Grotto Thoughts (1)

  I spend a lot of time thinking and talking about craft beer and really, beer in general. It has become my passion and what gives me joy each day. I love to explore the changes and nuances each brewery brings to the different styles and while not all of them are my mug of pilsner, I have much respect for the intention and execution of a well made and thought out pint.
After well over 1300 consecutive days of drinking and writing about at least one beer on Instagram, I am honestly and truthfully left with wanting more. There are stories to tell and beers not yet opened. There are narratives and beauty out there that have yet to find a voice and I want to do that every day for as long as I can. This was originally all about chronicling a beer journey (sound familiar) but after 4000 plus posts and the expanded Polk Universe of this blog, Twitter and the YouTube videos, it has become so much more to me. It is my window to the world, my way of communicating and sharing a little of who I am when I felt lost and alone not that long ago. It really isn't just about beer but using that beer as a medium for whatever message is rollicking around in my brain at that moment. It isn't about spreading a craft beer gospel or promoting this or that beer, it has become a way to utilize my favourite drink to self actualize and express myself in ways I never thought possible. Do I want everyone to drink better beer? Absolutley. Do I want craft beer to continue to grow and take even more market share every year? Yes times a thousand. But it has become obvious to me that what I am doing is not the same as what I was even a year ago as I too change and become something new and different than I was before. While my results may be the same when it comes to what I create, the motives behind it have become more about the story and the people behind the lens or beer than before.
I don't know what exactly comes next but this is what happens when you take your foot off the pedal and coast a little, checking out the scenery and enjoying what life brings. It's just beer, this much is true, but it let's us tell a whole lot more about ourselves everytime we post a picture, write a review or record a video or podcast. What we post and how we approach it let's people glimpse inside our minds and moods with each word and picture. 
You live in everything you do, make it count. 
I'm gonna try and do the same.

Cheers!
Polk