New beer/old beer: A plea

Dear lcbo: I would like new beer please. Thank you. Come to think of it, I would like old beer too. Your cupboards are still bare from the holidays, and thank you for providing for me then, but my cupboards at home are bare too. It's cold, and I need to be warmed by something delicious and beer-y. Otherwise, I'll dip into the bourbon. I swear I will, and that's not good for anybody. For the sake of my health, and my marriage, please don't make me dip into the bourbon. Please give me beer. New beer I haven't tried before. Old beer that I've tried before and really liked. New Ontario craft beers I hear about but can't get, old Belgian beers like Quebec gets but we never seem to. Please. lcbo? Are you there? Please..... [please]...

One little wish for 2012

If I had one little wish for 2012 (on the beer front), it would be this:

I wish I could go to a store that isn't the lcbo or the beer store and buy local craft beer.

I'd like to be able to buy some delicious local craft beer, like Spearhead or Lone Pine IPA from a central location in Toronto for home consumption, and not have to either:

a) have to trek all the way out to the brewery itself, or

b) wait for them to be able to make enough to make it econimically feasible to send their stuff to the lcbo or the beer store.

To be honest, there's so much interesting stuff going on in Ontario that I don't have access to, that's it's starting to get a little bit frustrating. Let's make it easier for these craft brewers to make money and to survive. Let's give them the breathing room to improve, make more beer, and be creative. Let's stop placing other countries' beers over our own. These things will only happen by making the product available to the consumer.

I'm hoping that this year, with the review of the liquor laws, we at least allow that to happen. Perhaps a "wine rack" equivalent for beer, owned by Ontario's craft brewers? That's what I want - and what I think Ontario's burgeoning craft beer scene needs to be sustainable and to thrive. With the way things are now, we can only get the big sellers from the craft brewers, and to be honest, the big sellers aren't necessarily the most interesting to those who really love craft beer. The little guy needs a leg up. And I want the good stuff.

Wish I could be posting more...

...but I haven't been knocked to my keester by a new beer in awhile. In fact, the lcbo shelves are depressingly bare these days. I think they're still recovering from the christmas rush. And so, I await inspiration from the beer gods, or from the word gods, or from the life gods, to write something interesting. Until then, perhaps a few short blog blurts, like this one, to keep the juices flowing, and so that you know I'm still alive. And, by the way, while this has all been happening, I've rekindled my love affair with an old quest: Buddhism/mindfulness. And it's going great. It can be paired perfectly with a nice Belgian ale. And I'm also a few months into a kettlebell workout called "Enter the Kettlebell!" I'm well on my way to being a Russian superman. This workout regime goes very well with a nice Ontario craft brew. Might I suggest a Smashbomb Atomic or a Mad Tom IPA? Of course, to be enjoyed AFTER the workout. By the way, I read recently that the best post-workout drink to have - better than water - is beer. Sometimes, the good lord gets it right.