Viti Specials
Testimonials | Downtown Vancouver Liquor Store
10-12-2009
Paid this store a quick visit last weekend and was pretty impressed with the selection they packed into fairly limited space. Picked up the Oude Kriek there, which was awesome so I was pretty happy with my purchase. Also the staff is friendly and excited about getting cool beers in. Prices ere a little high for some things and really reasonable for others. Overall good shop with a decent selection especially if you do not want to travel far. More of an emphasis on single bottles but that’s just fine by me, plus it means they pack a lot more into the space they’ve got.
Revisited last week, and their selection had grown quite a bit, the store was absolutely packed with great beer. they’ve really made the most of their space and have a great local and import selection with a decent American selection.
Review by: astout (Vancouver, British Columbia)
08-17-2009
15 kinds of Rogue Beer? Holy hops man. I didn’t even know there were that many flavours made.
This is by far my favorite-ist store in all of Vancouver. Mmm Heavenly Beer.
Both times I have been here I have had awesome service from their staff. They will give you a history/production/politics lesson on beer whether you want it or not. But trust me, you want it!
As Daniel said this afternoon, the best beer in the world right now comes out of the United States. And I agree. They really do put us to shame here in Canada. Better micro brews, better varieties, better selection, better everything. You pay for it though. Some beers are pushing $20 a bottle here. And they are worth every penny. They even cellar beers here on site.
They’ve got Brooklyn, DogFish Head, Moylans, and so many more wicked breweries here too.
Review by: Peter S. (Vancouver, BC)
08-11-2009
This is a nice, tucked away little beer store smack dab in the middle of the city which is filled with quality craft beer choices.
It is a very small store but they make the most of the space they have and manage to offer a wide range of local and foreign craft beers with a few good sized fridges and some rare over-sized bottles of stuff like Gulden Draak and Augustijn.
The staff is friendly and inviting and willing to chat about great beer, making for a pleasant buying experience.
Prices are a bit high but that it to be expected given it’s private store status.
Overall, a great beer escape in an area of the city where you wouldn’t really expect one.
Review by: Graham (Vancouver, BC)
07-06-2009
My host in Vancouver in early May was lamenting the lack of stores that carry good U.S. craft brews in B.C. Later that afternoon we stumbled into Viti Wine & Lager and found exactly what he’d been wanting to see in Vancouver.
The two young employees were clearly almost as psyched with their selection as we were. They were happy to recommend and opinionate on whatever beers we were looking at, and those included lots of west coast selections, including Green Flash, Lagunitas and many others. Also a good selection of Belgian, German and English stuff. The place is clean and quite orderly, despite feeling small and cramped due to their voluminous stock. I also found a few obscure local oddities, so there’s definitely lots to uncover here.
Kinda funny they call it “Wine & LAGER,” considering that 1) they carry mostly ales (and no, that’s not splitting hairs), and 2) it could make a beer geek pass it up thinking they don’t know what they’re doing or what they’re talking about. But they do, and if you’re in the area, or even a local, this place is well worth checking out. [Score based on and relative to the surrounding competition, which it pretty much dominates.]
Review by: Metalmonk (Stuart, Virginia)
6-30-2009
The thing that most stood out to me on my trip to Vancouver was how dad-blasted nice everyone was. It didn’t matter what I was buying or where I was going--people were always incredibly friendly, helpful and immediately started chatting with me. Viti was no exception. One of the staff members helped me and my friends pick out a few bottles of microbrewed beer, and she was incredibly knowledgeable, helpful and funny. After helping to narrow down my choices, I ended up selecting a bottle of Unibroue Quatre Centieme to bring home as a souvenir. My boyfriend and I split it and we were not disappointed. It was tasty, unique and just the kind of thing I couldn’t get back home that I was looking to give him.
The only bummer is the insane BC liquor taxes, but that’s not anything they can help. (I think my Vancouver friends would lose their minds in a liquor superstore like my hometown Spec’s.) If I lived in Vancouver, though, Viti would be my local haunt for my wine, beer and spirits thanks to their warm, welcoming staff and surprisingly good selection for their small storefront.
Review by: Danielle S. (Houston, Texas)
6-14-2009
I’ve been using these folks as my primary liquor store for almost a year, and they are consistently terrific ... my love for them has been permanently sealed, however, as they’ve started importing beers from one of my favorite local pubs back in California ... try the Moylan’s, particularly the Kiltlifter. Their staff is incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about beers, wines, and whiskys. When I hit the wine country, they offered recommendations about where to go. And, the store dogs are lovely. Well worth a visit!
Review by: Darcy C. (Vancouver, BC)
06-05-2009
Paid this store a quick visit last weekend and was pretty impressed with the selection they packed into fairly limited space. Picked up the Oude Kriek there, which was awesome so I was pretty happy with my purchase. Also the staff is friendly and excited about getting cool beers in. Prices ere a little high for some things and really reasonable for others. Overall good shop with a decent selection especially if you do not want to travel far. More of an emphasis on single bottles but that’s just fine by me, plus it means they pack a lot more into the space they’ve got.
Review by: astout (Vancouver, BC)
06-02-2009
This is a small store attached to a hotel in central downtown. They have a good selection of hard to find craft beers packed into a set of coolers and shelves. I picked some Coopers vintage and difficult to find Swans limited releases which make the trip worth for me. The staff are great and fun to talk with a real passion for beer showing up. The prices are higher than some other stores but if are staying downtown this is a very convenient stop to pick up great beers. Most of the other stores are outside the downtown area.
Review by: canucklehead (Vancouver, BC)
05-07-2009
Great selection of mainly BC and USA beers. Very friendly and knowledgeable help from a good looking girl. Loads of good wines as well BTW. Prices were OK I guess, but I can’t compare to other shops in Canada.
Review by: jbrus (Delft, Netherlands)
2-19-2009
Cute & Convenient — You won’t leave empty-handed!
I love swinging by Viti to pick up my “spirits.” The shop is small, so there’s a chance they won’t have what you’re looking for, but the staff really knows what they’re talking about and they can help you find exactly what you never knew you needed - and I’ve got a beautiful half-empty bottle of wine on my counter to prove it ;)
They also offer complimentary wine tastings Thursday (4:30-7:30pm) and beer & whisky tastings Friday (4-7pm)!
Review by: Bethel L. (Vancouver, BC)
www.cityfood.com, www.yelp.ca/vancouver, www.ratebeer.com, www.beeradvocate.com, www.bravobeerco.com, www.morningbay.ca, www.winetastingevents.ca, www.thejudicioustippler.com, www.hotelscombined.com, www.fermentation.typepad.com.
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604.683.3806