Secret suds: Waterloo LCBO offering mystery bags of beer

'Mystery beer bags' sit on a display rack at an LCBO in Waterloo on Monday, April 25, 2016. (Dan Lauckner / CTV Kitchener)

When you head to the LCBO in search of beer, you can pick out whatever you want from their selection.

Or you can leave it to chance.

At the liquor store on Northfield Drive in Waterloo, a display rack greets shoppers with its offers of “mystery beer bags” – where the only thing buyers know for sure is the price.

“All bags contain four delicious beers hand-picked by the beer-loving staff of the Northfield LCBO,” reads a sign on the display.

Store manager Iian McKelvie says the bags can contain up to six beers, and that customers have been snapping them up.

“In the first two weeks, we sold over 200 bags,” he said in an interview.

McKelvie says the idea for the mystery bags came from a store employee who had the idea to create “adult grab bags”. It has since spread to other stores in the chain.

While every bag can contain a different mix of beers, McKelvie says the selection is “predominantly craft beer” and “almost all Ontario beers.”

“Sometimes we will deviate, but it’s mostly focused on craft,” he said.