The value of the ten beers found below is not just measured by their high quality, but by their constantly staying in the periphery and then forefront of my mind. It is not just beer at this point, it has become an intrinsic part of the life I lead and the world I want to see. It is comfort, consistency and honour. It is joy and pride and creativity writ barley meets hops and this list barely scratches the surface of the amazing things I have been lucky enough to find when I popped the top almost 800 times this year. You can argue what the best IPA or Stout is, your palate may differ from mine and vice versa. This list is not just about great beer, it is about beer that mattered to me for a variety of reason I have already enunciated above. So welcome to 'The Ten' 2020, pour a pint and let's begin...
10. Collective Arts IPA No 15
Remember a one off beer that you wished would come back again? Not a seasonal, but a singular experience that was much enjoyed and then gone in a wisp of time. We had jokingly been tweeting at Collective Arts for a while with the hashtag #Keep5Alive (courtesy the SOBeerBoys) and while they always teased us along, we never thought we would see it in our glasses again.
Well, in late October we received a much needed good news moment as Collective brought us IPA No 15, the rebrew of IPA No 5 in all its 8.2% Simcoe and Citra Double IPA glory. It was a spectacular return and we rejoiced as much as those who had never experienced it before and would now understand our devotion. It was nice to see a brewery as big as they have become still care what their most ardent fans wanted to see. Lots of love for my Hometown Heroes.
What I said then :
It's back.
#Keep5Alive and in 2020, @collectivebrew delivered a happy moment amidst the chaos this year has been. IPA No 15 is the first ReBrew of the Collective Arts IPA series that has been riding along for more than 3 years with a new one every so often that showcases different styles, hops and malts. To return to this powerful release is a good things for a lot of us to be able to revisit and see if we can remember a beer from almost 3 years ago and for all those who haven't been able to try it, a chance to peek behind the mania and experience our joy. Still loving the 8.2% and mega hop combo of Citra and Simcoe, it is a hazy beauty with loads of citrus right from the top of the pour. Orange, grapefruit, pineapple, apricot, pine, dank and lightly resinous with a juicy tropical lingering pith for good measure. So do I remember IPA No 5 super clearly? Well that was a lot of beers ago, but I remember the feeling of happiness when I drank it and damned if I'm not feeling that now. Thank you to my friends at Collective for this surprise beer drop, you know I never miss a release and this one, hitting the bottle shops tomorrow, is gonna be on repeat buy for a while. LCBO bound in the coming weeks for all of you not bound for The Hammer or the new location in Toronto. Cheers! 4.75/5
Link to Pints with Polk video Review here.
9. Wellington Brewery Arkell Best Bitter in a Box
Celebrating 35 years brewing beer in Ontario during a pandemic wasn't the easiest thing for Wellington Brewery to do, but damned if they didn't pump out some absolutely amazing pints in 2020. Along with a plethora of LCBO available releases, they seemed to have something unique and special almost every week at the brewery bottle shop and this was one of them that I was not going to miss. I cut my craft beer teeth going to Cask Nights back in the middle of the decade and when Welly dropped a box of their super crushable. 4.0% Arkell Best Bitter in late September I sprinted to Guelph ASAP.
When I returned home, Kathryn and I sat outside in The Grotto and enjoyed a warm early fall evening pouring glass after glass until the entire contents of the box were empty. It was a lovely evening of music and conversation, the low ABV giving rise to a sessionable, pub patio like feel and as the lights twinkled in the dark of night, we were thankful to have had this singular, 2020 experience.
What I said then :
I'm not gonna do anything for the next two days except relax, drink beer and enjoy this late September heat out in the Grotto.
May the beer gods bless @wellingtonbrewery with another 35 great years as we celebrate their 35th anniversary with the return of Cask Ale in a 4 litre box! Arkell Best Bitter is a 4.0% throwback that brings a low carbonation, bready toasted malts, caramel and toffee with a soft bitterness and an easy drinking way about it to the patio as the sun shines! I can't encourage you enough to get this if they bring it back, it crushes like a dream, pours more than 8 pints and rewards all the hard work you did to enjoy a nice night off. Well done Welly, bravo! Cheers! 5/5
Link to Pints with Polk Video Review here
8. Sawdust City Brewing Binary System 2 Double IPA This entire series of 2 Malt and 2 Hop releases from Sawdust City was truly outstanding, I was lucky enough to be able try all 4 thanks to a very good beer friend and I have no doubt that that friendship played no small part in making this even more memorable. They took a simple approach and brought together the ingredients with that ever watchful eye to experimentation and keeping the drinkers informed and enlightened. To seek out the combinations of malts and hops lets us understand better the workings of our own palates and by always letting us know what is inside, we are better educated going forward.
That sounds a little dry for this beer, it wasn't meant to just be an educational moment, it felt transcendent in the late May heat, the sunshine gave rise to rest and happiness as this dank and bitter beauty poured in The Grotto. A friendship interrupted, but kept together through the sharing of beer makes this one even better and that's saying something about how damn good it was.
What I said then :
Sunset in The Grotto.
Peace, perhaps.
Beer, indeed.
@sawdustcitybeer Binary System 2 Double IPA is the second offering in their exploration of 2 malt and 2 hop combos, this time a coming in at 7.8% and 45IBUs and using my favourite hop in simcoe and the sexy, sexy Sabro. A hazy gold pour with a fluffy, cloud like head and aromas of coconut, passionfruit and mango. On the sip, as solid as you will find, smooth and juicy tropical mangos passionfruit, coconut, berries and pineapple with some orange notes as well as a dank, piney finish that lingers in ways I wish I could describe better. Is this magic? Is it all just computer simulation? If it is, refill my glass, I'm gonna be here a while. This is epic and shall become part of the contender list for Beer of the Year in my books.
Wow.
Damn wow.
Cheers! 5/5 #craftbeer #ontariocraftbeer
Link to Pints with Polk Video Review here. 7. Counterpart Brewing Crowned Double IPA
The fact that we have almost come round again to when I first had this particular Double IPA speaks volumes about just how good it was. Counterpart Brewing is down in Niagara Falls and we had taken an early January road trip down the Niagara bound QEW to visit all the breweries along the way, with an eye to planning the 2020 Polkapolooza tour in March. Little did we know what was coming as we stopped into the brewery for a meal and some beer to take home. This relative newcomer has been putting out hit after hit from what I have heard and seen on social media and it behooves us to get some more of their brews into our fridge again. But for now, I'll savour that memory of a wonderful meal and the beer we brought home that was bold, tropical and now reminds me of what we had and the loss to come in the following year.
What I said then :
The best part of a new year is that I get to start the search for my favourite beer all over again. 2020 is a week old and damn if @counterpartbrewing hasn't rocketed to the top of the list with their Crowned, an 8.2% Double IPA. Pouring orange and hazy, it has a thick and lacing white head to go with big tropical aromas of orange, grapefruit and pineapple with so dank hitting you. On the sip, an utter delight, smothered, juicy and tropical with big pithy orange and grapefruit, pineapple, mango and a softly bitter, dank pine finish that lingers with more citrus punch. No hint of that ABV, this one is balanced to the nth degree...just a beautiful beer all the way through. This could be a very, very good year of beer if this is any indication of what's to come. Cheers! 5/5 #craftbeer #ontariocraftbeer
Link to Pints with Polk Video Review here.
6. Clifford Brewing Artificial Paradise IPA
Simply put, this one is a beer that never lasts long in my fridge, because it comes home and is pouring that night every single time. When Brad Clifford opened his brewery in East Hamilton a couple of years ago ten minutes from Polk Manor, it instantly became my go to stop on the way home for a quick pint and a 6 pack of something for me and Kathryn. It was and is the only brewery we know will always have something for both of us with their world class Porter always available and my sheer love of anything Clifford brews. The taproom is a welcome refuge from the workday and many nights were spent Ubering there and back so we could both enjoy a few pints without worry. Covid changed a lot of that, but not our stops for favourite and new beers throughout 2020. Artificial Paradise IPA first appeared in November of 2018 and was well received in my glass and a whole lot of other folks too. It remained an occasional buy until this year when I found myself always grabbing 2 or 3 of them and filling out my 6 with something for Kat or something new. Then I'd head home, drop a review or two of whatever struck my fancy that day and finally drink my couple of cans of Artificial, just enjoying the slight buzz and happiness at a day closing into night. It is a wonderful beer anytime, but it never lasts long when I bring it home and for that I give it a huge thumbs up and a spot in 'The Ten'.
What I said then :
Paradise found.
@cliffordbrewingcompany Artificial Paradise IPA is now available at your local LCBO and that is pretty awesome, but I'd say order it and a host of other great Clifford beers right from the source for delivery if you can. This Citra, Simcoe and Galaxy beauty has been a favourite of mine since it first came out and I truly believe it is bang on ready for prime time right now. Big tropical orange and grapefruit pith with a sharp and bitter pine resin on the bitter finish, it also has some pineapple kicking in for good measure. Citrusy and tight, it belies that big ABV and becomes a slow sipping pool beer by default as I bring the 6 pack down to The Grotto Proper and float on for the rest of the day...Cheers! 4.5/5 #craftbeer #ontariocraftbeer
Link to Pints with Polk Video Review here.
5. Merit Brewing Black is Beautiful Imperial Stout Part of a Worldwide collaboration created by the Black owned, Texas based Weathered Souls Brewing Company, the concept of the Black is Beautiful initiative (read more here) was meant to raise awareness and much needed funds to help underfunded organizations that promote equality and justice against police brutality and the systemic racism inherent in our current system. Brewed by more than 1100 breweries in 22 countries, including 35 here in Ontario, the base recipe was a 10.0% Imperial Stout and brewers could use that as a template to do what they wished as long as 100% of the proceeds went to an organization doing the work listed above. While I didn't get to try all of them that I'd have liked too, the Merit Brewing one stood out as a great example not just because it was a great damn beer. Spinney stuck closely to the recipe from Weathered Souls and delivered a real gem of a beer that not only was tribute to the cause but raised money for The Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (more on their work here). The work is not done and the fight for equality and justice must remain top of mind as the year ends and a new one begins. No justice, no peace.
What I said :
Be good.
Do good.
Drink good.
But more importantly, don't just say you're not a racist, be aggressively anti racist. Black Lives Matter is not just a movement, it is a paradigm shift in addressing centuries of abuse, inequality and outright violence against people of colour. It is but a small thing we do when we spend money on great beer that supports a greater cause, but it is a start that should push us to do more.
Black is Beautiful Imperial Stout was created by the Black owned Texas brewery @weatheredsoulsbrewing and more than 1000 breweries across the world have taken up the initiative to raise money to help organizations and people fighting injustice and inequality.
Our friends at @meritbrewing have jumped on board and their iteration of this 8.7% slow sipper is a fine example of the style and all money raised will be donated to the Hamilton Center for Civic Inclusion (@hamiltoncivic ).
I know for a fact, I've seen my privilege as a white guy in beer right in front of me and while it is a small microcosm of the much larger problems in the world, making things better here can help make things better everywhere. It is about recognizing our ability to come together to lift others up, to raise everyone to the same level of opportunity and access to the things we may take for granted. It is about addressing concerns about how the police have treated Indigenous and Black communities and how we can change things for the future. Far too many lives have been lost because we seek peace without change, the future is in each of our hands to shape...be better and make a difference in any way you can.
Cheers!
4.5/5
Link to the Pints with Polk Video Review here.
4. Great Lakes Brewery HazeMama New England IPA
GLB has long been a big part of whatever I do in beer. Simply put, they care about quality, freshness and fair pricing as much as I've seen in my 5 plus years writing about the subject. Always pumping out one offs and returning seasonals at the brewery proper, they also have a wide portfolio of styles available at both grocery stores and LCBOs. Add in their recently expanded home delivery and you have an absolute juggernaut in this province. They also give back to their community, like many of their fellow Ontario Craft breweries, and continue to inspire us with updated artwork and new beers. HazeMama is a 7.0% New England style IPA that dropped into their core rotation in late spring and while it is a top notch example of the style and keeps on doing so all over the province, it comes in at a mind boggling price of only $3.50 for a 473ml tall boy. That is near impossible for anyone else to do and while their size does give them some advantage, to not hike that price on a beer that could easily retail at plus $4 without anyone batting an eye. Quality meets Consistency equals a lifetime fan of GLB.
What I said then ;
I think I'm in love.
@greatlakesbeer's latest core addition and LCBO available pint is the 7.0%, 35 IBU HazeMama New England style IPA and at only $3.50 a tall can, that's a steal and a half. Hazy, opaque orange juice pour with a fluffy white head, which leaves behind some classic #GLBLacing and gives way to aromas of pineapple, tangerine and mango. On the sip, as promised...as delivered. Big juicy pineapple, orange and mango with lemon and a touch of sweet honey, bit of booziness on the dry tropical finish. One of the best in the biz drops another beauty in your local LCBO and that is a present all of us can appreciate. For my money, it is a no brainer to add to your regular rotation. Cheers! 4.5/5 #craftbeer #ontariocraftbeer
Link to Pints with Polk Video Review
here.
3. Tooth and Nail Brewing Vim & Vigor Pilsner The last two years have really rekindled my love of the simple flavours great straight up lagers and ales can bring to the party. While I'm an unabashed lover of big and boozy beers, there is nothing like a crisp and clean pilsner with a little noble hop spice on the back. Effervescent with some bitterness, grass or hay like notes and happiness delivered in the hardest beer to brew with care. I appreciate the subtle nuances of these "beers that taste like beer" far more now than I ever did and there is no doubt that in 2020, Tooth and Nail hit it right on the head with their flagship pilsner, the 5.2% Vim & Vigor. It is everything a true pilsner needs to be, right on par with last year's beer of the year, Fairweather Donna. I could drink these full time and be a happy, happy man.
What I said then :
Simple, yet complex.
Subtle, yet loudly beautiful.
@toothandnailbeer 5.2% Vim & Vigor Pilsner returns to my glass and hot damn if it isn't an absolute juggernaut of what the style should be. Grassy, cereal notes, light citrus, noble hop spice and a singular beauty on each and every sip mean you are in the presence of true genius. The most difficult thing to do is to deliver a consistently clean and crisp pilsner, nowhere to hide, no room for error and Tooth & Nail hit this one from every conceivable side. Just a moment of heaven in a world gone mad...
Cheers! 5/5
Link to Pints with Polk Video Review here.
2. Muskoka Brewery Tread Lightly Light Lager There is no way I could have foreseen the love I would have for the most dangerous beers on the planet when it comes to style...the Light Lager. I kid a little bit, but let's be honest with each other, its not been that long since I was getting all knackered up on light macro beer without regards to flavour or texture or anything resembling taste. Light beer has been driven to be so bland and inoffensive that it's only remaining quality is to drink it cold and that is just facts.
Enter Muskoka Brewery and this year's surprise of surprises, the 4.0% Tread Lightly Light Lager. A serious contender for Beer of the Year, its easy crushability and subtle nuances bringing you a pint for every time of the year. Seriously full bodied, lacking nothing in flavour and texture, a treat of being a beer for everyone who just wants a damn beer. They've even gone and released their first 24 and at $45 for a 24, its easy to keep in the fridge for the times when you need it. We BBQ year round and having a beer i don't mind drinking out of the can during winter is not to be overlooked. This is seriously good beer made by a brewery committed to environmental causes, paying their employees a living wage and continuing to do good works in their community to uplift and support those in need. Good stuff, must buy.
What I said then :
This is the best Light Lager in the land right now.
@muskokabrewery absolutley nailed Tread Lightly, at 4.0% a patio worthy crusher and definitely a sessionable Lager of some renown. Simply put, it has sacrificed none of the texture, flavour or component parts of what makes a great Lager in pursuit of giving us a pint of solid beer at that lower ABV. Crisp, grainy malts, light fruit, a little hop bite, bitter but not cloying, it is a damn fine beer that tastes like a beer and then a little more. I like seeing the options improving for lager lovers this summer and this one is an easy grab anytime. Cheers! 4.5/5
Link to Pints with Polk Video Review here.
1. Nickel Brook Brewing Headstock IPA If you've spent anytime with me anywhere online this year, you knew this was coming, didn't you?
In a year of pandemics, isolation, essential working and missing family, friends and not getting to meet up for beers with anyone, it was destined that my ultimate Comfort Beer takes home the crown as The Most Memorable Beer of 2020. Headstock is a classic West Coast 7.0% IPA that is everything good about the beginning of the craft beer revolution continuing to deliver in a world of haze and sour craze. I posted about it 18 times on Instagram and if my picture was just a Nickel Brook glass or me drinking a beer, it was probably Headstock. When I was worried when the first lockdown hit that they might close down breweries or the LCBO/Beer store, this was the 24 I bought to tide me over. It is my 6 pack pickup when I'm heading home on my last day of work for the week and it is the constant companion when I need a reliable friend by my side. It is a classic beer, no doubt some would say I should be looking to one of the newer, more buzz worthy breweries for a hazy tropical IPA, and I do enjoy them immensely as well, this year, this year of uncertainty and anxiety, I found the one thing I could always count on to deliver the same great pint, pour after pour.
The ironic thing is that Nickel Brook releases so many new beers, I am constantly stopping in to pick them up and they topped my review list with 73 appearances, many of them hazy or sour beers. Their Funk Lab brings a lot of fun to my life and I look forward to 2021 and all the new stuff coming.
But there will always be room for a couple Headstocks whenever I stop by, this beer is, in 2020 and beyond, the one that brings joy to my life.
What I said then (out of 18 times, I just went with a pint from August when I had enjoyed 3 other West Coast IPAs and Headstock came out on top in the head to head competition) :
1 afternoon in The Grotto Pool.
1 Spiegelau.
1 Polk.
4 fantastic West Coast IPAs.
1 Champion.
Still holding the belt as the best of the best, @nickelbrookbrewing 7.0%, 80 IBU Headstock delivers everything the style demands using Simcoe, Amarillo and the secret weapon of Mosaic to balance the biscuity toasted malt body with grapefruit and orange pith, resinous pine and intense bitterness in a balanced and approachable IPA. Fresh or with a few months on it, it remains the very top of the hop here in Ontario. But let's be honest, drinking 4 great beers means I am the ultimate winner here...
Cheers! 5/5
Link to the Pints with Polk Video Review here.
Thank you all for playing along this year, on whatever platform you see my stuff, I'm humbled by it all every time. At the end of the day, beer is supposed to be fun and uplifting and while we all enjoy it maybe a little more than most, let's be a positive place in the world as we head into 2021. I hope to see more people writing, recording and making videos about their beer in the new year, I'm here for it all, my support and help is but a message away, I got you, my friends.
Until we meet again...
Cheers,
Polk
