Viti Wine & Lager

Viti Wine & LagerViti Wine & Lager
Viti Wine & LagerViti Wine & Lager
Store

900 Seymour St
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6B 3L9
Canada

(604) 683-4251 | map
vitiwinelagers.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.96
Reviews:
9
Ratings:
16
pDev:
9.09%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 3.64 by kristinc from Canada (BC)

Nov 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.5 by olradetbalder from Sweden

Dec 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.91 by bumchilly25 from Canada (BC)

Nov 23, 2014
 
Rated: 3.25 by TurdFurgison from Ohio

Oct 17, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by jrempel from Canada (BC)

Jul 16, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by KStark from Canada (BC)

May 15, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by ZachT from Canada (BC)

Oct 21, 2013
Photo of 4ster
Reviewed by 4ster from Canada (ON)

4.08/5  rDev +3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Practically lived above Viti for two years so know the store well, and can credit them to fueling my entry into the (addicting) world of craft beer.

As others have mention the store is not large and is a specialty liquor store, not just beer store, so also carries wines, spirits, etc... though for either of those you might as well go to the BC Liquor Stores as they will be cheaper, though they do carry a few hard to find European spirits that you might not get elsewhere.... but back to the beer...

For the size of store, carries a decent selection of beers that are their 'standards', and get in a decent variety of new releases, mainly from local producers. After about two years I had drank just about most of their normal stock, but their incoming selection of harder to find seasonal releases kept me coming back. As others have said, most of the 'kids' coming into the store are searching for BudLightLime, (which they don't carry and we always have fun discussions about the state of beer consumption...but alas I digress), so you can often get some hard to find beers here that may leave other stores quicker.

Again, as others have mentioned most of the guys there know their beers quite well. Some know more about the Beligums (which they carry a decent selection of), while some of the staff know more about local craft brews. Primarily their focus is on West Coast locals, with some 4/6 packs from out East as well.

Overall a decent store, a little pricy but decent for downtown, friendly and helpful service, and one of the few places downtown that stocks good craft brews so for convenience after leaving the office downtown and heading home, it can't be beat.... if you're looking for very special, East coast American top rated beers, good chance you probably won't find it here, but if you're looking to get into the craft beer scene or expand your repertoire on West Coast breweries, I can highly recommend this place.
Oct 31, 2012
Photo of spoony
Reviewed by spoony from Colorado

4.08/5  rDev +3%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4
Viti was probably the best beer store I managed to drag my wife into during our recent trip to Vancouver.

The atmosphere is small and a touch cluttered, but not unsafe, uncomfortable, or mega-store-neon-annoying.

The beer quality is good, if not great. They had a number of Belgians (including four different Cantillon brews and a few other hard-to-find imports), as well as some other unique and quality stuff from Canada and elsewhere.

The staff was friendly to the point of being overbearing, but if you said, "No thanks," they left you alone. They also seemed to know their beers (although they did steer me into a horrible brew from Greenland...).

The selection for a small place in the heart of downtown Vancouver was pretty solid. As I mentioned above, I found more unique beers here than at some of the bigger stores I wandered into. That being said, this was not a place with enough space to stock everything good.

Lastly, the prices were on the high side, but not unusual for the location.
Sep 05, 2012
Photo of distantmantra
Reviewed by distantmantra from Washington

3.8/5  rDev -4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
My wife and I stay at the Moda Hotel in downtown Vancouver every July for our wedding anniversary. Since Viti is attached to the hotel, I always end up here at some point during the weekend.

The store itself is pretty small and compact, but they manage to carry a nice selection of products. Their focus appears to be on American and European imports, with only a small selection of Canadian craft beers. The person working the store was very knowledgeable and helpful when I had questions about a specific beer. I was able to acquire a couple bottles from Baird out of Japan, and they even had Westvleteren that was legally procured from the Abbey.

Although it is not on the same level as the bottle shops across the bridge, Viti is your easily best option for craft beer in the downtown Vancouver core.
Aug 01, 2011
Photo of psiweaver
Reviewed by psiweaver from Washington

4.44/5  rDev +12.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
So i've been to Viti 3 times. They have a huge amount of craft beer from BC, Belgium and the US packed into a fairly small shop. They definitely maximize the space though it can be challenging to browse because everything is so packed in and you can miss things pretty easily.

The staff have always been very friendly and more than happy to help. They greet you as a you walk in.

I find this shop to occasionally have stuff that Firefly and Brewery Creek don't simply because this one flies a bit under the radar as well as seeming to get their shipments a bit after the other too. This is nice when you watch your twitter feed from Seattle but won't be up until a bit after a hard to find beer is released.

Definitely worth checking it out especially if your close by. parking can be challenging at times.
Apr 23, 2011
Photo of DoubleJ
Reviewed by DoubleJ from Wisconsin

4.65/5  rDev +17.4%
Viti Wine & Lager is dark on the interior. It's not a large store, but the space is utilized very efficiently, filled with lots of wine, cider, and beer. Beer is towards the back of the store, some is refrigerated, some is not, but most is neatly displayed without any dust.

Examples of beer in stock: Dieu du Ciel, BrewDog, Samuel Smiths, Charlevoix, Steenbrugge, Celebrator, Les Trois Mousquetaires, Cantillon, North Coast, Dogfish Head, Ballast Point, many British Columbian brewers.

I needed help with my beer search, and two store employees (one was the beer buyer) helped me out. They both loved to talk beer, and the beer buyer explained to me how he was able to carry some of the brands (particularly the American brands). His claim to fame, according to him, is the fact he's the only one who carries Charlevoix in the province.

A little expensive for some products, but you're paying for the location. But overall, a high quality beer store in downtown Vancouver; the selection and service easily justify a visit.
Jun 07, 2010
Photo of astout
Reviewed by astout from Canada (BC)

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
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.
Oct 12, 2009
Photo of Graham5161986
Reviewed by Graham5161986 from Canada (BC)

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
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.
Aug 11, 2009
Photo of Metalmonk
Reviewed by Metalmonk from North Carolina

4.35/5  rDev +9.8%
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.]
Jul 06, 2009
Photo of canucklehead
Reviewed by canucklehead from Canada (BC)

4.15/5  rDev +4.8%
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.
Jun 02, 2009
Viti Wine & Lager in Vancouver, BC, Canada
Place rating: 3.96 out of 5 with 16 ratings