It's been a steamy summer and so dry I thought the yellow grass wouldn't pull through. But grass always seems green when paired with an icy craft beer, doesn't it? Summertime is made for beer, and this summer, beer also entered politics.

In December, Premier Kathleen Wynne and her fellow Liberals were deliriously happy when they announced that they were modernizing beer sales by allowing grocery stores to sell it. I suppose with all levels of the Canadian government we can only expect small improvements; baby steps for the babied. Although, I thought it was comical to have photo-op enthusiasm for such a tiny advancement.

After all, in a population of over 13 million, only 60 grocery stores currently sell beer, with the majority being located in the Greater Toronto Area. There are a scattered few in southern Ontario and only one in the entire Niagara region. Unlike other provinces, corner stores aren't permitted.

On the Ontario.ca site, the Liberal government promises to add a paltry 70 grocers this fall, and has ambitions for up to 450 in the ever-so-vague "coming future."

Let's also remember that if you're serving a few people, or want a bigger stash, The Beer Store still has exclusive right to 24s.

This summer, federal Conservative interim leader Rona Ambrose has been pushing a "Free the Beer" campaign. She's been visiting small breweries and improving on her beer pond skills in an effort to loosen interprovincial trade and give craft brewers more opportunity.

Unfortunately, though, provinces want to hoard their taxes. And should you find a beer you like while vacationing in Quebec, there are restrictions on how much you can bring home. In Ontario it amounts to about three cases.

However, while Ambrose enjoys her sociable, Facebook-friendly beer tasting, we also witnessed a beer brawl between premiers Brad Wall and Rachel Notley. They had a public dispute when Notley decided to increase the tax on Alberta beer to $1.25 a litre (with some of the revenue going to small Alberta craft brewers). This didn't go down well with Wall, who said the price hike would hurt Saskatchewan brewers, to which Notley responded - and I will quote only the key words - "I will not be lectured."

I hate to see beer discussions get ugly, but I'm even more irritated by liquor talks. The LCBO boasts that it'll card anyone as old as 25 and are proud of the millions they've challenged for various reasons. This is all well and good, but the lingering overbearing parenting grates on my nerves when they forbid teenagers, who are accompanied by their parents, to carry a sealed bottle up to the cash register.

The LCBO also made this summer's booze news by announcing they'll be delivering to the door, but the fine print flattens my champagne bubbles. Delivery can take two to three days; it costs 12 dollars plus HST; and the order must exceed $50. This isn't progress, since there's already more efficient alcohol delivery with no minimum order, and why would anyone with a vehicle be bothered?

So here we are sipping our restrictive options to craft beer, oblivious or perhaps longing for the many great beers we've sampled in other provinces. And maybe we do have bigger issues, like Ontario's killer energy bills - but that's all the more reason to drink, knock down this interprovincial trade issue, and make beer available in most stores. It shouldn't be revolutionary to be treated like grown-ups and to be free to sample beer from all over the country.