Reflections on 1000 Days of Beer

 

Thinkin' about drinkin'

When I first started writing about my experiences with beer in 2015, chronicling the journey I was taking through the styles and flavours I had never experienced, I was wide eyed and optimistic. I curtailed my internal temptation towards negativity and focused instead on the positive and exciting things happening here in the Ontario Craft beer scene. I wrote about past mistakes and triumphs, rated and reviewed over 2600 beers and filmed more than 700 videos. New friends were made and some old ones lost, jobs have changed and even my outlook on life has been shaped by the liquid in my glass.

The olden days of Brava Light Polk

  It is not merely that I have drank and reviewed at least one beer every day for 1000 days, it is the very fundamental difference this community, it's purveyors and consumers alike, have had on me. I have changed, found solace once again in the expressing of myself through various mediums, all of them art to me on one level or another.  I was a smart kid but I didn't understand how to express myself once I left school. Adults, especially men, just get on with the business of living and providing, leaving behind the notion of sharing your emotions or thoughts with the world. Craft beer changed all that.

One of my first (and still) craft beer loves

  I found an outlet for talking about my past, addressing demons long held at bay by alcohol and poor decisions. I recognized the empty promises I made to myself and others about life and made attempts to change that as I went forward. To create, design or write about beer, sports, history or any of a myriad of subjects that interested me was almost as intoxicating as the beer I was drinking and no doubt the positive feedback and encouragement I found online was a factor in my continued pursuit.
  It hasn't been all sunshine and saisons though. I know drinking a beer everyday isn't a big deal, but the ones where that becomes four or five can come a little too frequent for my liking and I can acknowledge the fact that I am at the very least, a functional sort of alcoholic. Do I need a beer every day? I'd say the yearning to get hammered daily has dissipated somewhat in the last 1000 days and more and more it is but one beer pouring into my world each evening. But still there persists a thirst for the darkness I once had guiding me through life and I will have to stand on guard as long as I continue to use beer as a form of self expression.
  I don't miss any work, excuse myself from events because I can't drink there or use beer to mask anger or fear at the day. I know exactly what I was before this all started and have no desire to return to the days of blackouts, emptiness and the sad existence of a drunk. But still I want to enjoy at least a pint at the end of my day and that is probably not something normal folks do for as long as I have.
  My weight, such as it is, has fluctuated from a low of 270 pounds to the not so impressive 330 I'm packing now. Although I've cut far back from the days of pounding 12 tall boys of Old Milwaukee 5 or 6 days a week, I'm still taking on a lot of empty calories for a man in his mid 40's. No doubt my current job played a little in the weight gain, I've put on 30 pounds in the last year as my dinner hour pushed back the clock until almost 8 p.m. every night, combined with a pint or two a few hours before bed and little exercise. So that will be something I either address within my own sphere or I will have it forced upon me when the inevitable physical breakdowns happen. I've been scared of what my inability to lose weight will do to me as I get older and although I know I need to move more, our old pal anxiety can keep me on the couch longer than any beer could.
  I will say that being able to transform an Instagram account about beer with a funny name attached to it into a forum for mental health and expression has been my biggest surprise about the last 1000 days. I have learned that I am not alone and have built up a fine network of friends in real life and online that helps to prop me up when I cannot stand and leads me to light when I cannot see. This alone has been worth every pint poured or picture taken. The people who have reached out with their own stories and advice have been tremendous and I am grateful for that most of all.

It feels like art to me

  There have been bumps along the way, some people don't like how I rate beer, or talk about my life and the reality of what I am living. Some just don't like me and despite my incredibly insecure need to please everyone, I have learned to let them go. Life is too short to try and be everything to everyone. I will continue to share my beer and my stories with the world, poetry and videos will always make me feel better and I have no doubt in my ability to continue to seek answers for life's questions as I go along.
  I guess the entire 1000 days was a set up, a trip with peaks and valleys, a journey through life with beer as a catalyst to spark my creative side. I write and talk from a place of emotion, heart on my sleeve and a definite lean towards the positive of every situation. I feel the darkness just below the surface but it has weakened over time as I find more ways to express myself and release the emotions I kept bottled up for so long. I'm not sure this is something for everyone, but for me, this has been exactly what I needed to learn to live again.

1000 Days to find this beauty

  Will I not have a beer someday soon? The honest answer is I don't know but to really look hard at myself, I don't see why I should stop enjoying at least one pint a day. Maybe a few less days with more than one is in order, on this I can agree. But for now, I'll keep writing and drinking, sharing my thoughts with the world, one beer at a time.


Here's to another 1000 days!

Cheers!


Polk

Day Drinking

 

   It's a beautiful morning, the sun is shining and you have the day off. This is an opportune time to get some work done around the house, finish up a few projects and clean up that garage.

Or.

  You could settle into your favourite spot and enjoy a few beverages all day long while doing absolutely nothing.
 
Day drinking is one of those things that few know how to do properly and with society looking on, most avoid. I am not advocating sloppy drunkenness by 10 a.m. but I don't think there is anything wrong with the occasional day spent languidly exploring new beers and catching up on a little time for yourself. 


Here's a schedule for a perfect day spent imbibing and enjoying a little liquid vacation...


9 a.m. - It's time for a porter or stout. Cliché I know, but if your a coffee drinker like I am, that roasty bitterness will help give you a wake up call and a tasty one at that.


10 a.m. - It's time for a little pale ale in your glass as the sun rises a little higher and you want to spread your palate a little. Up the hops and bitterness level for a second pint.

11 a.m. - This is the sweet spot for a good wheat beer in my opinion. Pre lunch and still with the glow of a good night's sleep, the banana and orange notes feel like morning and that peppery backend will wake your palate up for lunch.

Noon - Lunch time! It is important to eat during a day drinking session and I am partial to a nice refreshing pilsner with my midday meal. Clean and crisp, it is perfect for almost anything you'd like to have to eat.

1 p.m. - Full and lounging around under the canopy, you reach for a red or brown ale, something you haven't had in a while and different from what has been in your glass all day. Enjoy a book or a little conversation before that wonderful nap time occurs.

2 p.m. - Nap time! Take a break, close your eyes and set aside your worries for a while. A half hour or so rights any ship and leaves you ready for the rest of the day.

3 p.m. - All the Hops! Time for the first bitter bomb of the day with a classic west coast IPA. It kicks the sleepy thoughts from your mind and pops the taste buds back into shape. Keep it under 7%, still a long way to go.

4 p.m. - That malty hopped up goodness needs a clean follow. Saison time as you prepare dinner. A farmhouse ale, whether funked up with some brett or traditional style will help keep you singing as you head into the back half of your sojourn from reality.

5 p.m. - Dinner time has arrived and as you cook up a feast or a lighter fare, it is time for a sour ale to make its' way into your glass. Tart and kicking up some fruity goodness, find one that suits your mood and enjoy the time spent at the BBQ or stove while your meal cooks.


6 p.m. - Sharing a meal means spending time with people you love. While savouring a fine dinner, why not enjoy a well made lager. Nothing to interfere with the flavours of the food, but rather a refreshing and slightly more flavourful old reliable to wash it all down with.


7 p.m. - Dishes in the dishwasher and a satisfied hunger means it is time to move into the night time. A hazy New England style IPA will do the trick here. Pillowy soft and juicy with a restrained bitterness that sets the stage for a final hurrah of the day.


8 p.m. - As the sun is setting, it is time to break into the cellar for a night cap of epic proportions. Maybe shared with someone close or slow sipped alone in contemplative silence. A big and roasty Bourbon Barrel aged stout or perhaps a barley wine would suit just where you are at this moment. Pour slow, drink slower and let the day end with a smile.


  A list missing a few styles but hey, it's just an idea. Pace your ABV and make sure to hydrate with water all day long. Pause and enjoy each beer for what it is, don't pound and mindlessly reach for another. Spread the joy out the entire day and make sure you have nowhere to go and nothing you need to do.
  Perhaps a little facetious but in all good humour comes a little truth*. Drink responsibly and know your limits.


Cheers!


Polk


*relax guys, it's all in good fun...

On Buck a Beer - It's not about the beer

   If you're reading this, I'm going to assume you fall into one side or the other of the recent government announcement and inducement to Ontario's craft brewers to lower prices to $1. The floor price prior to this was $1.25 and despite that, no one had thought to sell at such a level. There have been many brewers who've come out about the actual costs of making their beer, the commitment to quality ingredients and paying a fair wage to their employees as solid reasons why this will not work. To sell a beer, even a 355ml can, for such a low price is not only a silly idea, it is not viable for any craft brewery to do so without incurring losses.
 That the Conservative government of  Doug Ford wants private business to voluntarily lose money in order to fulfill an ill thought out campaign promise would be laughable if it wasn't so real. The so called inducements of free ads and prime shelf space at the LCBO are not only small and not worth the loss of money and respect, they do take money out of taxpayers pockets through lost revenue. While larger brewers, i.e. Molson's or AB-Inbev, could absorb or even minimally profit from volume sales, there is no indication they desire losing money to help prop up this ridiculous fantasy.
  Some have pointed to some recent government grants to Ontario Craft brewers as the public subsidizing the beer industry as proof that they should play along with this scheme. While it is true that many breweries have accepted grants, they have been used to modernize and expand plants, adding jobs and tax revenue which outweighs the initial investment. There are a myriad of businesses, most much larger and not Canadian owned, that have benefited from government money and intervention with less return to the public purse. We heavily subsidize or control prices in many industries, but never has a government tried to force a business to sell their product for less than they can make it in order to distract the population from the real and present consequences of their policies.
  I am not an economist, just a regular guy who loves his beer and speaks with his hard earned dollars. Paying for quality is what we do when we go to our local craft brewer, pub, restaurant or any other place for a pint. Would I love to pay less? Of course I would, it's always good to see your dollar go further. I'd like to pay less for gas, food and a host of other necessities of daily life too. But this policy announcement wasn't about beer at all. It was about trying to continue the politics of separation, of dividing people and taking eyes and voices away from the other policy decisions this neophyte government has made.  This is bread and circuses at its finest, distracting us away from the 350 million dollar cut to mental Health funding, the reversal on Sex education and the destruction of local democracy in Toronto to name just a few. Buck a beer is nothing more than a smokescreen and any attempt to frame it as greed or being a snob about beer is not only disingenuous but feeding into the class division that is being driven by a rich populist dressed up as a blue collar guy.
  The previous government in Ontario was responsible for some truly terrible decisions, many bordering on dereliction of duty. There is no doubt that trying to cast dispersions of Kathleen Wynne fuels many of the comments and discussions around this policy. But again, this is a distraction from just what is happening in an industry that is providing jobs directly and indirectly, growing every quarter more than the last. Our Craft brewers are important parts of the places they reside in. They fund and participate in local charities and events, they work side by side with each other to promote the entire community and they are, for the most part, committed to creating lasting improvement to where they make and sell beer.
 In small towns and large cities across the province, the taprooms are becoming community hubs, hosting events for everyone and promoting an inclusive and diverse place to get together. While far from perfect, the craft beer people I have met are a caring and genuine group of people who span economic, social and racial divides. We don't agree on everything but we all want our little corner of the world to be a better reflection of who we are. We want to be a big tent for everyone to feel safe and accepted for who they are and as you have seen by the response to this misguided policy, we are united in our passion for good beer and great people.
  So don't be fooled or distracted by the chatter of Buck A Beer. It is politics dressed up in an aluminum can to distract from the real issues of the day. No reputable brewer will attach their names to such a poorly thought out plan and the one's that do will either produce poor beer or lose so much money selling a good product well below profitability that they will suffer the financial consequences. Your dollars matter, vote with your purchasing power and support the large portion of Ontario Craft who have said loud and clear that they are not going to be pawns in this game of musical beers.

I stand with the Boycott of anyone who makes Buck a Beer, because it is about so much more than just beer.

Cheers!

Polk