I have dropped by Church's Chicken a handful of times, mainly because I had a couple of Groupons and love the chicken tenders. Every time I am there, I look over to my left and see the Beer Store buzzing (no pun intended) with customers walking in. On Saturday, I decided to see what I was missing and joined in.
I don't hit LCBO or Beer Store often. When I do consume booze, I am often out with friends and rarely need to bring anything but myself.
I liked that the new beer releases automatically stare at you when you walk in. It's like walking into a Best Buy and seeing the new DVDs out for the week. The selection was impressive.
I walked into the main cooler section. There were a ton of single beers. I like that I could pick a few beers out and see how I feel. I don't have to commit to at least a six-pack. There was a decent L-shape aisle of beers to choose from, which constitutes a decent full aisle of selection.
Naturally, I walked the whole store. I loved the Shandy Carib and Red Stripe beers, which made me feel all ready for spring and summer. Take me away from this winter! It's cheaper than booking a trip to the Caribbean by letting the alcohol kick in.
I saw my dad's old favourite, Carlsberg. I can't drink it. As a kid, I once sniffed an empty bottle of it. Bad memories.
I got a can of Kawartha Lakes raspberry wheat beer and a can of Waterloo grapefruit radler. I like fruity notes in beer when I am not drinking my usual, Stella Artois.
I went to pay for my items. The guy helping me check out looked at my selections and said that Waterloo has a new raspberry radler. Cool! I wanted to give Kawartha Lakes a try and see if I like that raspberry. I appreciated his astute recommendation and will give it a try next time.
He asked whether I needed a bag. I declined, as it was only two cans. I walked with them to my car and put them in my cooler bag. After being out and about for a few hours, I was impressed that my beer was still chilled.
I cracked open the Kawartha Lakes raspberry wheat beer. It's pretty good. You can taste the raspberry. It's subtle, but it makes the beer notes stand out. I'm glad that I got it.
I haven't tried the Waterloo grapefruit radler. I tend to enjoy radlers, so I expect that I will like it.
There is plenty of parking in front of the store, even with the piles of snow melting away. Beer Store is located in the parking lot of Cedarbrae Mall, by Lawrence Avenue East. The main entrance faces Canadian Tire.
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