The worst thing about true Canadian beer is that you can't find very much of it in Toledo. Which means if you're planning to serve it up at an Olympics party, be prepared to go mainstream.

Of course, Labatt, Molson, and Moosehead varieties are available in abundance, but when it comes to craft and microbrews that are truly Canadian - after all, Labatt and Molson are owned by Belgian and American interests - the pickings are slim.

An informal check of local stores found the big brands, and then only Unibroue and MacAuslan represented from the small northern breweries.

Reasons abound, but mainly center on economics - the cost of shipping, tariffs, stiff competition from American breweries - and the fact that Canadian beer is considerably more robust in terms of alcohol.

"A lot of them have high alcohol and there's a limit on how high you can go here, which I believe is 12 percent," said Matt Adams, beer manager at Joseph's Beverage Center on Talmadge Road. "And the other [problem] is a distribution problem of getting it down here."

It's not uncommon, he said, for people to drink Labatt or Molson in Canada and then come back here and complain that it just doesn't taste the same. The difference is that the alcohol content is lower in the states, which affects the flavor, he said.

Mike Manore, a manager/buyer for The Andersons Market in Sylvania, said the irony is that even though very few of their beers make it south, Canada is known for its excellent beer.

"They're pretty diverse. They have their large breweries like we do and they have a lot of their microbreweries like the U.S."

The Canadian ale industry developed at pretty much the same time as the United States', with Englishman John Molson starting his brewery in 1786, according to Beers of the World (Parragon, 320 pages). Sir Thomas Carling began building his empire in 1840 and Irishman John Labatt started his firm in 1847.

Canada produces more than 619 million gallons of beer a year, according to Beers of the World. The country revolutionized the ice beer technique, which produces a brew with a much higher alcohol content.

Mr. Manore said The Andersons sells two of the craft varieties at its stores - Unibroue, which has about six different kinds, and McAuslan, which is pricey at $6.99 a bottle.

Unibroue is based in Chambly in Quebec and it's a relatively young company, founded in 1991. Its beers feature a wide array of rich flavors that range from citrusy to heavy caramels and some spices, which mean they might not be for everyone. Toss in some pretty heavy carbonation and you're talking about a beer that's fizzy and almost champagne-like.

"They're considered one of the big craft breweries in Canada, but they tend to go with the Belgian style of brewing," Mr. Manore said.

Their beers sell for as much as $10 a four-pack, making them a special-occasion beverage.

"People like to buy the good stuff, and that's technically the good stuff if they want to treat themselves," Mr. Adams said. "These [breweries] do put a lot of heart and effort into making these beers."

The standard Canadian beers - Labatt, Molson, and Moosehead - are marked by a crisp, clean taste that make them excellent complements to meals, no matter what you're eating. None of them are too heavy, and other than light and ice varieties, they generally stick to standard flavors and tastes, with Labatt Blue a pilsner and Molson and Moosehead both lagers.

Mr. Adams said Labatt Blue is the most popular of the big brands due to its heavy marketing budget, but he said any of the Canadian varieties is worth sampling, and the country's reputation for making good beer is well-earned.

"They get it done up there, they don't play around, especially with their beers," he said.

Contact Rod Lockwood at: rlockwood@theblade.com

or 419-724-6159.

First Published February 9, 2010, 2:25 p.m.