Google Booze Map (or: "When API means ‘Ale Procurement Interface’")

Let me take a moment to say that the readers of this blog are great

people. One particular example: Janis, who’s taken the Google Maps API

(that’s short for Application Programming Interface, a set of “hooks”

that lets one computer program be controlled by another) and used it to

create a lovely and useful web application called The Beer Hunter:

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Those of you who aren’t from the province of Ontario may be unfamiliar

with how you buy beer, wine or liquor here. Booze can only be bought at

one of four types of places:

“The Beer Store”.

Its formal name is “Brewer’s Retail”, and it used to sport signs that

bore those words, but since everyone called it “The Beer Store”, they

re-branded in the 1990s. Since the liquor stores are owned by the

provincial government, many people believe that the Beer Store is also

under the same ownership. This is not the case. The lion’s share is

owned by swillmeisters Labatt (which these days is owned by Belgium’s InBec) and Molson (actually Molson-Coors). The remaining sliver is owned by Sleeman, makers of some actually drinkable stuff. It is, as the Beer Hunter site puts it, a cartel.

The Liquor Control Board of Ontario, a.k.a. LCBO.

This one is owned by the Goverment of Ontario. A few of years ago, in

response to calls to allow privately-owned liquor stores, the

provincial government sponsored TV ads in which “Augur” from the craptactular locally-produced TV series Earth: Final Conflict

talked about how the LCBO generates CDN$1 billion in government revenue

every year, and wasn’t that just dandy? In other words — the

government spent tax money on ads talking about how great booze taxes

were. I wish I’d thought up that scam.

There is one small upside: the better LCBO branches — you know, the

ones in higher-tax bracket neighbourhoods — have a great selection and

are some of the most beautifully-appointed liquor stores anywhere.

Independent microbreweries. The good beer is available from Accordion City’s selection of micros, such as Amsterdam, Mill Street and Steam Whistle

(sometimes known as “Skunk Whistle”, as the Steam Whistle brewery tends

to serve their oldest, just-past-its-freshness date beer at events

hosted at their brewery).

 

The Wine Rack.

I know little about this independent wine store other than the fact

that they somehow got a deal in which they can sell wine and other

non-beer, non-pure-liquor beverages.

There are no other places in which you can buy beer, liquor or wine. No

beer in convenience stores (most of the civilized world lets you do

this). No wine, either (you can buy cheap wine in convenience stores in

Quebec). No private liquor stores, and no liquor in the grocery (like

in Nevada).

I’ll leave it to the readers to debate the pros and cons of Ontario’s booze distribution channels in the comments.

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The Beer Hunter is a web application that uses Google Maps’ API to

display the locations of the beer, liquor and wine stores in Toronto.

Each store type is represented by an icon, and clicking on its icon

gives you store details and whether it’s still open. Pictured below is

the nearest liquor store to Tucows, where I work:

This is a very useful site. Janis, a salute you with a filet mignon on a flaming sword — well done!