I wish...

  

  I wish I could get lost in a beer again like I did at the beginning. Discovering a chance to change my life one more time as I pour and savour. Immersing myself into it wholly and without knowledge or forbearance of what was to come next. Void of context or politics, lacking any preconceived notions or bias against style or brand, a blank slate of open exploration into the depths of the novice beginner. To be able to joyfully be summoned to the tap and given permission to be new again, it would truly be heaven.
A depth of information comes not without it's own issues. The more you know about something, the more you discover that there is far more going on below the surface of both what's in the glass and who makes it than you ever thought possible. Evidence of a growing palate means learning to identify any number of things, flavours and aromas you never even knew you liked...or hated. From a simple Adjunct Lager that was brewed to be as inoffensive as possible, all the way up to the boldest barrel aged stout or funky brett beer, it is always possible to go deeper than you could imagine. In all things, you can be open to discovery and in delving into your glass, you can find yourself.
This is not to say you cannot appreciate or even gleefully enjoy regular, everyday beer, seasonal and one off releases just as much now as when you first began drinking craft beer, but there was something so unique about the beginning that cannot be recaptured simply because that time can only exist once for each of us. With every new style, we expand our repertoire and understanding, become a living embodiment of what we like and what we don't, viewing each pint with the full weight of everything that came before. You cannot separate the past from the present and know that the future is built on these experiences, the building blocks of a great beer drinker come together one sip at a time.

Cheers!
Polk