The 2019 Polkies - The List

  I used to stretch out my favourite beers of the year for days on end. By style, from dark and roasty to light and fruity, it was a labour of love and while I will still tell you what my favourites of each style were for 2019, I'll do it in one shot, right here and right now.
Let's go exploring!

Beer that tastes like a Damn Beer - Lagers, Pilsners
Lagers
1. Merit Brewing No Limit Dry American Lager
2. Wellington Brewery Helles Lager
3. Collective Arts Audio/Visual Lager
4. Great lakes Brewery Humber Helles Lager
5. Merit Brewing Wrong Tree Extra Lager

Pilsners
1. Fairweather Brewing Donna Pils
2. Tooth and Nail Brewing Vim and Vigor Pilsner
3. Anderson Craft Ales Summer Pilsner
4. Left Field Brewery Glorioso Italian style Pilsner
5. Barncat Artisan Ales Motueka Pilsner

Come to the Dark Side, we have Beer - Porters and Stouts
Porters
1. Clifford Brewing Porter
2. Great lakes Brewery Harry Porter and the Bourbon soaked Vanilla Bean
3. Collective Arts Brewing Stranger than Fiction
4. Big Rig Brewing Tales from the Patch Pumpkin Porter
5. Oskar Blues Death by Coconut

Barrel Aged Porters
1. Collective Arts Brewing 2019 Imperial Porter
2. Fairweather Brewing 2018 Wishing Well
3. Clifford Brewing 2019 Imperial Porter
4. Shacklands 2019 Brewing Belgian Porter
5. Collective Arts Brewing 2018 Imperial Porter

Stouts
1. Fairweather Brewing Madrugador
2. Merit Brewing Continental Breakfast
3. 5 Paddles Brewing Grim Reaper
4. Fairweather Brewing small hours
5. Calaboogie Brewing Brown Cow

Imperial Stouts
1. Wellington Brewery Imperial Russian Stout
2. Bellwoods Brewing Black Liquids Vol 2
3. Nickel Brook Brewing Bolshevik Bastard
4. Sawdust City Brewing Blood of Cthulhu
5. 5 Paddles Brewing Peanut Butter Godiva

Barrel Aged Imperial Stouts
1. Nickel Brook Brewing 2016 Kentucky Bastard (Bourbon)
2. Amsterdam Brewing 2018 Double Tempest (Whiskey)
3. Muddy York 2019 Inkwell (Cognac)
4. Left Field Brewery Blackburne (Bourbon)
5. Nickel Brook Brewing 2019 Café Del Bastardo (Bourbon)

All things good and hoppy - Pale ales, IPAs, DIPAs and more
Pale Ales
1. Fairweather Brewing Menagerie El Dorado
2. Great Lakes Brewery Canuck
3. Bench Brewing Jordan Harbour
4. Black Lab Brewing Sitting Pretty
5. Beau's All Natural Brewing Countdown

IPAs
1. Fairweather Brewing High Grade
2. Merit Brewing Young Rival
3. Badlands Brewing Marma
4. Great Lakes Brewing Karma Citra
5. Nickel Brook Brewing Headstock

DIPAs
1. Badlands Brewing August w/Galaxy and Sabro
2. Fairweather Brewing melange
3. Sawdust City Brewing Super Juicin'
4. Nickel Brook Brewing Brett IIPA
5. Dominion City Brewing/Sawdust City Brewing Numerals

TIPAs
 1. Barncat Artisan Ales Triple the Juice

Brut IPAs
1. Anderson Craft Ales Brut IPA
2. Nickel Brook Brewing In this Corner
3. Muskoka Brewery Rose Cheeks
4. Collective Arts Brewing IPA No 9
5. Shacklands Brewing Brut to the Head

Milkshake IPAs
1. Merit Brewing Weekends for Breakfast
2. Left Field Brewery WHIP
3. Bellwoods Brewing Pineapple Coconut Witchshark
4. Merit Brewing Cali Creamsicle
5. Stonehooker Brewing Mae West

NEIPAs
1. Great Lakes Brewery Thrust!...An IPA
2. Sawdust City Brewing Juicin'
3. Muddy York Brewing Working Hard Mosaic El Dorado
4. Great Lakes Brewery Furthermore...You forgot to mention Bigfoor
5. Nickel Brook Brewing Wicked Awesome

Belgian IPAs
1. Stonehooker Brewing Three Sheets
2. Shacklands Brewing Farmhouse IPA
3. Fairweather Brewing White Mystic
4. Black Bellows Brewing Himalaya
5. Beau's All Natural Brewing Wag the Wolf

Black IPAs
1. Great Lakes Brewing Apocalypse Later
2. Rainhard Brewing Nosebeeratu
3. Dominion City Brewing Melodie Noir
4. Barncat Artisan Ales Shadow Realm
5. Big Rig Brewing Release the Hounds

Session IPAs
1. Fairweather Brewing Forever Eva
2. Royal City Brewing Exhibition
3. Nickel Brook Brewing Lost in Orbit
4. Collective Arts Brewing Hazy State
5. Muddy York Brewing Switchboard

Sour IPAs
1. Fairweather Brewing Fairy Floss
2. Sawdust City Brewing The Morning of our Lives
3. Fairweather Brewing Window Seat
4. Shacklands Brewing Cosmic Trigger
5. Nickel Brook Brewing Zap!

Tart Puckers - Sour Ales
1. Fairweather Brewing beki (Mint/Raspberry)
2. Merit Brewing The Other Side
3. Collective Arts Brewing Blueberry Sour with cocoa nibs
4. Nickel Brook Brewing Uncertainty Principle No 4
5. Fairweather Brewing Gummy Venus

Farmhouse for Life - Saisons
1. Shacklands Brewing Saison Davenport
2. Sawdust City Brewing There's No Way of Knowing
3. Fairweather Brewing Aviary
4. Bench Brewing Henry
5. Sawdust City Brewing Princess Wears Girl Pants

Malty goodness - Red Ales
1. Sawdust City Brewing I, The Mountain and The Leprechaun
2. Royal City Brewing Remebrance
3. Cowbell Brewing Doc Perdue's Bobcat
4. Bobcaygeon Dockside
5. Cassel Brewing Lil Red Ale


The best of the Rest, styles that I had less than 5 examples of in 2019.
Berliner Weisse - Nickel Brook Brewing Passionfruit Uber
Best Bitter - Wellington Brewery Arkell
Black Lager - Silversmith Brewing The Black Lager
Blonde Ale - Collective Arts Brewing Lunch Money
Bock - Goodlot Farmstead Brewing Bock
Brown Ale - Wellington Brewery Good Buddy
Dark Ale - Goodlot Farmstead Brewing Dark Ale
Dubbel - Chimay Red
Dunkel - Stonehooker Brewing Dunk Tank
ESB - Beau's All Natural Brewing ESB
Belgian Golden Strong Ale - Clifford Brewing Marigold
Gose - Merit Brewing What Dreams may Come
Pumpkin Ale - Great Lakes Brewery Pumpkin Ale
Quad - Rochefort 10
Radler - Beau's All Natural Brewing Radler
Rye IPA - Redline Brewhouse Rainbow in the Dark
Tripel - Sawdust City/Nickel Brook Brewing 2016 11.05
Vienna Lager - Clifford Brewing Vienna
Wheat Ale - Sandwich Brewing Prairie Sunshine


Over 700 beers reviewed, these are my favourites. Next up, my annual countdown of The Ten, the 10 most memorable beers of 2019.

Cheers!
Polk

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

I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed - My Least Favourite Beers of 2019

  You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of beer.
   As well as documenting some of the finest beers in Ontario, I have also had the opportunity to indulge in a little self torture of drinking some of the worst and most disappointing craft beer to hit my glass. While the majority of “meh” beers get middling ratings of 3 or so, some are so outstanding for their lack of substance, misleading labels or just plain flaws that I feel compelled to comment further. Most often I choose to ignore the simply boring because life is too short to talk about every single beer that passes through your lens. I always try to be kind while dissecting a beer, trying to walk a fine line between honest criticism and the odd feeling I get when I think the beer is intentionally released even if it is not up to snuff. Money talks and you and I know that there exist in the craft beer world, much like the real world, people who place profit above integrity and quality. Some of these are that and some are just plain off the mark. To quote the thing that cuts to the quick if you ever hear it, “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.”
  Here we go…

5. Whitewater Brewing - Peanut Butter Shake Stout (January 6^th) 2.50/5.00

   Coming on the heels of the very highly regarded Bellwoods Black Liquids Vol 2, which was brewed with real peanuts, this 4.5 % session stout with lactose looked to deliver a follow up of chocolate and peanut butter goodness.
   It did not.
   The brewing with peanut and chocolate extract was evident and despite the addition of flaked wheat, oats and lactose, it lacked in the body department in a major way. Artificial and disappointing to say the least. I see it has returned to the LCBO and I will most definitely give it another go, it had potential and I’m all about second chances.

Video review - Pints with Polk on Youtube

4. Magnotta Brewery - Double Drooling Dog Black IPA (April 16th) 2.25/5.00

   One of my favourite styles of beer that is criminally underrepresented in Ontario is the dark and roasty, bitter pith and pine Black IPA and when I saw that there was a new one in the LCBO in April, I was intrigued. When I saw that it was from the same brewery that made last years Top 3 worst beer Inukshuk, I was less intrigued and more concerned. Magnotta Brewery has a pretty poor quality track record in the 5 years I’ve been writing about and drinking craft beer. Off flavours, styles promised on the can and not delivered in the glass and a general malaise about anything I’ve seen from them, it was not a promising start. It was a confused mishmash of English IPA, IPA and Black IPA which appeals to no one and found a way to make me question whether I liked the style or if that was just a fever dream. It was roasty and had some bitter citrus pith, but also a caramel sweetness and that took away from any kind of one-two punch you expect from the style. Burned twice, there will not be a third time, Magnotta is a hard pass.

Video review - Pints with Polk on Youtube

3. Syndicate Brewery - The Boss East Coast IPA (March 22^nd) 2.25/5.00
   

 I have serious issues when it comes to breweries mislabelling their beers according to style. Each and every style of beer has certain benchmarks you must hit in order to be able to label it as such and a failure to do so is not only misleading, it is dishonest and only serves to hurt the industry as more people dip their toes into the craft beer waters. Having said that, this was most assuredly not an East Coast IPA, leaning more into dry hopped lager territory and a weak one at that. Little to no citrus, pine or body, it showed a disregard for the money that hard working people would spend, hoping to enjoy a fine East Coast IPA and finding instead a muddled mess. I’m good with this being a one time thing, this guy will head away from anything else from The Syndicate.

Video review - Pints with Polk on Youtube

2. NAC Importers - Hoperation SMASH (February 26^th) 1.50/5.00
 

The two worst beers of 2017 both came from this nascent contract brewer and somehow that wasn’t enough as they released another bomb on Ontario in 2019. Hoperation SMASH is billed as a NEIPA but really is mostly sadness. It began with citrus pith, floral hop notes and proceeded to get worse with each sip. Hardly a moment went by when I wasn’t questioning my life choices as this incredibly mislabelled beer drifted into odd toffee notes, soap and finally a dry and bitter end. It was almost like someone took the idea of a New England IPA and simply decided they hated beer altogether and released this. If they have another beer hit the LCBO I will question the integrity of the lab at our liquor regulators and the choices made by their elite staff who are supposed to ensure the quality of the product being offered Ontario and beyond.
Big Nope.

Video review - Pints with Polk on Youtube

1. Lock Street Brewing - I.P.A. (Industrial Pale Ale) (September 28^th) 1.25/5.00

  I went to this brewery once a few years back and had a terrible customer service experience that was coupled with beer that was flawed and to be honest, not worth my time. Fast forward to 2019 and my mom was kind enough to stop in at this Port Dalhousie brewery when her and my dad were in town for a race. She had a similar experience to what I had and still did the mom thing and bought me some beer to try when she came back to town. What bothered me was less the treatment of their customers who aren't "regulars", it was also the disregard for anyone who loves beer. I'll leave my original post here, I think it says it all...
"I'll say this about that.
An IPA is an India Pale Ale.
Full stop. 

This is an "Industrial Pale Ale" from @lockstreetbrewco and to be very honest, it was well below what I was hoping for. Metallic, off point, missing even a malty back that would head in an English direction, it felt quite misguided and mislabelled from the first sip. Sadly my mom bought this for me, but her experience there matched my own from a few years ago...not good. Should I bother wasting my valuable time off writing about stuff that isn't worth those very rare moments? So many people don't actually read what we write here and just see the pic and move on.  I don't know, but wasting my mom's money and treating her poorly makes me pretty pissed. Hope your experience is better, but as always, honesty is all I got this was a disappointment, but not an unexpected one. Pass. Hard pass."
Mislabelled beer, off flavours and poor customer service will do their work as the craft industry grows in the next few years. One can hope Lock Street will find their way, because if they can't, people will find themselves another place to drink and enjoy a well crafted ale or two. Two strikes and your out for me though, I'll let someone else try and see if anything changes...I'd wager it won't.
Video review - Sadly, one of the few beers I didn't do a video review for.  
Worst Macro Beer of 2019 - Coors Slice (May 29th) 0.25/5.00

  While these craft beer options failed to impress, it was a macro attempt at being crafty that was my absolute least favourite beer of 2019. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...Coors Slice. a 4.2% "flavoured beer", it appeared in my glass on May 29th and I immediately regretted my life choices from the first sniff of it's artificially constructed evilness. The best way to describe this "beer" is that it is akin to drinking Murphy's oil soap, sickeningly artificial orange flavouring with sweet corn syrup as a backdrop to self hatred. It was gross and even now I wonder why I think I had to know...I didn't.

Video review - Pints with Polk on Youtube



Special Addendum- Flying Monkey's Brewing Sparklechunks...I mean Sparklepuff TIPA
  I won't get into this one again. On the surface, it was brilliantly executed, hazy, fruited up beer, until the chunky, clear ones started surfacing and we all could see that there were clearly two versions of this beer on the shelves in Ontario despite no words from FM except the old, "Sorry you're not happy, there is nothing wrong with the beer. We will give you your money back if you just go away". No acknowledgement of the obviously completely different things we were seeing pop up. I wrote about it here (Don't Gamble with my Beer) and ranted about it on YouTube here (#Sparklechunks). It wasn't the worst beer of the year, but it was the worst example of taking your consumers for granted and while most people could care less, I still remain committed to not drinking beer from a brewery that isn't truthful or upfront when they screw up. I don't gamble on bad bets anymore.

Make good choices my friends, let's hope 2020 has us seeing the light and bad beer finds it's place in the dustbin of history...even if we know it won't and I'll be back here in a year with another 5 pieces of regret for us to discuss.

Cheers!
Polk

Santa Claus and Santa Polk - Love and Christmas magic.

 

The Christmas season used to my my favourite. The parties and gatherings spread out over the month meant getting together with friends and family to spend a little time celebrating another year and looking forward to the next one. The last couple of years have taken a bit of a toll on my love for the holidays and I'll be honest, without my having the Polk persona to help lift me up, it would be likely no decorations, movies or Christmas music would be seen or heard in my home. It just isn't there anymore. Be it not having children, the unending struggle of keeping things going financially and feeling emotionally drained as our lives have changed so much in the last 6 years. There is little doubt that my path to Christmas is littered with self imposed obstacles to getting back to where I once was.

Enter Santa Polk, courtesy of my Aunt Karen and Uncle Tom.

  My beer advent calenders have helped to make the season a bit brighter and I have included myself in every holiday beer picture as kind of a 'proof of life' moment for myself. I'm still here, I'm still standing . The inclusion of the Santa suit, however, is a little more meaningful than most people know. It belonged to my late Uncle Tom, who played the most loving of Santa's you would ever know. Every year he would do events and malls, donating the proceeds to Camp Trillium, a camp for children with cancer to go to so they might enjoy some time in the great outdoors. He didn't so much play Santa as become him, embodying the role with a verve and gusto I would watch in amazement every year. We were close, I remember sitting with him the night before my wedding to Kat, quietly talking about life as the beer flowed, things like that stick with you a long time.

  After he passed away, my aunt Karen asked if I would like the suit, a symbol of something bigger than myself or the season to me. I was hesitant, but relented and hung it with care in the spare room until it finally became clear to me a use for this piece of magic. The Advent Calendar and my quasi fictional character of the Drunk Polkaroo come together each December to try and spark a little joy in a dark and dreary world. The suit has powers I cannot describe, but when I finally hit the halfway mark and don the jacket, beard and glasses, it starts to feel a little more festive, a little more love and a little more hope. I will never capture it completely, it hovers just ahead of me, but I feel the glow and love that it contains and feel peaceful and serene.

  This year I will be taking another step as I take Santa Polk out in public for the first time ever. I've always confined it to my house, pictures and videos, having a little fun and celebrating the memory of a good friend and mentor. When my friend Jeremy from Clifford Brewing here in Hamilton asked if I would be able to help raise some funds and gather toys for some kids who need a little help this year, I couldn't say no, despite that little voice inside that seems to win more times than not when it comes to doing anything other than work and sitting here at home. I felt something give me the strength to say yes and while I am filled with apprehension, the shoes I step into, literally, have been walked in by a legend in red.
  So this Saturday, December 14th at 4 p.m., I'm gonna take Santa Polk out to Clifford Brewing, give my Christmas blues the boot and take up the chair of Santa to try and bring some good to the world with a little laugh and a lot of leaning on the man who came before me. Join us if you can, an unwrapped, new toy gets you a free beer and a chance to take a pic with this jolly fat guy, bring your dogs, kids and friends and help spread the love a little further this year.
  Scared? Yeah, a little, but I think I have a secret weapon and Uncle Tom's legacy, memory and love of us and the season is very much alive every time I put on that suit of Santa Claus...because I knew the real one.

Cheers and Merry Christmas!

Polk

Beer's the Thing - Tuesday Thoughts

 

My entry into drinking craft beer came rather late in life, well after my 40th birthday to be precise and as such, I cycled through the phases of being a toe-dipper, supporter, enthusiast and zealot to slowly arrive at my current state of calm indifference to what is in anyone else's glass. I remember being so damned determined to snuff out any macro beer love when I saw it and there are still times when I slip into that comfortable robe of self importance about what I'm drinking and what someone isn't. But those times are becoming fewer and fewer as I slide toward my 50s and the calm knowledge that at the end, it isn't about what is in your glass but rather the person holding it that matters the most. Being a kind person who makes time for what is right and truly important is far more a real picture of who you are than whether you drink craft beer or not. Would I rather everyone joined me at a local taproom to experience the difference a quality craft beer can make to their life? Yes, but not at the expense of judging them because of what beer they choose to drink.
  I think the kind of snobbery that pervades most craft beer folk online isn't an intentional attack on anyone who doesn't follow suit, it is rather a response to being perceived as part of an exclusive club that makes them feel a little special in a mundane world. Who doesn't want to feel cool or different while being part of something that isn't that far out of the mainstream. Beer remains a social lubricant regardless of its origin but with craft or independent beer, we get that cache of moving past what our parents drank and setting a new path. Some are trying to forge businesses, make contacts and find a way to make their now hobby pay them later and give them the freedom from the 40+ hours a week at the behest of others. Some just want to share and expand their own friend base, meeting like minded folks and partaking in brewery events put on by the brewers themselves or by an increasingly entrepreneurial Craft beer experience creators like the IGBrewCrew and tour groups around the regions.
  It has become apparent that there is indeed a divide though, between those who have been around craft beer 5 or more years and those who are recently coming to see the light. Even between social media platforms there is a massive disconnect about what is happening around this growing community. Instagram tends to lean heavy into lightness and praise, fostering a tight knit and often resulting in many real life friendships that have transcended race, culture, work and class, Twitter on the other hand is full of the more veteran contributers to the narrative of the craft and can be quite a bit more volatile, even angry when it comes to what is happening in the land of hops and barley. As an outsider, yet somehow a member of both groups (I tend to stay home and drink in peace 99% of the time), I see it first hand at any event that crosses the invisible boundaries between the two. The recent discussion of Influencers and free beer/tickets to events from craft brewers was a big deal to us but no one outside of our little corner of the beer world cares a lick. I have received many a beer gratis and tickets to events that far outnumber my ability or desire to attend hit my inbox, but it has almost never been with any strings attached. To be honest, maybe 2 times in all my 4 years writing about beer have I been asked to write something specific or have the brewery review what I was going to say before I posted it, both times I politely declined to even talk about said product.
  The culture of what is a growing part of Craft beer and the clash with those who helped usher it all in will eventually settle itself out as one continues to expand and grow along with the number of breweries who can draw in more people with an eye to supporting local businesses. The connections that the boots on the ground brewers can make with people are a huge part of what draws people in and will help keep them dialed in. They might not drink much craft outside of the few that are close to their home, but they will be fiercely loyal to a fault.
Life finds a way, I need a beer and we still have work to do.


Cheers!
Polk

Drink The Cellar - Beer Advent and Beyond

 The days stretch out in front of us with the final horizon unknown. Our hours flow by as beer to the glass and the final moments often descend as a curtain, to applause, love and praise for a job well done. Other times it is sudden and unexpected, out of the blue when the end comes and we are left with no time to say goodbye.

  Maybe a little dark for the beginning of December, but once again we find ourselves at the cusp of Beer Advent and for our 5th annual daily present of beer we turn to our cellar and the gems found therein. I hear so many of my friends say they are saving this and that beer for a special occasion and often fall victim to that myself, but as the years begin to pass and 50 seems closer than I realise, I have found myself looking more and more to the little things I can celebrate and enjoy each day. What began in 2015 when Kat brought me home 24 assorted American craft beers from her Black Friday trip to Buffalo with my mom morphed into a celebration of Ontario Craft beer the next two years, stuff I would buy at the LCBO and have Kat wrap up and number randomly for me to enjoy over the month as Christmas approached. Last year I looked into our rather modest beer cellar and decided on taking advantage of a whole whack of "special days" to give myself permission to drink what otherwise might sit long past it's lifespan. This proved to be a most spectacular time and this year we return again to this format because it truly does bring great joy for a little bit of each day as the sun sets before dinner and the winds howl outside.

  The concept of saving a beer was so bizarre to me even 4 years ago that when I first put an Amsterdam Brewing Double Tempest Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial stout away and opened it a year later to spectacular results, I was immediately hooked. I loved being able to compare the differences a few months or years could make to a barrel aged or wild fermentation beer, not to forget the high ABV gems from Belgium or brett beers lounging in my basement. What troubled me was trying to decide when to drink them. What day was special enough to pull one of them out and celebrate with?

Many folks choose life accomplishments, their kids achievements or family birthdays or milestones, all worthy choices to be sure, but for me so many of those will never be present and I wondered what my track would be to deliver these aging wonders to my glass.

  As with everything we do when it comes to beer, we always are looking to what will bring us the most happiness and decided to start having these beauties just because. Random week day off together? Break out an Imperial some thing or other. Had a great day at work or conversely a bad one? Why not enjoy a Belgian Quad that has been biding its' time just for you. Seemingly ordinary days can be transformed by the simple acknowledgement that being alive is something to celebrate in and of itself. This became our guiding force, not too often but just often enough to retain the feeling of being a "Moment", writ large by what was in our glass as opposed in response to something else. It worked but still left us with more stock than we were comfortable having lie around, just waiting to be lost to time.

  Enter Beer Advent and the Cellar Pull of the day. This conversion of a childhood daily treat to a grown up version has now become a way for us to clean out the last year (or beyond) of stuff we bought and make way for the new things to come as the calendar turns. We have given ourselves the chance to embrace a live in the moment mentality while maintaining a little patience to save up 25 different big, boozy bastards with an eye to December. It's fun and to be honest, Life is far too short to leave good beer behind when your time has come to an end. You can't take it with you, why not share it with someone you love, celebrate life now and be joyful at the season to come. I know it makes every day this month have something to give me joy, at least as long as my glass is full and my heart is open.

Cheers!

Polk
 

Close to Home - The Future is Local

We all love coming home at the end of a long day at work. The comforts and familiarity of our place gives us a stable base and a place to rest and relax after doing the things we need to do to earn our living. We crave the normalcy and routine of what we find when we encounter the familiar and warm embrace of what we know. This is also becoming increasingly true when it comes to craft beer as the number of breweries begins to approach the 400 mark and it seems everyone has a local that has quickly become a second home.
  Here in Hamilton, the growing number of breweries has luckily been matched by their quality and innovation when it comes to beer, so it has become even easier for me to eschew long drives or even the LCBO for weeks on end and still have enough new and interesting stuff to satisfy both my curiosity and my palate.  Of course, even in the city limits, beer lovers have an even smaller list of favourites and while a lot of that has to do with the beer and styles made at each place, proximity plays a larger part than most people want to admit. Although it is a certain fact that each of the 6 Hamilton area breweries have not only distinct flavour profiles but different personalities and core fan bases that reflect them in many ways. I've spent time hanging out at each one and can attests to the vibe being as unique as the beers each one brews and this bleeds over into their regular crowd and biggest fans on social media and real life.
  The closer you are to a brewery means the less you have to spend getting there if you're planning on having a few at a special event. If it's on the way home from work, even better because you can do the quick pop in to pick up something for the evening or weekend ahead. You get to know the people working there and in the case of the smaller breweries, often the owners and brewers themselves. You feel a sense of ownership, of pride when bringing people you know to your local or favourite brewery. It becomes part of your story, attaching itself to your narrative and blending into your life as an ingredient in its' daily or weekly composition.  Many people I talk to eschew the LCBO or Beer Store much more than they thought they would when they got a brewery close to home and often are inspired to seek out more and more breweries to stop at when out and about. They begin to learn and acquire knowledge about the process, the flavours and the character of their stops and bring home a taste for new things but still find comfort in their favourite spots and beers close to home.
  The rise of a brewery in every small town is a little far fetched, but most folks certainly have far better and closer access to local craft beer than ever before. It shows not only in social media, but in the fact that the viability of such operations can hinge on a close by following, developed and nurtured by business that is inviting and creative. Some do it with a stream of events attached to the space, making it feel like a community hub or even a whole lot of releases that seemingly never end, inspiring weekly stops to see what is new. Some are only open a few hours each weekend and the beer seems sent from heaven, a cult like following growing with each tank of beer sold. And while beer tourism is on the rise and road trips containing brewery stops as a destination rather than a surprise stumble upon continue to grow, people still fall back on the local, the known and the place where everyone knows your name.
  It isn't that I am positing an end to seeking out the best craft beer or that people will shrink their exploration if a new brewery opens close to home, but I do feel that the future of so many of the craft breweries we see will and does indeed depend on the voracity of its local following. The nerds like myself may visit once in a while and buy one of each of the releases, but the regulars will be in weekly, maybe more and spend far more time and money supporting that place where barley, hops, water and yeast meet the hopes of so many who dare to dream.
  Life has been changed forever as a beer drinker for so many of us and I hope we continue to explore a wider world around us while making sure we support the home team and keep the world close to us filled with beautiful moments at our local taprooms.


Cheers!
Polk

A Canadian Beer Day Thought - Let people have the things that make them happy.

  Today, October 9th, 2019, is Canadian Beer Day.
  Who decided this? Beats me, Beer Canada perhaps. An industry lobby group made up of various breweries, mainly macro, giving designation to a particular day to celebrate Canadian Beer, Brewers and of course, drinkers. Matters not, I'm in!
  Regardless of who created it, it becomes what the people who celebrate it make it, not unlike any other "Day of..." that we see throughout the year. Christmas is one thing for your family and another for mine, but what we all really should want to see is a happy time being had by people simply enjoying what they like. What may be a marketing scheme could become something used to celebrate the independent craft beer makers that we love so much and the community we want to have going forward.
  The naysayers and usual collection of "I thought every day is beer day" people tend to want to drag everything down. We see it every time people start to get excited about anything, not just beer, movies, TV shows, and so on. There is a streak in some folks out there that just wants to shit on anything that brings people happiness. Why not let people enjoy whatever it is that makes them happy? National days let people celebrate the little things in life and with all the other crap we deal with on a daily basis, isn't that a good thing? Shouldn't we be encouraging people to find the spark in an otherwise normal, working day? Why take that small happiness away with snide remarks and hate? What makes people so sure and smug that they feel the need to cut down anyone who dares experience a moments joy at something they love?
  I have times like this myself and when I do, I take a step back and look at why I don't like a thing. Is it hurting someone or promoting hatred or fear? If not, then why am I against it or do I even need to bother wasting my time. My father often used to tell me when I'd be ready to react negatively to something for absolutely no reason to "Be nice, don't be yourself." What he meant was to stop and think before I reacted, a character trait I have struggled with most of my life. Hot tempers run in my family and I work diligently to make sure I don't step on people or the things they enjoy.
  I have learned to slow my roll, let folks have their small moments, encourage more of them and embrace the fact that in this often too short and sometimes difficult thing we call life, it is those tiny things that bring us the greatest happiness. You gain nothing but a smug self satisfaction and an empty heart by trying to take those gems away from people. Don't like the idea, no problem, don't celebrate it. But maybe look at yourself and ask why other people's happiness is such a target for your own unhappiness...just sayin'.
Be nice to each other, you don't know the struggles others face and this single day might just be what makes them smile for the first time in a long time.
Happy Canadian Beer Day! Visit your favourite local Craft Brewery, have a pint with a friend or maybe just enjoy a little time with yourself and a great beer!


Cheers!
Polk


 

On it goes...1400 days

  In 72 hours it will happen...
  1400 straight days.
  Almost 4 years of beer.
  Sunrise and sunset, elbows up and pints down for longer than I could have ever imagined doing anything. Since November 21st, 2015, I have drank at least one beer and wrote about it on Instagram. Well over 4000 posts, beer reviews, pictures and videos now reside in the vacuum of the internet to show the universe who I was long after I am gone...a little scary to be sure. Why did it happen? How? When will it stop? Should it?
  I don't know.

  In the beginning, it was all in fun, there was no intention of writing about beer every day, never mind sharing my life, grand failures and triumphs et all, with the world. I was just a guy discovering a new world and seeing beer differently for the first time since he discovered how good it made him feel two plus decades before. Slowly, things grew and changed organically, set pieces with thought out backgrounds and stories faded as I realised it was just about the beer and my daily existence with it that was what my purpose was. I began with a thought to share beer with the world and that became the driving force behind everything I do. I decided without consciously knowing it that I would write about things as I did them, as I drank them and with little thought to anything but my own truth.

  There is no master plan, no hustle to what I do every day. I don't have a cache of posts, blog or Instagram, YouTube videos or poems for Twitter saved up on my phone or computer. I try to live very much in the exact moment I am experiencing things and leave the well thought out and executed stuff to those far smarter and more dedicated than I. Truth be told, once done with something, I have left it there as a marker in my life, moving on with the knowledge that I was there, but now I'm gone.

I have too much respect for people who work so hard to create amazing images and videos, thoughtfully written treatises on craft beer and other things to believe that I possess the patience or structure to do any of that. I am a fan of the beautiful and the mundane, the words that flow and the pictures that capture my eye every damn day. I love the passion so many people have found for crafting a small part of this niche in the world for themselves, some for fun, some for profit and some because they just want to feel like they are part of something a little bigger than themselves. I am an encourager of expression, a minstrel of positive messages and a believer that craft beer has changed a lot of lives for the better in a world that often seems hell bent on taking away the joy and community of people who just want to live and love with abandon and an open heart.

  I have fallen out with people I thought were friends, made new ones and found old ones once again. I have offended and fought battles with words, given shots and taken them in defense of beliefs I didn't know I had. I have loved and lived with the idea that the simple act of sharing a beer picture can make the world a little better for someone not having a good day. If my videos make someone laugh or encourages them to do something creative because even this old war horse does it, then I feel like I've done my part right. If my pictures gave anyone the idea to do it themselves or my words moved them to write their own, then it was all worth every pint and every agonized moment after I hit send. I wish I had the drive to create a space in the world where my words and love of great beer made me an income, but I long ago came to grips with the direction and ambitions I have. I salute and will help lift up anyone who is trying to capture lightning in a bottle and create something of value for themselves and their future, I see you and will always have your back. I help promote things and people I believe in, my voice added to a cast that can be in single digits or tens of thousands, no matter the number, know that I believe in you and what you're doing if it is a positive impact on the world.
  Thank you, my friends, for being a part of this, a trip round the sun 4 years long and many, many pints deep. Things have changed so much in our community since I began and while I prefer to sit sidelines as home and share that experience with you, know that I am cheering you on as you go forth and find your own piece of the pie. What I do is who I am, be yourself and do things in a way that makes you proud, happy and filled with joy...I feel it everyday.

Cheers!
Polk