Is there anything more absurd than the Beer Store? Clever name, isn't it, for a store that sells beer?

Ontario has 450 of them, from Arnprior to Waterdown. Why is an abiding mystery. What earthly reason is there to have a whole chain of stores to sell a sudsy beverage that is safe to consume in moderate quantities?

The Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, had a chance to get rid of this embarrassing anachronism when she ordered a review of alcohol-retailing rules. She missed it.

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Instead of dismantling the system, she plundered it for cash. Supermarkets and grocery stores can now sell beer (and wine), but only if they pay for the privilege. Corner stores are still barred from selling beer, as they do in Quebec and in countless grown-up cities around the world.

To oversee the Byzantine new system, Ms. Wynne's government has appointed a (this could only happen in Ontario) Beer Ombudsman.

The Beer Store, set up in 1927 when Prohibition ended, and owned by private brewers, lives on. So does the government-owned Liquor Control Board of Ontario. So now we have: government stores selling liquor, wine and beer; a private chain selling beer; and grocery stores selling beer and wine – but only certain grocery stores and only under strict rules.

They must sell beer in a special section or aisle. They must not sell beer with an alcohol content of more than 7.1 per cent or in bottles of more than 750 millilitres. They must ensure that at least 20 per cent of the beer they sell is produced by small brewers. They must not sell beer under their own label. They must make certain that any employee who handles the demon brew gets special training. They must not sell packages of beer of more than six containers (no two-fours or 12 packs).

So far, the government has authorized 130 stores to sell beer under these terms. This month it opened bidding for 80 more. The aim is to have up to 450 stores selling beer (and up to 300 wine).

The logic is impenetrable. If it is now okay for private retailers to sell beer, why maintain a whole separate beer-selling chain in parallel? Beer drinkers can now buy the stuff not only at grocery stores and at the LCBO, which has expanded its own beer offering, but at craft breweries, which are allowed to sell their own beers but not others'.

It would be so much more sensible just to let the market sort it all out. That is what they did in Alberta when that province did away with the government monopoly on selling booze.

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To understand the folly of the situation, just visit a stretch of Dundas Street near Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto's west end. A Beer Store stands right next door to a new brew pub, Bandit Brewery. Here you can see the old world and the new world of beer side by side. The difference in look and attitude could hardly be greater.

Step into the Beer Store first. It's a squat, shabby building that is essentially a warehouse with a small retail area in the front. Only a few varieties of beer are actually on display, in a small open fridge. Otherwise it's all in the back. Two young guys in T-shirts will go fetch it for you if you tell them what you want. It is as if you went into a hardware store and had to ask someone behind the counter to go fetch you a hammer.

The one visible concession to the modern world is a touch-screen display that allows shoppers to sort through all the beers on offer. Newcomers might be tempted to think they could select their beers from the display and submit their order, but no such luck. It's just a way to look at the beers, not actually buy them.

Now go next door to Bandit. Look through the big windows in front and you can see the gleaming brewing vats. All of the bottled beers are right there in a fridge at the front, keeping cool. A guy who can describe the qualities of the brewery's IPA, stout and porter with impressive fluency rings up your purchase on a tablet device. Inside, the cheery waitress offers you a cheese plate to go with your brew.

The Beer Store is promising to up its game to cope with modern realities. "Our company's new mandate is to become 'Champions of Beer Love Everyday,' it proclaims on its website.

Newer stores are self-serve, with aisles of beer that customers can browse on their own. They have a revolutionary new logo, too: Instead of the Beer Store, it's simply Beer Store. Stores will look different "over time," with "refreshed interior decor" and "employees showing a renewed passion about beer and desire to engage with customers."

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Grand, but wouldn't it be easier just to abolish the crusty old relic and let any old store sell beer, the way it is sold in most parts of the civilized world? We can only dream.