to purchase alcohol in ontario you have to head to an lcbo, which stands for liquor control board of ontario. it’s a state run store that sells beer, wine, and spirits. if you are just looking for beer you can head to the beer store, a privately owned operation that sells beer. it definitely seemed odd that you couldn’t just go to a grocery or convenience store for booze. i guess some u.s. states have similar operations though, like rhode island for instance.

the beer store was pretty interesting. it was like in the movie strange brew where you place an order and your beer comes out on a conveyer belt. you can also bring in your used bottles for money off your purchase, which gives you way more incentive to recycle. i was also impressed that they sold two litres of IPA!

i noticed that just because you worked at the beer store didn’t mean you knew a lot about beer though. i asked for the hoppiest beer they sold and was recommended best bitter by wellington arkell. it was neither hoppy nor especially bitter.

– ryan

i love grocery shopping in foreign countries, even if it’s just while visiting our neighbor to the north. you always notice subtle differences from shopping at home and find totally random things for sale. not surprisingly, most items are labeled in english and french in canada instead of english and spanish like down south. it made you feel like you were a little further away then you actually were. it even added a touch of class to the design of some items. for instance, these great litres of eggnog! the mid-century graphic design with the french words gave the packaging a stylish vintage look.

another funny difference i spotted was non-alcoholic beer. they call it “de-alcoholized” beer in canada. at first i thought this was maybe the french translation, but in fact that’s just what they call it.

– ryan

i recently tried the fireside chat winter spiced ale by 21st amendment brewery. i really enjoyed this winter time ale! it had a mild spiced flavor and at 7.9% abv, it will warm you up on a cold night.

check out our previous posts on hell or high watermelon and brew free or die ipa for other great beers by 21st amendment brewery.

– ryan

21st amendment brewery

563 2nd street
san francisco, ca 94107
415-369-0900

on our recent trip to florida we visited the florida beer company tasting room and brewery. here they brew hurricane reef, ybor gold, key west, la tropical and other florida beers.

the brewery was fairly small, offering a fun intimate setting for the visitor. the tasting room was on the second floor of the building, right above the beer brewing. this allowed you to watch the brewers hard at work while sampling their beers. we watched the bottling and capping process while tasting ours. the setup reminded me a lot of the rogue brewery in newport, or.

i tried the key west sunset ale and swamp ape ipa on draft. although i enjoyed the sunset ale, it was the swamp ape ipa that really stood out. this tasty treat was extremely hoppy and a whopping 10%, quite the beast indeed! it was brand new from florida beer and not actually available yet. i was bummed i couldn’t buy any to bring home.

i had a blast sampling fresh brewed local beers while on vacation! if you ever find yourself in melbourne, florida, be sure to stop by the florida beer company.

– ryan

florida beer company

2500 south harbor city blvd
melbourne, fl 32901
321-728-4114

i recently tried the ipa by southern tier brewing and loved it! after recommendations from my buddy willy, i was excited to find southern tier beers finally available in georgia. this triple hopped ale is refreshing! it is super hoppy and has a great citrus aroma. on top of that, it packs a punch at 7.4%! for a great new hoppy beer, try out the ipa by southern tier brewing.

be sure to try the crème brûlée imperial milk stout by southern tier brewing as well!

– ryan

southern tier brewing

2072 stoneman circle
lakewood, ny 14750
716-763-5479

with the help of my buddy rob from oregon, here is the lineup of wet/fresh hop ales i will be tasting and comparing!

from left to right:
silver moon brewing – hop-popatamus fresh hop ale – 6.7% – bend, or
bridgeport brewing – hop harvest ale – 6.56% – portland, or
deschutes brewery – hop trip fresh hop pale ale – 5.5% – bend, or
sierra nevada brewing co – celebration fresh hop ale – 6.8% – chico, ca
sierra nevada brewing co – estate homegrown ale – 6.7% – chico, ca
sierra nevada brewing co – northern hemisphere harvest – 6.7% – chico, ca
sweetwater brewing co – border hop-per ale – 8.6% – atlanta, ga
terrapin beer co – so fresh & so green, green fresh hop beer – 6.7% – athens, ga
great divide brewing – fresh hop pale ale – denver, co
rogue brewery – wet hop ale – 6.4% – newport, or

– ryan

i saw another pbr painting in east atlanta falling off of a billboard. it looks like i was a little late, but you can still see some of it.

be sure to check out the other murals we found around atlanta in june and august.

– ryan

it’s been awhile, but i spotted another pbr painting in the virginia highlands. although many of the other pbr murals have been painted over at this point, it was cool to find one i hadn’t seen before!

be sure to check out the other murals we found around atlanta in june and august.

– ryan

my favorite time of the year has finally arrived! we have cool weather, fall foliage, and, as of last week, we have the 2010 lineup of wet hop ales!

in case you missed my post at the beginning of the summer, wet/fresh hop ales are by far my favorite beers and are only around for a couple months of the year. this type of beer is unique to american craft breweries and is quite the treat when you can find them. these tasty brews are made with wet hops that are delivered to the brewery the same day they are harvested. the brewers are waiting on hand to add the wet hops to the kettle while at the peak of their freshness. the result is one of the hoppiest, most flavorful beers around. it’s the equivalent of cooking with fresh herbs rather then dried ones.

so far i have only been able to find sierra nevada’s northern hemisphere harvest in atlanta, but i am sure many more will be available soon. in the meantime northern hemisphere harvest is totally satisfying my fix.

i will be trying any and all wet/fresh hops ales i can find this fall, so be sure to check back for more reviews! i hear from my buddy rob in oregon that the rogue wet hop ale is also great, hopefully he can send me one.

– ryan

sierra nevada

1075 east 20th street
chico, ca 95928
530-893-3520

i recently tried loose cannon from heavy seas beer out of baltimore, maryland. it’s a tasty india pale ale that is super hoppy and 7.25%, a stellar combination! it’s also well-balanced, especially for such a high percentage, and features a great floral/citrusy hop flavor. if you’re into ipa’s, this will be a treat for you!

– ryan

heavy seas beer

4615 hollins ferry rd. suite b
baltimore, md 21227
410-247-7822