The Bar Towel

Big news, feels like it could be a game-changer (at least temporarily). Wonder if some of our favourite beer-friendly restaurants will get on board?

https://www.thestar.com/politics/provin ... -beer.html

Long overdue,but seems like a token gesture right now. How much revenue is a newly restricted "take-out only" establishment going to make from this? Will they be charging bar/resto prices for take out beer? I'd be interested if places like Volo liquidated their cellar though.

Def charging restro prices: https://arabellatakeout.com/collections/growlers-to-go

beerstodiscover wrote:Long overdue,but seems like a token gesture right now. How much revenue is a newly restricted "take-out only" establishment going to make from this? Will they be charging bar/resto prices for take out beer? I'd be interested if places like Volo liquidated their cellar though.

Il Fornello claims they are charging HALF price on wine.

So I guess they can at least monetize their cellar inventory without the cost of waitstaff for the time being. Cash flow is cash flow.

Bar Hop is on DoorDash. Currently 25-30% off says their Instagram.

I do hope the industry manages to convince the powers that be to keep this going after the COVID-19 stuff is (mostly) done.

Bars should be allowed bottles, cans and growlers of draft for sale to go.

Of course all these progressive changes over the past year come at a time when I've ramped up my homebrewing and drastically cut down my commercial spending outside of a few favourites and odd new stuff that I want to try. Would have been nice years ago. Ah well.

Anyone taken advantage of this yet?
I just can't pull the trigger and pay the high prices of volo / bar hop / wvrst / etc to drink at home.
Perhaps as a special treat now and then...like if we're still locked down when my birthday rolls around in the summer.

I'll just use this thread to catalogue any positive experiences I had with takeout. I'm usually relegated to the beastside, so that's where I tend to do my beer shopping.

Yesterday I stopped in at Boxcar Social in Riverdale, and they essentially converted the place to a classy liquor store. They have some good beer on tap they'll put into plastic amber half-growlers (32 oz/950 ml), including stuff from Blood Brothers, Fairweather and Bellwoods. This current list might not be up to date, but here's an idea: https://boxcarbottlesriverside.ca/collections/beer

Because of that silly "have to include food with your purchase" rule, they're throwing in small bags of popcorn. Pretty friggin' sweet, if you'll pardon my French!

Had a good experience at one my fave haunts today, Betty's on King East. You can get draft beer (or margaritas) in a plastic container, or a mixed six-pack of local craft at a flat rate — although Bellwoods beers are individually priced.

They'll throw in a Schneider's meatstick to fulfill that government-mandated esperienza del ristorante. Good beer, friendly folks and the back-patting satisfaction of supporting your local? Pretty good deal to me!

shintriad wrote:Had a good experience at one my fave haunts today, Betty's on King East. You can get draft beer (or margaritas) in a plastic container, or a mixed six-pack of local craft at a flat rate — although Bellwoods beers are individually priced.

They'll throw in a Schneider's meatstick to fulfill that government-mandated esperienza del ristorante. Good beer, friendly folks and the back-patting satisfaction of supporting your local? Pretty good deal to me!

That's a great haul. It's cool that they're selling draft beer to go as well. Here's to hoping that these changes become permanent once the worst of the pandemic is over.

I'm hoping it sticks around too. Though the food requirement is silly. Much like before some of the liquor law changes from a few years ago when bars had to make available food for purchase. T&M made available frozen dinners for $20 which of course no one bought. I recall Black Dice doing something similar. I saw a recent instagram post by T&M where they were selling potatoes for $0.25. Sigh.

And I hope public drinking will be allowed at some point. We already have various laws around bad conduct, whether intoxicated or not. Just enforce that heavily for the jackasses that don't behave.

Seems silly to me that people can smoke marijuana in parks and get high but you can't drink alcohol.

lister wrote:Seems silly to me that people can smoke marijuana in parks...

Are you sure? I didn't think legalization of marjuana meant that you could consume it anywhere in public, let alone smoke it. Certainly doesn't make sense that you would be allowed to smoke marijuana in places where you can't smoke tobacco. But I haven't actually read the regulations, I'm just going on common sense....which can be a problem.

S. St. Jeb wrote:

lister wrote:Seems silly to me that people can smoke marijuana in parks...

Are you sure? I didn't think legalization of marjuana meant that you could consume it anywhere in public, let alone smoke it. Certainly doesn't make sense that you would be allowed to smoke marijuana in places where you can't smoke tobacco. But I haven't actually read the regulations, I'm just going on common sense....which can be a problem.

Lister's right on this one - it's strange. Basically, each municipality has to decide if they're going to pass local by-laws to ban the use of marijuana on "public" property, like sidewalks, parks, etc. Some have done that, but most haven't, same as most haven't banned tobacco in public places, just in and near public buildings.

The regulations for liquor actually changed last year as well in a similar but opposite way. Municipalities can now, if they want, pass a by-law to allow consumption of alcohol in parks/beaches etc. As of yet, I haven't heard of any that have tried that - it's a good idea to try, but very difficult for municipal staff to propose in most places because of the ridiculous reactions we get along the lines of "but think of the children" anytime anything slightly libertarian gets proposed!

Stopped at Dark Horse Espresso at Queen East and Broadview over the weekend for a coffee, and found out they've had a Collective Arts pop-up for some time: https://collectiveartsbrewing.com/event ... ark-horse/

Wide selection of their beer, cider and gin, and at the same price you'd pay at the LC! You need to get some manner of foodstuff, but they have some top-shelf snacks and baked goods.

Seems as good a time as any to post this...

It was quite a joy riding around the city this weekend and seeing all the sandwich boards offering beer deals to go.