Do I drink too much? The Truth in May

 

  I sometimes wonder if I drink too much.
  Or too often.
  Or for the wrong reasons.
  I see my friends, real life and virtual, posting pictures every day or so and think to myself, "Do we have a problem?" Are we masking some level of alcoholism with our craft beer "hobby". We joke about it all the time, hell the memes are hilarious, but are they hiding a bigger truth?

I drink at least one beer every day and while my quantity of consumption is nowhere near the dozen or so I used to drink in a setting, I will have no problem downing 5 or 6 high ABV beers in a night. So my worry begins when I try to explain how it's different now. How by drinking better beer and enjoying the flavours I am not pursuing the demons of the past. But am I really or is it just a clever and not so subtle way of keeping the good feelings rolling with art and beer colliding,

  I don't post every beer I drink on social media, usually only one or two a day. I'm always a little self conscious about putting too many pictures up and annoying people with my passionate love for the Craft. I usually pick and choose which beers to post by seeing which are new releases, relevant to my day or returning favourites. I don't normally plan further ahead than my next beer and there is a sense of relief when I've made my posts for the day and can sit back and enjoy a pint without too much care into how to describe or display it to the world. I am not a professional writer or reviewer, I am a working guy who loves to write and craft beer has given me a way to connect with people I would never have thought possible. I'm always conscious of the fact that I am so lucky to be able to pursue this avenue because of my position as a child free, middle class person who has a very indulgent and forgiving wife. But the question always haunts me in the back of my mind, am I drinking too much?

  I think the answer lies not in an absolute either way. There were times when alcohol played a large part in the terrible and life altering things I did or didn't do. That is no longer true and I see that everyday when I am not stressing about how many beers I have in the fridge or how many I can squeeze into an evening before passing out. I largely consume with much more mindfulness and thought now, trying to maximize the quality more than anything else and I am pretty successful most of the time in keeping my count to one or two a night. But there are still times when that becomes 4, 5 or 6 and that is what I worry about. As an advocate of enjoying everything in moderation, I truly want people to understand that it is possible to enjoy a pint or two a day without falling into alcoholism and despair. Saying that doesn't hide the fact that I have no desire not to have a beer after work or during my day off. Can I go without drinking for an extended period of time? Most likely, but I always question why I would. What harm am I doing by enjoying myself when I can? Life is complicated and often messy, beer is simple and brings me peace and joy. I understand the disease of alcoholism is terrible and the grip it holds on people is all too real. Do I feel that hold on myself when I wake up or am at work? No, but there are still times I crave a drink and the easy, liquid confidence it brings me. So I am left to wonder, do I drink beer to share it with the world or do I share a few beers with the world so I can feel good about the rest of the ones I consume. This is what plagues me late at night and many a morning.

  So with all that being said, how do I address this issue for myself. Writing about whatever is in my head usually helps to bring me some relief and this one has been percolating there for quite some time. What dawned on me is that I have become too planned out when it comes to posting my beers and reviews. Saving some for the next day or spacing them to make it seem like I'm not drinking too much was not why I started doing it and I think it's time to see just what and how much I drink in a typical month.

  So, for the entire month of May, I will post every beer I drink, when I drink it. Using the hashtag #truthinmay and numbering each one, no pint, bottle or can will slip from the public eye and the challenge I set forth. For the purposes of not being a huge pain, flights will count as one beer, gotta make sense here, no need for 75 pictures of tiny sample glasses. But no saving that picture or review until the next day, no ignoring a beer because it's my second straight one out of a six pack or hiding behind any reason for not exposing what really goes in my glass every single day. Why bother? I don't know, but when this idea came to me one night, it burrowed deep into my brain and wouldn't leave until I brought it into the light. I will give you, my beer loving friends, a glimpse into what I really drink, when I drink it and why. I will try to expose the deeper meaning behind my pursuit of the perfect beer and how I use that to enjoy my life. Will there be days when I want to ignore my pledge because it will show that I am drinking too much? I imagine so, but if you have been with me for any length of time, you'll know that I am honest about my life and pledge to not keep one single beer away from the public eye. My hope is that I will be able to see that I am right about my consuming less beer and being more present when I do it. I think that in the next 31 days I will consume around 100 beers, some different and new and a few regulars because that is what I do now. Or perhaps I will discover that I do drink too much, turning to the age old relief of that haze to get rid of the pressures of the day. In either case, I want to challenge myself to expose what many of us may be hiding by talking only of enjoying craft beer and not the possibility that we are using that to shade our dependence on alcohol. We don't talk much about it and maybe it's time we did.
  Come along and see what happens when I pull back the cover and show you the inside of my mind. I hope to post not only reviews of beers, but perhaps the feeling behind why I wanted that second Imperial IPA on a Wednesday night. It's as much an exercise in exploring beer as it is in being honest with myself about my life. Perhaps at the end of the month I will have an insight into the next challenge I want to take on and then I can share that with you. Or maybe it will just be 31 days of great and not so great beer, sprinkled with some festivals, nights out and holidays. Either way, it will be the most honest thing I can do to share part of my life with you, my friends. Tomorrow morning will prove to be a most interesting start to a month in a long time.

Raise your glass and your standards,
One beer at a time.


Cheers!


Polk

Tuesday Thoughts

In the midst of all the touring around Ontario, I turned 44 years old. I often joke that it's a "Hard 44" that leaves me looking a little older than I am and usually lands a funny look from my wife. I'm getting a bit long in the tooth and it's not a surprise that it is hitting me a little harder as we get further from our decision to not pursue reproductive help anymore. I wrote about it last June in my post I'll Never Be a Dad. Still one of my most responded to of my ramblings, it was probably too fresh to be able to contemplate what the future would hold. We are not wealthy people, although we certainly have enough of what we need and a little left over for some fun. We don't have many ambitions except to lead a quiet life punctuated with the odd road trip or weekend away. Getting older means I am starting to look back and forward at the same time with the former coming with some rose coloured glasses as I want to reflect on the good times and not the bad. But it is looking forward that gives me pause and trouble as the clock inevitably ticks on towards the finish line.
  The time we have on earth is finite and unknown. Our family has seen the loss of some of the brightest lights in our world and when a life so young is taken, you wonder why them? Why take one so primed for greatness and a long and happy future? Why am I still here despite decades of self abuse and dangerous behaviour? I felt shame and guilt when we were called to say goodbye to them and to this day wish I could grab hold of life the way they did in their short time here. A life lived without purpose or direction is not what I wished when I was a young man and it often stops me in my tracks when I feel the loss of such early promise.
  Given to melancholy is not my usual state these days and it always means I need to turn to my words to discover what is wrong. I write because it is the only way I can properly form the problems in my head from abstract to real. Uneasy at where I feel my life is heading, I have withdrawn from the world slightly in the last while, despite the outward appearance of things being normal. I have learned the public face one must present is easy to find when you've worn it so long. My world can seem small and shrinking even when my expressions are positive and happy.
How do I find myself coming back to this darkness and what to do about it shape this post and the near future. I felt no real depression this winter, mainly due to the new friends I have found in the Craft Beer Community, both online and in real life. They have helped carry me through the darkest days with little trouble and as the spring creeps in I should be elated at a state of mind that is clearer than I've seen in years, But trouble appears when the dawn is breaking and I want to head it off before it gets a foothold in my life again.
  I drink beer every day and that is no secret. Most people don't understand, however, that it is usually one or two that grace my glass and that compared to just a few short years ago, I am in control. Crushing a 24 in a night was a two or three times a week occurrence and I have no desire to be that guy again, despite the allure of the darkness and false release that brought. My turn to the second half of life, however long that may be, needs to be better because I am not afraid to face hard truths.
  I watch as my family grows apart, not in a terrible way, but in a way that is both natural and has happened since time immemorial. Children grow up, move out and start their own families. Parents become Grandparents, sister and brothers become aunts and uncles and that family bond changes because it has to. The nuclear nature of each family, regardless of composition, leads to it needing to cleave its own way outside the original iteration. My brothers are good men who have raised wonderful children, but we are not what we once were. We love each other all the same and it isn't that we don't care, it is just that the attention we can focus on our family has changed. When you see the road that life has taken each of us on; we worked, we loved and lost and finally we found our way, separate but still bound by that initial love. Where we would make time for each other became less, not because we didn't care, but because that time was needed elsewhere. Growing families need the limited time between rest and work to accommodate the needs of the immediate members and that has meant we speak less, see each other almost never and have to be okay with that. Not having children has further sent us into different worlds as I will never truly understand what they have gone through as fathers; nor will they ever really know what it is like to remain without a child to complete the circle we all grew up in. I love my whole family, from then to now, with a red hot intensity that remains steadfast but grows slightly dimmer with time. I will always miss the closeness I had with my brothers, with my cousins whom we seemed to spend so many days around and the extended clan of relatives who now play a walk on role in our lives. I may not like that I have become that person in the lives of many I love, but that is the truth and I must face it.
  The time I dedicate to myself should not be enjoyed with guilt though. Our decision slightly haunts me some days and I wonder if we should try again because I am not sure we were right to give up on the hope of having a child. A family of two is hard to comprehend when you grew up surrounded by a boisterous crew like we had, but if that is what it is to be, I need to learn to accept and even embrace it. I am never sure the feelings of an empty part in my soul will ever go away but as long as I can see that the ones I love have made something magical happen, I may just learn to be at peace with living out my days on the fringes of the larger family unit.
  I am not surrounded my the noise and bustle of a large family anymore, our life is one of the quiet pursuit of whatever catches our fancy. And while most of our friends and family who are parents would love a few of the moments of the peace we have, I know they'd never trade the lives they've built for one without children.
  Life gives us wonderful opportunities to start fresh every day, so I'll wake with the sun and try again.


Polk

Polkapolooza Craft Beer Tour 2017 Review - Welcome to The Polkapocalypse

The end of a long and winding road for Polkapolooza 2017.

  Choosing where to finish the 2017 Polkapolooza tour was not an easy task. While we would be able to reach our goal of visiting 50 Ontario Craft brewers, it was less than a quarter of the bricks and mortar places that existed. I wanted to spend an evening at a final stop that would allow us to figuratively put up our feet and relax after the long journey we had been on. Lucky for us, the south western portion of the province provided not only the right amount of breweries to get us to that magical number, but some good friends and a few surprises at the very end. I had originally planned to head as far south as Windsor, but after consulting the incredibly useful and integral to the trip map at the Ontario Beverage Network, I realised that would not be possible. I put a pin in that area for a future trip and we loaded up the car for the final time early Saturday morning.

1st Stop!

  First up was a stop at one of 5 new to me breweries (out of 8) on this day's trip, Upper Thames Brewing Company. Walking in, we were greeted by the weekly Beer and Yoga group that was just finishing up. Something I'd love to try myself, it looked like everyone was relaxed and enjoying their first pint of the day. The décor was decidedly outdoorsy with canoes hanging from the ceiling containing the light fixtures giving it a cool river vibe. Grabbing a couple of flights, we settled in and talked to the friendly staff about our week and where we were headed. As with almost every stop, they gave us some suggestions on where to head next and some points of interest along the way. We enjoyed our brief sojourn from the road, but knew we still had many stops to make before we reached the end, so we bade farewell and headed back out towards our next Brewery.

First Fight of the day!

  A unique place was in our sights as we drove to Norfolk county : Peanut legend John Picard, and his Ramblin' Road Brewery Farm. Long a tourist destination for their delicious snacks, it became apparent that the growing craft beer industry in Ontario was a logical next step when you have a giant farm and thirsty, peanut loving people to help. We were greeted warmly by a couple of Ramblin' folks, including Granny, who insisted we come upstairs and meet John himself, who was manning the grill in the restaurant above the taproom. A little surprised that the brains behind the entire operation would be hard at work making burgers for the hungry visitors, when I got to talking with John, you understood why. He talked of an honest and hard working group of people who not only enjoyed the labour of love but the beer as well. He was a blue collar, truly down to earth guy and if we didn't have so far to go, I would have settled in for one of those delicious looking burgers and a few pops of my own. We took our leave with a six pack, some salty snacks and a promise to come back when the Hop garden was in full swing. Make this one part of a day trip to Norfolk and I think you'll find yourself smiling like we were. Make sure to say hi to Granny, she's pretty awesome all by herself.

Stop #2! Ramblin' Road was all about stocking up!

  Returning to a place I had visited solo back in the summer of 2016, we drove into New Limburg Brewing and took a seat at the bar in the converted school room for a little rest before the next leg of the long day. Established as a haven for Belgian inspired craft beer, the staff was quick and courteous, with time to chat about how they are always going back to the masters of the style to remind themselves the level of perfection they were after. Kathryn laughed at how weird it felt to be drinking beer in an old elementary school and we looked forward to coming back for some patio drinks as the weather warmed. Winners of my favourite Dubbel and Blonde Ale for last year, I was happy to see their Quad was in stock and after our all too brief rest, we loaded up more bottles and drove on toward St. Thomas for the next leg of the day.

Such a cool looking brewery at Stop #3, New Limburg!

    A big seller in the LCBO and makers of the delectable Black Coal stout, Railway City Brewing were an hour's drive away, but we took our time and enjoyed every moment. Spring was slowly awakening in the small towns and farms we passed and as we pulled into the parking lot, we knew it was time for a pint.

Stop #4 was the very busy Railway City!

The taproom was jammed with a bachelor party outing and the tours they conduct on the weekends, but the staff remained cheerful and quick to help get your glass filled despite the seeming chaos all around us.

Saturday afternoon was rockin'!

We settled in for a flight each and then met the soon to be departing Sonya, who made the day at Railway City even more fun with her enthusiasm for all things craft beer. It was to be her last day at this brewery before heading off to work for Barrie's Flying Monkeys, but she was a wonderful proponent of all the things this St. Thomas brewery was doing and made sure I got a pint of Dead Elephant before we left.

Sonya was a great host! Good luck at Flying Monkeys!

It is always fun to hang out and just people watch as they try new beers and experience what we were getting almost every time we stopped and spent time at a taproom. Joy, excitement and laughter filled the air and it behooves you to add this excellent space to your next south western road trip.

Arty flights by Polk.

  Chasing the final 4 breweries meant a stop in only one city and that makes this Hamilton native jealous of all my friends in London. Home to that number of Ontario Craft brewers and some pretty nice pubs that carry great beer, we had decided on staying here and enjoying the final night of Polkapolooza, which I always call the Polkapocalypse. It is meant to commemorate the end of my macro pounding days and my turning to the good side of beer. We headed first for Forked River Brewing as they were closing sson and I didn't want to miss a chance for some of their unique barrel aged beers.

Forked River, stop #5.

London Brewing Co-op was stop #6!

  Our next stop was going to be a similar run and gun but we ran into a pleasant surprise when we walked in the door and one of our beer writing friends from Brewvy was found working at the London Brewing Co-Op.

Beer Friends back together!

Happily getting reacquainted with Tim as he walked us around the brewery, he told us of their commitment to using as local of ingredients as they could get and showed us the map on the wall that showed where everything they used in the beer came from.

Want to know where the beer comes from? They tell the tale with this map. Awesome!

Truly drinking local is always good and this Co-op brewer was buzzing on an early Saturday evening. Grabbing a pint, Kat and I settled down for a moments rest and started to really feel the finish line approaching.

Pints and good times.

Another place to add to your list of road trips, I could have spent all night talking beer and enjoying the atmosphere, but the Polkapocalypse was waiting and we left with some beer saint gifts to try at home.

Toboggan Brewing for the 7th stop of the day.

  We had planned on staying at the penultimate stop on the last day of Polkapolooza for some food and beer, but as we discovered early on, those plans usually get thrown out the window. We ended up spending so much time hanging out with friends at earlier stops that we were desperate for time and only had a quick grab and go at this very popular brewpub near the downtown core. I wanted one of the Toboggan Brewing flights shaped like their name so badly, but we had some good folks waiting for us and still had to drop our stuff off at our hotel before the final stop of the tour. I will be back this way sometime soon and I will get that flight!

The 8th stop and 50th brewery visited for
Polkapolooza, Anderson Craft Ales!

  When choosing the final destination for the tour and the Polkapocalypse, I wanted a place filled with not only great beer, but people I know loved it as much as we do. The team at Anderson Craft Ales have been huge supporters of mine since we first met last year. We have since run into them a few times at various festivals and their enthusiasm for all things crafty is infectious and
made them a logical choice for the place to end this wonderful week of beer. When we showed up, it was a happening place and we happily took a tour of the brewery with Jim, who had just celebrated his birthday that week and is the father to brewmaster Gavin. Proudly showing us the hard work they had put into building this family run business, we headed back to the taproom for a few pints and the first of the surprises that took this stop into the stratosphere. Working hard behind the taps was my good friend Pat, who I met before he joined the team at Anderson and someday hope to collaborate on some home brews with. He snagged us a few pints before we headed up to the loft style beer gardens and as I turned around, I was greeted by fellow beer reviewer Parker Edwards (his Instagram here). A happy, bearded fellow, Parker and I had planned on sharing a pint and then some beer saint gifts before the end of the night, but little did we know what awaited us upstairs.

Such delicious Beer!

  Unbeknownst to me, the two head brewers, Christina and Chris, from Toronto's Folly Brewpub were also in town and they were sitting at a table with Curtis from VQH Farms, a local farm that supplies hops to many Ontario craft brewers. I do tend to go a little fan boy when I get to meet the people who create the beer I love to drink and this was no exception. I was so happy that this was to be the end of the tour and that I was able to spend it with all these people who were involved in the industry I love so much. Jim ordered us a couple of pizzas as our trip left us little time to eat and being so caught up in talking beer we kind of forgot how hungry we were. This was the type of hospitality I found with the whole team at Anderson and we ate, drank great beer and talked until it was time for the brewery to close its doors. We were prepared for that to be the end of the night, but life is always opening doors and I am only too happy to walk through them.

As usual, I got too wrapped up and excited to remember to take a picture.
Thanks to Curtis from VQH for getting the snap !
(Curtis, Chris, Christina, Kat, Polk and Parker)

  As we were taking our finals sips of  beer, our other good friend from the Anderson clan, Aynsley, arrived straight from her flight in from the States and that's when we decided to keep the party going by heading to the legendary local Craft Beer Emporium, Pub Milos.

A must stop in London and the capper to an incredible week!

  I had long heard of this purveyor of the malted barley through many of my beer friends and it was made even sweeter to get to enjoy some food and even more Ontario Craft beer with the group (minus Curtis, who had to drive home) from Anderson and Folly. It was a fun night in a very cool pub spent talking about beer, life and anything else that came up with some really down to earth, honest folks. The trip we took was coming to and end and we felt a mixture of sadness, relief and joy that we had accomplished our goals. Well after midnight, which is pretty late for us, we said our farewells to the gang and headed back to the hotel to catch a few hours of shut eye before the drive home Sunday Morning. The fact that I remembered every stop, conversation and person from the trip make me happy because just a few short years ago I would have been too drunk to remember any of it. I often say Craft Beer saved my life and that's why I do what I do...It's the absolute truth.


Epilogue
  It's been a little under a month since we finished the Polkapolooza tour of 50 Ontario Craft Breweries and to be honest, it's taken that long for me to wrap my head around what it meant to me. Much more than the numbers (50 breweries, 27 cities, 2700+ kilometers), it has become an integral part of the story I am trying to tell about craft beer, here, there or wherever you are. It is about getting out on the road and exploring all there is to see. Going to your favourite breweries, local restaurants and pubs is a great way to support your community and I have been to a few of my own since we got back. But more than that, I wanted to showcase what you can experience by stepping outside your normal routine and taking a day or even a weekend trip away. There are so many amazing beers and even better people just waiting to be discovered. Be open to new flavours, styles and places and the world will give you all that and more. The friends I have made inspire me to want to do it again and more often. The people who make up this community are the real treasure waiting to be discovered and that is why I truly encourage you to get out there and visit as many places as you can. You don't have to go as big and wide as we did, but make it a point to try and go somewhere new soon,
  A final thank you to my partner in all things, Kathryn. It's a sometimes bumpy ride being my better half and I couldn't imagine this trip without you by my side. You inspire me with your kindness and open acceptance of adventures in beer. We have both grown and found our footing in a life spent meeting people, sharing beer and exploring the world. I'd like to think this part of our life is just starting and with you by my side, there is nothing we can't do. Thank you my love, for just being you.
  Wrapped up and put into the memory banks, the 2017 Polkapolooza tour was a whole lotta fun and I look forward to exploring Craft beer even more as the year goes on. 2018 will be hard pressed to top this one, but I'm willing to give it a shot!




 

Make your next beer run a little more epic

Break your routine and Explore everything Ontario Craft Beer has to offer.

You will be happy you did.

Cheers!

Polk

 

Polkapolooza Craft Beer Tour 2017 Review - Toronto Day!

The hat says it all on Day 6 in The Six

  I don't know when my fascination with Toronto started but it's been with me as long as I can remember. Perhaps it was going to my first Maple Leafs game with my dad and the crowd on Carleton street after the game or maybe some of the school trips to the various attractions and museums around Canada's largest city. I've always dreamed of living and working downtown with the buzz of so many events every day at my fingertips. I imagined sitting in cool bars and staying out late with a morning meet-up at some hole in the wall coffee shop that served amazing brew. While moving to Toronto is not likely to happen (have you seen the prices for the tiniest of condos?) I do make sure every year for the Polkapolooza tour of Ontario to plan one entire day for the Big Smoke.

  It is perhaps possible to hit every brewery in town in one day, but we wanted to make sure we left time for each visit to be able to last as long as possible and not rush from one to the next. So many great breweries had to be left off the list that I could plan a few more trips just to hit them all and that is the plan for later this summer when I'd like to take a weekend and visit every single one.

First stop! Cameron's Brewing!



  The day started with our usual stop for some drive thru breakfast and coffee before a late addition to the trip. While reviewing the planned route I discovered that one of my favourites, Oakville's Cameron's Brewing, was open at 10 a.m and that would allow us to stop in before dropping off some Beer Saint presents to my pal Don on the way to Toronto. We've spent many evenings in the last year having a great time at Cask Nights in this now 20 year old Brewery and I was happy to grab a few of the single barrel Deviator Doppelbock from the 2016 release. A short drive up to the Beer Store where Don worked and a surprise craft beer gift for one of my favourite writers (Check out his blog, here). Long a supporter of all things craft beer, especially in Ontario, I was only too happy to drop off some of the hoppier spoils of our trip to the IPA lovin' Brew Ha Ha scribe.

Love hitting a new Brewery!

   It was now time to make the trek to the eastern end of Toronto and visit a relative newcomer to the scene in 2016. Located in Scarborough, Common Good Beer is not only a brewer of their own straight forward styled beers but also a large contract brewing space for such brands as Shillow and Lost Craft. We had a wonderful tour and visit with the team helping to make so many new beers. Huge space with plans for a proper tasting room in the future, I was glad to have finally made it here after my pals from this end of the city had been raving about it for months. They brew simple and stylistically on point beers, stop in and start your next T.O. tour doing a little good for yourself.

A tour and some beer chat!

Muddy York is always a must stop for us!

  I don't think anyone was surprised at stop 3 for the day when we pulled up to Muddy York Brewing. Long a favourite of both Kathryn and I, it is one of our most visited breweries from 2016 and not just because of the great beer they brew. Jeff and Susan are always happy to stop and talk about beer or anything else and it was a great visit as always. Work is underway on their tap room and the new, shiny tanks bring joy to my heart because that means more great Muddy York beer for all of us to enjoy. I cannot stress enough how you need to make this growing craft brewer in your next road trip, it will kick your day off right.

More Tanks means more beer!

 

All these visits and I finally remembered to get a picture with one of my favourite Ontario Craft beer people!
Thanks Jeff!

 Time was ticking for our lunch reservations and as happened so many times in the last week, we were running late. Hitting the road and heading west towards the core, we made our next stop at the ever expanding Left Field Brewery to meet up with another Instagram beer pal, Pat (Craft_Connoisseur). He had recently been hired on at the brewery as a sales rep and it was nice to add another real life friend to a growing list that craft beer has brought into my life.

Walk in and feel that left Field Vibe

  A tour of the production side and a chance to try the delectable Laser Show right off the tank as well as some craft beeer talk with the brewer of all the great Left Field beer made for an extended stop that found us leaving with some Beer Saint gifts of our own thanks to Pat. Make your way to Left Field, especially as the weather warms and the Jays return to the field. The brewpub was filled with happy beer drinkers, kids and dogs in tow and a happy vibe that will have you returning many times. Thanks again Pat for the hospitality!
 

Time for lunch!

A tradition for us on the Toronto Day of Polkapolooza was established last year as we stopped for lunch at the lakeside Amsterdam Brewhouse. Located just across from the Island Airport, it has beautiful scenery, great food, amazing service and of course, damn good beer. Settling in and catching our breathe before the all out sprint across the city that was to come, we ordered a few of the adventure brews (Stout for Mrs., Black Rye IPA for me) and a couple of pounds of delicious wings to give us the fuel we needed. Buzzing with the anticipation of that evening's St. Patrick's day party, the brew house was a great boost to our ambitious plan.

Delicious food, amazing beer and spot on service.

It is always such a wonderful place for some food and conversation and I am indebted to Amsterdam's own Heather for making sure we got a table when I forgot to make a reservation on this very busy day. She also gets her own Beer Saint status for the gift of 4 of their recently released Adventure brews for us to try at home when we finally ended the tour. The manager of the retail section, Kevin, was kind enough to grace my noggin with a new Boneshaker chapeau and we left with full bellies and happy hearts. A beauty place to stop anytime of the year, the coming summer patio season would be a great time for you to head down and get yourself acquainted with this Toronto landmark.

Craft beer, new hat and my bones are shook!

The second half of the day was a lot of short trips form stop to stop and a few visits with some folks we'd only known online. Starting on Ossington Avenue at Ontario craft Brewing darling Bellwoods Brewing. We had wanted to go to their new location, but that didn't fit into the plan...next time Hafis Rd. 

The Bell and the TTC

  I was lucky enough to score a coveted street parking spot across from the red bell and ran in to grab a few of the highly touted Milkshake IPAs, Milkshark. I promised a few to some friends and spied that they had Hellwoods, a stout for Mrs. Polk to get her very first Bellwoods beer on! Racing back to the car, we headed around the corner to the site of the inaugural Beer Saints meetup, Folly Brewpub.

Oh Folly, I missed you so much!

 I always make sure to stop at Folly whenever I am close by because I love the styles that they seem to always have a new take on. Proponents of using that funky Ontario yeast, it is also an amazing place for friends to gather and enjoy some great food to go with the wonderful beer. Time was ticking and we dove back into the car with some bottles for later research and a promise to ourselves that we would make time for a longer visit next time.

  If there is a more stolen piece of glassware than Bandit Brewing's racoon logo, I don't know what it is. I remember our first visit last year and hearing tales of people purloining the flight glasses in the time before they had glassware for purchase. We showed up a little before they opened but were happily taken to the back to meet the crew as they busily prepared for a Friday night crowd. Talking social media, new beers and of course, that iconic glassware, we once again had to move on with promises of a return when the patio opened and we could get some snacks under the warm summer sun to go with our beer.

Don't steal me!

  One of the hardest parts of this day is driving past places I desperately want to stop. I received messages from people asking why I wasn't stopping at one brewery or another. It wasn't easy but wholly necessary to cut the trip into a manageable size, regrets were many.  No doubt I will make it to the ones we had to miss during this particular T.O. run but onward we pushed as the day was coming to an end.

Another new to me Brewery!

  Next up was a unique stop that had two places in one building. Relative newcomer Shacklands Brewing and the award winning Rainhard Brewery are at opposite ends of the same industrial looking complex and we pulled into the parking lot laughing that we could hit 2 with 1 stop. Shacklands was first and it was the very personable Dave who made our visit go longer than we had anticipated. His engaging and excited enthusiasm for life and beer took us in and settled us down for a few samples. He even shared a rare barrel aged brew that was a hit with both of us. Pausing as the sun was headed down, Dave gave me that spark I sought when stepping into a brewery for the first time. Personality brings so much more to great beer and I encourage you to make this one a priority when your headed to the Junction next.

 

Too much fun at Shacklands.

Packed with so much hoppy goodness!

  Literally a minutes walk away was the very cool Rainhard Brewery that turns so many heads with their great beer and newly available 355ml cans of Unfiltered Pilsner and maybe the best pale Ale in Ontario, Armed N' Citra. Grabbing a few of each, alongside some bottles, we hopped back in the car for a short trip to a brewery that will be joining these two in this triangle of awesome later this year, Junction Craft Brewing.

  The fading daylight made our stop at Junction Brewing a short one as we had plans for later in the evening. Crammed into their current location, the new building is a huge space that will accommodate not only more beer but a lively and sure to be rocking taproom. We found a few beers for each of us and prepared to bid Toronto farewell for another year with one final stop...Great Lakes Brewing!

Feels like home to me!

  I've written a whole lot about GLB in 2017 and their celebrating 30 years of making fantastic Ontario Craft Beer. Many fun times have been had hanging out with the fine folks who work and make their living from being part of this iconic Canadian brewer and as we rolled in for the 12th and final stop of the day, I was happy with what we had accomplished. From big to small, LCBO giants to single label breweries, we had seen a wonderful cross section of what a day in Toronto can offer the craft beer fan. A pint of Canuck Pale ale and we said good bye to the penultimate day of Polkapolooza with a hoppy legend in my glass. The patio is open at Great Lakes, make the trip and sit a spell.

  One day remained and it was full of even more awesome people, beer and an evening that was a worthy finish to a week spent travelling the province...but that story will need its own telling another day.

Make your next beer run a little more epic

Break your routine and Explore everything Ontario Craft Beer has to offer.

You will be happy you did.

Cheers!

Polk

500 Days

Cheers to 500 more!

  On November 21st, 2015 I did not have a beer.

  This was the last time that happened and now 500 days have come and gone with at least one pint in my glass.

  I'm not sure if I need a meeting or another beer.
  In those 500 days, I have written 1197 Instagram reviews, recorded 148 YouTube videos, composed 149 (now 150) blog posts and tried well over 1500 new craft beers. More importantly, I have met some truly amazing people that have brought much joy to my life. I wrote about making it an entire year last November (Has it been a Year Already?) and the sentiments still ring true another 135 days later. We have travelled to many new cities in search of great beer, seeing Quebec City for the first time is a prime example of that and become part of a community I didn't even know existed. 

Quebec City Taberbnac Beer Saint Crew

I never imagined that as I passed 40 I would be making so many new friends and getting to live a little of my dream of being a writer. People I would never have met in ten lifetimes have become dear friends and I am inspired daily by them.

With the OG Beer Saints in Durham

 It wasn't a goal to keep going every day past December 31st, 2016 and I gave some serious thought to doing the whole "Dry January" thing as I woke up on the 1st of this year clear headed for the first time in over 25 years. I admire the people that can have that kind of discipline and who are able to resist the temptations a delicious craft beer offers. I let the idea percolate again after my birthday week trip to 50 breweries around the province. Maybe just a day or a week without a beer wouldn't be so bad, I have a lot of great pictures and reviews just waiting to publish and could keep right on posting on social media without missing a step. I took a moment and stepped outside myself to look at where I was in my life and what not having a beer would do for me.  I considered if I needed the beer or just wanted it. Did it still have the power it used to over me or was I truly past the need to bury my problems behind an alcoholic haze.

Always a good day when I spend it with this lady.

 There are many nights I come home stressed to the very limits of my ability to deal with life. Work, family and the everyday worries of millions of people give rise to all manner of coping mechanisms and mine was always drinking. So where I used to come crashing through the door and within minutes be knee deep into a six pack of Brava Light or Pabst, I found myself resisting the urge to have a beer at all. Partly because I don't drink macro pounders anymore but also because I no longer view beer as a way to escape from my life. I purposely will settle into my chair and close my eyes to think and let go of whatever is bothering me. I may turn to writing down the issue so I can work it out through my own rambling style of communication. There are literally dozens of posts not published but merely written so I could let go of the problem that was troubling me and causing the return of my demons. It is only after I feel at peace that I will head to the fridge for, most often, my only beer of the day. This is what really happens here most nights. I know many people think I get hammered every day and I'll admit, it is very tempting sometimes to slip back into that comfortable numbness that used to envelope me as my mind slowly devolved into the darkness. But I do not want to find myself staring up at the ceiling surrounded by empty reminders of a night I drank to forget. I don't want to run from my problems, I've learned they just follow you anyway. The ability to understand why I drank so much allows me to identify and stop that behaviour more often now. Do I slip up sometimes? Rarely and becoming even closer to non existent. I don't want to miss out on the people who are a part of our lives and places we are getting to go. Being blackout drunk doesn't mean you had fun, it means you missed out on everything that happened.

A highlight I'll never forget. Brew day at Great Lakes!

   Craft just isn't better beer, it is a better way of life. So while perhaps I may or may not have a beer tomorrow or the next day, it is now my choice and not that of a man who was scared of his own mind. Clouding the "could have been's" and making it worse by getting drunk has lost its appeal despite the appearance of a non stop party on Social media. The beer I choose to drink now is for enjoying, savouring and exploring. It is a vehicle to a new and different way of life that still is evolving and changing as we go. I am grateful for all the new friends who embrace what I do and encourage me to pursue my dreams, no matter how crazy they seem. The people who read my posts, watch my videos or just hang out and talk  in real life are the real treasure I have gained in the last 500 days and that is what matters most.

One more because Kathryn is always making me look better!

 Thanks for hanging around and know that I am always and forever just a regular guy who wants to enjoy his time on this planet with some great friends, awesome beer and maybe the odd road trip. It's always a good day when you can wake up and not have to worry about what happened the night before. This train is just leaving the station and I don't want to miss a moment.

Raise your glass and your standards,
One beer at a time!


Cheers!


Polk