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But some of them are excellent. And that’s where my friend Tyler misses the point.

I will grant that for problem drinkers, the higher alcohol content of many craft beers could be a problem. Ditto someone who grew up drinking Canadian or Blue and knows their limit there, but drinks two craft beers and gets behind the wheel, not realizing they’re over 80. (That’s still your fault, but I get it.) But there’s an entire other segment of the beer-drinking population that craft beer is perfect for. My segment.

I made the decision a few years ago to drink less beer, but also to drink better beer

I like beer. A lot. But in recent years, with young kids and mounting professional responsibilities and a metabolism that refuses to vapourize calories with the enthusiasm it once did, I realized I should drink less of it. My body was once happy to spot me three or four beers — I’d get up the next morning feeling fine and ready to face the day. (To be clear, I was not drinking three or four beers every night, but when I did, it didn’t slow me down the next day.) Trying that today would be insane. My kids burst into my room at 7 a.m. without fail. I’d feel those beers.

So I made the decision a few years ago to drink less beer, but also to drink better beer.

Not all craft. There’s plenty of good Canadian beer — I’m a fan of Sleeman — and lots of great European stuff that’s reasonably affordable and hits the spot for my now-typical one or two beers per week. But some craft beer, for sure. I’m a big fan of the Great Lakes and Left Field breweries in Toronto — you don’t feel like you’ve wasted your one beer when you drink one of those.

That’s where craft beer can shine. When you’re only letting yourself have one, why not make it as good a one as possible?

• Email: magurney@postmedia.com | Twitter: mattgurney