Hiatus

I hear it a lot from people who don't know me that well, who follow me, periodically, on Twitter, who see a photo of a glass or bottle, almost daily, on Facebook.

"You drink a lot," they say.

For the record, I don't drink a lot: I drink often, and there's a big difference.

Those daily Untappd posts? That is the one beer I drank. Sometimes, I might have two; rarely, three, unless I'm drinking a sampler, four to six four-ounce glasses. I rarely, if ever, have drained every one of those glasses. Almost every time I order a sampler, there will be at least one glass that has only had one or two sips; other glasses will be left half-full.

I don't drink a lot: I drink often.

I can stop anytime I want. I know, a lot of people with drinking problems say that, and I don't wish to make light of those who really do struggle with alcoholism and are courageous in their fight to break free from the temptation to put the bottle to lips.

Because I am fortunate to not have an addiction, I can say, with confidence, that I can stop drinking when I want to. And, for the remainder of this month, and into the beginning of October, I'm going to do just that. I shall not drink any beer, any wine, any whisky, any alcoholic beverage, between September 8 and October 2.

And the reason why I'm on hiatus from my cherished bevvies is not what you think: I'm back on my bike, training for a 100-kilometre ride from Ottawa to Vankleek Hill, for Beau's Oktoberfest, on Saturday, October 3. Because I haven't ridden my bike very much since the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour, from Perth to Kingston, in June, I have gained some extra flab around the waist.

It doesn't take a lot of beer and little exercise to do that.

When I ride my bike, it doesn't take long to lose the spare tire, but because I don't have a lot of time to train, I don't want to fight the fat with beer. And so, until I get to Vankleek Hill, I'm not putting unnecessary calories into my body.

I'm going to try to watch what I eat, but I have a greater weakness for food than I do for alcohol.

While I was on vacation, I travelled to several Ontario craft breweries and I tried many local ales from the Bruce Peninsula, Muskoka region, and Guelph, and I made some notes for reviews. So, while I may not be drinking through September, my Beer O'Clock reviews will continue each Thursday.

I'm on a hiatus: my beer blog isn't.