General

Check out Canada’s largest collection of unopened beer bottles

Matheson with his collection Tony Matheson's collection of full beers is the largest in Canada.

The Captain at 22 Wing at CFB has been collecting bottles of beer since 1978. According to Baytoday.ca, he has over 4,300 bottles on display in his home — and another 2,000 in storage.

“I started this [when] I had just turned 18 and that was the drinking age here in Ontario back then and I decided I was going to collect full bottles and I have been doing it ever since,” said Matheson.

Originally the collection was just two stubby bottles, a Labatt’s Blue and an Old Vienna, sitting on Mattheson’s dresser. Now, his collection lines the walls of his basement in North Bay and one of his son’s bedrooms.

“I collect everything to do with Canadian beer. My kind of goal is to open up a beer museum in North Bay,” said Matheson.

This dream is on hold until Matheson’s planned retirement from the military in 2020. Right now, he is happy to show off his collection and hold the occasional beer tasting.

Want to learn more about Matheson’s collection? Check out his Facebook page where he regularly posts about new additions.

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