Oh Lordy. It's Toronto Beer Week

Sleep well, my precious flower.

I promised I'd be back - and I am. I'm a man who keeps his word. A strong man. A handsome man. A man who used to hurry a lot. Who used to worry a lot. Who used to stay out 'til the break of day.

No more. Usually, bedtime is 9:30-10. 11 tops. I have a kid to raise. A house to maintain. Supper to make. Writing to get done. A job to do.

But this week might be different.

Oh Lordy, it's Toronto Beer Week. The best week of the year to be a craft beer lover in this big beautiful city. Stumble into any craft beer bar this week, and you'll be stumbling into little hives of mutual craft beer admiration filled with tireless barkeeps and beer folks and local beer nano-celebrities. But those titles don't matter this week. What matters this week is what they all have in common: they all love craft beer. And they're all in this together for the love of craft beer.

So, please, if you read this blog, and you live in Toronto, stumble into your local craft beer joint this week. See what's up. Drink what's there. Support local. Support good beer.

Even better, do some planning. The schedule of events is available at torontobeerweek.com. (It ends September 22) Find an event that looks good and go to it. Expand your boundaries. Take a subway across town to a bar you've never visited. Try a beer you've never tried. Try a style you've never tried. Go to an event that sounds weird. Pony up to a bar and talk to a publican. Just, whatever you do, support the folks who work real hard to put real beer in our mouths. And, like I've said many times, the better they do, the more choice and the better beer we get. Might I suggest you give Funk Night a try? That'll push some boundaries, for sure.

But enough about them - whose blog is this anyway? Back to me.

I know what you're all asking: But Pierre, what events will you be going to for craft beer week? Well, I'm not the night hawk I used to be. And that, combined with a sick baby at home who wakes at least twice a night and a certain two night New Year running concurrently, makes me say "Oh Lordy, it's Toronto Beer Week."

So I can't be planning ahead, but there are a few events I really have my eye on. I'll probably end up going to two of these events (Which ones, though, I'm not sure (the suspense is killing you, I know!)):

-The Rock the Danforth Pub Crawl Tonight (it's going to be really, really good. Don't worry about not knowing anyone, by a few drinks into it, it won't matter much). It start at 5:45 at 417 and works its way east towards my house, to Brass Taps, the Only Cafe, Morgan's on the Danforth and Sarah's Cafe and Bar. It's being run by Great Lakes, Sawdust City and Bar Towel.

-The other events are at the Only Cafe:

Tuesday, Great Lakes beer is taking over the taps with one of the best tap lists I've seen in a LONG time. I quake just thinking about it. Actually, wait - dont' go. You wouldn't like it. It'll be lots of farmhouse ales, bourbon barrel porter and other beers with WEIRD names like Dirtbag. Sounds yucky, right? Good. So it's settled, I'll go, and you guys won't.

On Wednesday, Sawdust City has a tap feature. I like them very much, but am still waiting to see what goodies they're bringing. They'll also have a moustache competition which, if I go, I'll win. So it's probably better for you if I don't go.

Check out the Only Cafe's beer week stuff here: http://www.theonlycafe.com/theonly/tbw.html

Anyway, that's just me - go out. explore. make some friends. drink some beer. go. go now.