Head North Old Polk - Polkapolooza Day 1

Go North, Old Polk

  We kicked off this shortened version of Polkapolooza with a goal of visiting and highlighting craft breweries that people may not know much about and are off the radar a bit when it comes to our usual beer runs. Taking to the road in pursuit of adventure (and beer) is always a fun way to spend a few hours and Kat and I were very excited to add to our list of Ontario Craft brewers we have visited.

Heading north because who could resist the changing colours and bucolic scenery as we pursue some tasty pints, we first stopped at South River's Highlander Brewing Company and kicked our day off in style. Greeted warmly by the team out front, we were soon joined by Brian, chief of all things in the brewery as the owner and head bottle washer. He was an enthusiastic host and took us on a walk to proudly show off their new facility.

You could feel the energy as we talked about his beer, the state of craft beer in the north and our mission to get people outside their comfort zones when it comes to travelling around visiting breweries. He surprised Kat with a bottle of last years' Winter stout from his personal stash and upped the cool quotient when he let us pour some samples right off the fermenters. Unfiltered and delicious, we were so happy to experience such a treat.

As we chatted about market share, the local economy and trying to change people's perceptions about what is happening north of the GTA, Mike from New Ontario Brewing happened to show up and joined the conversation. The comradeship between these northern brewers rivals anything I have seen in the south and they took some well aimed jabs at each other that resonated with respect and love. Hearing about both Brian and Mike's decisions to pursue this dream of making beer and helping their respective small northern towns by creating decent jobs was another reason that I was glad to have made the trip.

It gets lost a lot of times for those of us in the south but these small towns are often devoid of good jobs and that forces people to move or spend long hours commuting for work. The small town Canadian friendliness was in full effect as we tried to say our goodbyes and even that took another half an hour.

  Earlier that morning, we heard the news that stopped so many Canadian music fans in their tracks that Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip had passed away Tuesday evening after a battle with brain cancer. Tears flowed and the soundtrack of our lives was with us for the entire 13 hour round trip as we passed through the Canadian shield, huge towering rock formations that we cut through and made part of our drive. The fall colours were in bloom as the Hip's music played on every radio station and we sang with sad hearts at the loss of such an icon. I have been a fan of Gord's since the beginning and have a Hip song for almost every major moment in my life, I wrote about it last year with The Tragically Hip - Their Music, My memories and it holds true today. I would like to think that taking a road trip through Northern Ontario was a good way to honour the man who loved this country so much and wanted it to be better than it is right now.

  Back on the road, we headed for a plethora of quick stops and hellos as the day wound on. The distance between some of the breweries provided a time to reflect on the days events and talk about our own lives. It was a happy sight to finally make it to Lake of Bays and Kat was super excited to see that they had just released their soon to be LCBO bound Oatmeal stout. We had a wee taste but couldn't stick around as time was pressing and the road long.

   We turned a little more north to go round the beautiful forests and lakes that populate this cottagers dream to stop in at the tiny but mighty Boshkung Brewing in Minden. Located underneath the Rhubarb Restaurant, it has a small town feel to it as you look out the front door to a scene right out of a travel book, The lake sits feet from the brewhouse and there are some spaces for you to enjoy a pint as nature just happens right in front of you. Picking up the two beers I've never had before, we made our way back towards the route home and a few old friends we haven't seen in a while.

  Heading home down Highway 11 means stops at Muskoka Brewing, a happy place for us and one that has had a significant facelift since our last visit. The patio was hopping and the new taproom was beautiful as we picked up some old faves and new brews. We even ran into Mike, another friend we just hadn't met yet and made plans to meet up later that night when we stopped in Barrie for some dinner. I love this community so much!

 Next up was a short drive down the road to Gravenhurst and the legendary Sawdust City. I could have spent all day in their tap room but again we were just in this time for a quick hello and to fill up a couple of mix sixes with some new to us beers and a returning favourite or two. Princess Wears Girl pants and last year's 11.05 collab with Nickel Brook were the two must haves for me so this was a happy, albeit short, stop.

We next turned our attention to Barrie, a favourite stop of ours anytime not just because of all the great stuff coming out of this entrance to the North. We have a lot of friends we've met through beer up here and joined a few of them for a pint at Barnstormers Brewing. Verena and Rich were joined by new pal Mike as we talked about the scene in town as well as the province at large. The pizza was outstanding and we left with full bellies and even more beer as our friends gave us some of their stash just because they are awesome!

  This left us with one stop on this 13 hour, 800 plus kilometre day trip to the north. Redline Brewhouse yielded a few more new to us beers and as we looked longingly at the tap room, we knew it was time to turn home. A return trip and multiple pints and flights is indeed in order as Redline has been killing it with their releases this year.

 So there you have it, a big old road trip tinged with sadness at the loss of a Canadian legend, the most beautiful scenery in the country and a whole lot of great beer. We made new friends, discovered places that we can't wait to come back to and visited some we missed a whole lot. Do yourself a favour and head up past Toronto when the day gives you an open road, there is a whole lot going on that will delight and surprise you!


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


Cheers!
Polk