The Ten (2019) - The Best of the Best

   

 There is a joy to be had when you drink a really good beer. It can be a turning point in a bad day or a reward at the end of a good one. Beer should be fun and when you get a finely tuned pint, it is a sublime piece of joy to behold and consume. The Ten has always been about beer that made me take notice over the course of the last 365 days. It is not just about great, to style stuff or taking chances on something new that shifts the paradigm of what we think we know, it is about beer that stops you in your tracks and gives you a moment's respite from the everyday. While all the beers on this list are no doubt incredible in their own right and highly regarded, they represent so much more than just a score at the end of an Instagram review and a pretty picture. After 1500 straight days and almost 5 years of chronicling the beer that is in my glass, I still get excited when I find something that delivers an unsurpassed experience to my palate and my soul.
  Without further ado, I give to you, my friends, The Ten of 2019.



10. Merit Brewing - No Limit American Dry Lager (June 15th) 4.50/5.00

  On a day when we were at a the Collective Arts Liquid Arts festival, drinking massive barrel aged stouts, Imperial IPAs and sours from another damn planet, a break between sessions found a group of glowing Ontario beer drinkers on the patio at Merit and this simple, elegant beer defined the day for me from the first sip. While I am a lover of big and boozy stouts and all manner of IPAs, I found this year that my palate has come full circle as the lager and pilsners of the world began to creep back into my glass. More so than just being an absolute gem of a beer, Tej and Spinney have created a unique place in Hamilton's food and beer scene, partnering with charities, local arts events and doing good in our community on a daily basis. While Merit has many, many amazing beers, Young Rival IPA is a top notch choice I make often, I must salute them for creating this ode to a simpler time that somehow feels like I am drinking the future at the same time.
Video Review - Pints with Polk on YouTube
9. Bellwoods Brewery - Black Liquids Vol. 2 w/peanuts and chocolate Imperial Stout (January 4th) 4.50/5.00

  Almost a year has passed and I can still remember clearly the first sip of this rich and delectable Imperial Stout from Bellwoods. While I do not get as much beer from Bellwoods as in past years, they continue to put out some of the finest creations in Onatrio and beyond. This was straight up one of the best things I've had in my glass in 5 years. Real peanuts, real chocolate, real high bar for any pale imitation that followed from anyone else. It was robust, rounded and ridiculously good. lingering long into the night, never to be seen again, I bid adieu and say sleep well, my friend.


Video Review - Pints with Polk on YouTube
8. Badlands Brewing - August DIPA featuring Galaxy and Sabro (September 1st) 5.00/5.00

  The only thing I can say negative about Badlands is that they are only open 12 to 5 on Saturdays...that's it.    Amazing and near perfect beers emerge from this tiny operation like clockwork and when I was finally able to make my way to the farm, the hype meet reality and was found true. Their rotating monthly Double IPA for August featured the comeback hop of the year in Galaxy and the sexy new star on the block, Sabro. Peach, orange, coconut, grapefruit and dank, hazy pine was my reward for breaking out of my routine and taking the drive to Caledon. They have damn near found heaven in their bottles and I must say, the allure of being just out of reach most weeks only makes me want them more. Soon, and not soon enough, we shall visit again.


Video Review - Pints with Polk on YouTube
7. Wellington Brewery - Imperial Russian Stout (November 7th) 5.00/5.00

  A happy circumstance if you don't always realise just how beautiful a beer is until you find it again at the perfect moment. A long time favourite, Welly's Imperial stout is one of the few available all year round in Ontario and was always lurking in the background of my mind when I would think of solid, if not spectacular, core beers. An early November evening found me closing my eyes as the first sip hit my palate and being awoken again for the first time. It is a timeless classic that should be a part of anyone's beer fridge at all times and even after many years, is unlikely to be surpassed by anything in the style to come. It is a greatly needed reminder of all that made this craft beer scene in Ontario gain traction and will no doubt remain a part of that group of OG creations that will never go out of style.


Video Review - Pints with Polk on YouTube
6. Great Lakes Brewery - Apocalypse Later Imperial Black IPA (November 15th) 5.00/5.00

  I coined the term "Singular Beer" when I finally got my hands on this year's release of one of GLB's finest seasonal beers. The most under-represented style of beer, in my humble opinion, the Black IPA represents such a dichotomy of what you see, smell and taste coming together in the most beautiful way when executed perfectly. It is singular in that it helped transform what I thought beer could be and when it comes back, far too infrequently, it gives me pause. Bold and full roasted, bittersweet, pithy and pine with everything one could desire in a Black IPA. It is an event and should be enjoyed with vigor and joy.


Video Review - Pints with Polk on YouTube
5. Sawdust City Super Juicin' Imperial IPA (October 4th) 5.00/5.00

  A beer saint moment placed this one off from Sawdust in my hand and the beer gods deemed me worthy to be able to enjoy it and be happy doing it. Epochs of peach and orange flavour, softly bitter, tropical and juicy with a lingering feeling that the Universe sometimes does give us a moment of pure joy. While it was a surprise to get it, I long ago stopped fretting about missing beer releases when I could do nothing about it, I cherish most anything from Sawdust as they have become one of the core Polk places where I trust implicitly their integrity and dedication to great beer and good times. This was a showcase of that writ large and maybe we shall see it again as the calendars show 2020.


Video Review - Pints with Polk on YouTube
4. Shackland Brewing Saison Davenport (November 24th) 4.75/5.00

  The saison remains one of my favourite styles of beer and no one, save perhaps someone in Belgium, is hitting it quite like Jason is at Shacklands. Saison Davenport delivers consistently one of the best examples of the Belgian yeast, banana, bubblegum, clove and a beautiful peppery coriander back that lingers forever. Summer day? Davenport. Winter night? Davenport. It transcends what hype beer may be the flavour of the day and is one the beers I tell people they need in their lives if they truly want to know what love is. Dave and Jason have created a truly unique place, striving to be a better in a world that is often cruel and indifferent, a spot that delivers love, acceptance and great beer to all who walk through their door. It is not just beer, it is the people behind it that can make your day shine.


Video Review - Pints with Polk on YouTube
3. Barncat Artisan Ales Triple the Juice Triple IPA (August 25th) 5.00/5.00

  More times than I can count, a beer saint has given me the opportunity to enjoy a beer I desired but had no way of getting my hands on. Barncat has much the same problem for me as Badlands, in that their hours of operation is the only criticism I have of them. Friday from 4 to 9 and Saturday from 12 to 5 means I am most often working when they are open and I had resigned myself to not getting this juicy, dreamy tropical citrus dream. So when It appeared at my home courtesy a kind soul, it cemented the absolute genius of what they are making at this Cambridge brewery. Soft and dank, pithy and full of mango, peach, grapefruit and orange, it was a sublime moment in time. I wish they were open more, but it is part of their allure that I must make time to get their beer, desire is an emotion that adds to the single sip of a Barncat beer.


Video Review - Pints with Polk on YouTube
2. Nickel Brook Brewing 2016 Kentucky Bastard BBA Imperial Stout (August 15th) 5.00/5.00

  It took 3 years of patience and a bright and shining light broke through as this legendary big, boozy Bastard helped me realise that perfection existed and waiting is worth it for something this beautiful moment of clarity and joy. The balance struck between to heavy bourbon aging and roasted malts reached sublime levels with every sip. It could not, nor ever will, be like this again. Rich and velvety, it's peak a window into what beer can truly be if we let science and nature meet love and vision. While it will remain a top level beer for the foreseeable future, it is at this time, one of the finest things you can consume, enjoy and love while doing whatever brings you joy.


Video Review - Pints with Polk on Youtube
1. Fairweather Brewing Donna Pilsner (September 11th) 5.00/5.00

  Donna.
 The very name evokes great emotion when I think of what this beer has delivered unto me this year. In search of the very soul of great beer, this simple, yet complex Pilsner delivered a real time glimpse into the deep and beautiful things life should be. It is unpretentious, a pint that captures the real moment of bliss and shows you what could be, is and was at the same time. I could fill this list with Fairweather beers, they had a year of hit after hit and in addition to that, they remain some of my favourite people to visit when I can. Champions? in every damn way.
 I'll let the words from June finish this, my life, my love, my Donna. 
 "In my dreams, it's Donna.
In my glass, it's Donna.
In my life, oh so briefly, it's Donna.
 She's no #crispyboi, she long ago left such definition behind. She is transcendent, beautiful and only here for the tiniest of windows. Don't live your life in a haze, Donna will make everything clear and new.
Trust me, hear me and you can thank me later."
Video Review - Pints with Polk on YouTube

  This list is fun to do, but leaves out so many amazing beers from the last year. I wish I could include the dozens that were also amazing, I will always remember them as life rolls along.
  We are here for the briefest of moments it seems, drink good, do good and be good.

  Until next year, I remain your humble friend and wish you and yours the very best in everything in 2020.

Cheers!
Polk