Boutique craft beer bottle shops have been opening up all across the country this year with the latest addition of The Old Galt Bottle Shop in Cambridge, Ontario. Rob Quilty and Rob Rappolt began planning for The OG Bottle Shop last year once the pandemic hit and alcohol takeout hit the scene.

The shop will not only feature over 100 beers from Ontario-based craft breweries, but wine, spirits, cider and non-alcoholic craft sodas will also be available for purchase.

The building dates back to 1923 and was once home to a bread factory, the South Waterloo Agricultural Society, and most recently Blackwing Coffee Bar which closed its doors last year.

“One of the key elements to this business being a success is the location and the building that we’re in,” Quilty said. “We went back and forth on some of the negotiations with the lease, and at one point, we decided that if we can’t get this location, then I don’t think we want to do this.”

Each style of beer will receive its own dedicated section featuring one fridge with low ABV beers, lagers and pilsners, an entire two-door fridge housing IPA’s, and another for sours, fruited beers and ciders.

“We wanted to create a better shopping experience than maybe you’d have at a normal retailer or an LCBO,” Quilty said. “I find it kind of silly that beer is categorized by region; it’s domestic, imports and Canadian craft beer. I don’t think that’s how people really shop for beer.”

The roster of beers will constantly be changing and there will always be new beers on the shelves and new brews on tap allowing customers to try different styles and brands which will keep them coming back. The shops newest releases include: Mill Race – Paris Beer, Cheap Seats – Fairweather Brewing, High Grade – Fairweather Brewing, Long Shadow – Fairweather Brewing and Squeeze Play Rainbow Sherbert – Left Field Brewer, among so many others.

“People want selection, they want to try new things, and they want to see new things they’ve never tried before,” Quilty said. “We want to showcase small, unique microbreweries that people have never heard of before.

Photos courtesy of The Old Galt Bottle Shop/Instagram