Looking for a Place to Happen - Seeking Sober Spaces

 

 I've been on a lot of beer runs in the last 35 years, maybe just to the Beer Store in the beginning, but after 2015 we stepped it up in a big way, culminating in cross province, week long jaunts that left my fridge bulging and my glass overflowing with the new and interesting things Ontario had to offer. We've done multi day road trips, driving hundreds of kilometers in search of pints to explore and met countless people like ourselves along the way. Sometimes it was just popping into one of the nearby breweries for a bite and a beer, the simple pleasure of belonging to a community that supports the hopes and dreams of local small businesses and hoping to do our small part to help spread the good word. I love a solid beer run and this last weekend was perhaps the worst, most depressing one I've ever taken and it illustrates a real problem the sober or non-alcoholic beer world has when it comes to helping folks crossover or drink a little less if that's what they're after.

  For the last couple of months, I've been getting deliveries of non-alcoholic beer from a fantastic service, Designated Drinks (Check them out here) has really shown the wide range of what's available across Canada when it comes to this category and they will continue to be my go to when it comes to seeking new and interesting things to talk about.

But...

  Getting a beer delivery does not replace a beer run, visiting a taproom or wandering the fridge at the local LCBO. It brings, with ease, many selections to your door and while this is a boon to all of us seeking sober pours, I must admit to longing for that jump in the car and head off down the road moment we used to have when it came to grabbing some new beers. There aren't many options for a sober third space and while some breweries have NA offerings, good ones that aren't more than a cheap knock-off of something they toss on the menu for the DD are not as easy to find. The culture of raising a glass with your friends is missing, the fluid conversation and excitement of new and returning beers, old favourites and solid stand-bys doesn't exist and this past Sunday illustrated that writ large for me as we travelled across town in search of something new.

  I had yet to put in my monthly order for Designated Drinks and by Sunday morning, I figured we could augment the beer fridge until it arrived with a stop at a couple grocery stores and maybe the best LCBO in the province (located on Osler Road in Dundas). Surely they would have enough of an offering to satisfy my cravings and while I found a few things, for the most point it reminded me of the vast and empty wasteland we have when it comes to the non-alcoholic beer line-up around us. The same drab macro 6 packs, lots of NA Euro lagers and store brand knock-offs that often resemble bad homebrew beers crammed into a tiny section of the drinks wall, unrefrigerated of course and inspiring no one. The LCBO was almost worse, a reminder that we are indeed not like we used to be and with nowhere else to go, I headed home with a couple of shabby Joe's to add to the fridge, an embarrassment of emptiness not worth the gas money or effort to acquire. There was no joy in seeking them out, only a resigned indifference of a cold world, quietly slipping from any hint of community or camaraderie and into the night without a smile. 

  Now maybe I'm being a tad melodramatic, I have been known to be given to theatrics from time to time, but the truth is, I could not find inspiration or illumination at any of these corporately controlled stops, there is no excitement or anticipation in an experience that cannot be shared and is often one made only out of necessity, not out of inspiration. Giving people options is a good way to grow your business, there are some really fine non-alcoholic beers being made here in Ontario, but for most people, as is true with craft beer, access is the key to that growth. As I have already said, we do not have third spaces for the NA crowd, there exists no taproom to seek out or exciting new thing to explore. We do not get the anticipation at a returning favourite beer, nor do we feel joined in a communal raising of the glass at events we used to love to attend. Whether you're sober by choice, by necessity or just because, it means you have to adjust your expectations of not only what's in your glass, but also of what your experiences and memories will be...although, to be fair, at least we can remember them all now...

  All of this isn't to mean that all is lost. Delivery services like DD and Sober Sips (which has a storefront in Barrie), among other start-ups, have truly expanded access to a wide variety of alternatives to the boozy booze and I am eternally grateful for their existence and work at trying to help grow with the sober community. I will continue to use their services and steer other people to them when they are seeking the stuff I talk about on social media. What all of this boils down to is a need for more actual places for us to gather and feel that sense of community craft beer had brought us. A feeling that we belonged to something special and that we were all connected in the very best way, seeking a good time and a break from an increasingly chaotic world. While I can no longer imbibe with impunity, many can't take a drink at all, we still want to find a place to be part of that larger world. It can be lonely, for even the best of us, as we revisit fond memories of days gone by and nights full of friends and amazing beers. You wonder if you'll ever feel that type of connection and joy again and until we figure a way to do it, or some inspired individual gathers enough courage to create it, we will have to keep making our own, wherever we can. 

Stay sober, my friends.

\

Polk

Match 31, 2025

Bottles on the Wall...

Beer is my memory keeper

  

I have a couple of walls of beer bottles and cans downstairs in my little rec room and each of them contain many memories, moments in time that were special enough to warrant me saving the empty and displaying it for my own edification and enjoyment.

  I know a lot of folks may have something similar, maybe a shelf or two in the garage or basement for some unique or memorable pints, pretty things to look at that become part of the visual background noise of our house, another thing to dust and move on. 

More than a decade on the shelf. One of my first loves in beer.

  We save them to remember, but one day, they will become a memory of us before finding their way to blue bags and recycling bins when our time here is done. Their deeper meaning, of course, is a tangible, visible link to the past, often viewed through beer goggles and the distance of time. Nobody is saving an empty bottle of MGD from a random night in February of 2001 without a much deeper link between that beer and what it meant at that very moment. It means what it means to us and that's enough to warrant saving it, no matter what becomes of our path.

Maybe room for a couple more memories...

  A lot of people might consider them juvenile or frat boy decorations, a throwback to the carefree halcyon days of our youth, when household knick-knacks were more likely tied to drinking and frivolity than memory or decor. I'll admit it does have a bit of that at its core, but for a lot of us, it didn't start that way and the reason it still exists as part of the colour of our lives must mean it meant something more. Enough to have them around years and even decades later. I don't know that there is a story for each one that remains, I'll admit I have vague memories of how a lot of them even tasted, some have been gathering time for more than a decade at this point. I could part with a lot of them and outside of considering what I'd put on the shelves in their absence, (books would another space filler of mine that seems to grow without my knowledge or participation), I wouldn't give it a second thought.

But...

  I know there are cans and bottles that would give me longer pause. I know in my heart that there would be some, maybe only a select few, that I would refuse to part with, even if I couldn't tell you specifically why. I would not let them go. With over 500 in this modest collection, for no one else's enjoyment but my own, I can look around and see a glimpse of my past through the fading print on the bottles in my sight. I can link the gloriously happy, brutally sad, and everything in-between in my life over the last dozen or so years with a simple walk by and for that, I am grateful to have saved these few, hazy mementos...

  Life happens fast, do as much of what you can that makes you happy and even if you don't save the bottles, enjoy the moments.

They'll bury me with these two cans...

Polk

February 18th, 2025

What would you miss? Sober in Craft Beer...

  What do you think you'd miss?

  If they told you that you could never drink again or if you choose to give it up, for whatever reasons you have. What would you miss the most about craft beer in particular? Besides the warm and fuzzy feeling the alcohol gives you, what things do you think would disappear from your life that would leave a gap where your happy place used to be.

  I have given this a lot of thought since September, obviously my own circumstance and subsequent sober(ish) life caused me to make some radical lifestyle changes that remain ongoing and with various degrees of success. I haven't really been an active participant in a lot of beer events or even going out for a beer with someone in a couple of years, but I did begin to wonder what it would be like for someone who was more involved, more socially connected to the community and all it entails.

  When I first came back to social media in December, I was overwhelmed with comments and messages, much like when I talked about my experience as my heart went haywire in the late fall, so many folks reached out and I felt good knowing I still had a place to feel part of. Because I have been a solo drinker for the last couple of years, I didn't feel I was missing out on Beer fests, taprooms or sharing pints with friends. My situation was what it was and as I've got my legs under me, I've mostly been back to where I was before, albeit with 80% non-alcoholic beers and only a sprinkling of real pints every week. 

  What hit me this week was how would this affect a newly sober person who was an active member of the craft beer community, someone who did events, went to festivals and met up with other folks for beers. How would it affect someone who had a weekly meet up with pals to share beers or did road trips to breweries for fun and to meet online friends in real life. There would be a loss of community no matter the kind words and well wishes of their friends, in real life or online. The very real truth is that life does go on without us, even for the best of reasons, when you step back from something that was such a large part of who you are, it hits you a little different when everyone else moves on without you.

  I was not sure I wanted to write this whole thing, lest it be taken in the wrong way. There is no fault here, only the truth that whether we have to step back voluntarily or by a healthy choice, part of that means not being part of what was any more. I am incredibly lucky that I still can maintain an online community, despite my switch to mostly non alcoholic options, people in craft beer can be very kind when the road gets bumpy for one of our own and this helps a whole lot. But if I was one who went out and was deeply involved, I wonder how I'd be feeling every weekend when my new normal didn't include those aforementioned activities. It would be a little overwhelming and would only add to an already stressful time I would imagine. It's part of why it's so difficult to go sober, to separate yourself from the good times that feel warm and boozy because you can't be that person anymore. Change isn't easy, but letting go of alcohol seems particularly difficult, addiction or not. We've formed friendships with a basis of craft beer that have developed into something greater than the pint glass. We've built a spirit of being part of something bigger than ourselves and that is difficult to find in this world that is increasingly isolating and inward looking. 

  Part of what I try to do with getting after all these non alcoholic beers and spirits is to help normalize and spread the word that there are more options than most people know about, even if that trip is filled with more duds than I was used to in my regular beer drinking days. While it isn't always something available at every taproom or event, I hope we can make it easier to access and be seen as part of the community rather than a weird or special thing hidden on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Making good non alcoholic beer isn't easy, but from my experience and the sheer amount of people sending me messages about their own life changes and the difficulties contained therein, I know the market is growing and where the money goes, so goes the beer. 

  As a (somewhat) reformed drunk, I hope to help other folks on their own sober trips, whatever that may entail for them, to find a way to stay in touch and involved. I do also understand that there are some who cannot be around any kind of alcohol at all and stepping away entirely for their own mental or physical health is their only choice. Can there be sober beer events? An NA beer fest, more places that give space to such ideas and options, places where your choice of beverage isn't the odd one, but a way to find a new community to share experiences and friendships with? Does this exist and if not, do we have the collective will and more importantly, the buying power, to make it happen? I know there are folks out there more motivated and smarter than me working on finding such solutions. There is a lot of money to be made as a certain age of beer drinker begins to feel the years and needs something a little healthier while still wanting to feel like they belong.

  It's right there, just waiting to become reality...

  Take care of yourselves, you're the only you we got.

Polk

02/10/2025

Sober Polk : January Top Ten Non Alcoholic Pints

 

I've been asked by quite a few folks what my Top 5 or 10 non-alcoholic beers have been so far and since I'm all about listening to the people and spreading the good word about good beer, I figured I should take a little time each month and let you know what tickled my fancy in the previous 30(ish) days.

  Up first we'll take a look back at the end of 2024 coupled together with January of 2025 so as not to miss some real good things that I poured into my glass prior to deciding I needed to do this little monthly list of pints that excite Ol' Polk. No need to exclude when it's always better to be inclusive...ya know what I mean boo-boo...

  Digging back into my yearly list of my top ten beers (yes, I am working on The Ten for 2024, I know it's late, but life is kinda fuzzy right now) I'll stick to a few rules for myself while I compile The Five (Plus) each month.

A) Only one beer from each brewery. If I really dig more than one, I'll let ya know in the post, but only one gets on the list.

B) No repeats month to month. Gotta keep trying new stuff and seeking out the shiny gems...along with the gritty pebbles...

C) It's all in good fun, drink what ya like.

D) I'll include 3 to avoid, I have no doubt that will be both easier and more popular than a must buy list.

E) There will be at least 5 and up to 10 on the list, it all depends on what makes me happy and excited.

And now, onward we go...in chronological order for convenience sake. 

1) Guinness Non-Alcoholic Draught

  This is an easy addition, the closest thing to the real thing I've found and it kicked off the whole reboot of Pints with Polk back in December. Velvety smooth, roasty and with that signature creamy tan head. Fantastic. Available pretty much everywhere, if you're looking for something to begin your sober journey or to as a replacement on days you don't want to imbibe or cannot, this is where to begin.

Video Review on Pints with Polk : https://youtu.be/F-X7tSP2xFg?si=d2Xud1s06xgg0OOm

2) Nickel Brook Brewing Wicked Tame Non-Alcoholic Hazy IPA

  A pre-Christmas treat, this brewery only available Hazer is pretty damn close to the real thing, emulating it's big brother Wicked Awesome and delivering an excellent option for the dry months or a changing lifestyle. It's got lots of peach, lemon and pineapple with a full bodied feel. Excellent.

Video Review on Pints with Polk : https://youtu.be/kzjS6O6cWnA?si=aBpccG9NSo2oK6Bn

3) Heineken 0.0% Non-Alcoholic Lager 

  It's a Euro Lager, does the job quite well and actually inspired a 6 pack refill so I could have a bottle or two as I made a mid week dinner or caught a Leafs game on the TV. It feels and tastes like regular Heineken and if that's your jam, then this will fill your spot well. Available everywhere.

Video Review on Pints with Polk : https://youtu.be/yBT8r9dlCYM?si=toFDgqvnyRWzjqnn

4) Bellwoods Brewery Stay Classy Non-Alcoholic IPA

  I've been a Bellwoods fanboy for more than a decade and this easy going non alc IPA is another example of why I hold them at such high esteem. Orange and lemon pith, white spruce and a smooth hazy body make for a great experience. It is a regular in my fridge, an easy shelf filler with an eye to the summer when it will even taste better in the sunshine! Get it at the brewery, for delivery (Bellwoods) or from Designated Drinks

Video Review on Pints with Polk : https://youtu.be/gV9hoX37lfY?si=nVUDdYRy6XUGbl7n

5) Burdock Brewing Swoon Non-Alcoholic Stout

  This was a helluva good pick up from Designated Drinks (order here : Designated Drinks) and really showcases Burdock at their low test best. Creamy, rich and roasty with notes of smokey malt, licorice and bitter coffee, it feels like the real thing from first sip to last.

Video Review on Pints with Polk : https://youtu.be/w4tHmNaPhZA?si=rnmYyewvKW-IkfMI

6) Big Spruce Brewing Kitchen Partly Non-Alcoholic Pale Ale

   Just before my world turned upside down, I was blessed with some East Coast craft beer and Big Spruce's Kitchen Party Pale Ale was a favourite of mine. Colour me surprised when I was perusing the Designated Drinks  site and saw this one available for delivery. One of the perks of the non-alcoholic pints is you can get stuff from all over the country! Kitchen Partly is an homage to that beauty I had in September. Big orange and grapefruit pith, long bitter pine finish and no hint that it is non-alcoholic. An absolute banger.

Video Review on Pints with Polk : https://youtu.be/RuuSjyGHBwQ?si=kkli03aY9GS9j2VR 

7) One for the Road Brewing Proceed with Caution Non-Alcoholic Amber Ale

  I'll say this much about One for the Road Brewing out of Alberta, they not only give you many options in terms of style, but they hit the mark almost every time and that's something the sober and newly sober curious can appreciate. This is another one I grabbed at Designated Drinks and what really caught my attention and my admiration was just how much this toasty gem felt like the real deal. There was no wiggle room, it delivered an entire Amber Ale in non alc form and it is one I'd gladly have a 6'er of on hand at all times for anyone to enjoy.

Video Review on Pints with Polk : https://youtu.be/8KfXufZRIVY?si=80w5LMxc1AxJBcSq

8) Harmon's Craft Brewing Jack Pine Non-Alcoholic Pale Ale

  I am a West Coast leaning guy when it comes to my IPAs and Pale Ales and while most of what I've encountered so far in those categories lean much fruitier and hazy, Harmon's (Order there or at Designated Drinks found my sweet spot of bitter and pithy with this one. lots of orange and pine, solid body and a feeling like I could get used to this one pouring every day after work. Everything I've had from Harmon's has been good, this was outstanding.

Video Review on Pints with Polk : https://youtu.be/wSPDgFxvcFk?si=CdxAp_FkVFH6TPaf

9) Metro Irresistibles Non-Alcoholic West Coast IPA

  This has no business being as good as it is...but here we are. Grocery chain Metro's house brand, Irresistibles West Coast IPA is a nice representation of the style in a non alc way, and cheap AF at only $9.95 for a six pack. Notes of orange and grapefruit pith and a spciy pine finish inside a toasty malt body get me where I live, simple and unadorned refreshment. Available at Metro and affiliated stores.

Video Review on Pints with Polk : https://youtu.be/qg7F_VbYlQ0?si=WI5dbg4otBDozOJK

10) Wellington Brewery Much Non-Alcoholic IPA

 When Welly does something, they do it right. Mucho gives a solid citrus pith bite with lemon, peach and tangerine in a smooth and full body. It went down quick, felt like I was enjoying a regular strength Wellington IPA, a piece of praise when it comes to non alc beers. looking forward to what they can crank out next. Pick it up at Wellington or at Designated Drinks for delivery.

Video Review on Pints with Polk : https://youtu.be/A2bXVf1no8A?si=aHNKagtV8u4L6KQ7

And now, The Disappointments

1) Clausthauler Original Non-Alcoholic German Lager

Just don't. Skunky, super sweet and feels unfinshed with a lingering wort flavour. Hard pass.

Video Review on Pints with Polk : https://youtu.be/tuoy8r4TfFs?si=UmeHtJD7cUEnTMF8

2) Brasserie Les 2 Freres Hickson Sans Alcool (Non-Alcoholic) IPA

Why does this taste like wet cigarettes? Do you need to know more...

Video Review on Pints with Polk : https://youtu.be/Hn55kpSPzQU?si=qI3INnwPGYw5DSko

3) Burdock Brewery Swishh Non-Alcoholic IPA 

  This one isn't terrible, but it's more like a dry hopped lager masquerading as an IPA and even in the non alc world, that will irritate me. Also, I know I said only one per brewery on each months list, but I'll break that rule if I'm annoyed...

Video Review on Pints with Polk : https://youtu.be/AxAZ8ljDVxc?si=VptFhe0YfMXEaIHY

There you go, the first Ten of 2025, Non Alc version 1.0. I hope it finds you well and ready to try something new.

I'll keep drinking them, reporting back and hopefully helping people struggling to find non-alcoholic options. I'll tell you this, I've had far more messages and emails from folks who've had to give up or cut way back on the booze than you would imagine. I want you to know that you are not alone and there continues to be better options available all the time.

Stay tuned, my friends.

Polk

February 8th, 2025

Proof of Life...

 170 beats per minute.

At rest...

Was I scared?

Was?

Still am...

It's been a roller-coaster of a week and a half, actually more like a decade of descent, but it came to a head last Monday and while I know it could be a whole lot worse than it is, nothing prepares you for the very first time you truly stare at your own mortality in the mirror and not be sure you're coming out the other side of this one to the good.

I've been struggling with a lot of physical pain lately, the old flat feet giving me trouble, which I thought was leading to my extreme tiredness and shortness of breath, just another thing to power through and get past, I've always prized myself on my high pain tolerance, even though I always knew, in the back of my mind, that it wasn't smart to ignore your body's warning signs when they started going off like a 5 alarm fire bell, but that's who I am and how I got here I suppose.

After a couple weeks of this kind of feeling, last Monday I finally broke down and hobbled myself to the local emergency room, St. Joe's ambulatory care in the east end of The Hammer to be precise, figuring they'd give me some drugs to take away my foot pain and that would help take care of the breathing, et all...I was spectacularly wrong and thanks to the very quick and professional care, I started a week like I've never had before.

After registering, I waited a few minutes before being called up to the triage nurse, who got the blood pressure cuff on and the oxygen sensor clipped on before cutting our convo short with exactly why I've been unable to catch my breathe for days on end...and that sent us to the front of the line as we headed in the back.

My heart rate was hovering well above 170 beats a minute, at rest, a dangerous, marathon like hammering that was assuredly something I couldn't just shrug off. Quickly I was hooked up to a couple of machines, IV line run and my brief medical history taken before I was given something to try and begin to undo what I had done over 5 decades of doing what I do...I cannot be more thankful for the nurses and doctors all along the way, but those first few minutes were crucial to me, I felt the seriousness of what was happening, but also felt reassured that I was in the best hands I could be in.

Funny enough, my first question was if I'd be able to go to work Tuesday, a silly thought as my heart raced and my breath still fell short, the nurse told me I'd be headed by ambulance to St. Joe's proper for far more intense care than they could provide at Emergency, the cardiac unit was my destination and home for the next 4 days, although at the time I still figured I'd be out and about by the next day...equal parts delusion and hope, I've got by on less for years.

My first ambulance ride, first overnight hospital stay in 3 decades and more medical attention than I've ever had in my life followed, days and nights of compassionate care, tests on tests and some serious reflection on how I ended up where I was, feeling lucky I had Kat by my side, but also knowing that alone with my thoughts, I wondered if I could change enough to do what I know needs to be done.

I'll always be grateful for the compassionate care I received, a diagnosis of atrial fibrillation and a long talk with the cardiologist about my lifestyle and what came next, followed by 3 attempts to shock the old ticker into a proper rhythm hit hard but I am committed to trying to be a better living human, of only so I can have a beer again...I know, I know...

(All this above was written Thursday September 26th as I waited to be released...)

Sitting here a week after my release, I've been reflecting on what I wrote there as I pondered the future. It's a much smaller amount of time than I have lived, I may live long, but hitting 102 is probably a stretch...but maybe I have 30 years or more left if everything goes my way and I'd certainly like to stick around to see what happens before I do hit the swinging doors on that dive bar underground I know I'm destined for. 

But still I am left wondering, Did I do this to myself? My not quite hedonistic, but clearly indulgent lifestyle absolutely played a factor in this, most of whatever ails me can be attributed to my own faults and while there are other factors at play, the only one I can control is how I respond to this right now.

I'd like to think I'm up to the challenge.

We've been talking for a while about a lifestyle change, I've been desperately unhappy with myself as a human, knowing I needed to do something, anything, to break out of the moat sized rut I found myself trudging around in day after seemingly endless day...the small hope from this moment is that I actually can do just that, I can find a way to truly change my trajectory and still be who I am deep down in my soul. It's more than cutting back on all the things I eat and drink that are no good for me it's about getting up and believing I can be part of the world again, forgetting trying to relive the past and the golden vision I have of who I think I was. It's real easy to get lost in the things were better back then mantra, but why can't it also be that things will be better tomorrow too?

I don't know the answer today, I do know I haven't had a beer in 10 days and in that time I didn't think about it that much. I love a good beer buzz and do not envision a future without a pint or 2 on a Saturday night, but I think my days of over indulging my inner barfly are really over. I like being alive way more than any beer out there, although with Headstock, it's a pretty close call...kidding...but not really...

Thanks to everyone who wondered where I've been the last little while, I honestly didn't know what to say, but the couple of folks who reached out meant the world to me. I'll be back, I got nowhere else to go where I can talk about all the nonsensical and serious things that cross my mind. I'll try and keep y'all updated a little more, much like a wounded animal, my instinct in pain is to take to ground until I'm better. 

Somewhat like this post, things are still a little disjointed, although I am 100% on the mend, back at work and feeling positive about what is to come. Who knows where it all goes...life's supposed to be about the ride, not the destination amd I want mine to go on much, much longer...

Polk

October 3rd, 2024

Life Goes On...

 This photo was taken 14 years ago today.

Ir means the world to me, even though so much has changed since this seminal moment in The Life of Polk...

It was taken at a bar in Blue Mountain, with a man who was my very closest confident and best friend. He got me to order a Harp Lager. Surprisingly, even that euro pint was way out of my comfort zone at the time...

But more than that, so much more, it represents a time when I held the world in my hand...at least I felt that way. I was in the middle of the greatest decade of my life, without knowing it, and this pic reminds me that there was a time, a very real time, when I was surrounded by folks who loved and cared for me and who I would do anything for. I didn't realize it would all come to a crashing end, honestly, all at my own actions...but damn, those memories, those special moments, hold me here on this planet harder than any gravitational pull ever could. 

I miss the people who were so important to me then, I miss who I was too. I know that time and circumstance has landed me exactly where I'm supposed to be, but the nostalgia for a time when I had folks in my life who had my back no matter what hits hard sometimes.

In the last decade, everything I knew changed. Some of that was beyond what I could control, but so much was created right in my own mind, I pushed and pushed until almost no one was left. I miss the easy days of friendship, frivolity, and fun. I know I can never recapture moments like this, but the fact that they existed gives me hope that I can find my way home again....

That smile is so real that love goes beyond any years put behind it, and I stick around because I think that maybe, one day, I can be that guy again....

Next pint is on me.

Polk

September 17th, 2024

It's Not All Okay

Every once in a while, someone will leave a comment on a video or post I've made reviewing a beer that sends me off into a rabbit hole of trying to not only answer their query, but diving even deeper because my own obsession becomes more focused.

I like to know things, if only for my own edification, especially when it comes to craft beer, something I've spent almost a decade talking about in various forms and ways. I started out as a true acolyte, a deliver that the independently made beer could change the world, that we were better people for supporting it and that the community and industry could work hand in hand in delivering a new way to be inclusive, growing and spreading that love like a well poured pint.

Of course, if you've followed along for any amount of time, you'll know that kind of vibrant bullshit is on the surface and pushed by pretty pictures and reels on Instagram by a well meaning, but ultimately silly narrative that never wants to criticise because it's all supposed to be positive and nobody gets free stuff by wanting to talk about the dirty underbelly that hasn't ceased, even after we had some harrowing revelations not so long ago.

People have quickly forgotten the stories collected and shared by Erin, formerly of Little Beasts Brewing, supported by Ren of B. Diversity and a whole host of other brave folks who dared to speak out loud about some pretty horrible experiences that were over looked and kept underground by the community. It is no coincidence that most of the people involved in trying to bring light to that darkness have now, for the most part, left the craft beer world, the toxic blowback and general ignorance of people played a part of it, but no doubt it is the defense of people's favourite breweries, the tribalism and my team can't do anything wrong mentality that fuels the worst of what came at them. The worst of us is often the loudest in defense of what we perceive as something that represents us. That Brewery can't be led by a terrible person, I like their beer and I'm not a terrible person...this is the thinking I see. Fanboys and girls have wished terrible things on people who dare to bring up anything bad about their favourites, fueled by the current rage farming and us versus them narrative at every level of government and personal interaction we see online and in the media. Proper discussion and giving a shit about other people has been replaced with a self centered, me first attitude that belies a good community, a caring one.

But I digress...it seems easier to leave it all behind, drink beer at home and leave the bread and circuses to the clowns who want to run things...or we fight back...

Polk

September 16, 2024

The Price of Beer (Redux)

 I like to think that I have reached a point as a consumer of beer that I have a discerning enough palate and brand awareness to be making informed purchases.

I am a follower of what's new and returning, I subscribe to 100's of Brewery newsletters and keep myself always on the lookout for interesting things whenever I stop in at the LCBO.

However...

Someone asked about how I felt that the Dominion City Sunsplit IPA (delicious, by the way) cost $5.10 and it caught me off guard as I, honestly and without thought, didn't even look at the cost when I picked it up the other day.

It seems like a high price for a 6.8% IPA, albeit one of superior quality and consistency,  always a fine choice and I feel lucky that I can just get one whenever I want. It wasn't that long ago that the only way to get this legendary flagship beer was to have someone mule it back from Ottawa or when it became possible, to do an online delivery order and get it sent right to my front door. So I don't feel like I am doing a disservice to the quality when I wonder just what the high end is for really good beer that we buy? What is the price too far for us to pay?

Looking through the LCBO site, I count 19 IPAs (toss a few Double, Triple and Quadruple for good measure) that cross the $5 range, with Bellwoods Brewery Greenbelly Triple IPA (10% ABV) sitting on top at $5.75 for a tall boy. There are 70 or so between $4 and $5, with a lot of 6% IPAs rolling well past the $4.50 mark. Hell,  there's even a handful of Pale Ales priced at that halfway point. Is this just a continuation of paying more for better beer? Or is it a callous money grab by some places cash in on name recognition and reputation?

I get that ingredients and packaging cost more now than they used to and certainly there are breweries that pay better and have benefits and supports for employees, I don't think everyone is a greedy capitalist who has ulterior motives to trick consumers. Great beer, especially higher ABV ones, cost more to make and the return needs to reflect that. It is only a handful of pints that cross what once was viewed as a magical barrier to beer drinkers and as someone who's tried almost allof them, I can attest to that quality personally. This isn't even to get into those breweries that don't sell at the LCBO, lord knows I've spent a pretty penny on beers well over $6.

 I know I'm not alone when I buy without considering price sometimes. I'm not buying 24s of $6 beers, usually 1 or 2 cans of each, although it adds up let me tell you...but I also know I'm in the minority of the minority of beer drinkers, craft is but perhaps 15% of the market and despite years of growth, cracking 25% seems like a long shot at best. So how to make sure good beer gets made? Gotta pay those bills somehow, costs keep going up and there is only so much to be done at ground level to keep them down. The worry is that at some point you price yourself out of the 'curious' drinker market. The folks who like to try new stuff for fun, sprinkled in amongst their regular local or macro beers. At what point do the budget conscious, and honestly today that should be a whole lot more of us, look at the price of a beer and put it back on the shelf, a missed opportunity, but a sound financial one. 

I've been more aware of what I'm spending this year, everybody in the middle of the economy feels that pinch of higher prices for every little thing we need just to survive. I ponder what beer will look like in 5 years, who survives and what is the end game for some places that cannot keep up. There are some breweries that can scale up their production, keeping their costa lower and we see that in some fo the best IPAs available in the LCBO. Great Lakes' Haze Mama, Nickel Brook's Headstock, Sawdust City's Juicin' all retail for under $4, and I don't think anyone will question their quality or consistency. I understand that the smaller you are, the harder it is to account for such things, but I also know that there is coming a large inflection point in craft beer and who comes out the other side needs to widen their base ans bring even more folks into the fold. Quality matters, but for the vast majority of beer drinkers, price almost matters more...

I don't have the answers, but I'll be curious to watch it all play out in the coming months with the rollout to convenience stores looking like it's going to benefit the few large sized brewers over the little guys...but that's a whole other thing to write about.

Until next time...

Polk 

September 16th 2024

Do better...

 I remember when I first got into craft beer, that evangelical feeling of wanting to help spread the word about good beer and help get people off the macro train of boring and bland lagers. We all went through that judgmental phase, looking down on folks drinking mass market beers and feeling better about our bitter IPAs and bold Imperial stouts as almost a testament to better living and character. It was nonsense of course but I still see the trends out there, albeit the pendulum has swung around a little and some beer folks now pride themselves on being better because they drink lagers and bemoan the rise of the hazy ipa as the dominate force in craft beer. Is it because when nobody drank ipas and they did, it made it feel special and now that more people are enjoying ipas, they need to find something more iconoclast to lord over the regular folk? It seems to me there is an inward looking, almost gatekeeping need to separate from the masses, no matter what they like. I used to be part of the community and was deep inside that mindset of always trying to convert people to what I perceived as better beer and supporting local businesses. But as I've grown older, been around the movement for more than a decade I've come to find so much of what we thought was improvement was just a way to feel part of something unique and special. Perhaps it was, but I'll tell you everyone I came up with in talking about beer has left the game, stopped posting or writing about beer or stopped drinking it all together. The Me Too moments a few years ago have fizzled out to not much concrete action indeed some of the worst offenders continue in beer today, some even bigger than before. The consequences of terrible behavior lost in the marketing of semi okay beer and a whole lotta complacent people who either don't know or don't really care...they just wanna drink a couple beers in a taproom and forget the world for a while...can't blame them for that, the world is a shitty place and if you took time to research every business you buy from , you'd probably starve before you bought anything. 

What does all this nonsense mean? I don't know to be honest, I have a seat outside the arena most of the time now, a privilege for sure, I can distance myself from the whole damn thing, but I still wonder why people who love beer would want to look down on anyone's choice of style to enjoy. The limitless variations of what beer can be may be what drew you and I into it, but maybe someone else just likes those sours or hazy IPAs and that's as far as they want to go. Good on em, happiness is what you find when you discover the thing that actually brings us it. We need to stop trying to gatekeep peoples choices in beer and be happy we have such a diverse range of offerings. Complaining a taplist is IPA heavy everywhere just tells me you haven't been everywhere because at the 9 breweries in my hometown of Hamilton alone, each one is distinct and lined with a ridiculous amount of choice including an all barrel funk Brewery that just opened last year. There is room for eveey style, but for the love of Hops, the folks who've been here the longest need ro remember why they cared to get involved in the first place. 

  Beer for the people. 

Cheers!

Polk

July 18th, 2024

Bucket List : Singular Beer Experiences

   Last week I was able to check another bucket list beer off and it spurred a lot of conversation around not only Pliny the Elder and our perception of it as being a much sought after OG whale of a pint up here in Canada, but also of other seemingly important, often difficult to obtain beers that we aspire to acquire with desire.

  For me, it all began with places like Bellwoods, a mystical place that was making stuff no one else in Ontario was able to. I would visit their Ossington Avenue location on special occasions, almost like making a pilgrimage to a holy place and each offering I would dutifully return home with to try and make out what special thing was going in inside my glass. Of course, as I spun further down into the world of beers, I became enamoured with yearly releases, special one-offs and collaborations, stuff like Nickel Brook's Bourbon Barrel aged Kentucky Bastard, Twin Pines from Sawdust City, Double Tempest from Amsterdam and Apocalypse Later Imperial Black IPA from Great Lakes are but 3 of the truly must not miss pints that would appear from the mists of the brew tanks once a year to mark the passage of time and the joyous reckoning of their fans. But at this point, I feel that these are not really Bucket List beers anymore, although one could make the argument for the 2016 NB Kentucky, as even my last bottle, consumed in December of 2023, was still a sublime masterpiece, never to be repeated again. The specialness of these much loved yearly returnees isn't diminished because I can get them every year, rather it has become something I eagerly anticipate and look forward to being able to purchase and enjoy. But to us who can get them with ease, much like people in California with Pliny, they are something just a little below that kind of truly unique and singular experience beers that hard to come things like Heady Topper, Cantillion or Westvleteren 12. It isn't that they are not amazing, but the lack of access certainly makes for part of the charm of these beers we seek.

  Having said all of that, I have no doubt that some of the beers we regularly consume here in this part of Ontario, either local craft beer or the amazing European selections at the LCBO, which has never ceased to please me, that people in other parts of this country and others would consider Whales that they would love to try. I often wonder what truly makes that kind of Bucket List experience so special and for me it has been a combination of the rarity, history and quality over that time that drives my imagination. I have been able to enjoy many of what I would consider those Singular beer pours and even though there are some I have been able to try again, at the time, thinking I would only ever get to sip and savour it once, only enhanced what I was drinking. To be able to consume something you have dreamed about for a decade or more is not easy to describe, especially when it is the benchmark of the style, the genesis of a revolution or a revered bottle that has stood the test of time and defied all challenges to its supremacy.

  I seek out these beers when I can, I have a sense of what I wish to see materialize in my glass for a special occasion and often they seem to find their way to me through the generous hands of strangers become friends from afar. Heady Topper and Focal Banger up from Vermont via beer friends, a bottle of Cantillion sitting in my cellar now, delivered across the ocean by a lovely pal and two times I was able to experience Pliny, once in my early years and the second time just a week ago, a cousin and a new friend giving the immaculate West Coast IPA to me with joy and thoughtfulness. 

  There have been others, perhaps not as well known, but Singular Beer Experiences that rocked my core, left me often smiling for days afterword as I pondered the existence of such wonderful people and liquid art hat filled my senses. These are not the beers of yore, progenitors of styles or even well known sometimes, but they stick out in my mind for a variety of reasons that still can bring me joy at a fleeting reminder they existed. But these are not really Bucket List in the fullest sense because part of that designation is about the yearning and anticipation of one day, somehow, obtaining and then consuming their glorious contents.

   I think we live in a pretty damn good time when it comes to access to very good, even great beer, of every conceivable style. I can find almost everything I could desire within an hour of my home when it comes to this and still, there exist things, that in my mind could still be worthy of much more than I could ever know. Drinking a Pilsner Urquell on a patio at the brewery in Czechia, seeking wisdom in the Belgian countryside whilst consuming Monk beers at or near the source and raising a very large mug of German Lager as Oktoberfest swirls around me. These 3 things are what wander into my mind as the very be all, end all Bucket List trip in beer. More so than being able to check off a single bottle or can of a much sought after pint, it is these three places and the liquid gold associated with them that are at the basis for every wild fantasy I have left in my imagination. I seek no surf or sand, no beach or cabana, I want only for the simplest, purest and most joyous ways to know that where it started, where it all began, found a way into my glass as I raise it and tip back history and the future at the same time.

  I wish you well, my friends, in your own pursuit of your Bucket List beers.

Polk

Sunday April 28th, 2024