Lager rules in the steam heat of summer in southern Ontario, and we have so many small lical breweries that it’s impossible to taste even a representative sample.

My mother claimed to have been quite unable to drink beer of any kind until she learned to mix cement — the parents were installing a new wellhead, and it was a typically tropical July in the Ottawa Valley.

I’m with the Backwoodsman on the subject of drinking vessels — a glass or mug is a must. Put it in the freezer before starting your shift in the garden, and enjoy the even frostier treat when you’re finished (in at least two senses of the word).

Due to weight and fragility, the beer bottle is a threatened species in these parts, as most breweries have shifted completely to tins. I will not drink from a tin if I have any choice in the matter. I keep imagining myself with a cut lip.