think the latter situation is more likely.
by Bill Pierce
Thu Dec 13, 2012 9:24 am
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

I wish we could be as cool as you Edmonton.
I think it's a case of Edmonton being so uncool it's cool. They deserve something for enduring those winters.
by Bill Pierce
Wed Dec 12, 2012 8:00 pm
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

Ten years ago you could buy and drink a Westy 12 at the Map Room, a well-known Chicago beer bar, for $12. They poured it slowly into the proper chalice. I used to have one when I was feeling flush. It makes me nostalgic for those days.
by Bill Pierce
Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:56 pm
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

SOOO......has anyone noticed any gift packs sitting on a shelf in Ontario today?! Specifically GTA? Apart from Ottawa, London and Kingston (all right, we can quibble about Ancaster and Guelph), you can assume that all locations allotted any Westy 12 are in the GTA. Those of us who didn't get any to...
by Bill Pierce
Wed Dec 12, 2012 6:31 pm
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

This release has been crazy North America wide, similar situations are being reported all over Beer Advocate in places like Arizona, Carolina and Florida where they don't have government run stores. The only place this sits on shelves is Alberta....its basically the promised land, if you told Ameri...
by Bill Pierce
Wed Dec 12, 2012 5:20 pm
Forum: LCBO, Beer Stores, Grocery & Indie Stores
Topic: Westy 12 release: mid December
Replies: 741
Views: 221383

The level of activity demonstrates the deep reservoir of frustration Ontario beer lovers have with the LCBO. Now if only we could translate that into concrete action that would resolve the situation once and for all. However, I think in that regard the LCBO is as well entrenched as some despotic reg...