Let's talk about #BellLetsTalk

   I struggle a little with the #BellLetsTalk  every year and I wonder if there are more people like me out there who are unsure of how to discuss about what it means to see our timelines flooded with well meaning, but sometimes offkey attempts to talk about mental health. I see the people who rant about Bell's terrible corporate track record when it comes to their own employees and the small drop in the bucket this campaign raises in relation to their enormous profits. I understand that Bell operates the prison phone system and exploits those already burdened by having an incarcerated family member and just trying to stay in touch. None of this kind of quasi-bad guy, mostly terrible stuff is not lost on me, no corporation is in the business of doing anything but what it is legally obligated to do and that is to maximize returns on investments for its shareholders. I have no doubt that there exists a lot of positive spin and increased profit found by Bell when this campaign runs every year, even with the larger donations gathered by the use of the hashtag on multiple social media platforms.

  Every one of these things is true and yet I still wonder if, despite the underlying corporate bullshit, it isn't still worth something to at least try to reach out to those who feel like there is nothing left for them here on this often seemingly uncaring and chaotic planet. Seeing your favourite athlete or brewery or what have you addressing the issue of mental health may spark hope in someone, it may give them the feeling they maybe aren't alone in this. Maybe it gets them talking to a friend, or to pick up the phone and call a crisis line. Maybe, just maybe, having a large and very visible campaign aimed at increasing the normalcy of asking for help and of checking in on your friends and family to see how they are doing may have some positives attached to it, despite the originators ultimate advertising aims. 

  I've spent the better part of the last decade struggling, often in silence, to try and fix my own mental health issues. I didn't wake up one day falling apart, it was a quiet and measured descent as I watched my business fail and the life I thought I had crumble around me. It was the slow bleed of stress, working longer hours for less money and an devastating downfall from the highs of my 20's and 30's. I gave up most things that brought me joy, let decades long friendships dwindle and die and generally stopped celebrating the milestones of life most people mark the passing year with. I still feel the push of that negative thought process, birthdays and anniversaries are heavy because it often feels like another step closer to the end of it all. That kind of darkness is hard to fight by yourself and as you become more isolated because you know how to push people away because it is safer in your mind to be alone so no one can ever hurt you, you descend deeper into that funk. You turn to alcohol, drugs or other potentially destructive behaviours that seemingly ease the pain of the moment with little regard to the future, because it doesn't matter. Nothing does and you see no way up, no way out and the numbness sets in with every single turn of the cap, pill or shot. This pattern may be different with you or someone you love, but the result in the end is the same, a depression that lifts less and less each time and can drive people to the edge and over it because hope is all but gone.

  So, how do we fix it? How do you stop someone from hurting themselves or those around them when they see no alternative? It's much bigger than just a single day or hashtag campaign by a large corporation and their partners. It involves governments prioritizing the mental health of its' citizens as much as their physical one. It involves active engagement in the lives of those we love and it involves being honest with ourselves when we know we need help. Asking for someone to listen to your problems and concerns is hard at the best of times, I personally was always worried about bothering anyone and that kept me silent for many years before this. We seek to normalize the notion that it is okay to not be okay and things like therapy and medical help for our mental health should be a bigger priority for not just our families but our workplaces. We look to making the world a little more compassionate to those who need it or a taking a day when you just need a break from it all. We want to be able to look the people we love in the eye and tell them we aren't handling something well and need a shoulder to lean on or an ear to listen without judgement. 

 There is no quick fix or easy way to help one another outside of being there and reaching out to make sure the people we love are okay.  While a day like today is good and makes a whole lot of money for mental health initiatives, we need to remember that tomorrow and the next day and forever after that. Way too many people fall between the cracks of our social safety net and I know we don't want to lose someone because we waited too long to see that they were suffering in silence. Reach out to them, they may be too scared to do it themselves. Making our collective response to the mental health crisis we are facing today a positive and open one one because the world is better when we can help each other stand up and feel better.

  We want to talk about mental health, depression, suicide and self harm with an open honesty and despite the corporatization of mental health, the end result is we may be better off at least attempting to keep the conversation going long after this annual initiative has passed. Are there empty platitudes rolled out every year by a variety of brands and people who then recede into the background and often contribute to the problems we face rather than the solution? Of course and it is up to us as consumers to be informed and spend our money where we can support the places that truly value their employees mental and physical well being. At the end of it all, the hashtag can't be the whole conversation, it should just be the beginning...

Be safe and be kind.

Polk

Sunday Mornin' Polk

 Lagers. They remain the most popular beer style in the world and no amount of craft beer will ever change that fact. Calling them bland, tasteless or boring means little to the larger beer drinking population who view a pint as a pint and not some sort of weird journey to be documented on an app or social media. It's a cold beer on a hot day, a round with your friends after work or the case you grabbed for the weekend. It's beer, whittled down to what it always was and for the most part is still being consumed for. Social lubrication, relaxation, taking the edge off the rougher parts of our day and generally being part of the background as opposed to the focus of what we are doing. Nobody is doing a tasting experience of Pabst and that's something I have come round on as I leave the proclamations and snarky comments of the Evangelical beer folks behind. I was once there and now I am here, not quite full circle, but coming round on one.

   When I started writing about beer I was a neophyte in every sense of the word, I had no idea the community even existed and found myself rolling into a tide of information and people that overwhelmed me and had me deep into reading and searching for more. It was only 5 years ago but it feels like decades when I look back and read my rather hopeful and bright eyed posts about changing my relationship with beer. I hate that phrase almost as much as some hate the word "mouthfeel", but I digress. I really believed that by turning from lagers to the whole spectrum of styles available from not just here, but all over the world, that I was becoming a more discerning and thoughtful consumer of alcohol. This of course is the beginning stage of any new thing, it is the shiny dime catching your attention on the street and I still see it everywhere I look. 

  The echo chamber of social media, particularly Instagram but elsewhere too, gives you the feeling of a community connected with all the same goals and directions, socially, morally and otherwise. Of course, if you step back and look with any degree of realism, you know that good people do not all drink good beer and the reverse is true as well, assholes drink craft beer too or how would I even be here. Not to say we shouldn't try to make the world a better place, but shouting at the same people all the time doesn't really move the needle as much as we'd like to think it does. It's like buying into the hype that posting about a beer actually helps a brewery sell it to anyone but the same people we are all talking to anyway. The incredibly large world that exists outside of social media is where most of the beer buying happens and when you step away from the noise the internet generates you see things in a different light.

  It is a funny circle to travel when I look back at my railings against big beer and corporate pints, my Evangelical phase in craft beer went on for a longer time than I thought but as with anything, eventually you see cracks in the facade and let fall away the blinders to revel that not everything is rosy with the world of hops and barley. After coming back to earth, I found myself drifting into lagers and pilsners again, to be sure a far more nuanced version of their macro cousins, but having beer that tastes like a damn beer is pretty refreshing in this hazy, pastry laced adjunct world. Of course as a guy who likes to write about beer everyday I acquire all kinds of styles to drink, my favourite being the heavily hopped West Coast IPAs which seem to my palate to be lager like in my ability to just consume them without a thought to anything but doing just that, drinking a beer. 

This disjointed meander through my Sunday morning conversation with myself was going to be a look at where we go when we reach the end of craft beer rainbow but took a left and landed in a strange universe of truths and observations about the craft beer world around me. I remain a supporter, consumer, imbiber and general bon vivant when it comes to talking about it, but I also know that it is a small slice of that world I inhabit, most consumers care not for reviews or pictures. They care about the beer they're drinking, they care about supporting a local business, they care about having those pints with folks they love and cherish. We do what we do because we love to do it, I have no illusions about the larger world around it and I guess that's the point I can finally rest on today.

Be kind to each other, we could use more kindness.

Polk

Judge not, lest ye be Dry.

 

Be cool.

  I drink a beer everyday. I like to write about it too, it's kinda my thing. I support and promote craft beer because I enjoy what it has brought to my life and hope to keep the community growing and changing for years to come. I am pro enjoying whatever you like, when you like it and be damned what anyone else thinks of your enjoyment. 

But.

   I also think this applies to anyone who does a "Dry" month or week or whatever have you. I think anyone who chooses to completely walk away from beer or alcohol for a period of time or permanently should be able to do so without questions about their decisions. My own relationship with booze is a complicated one that goes back 3 decades and has many moments of joy and sorrow associated with it. Taking a pause from drinking isn't a thing to be mocked, even though I would have been saying a much different thing not so many years ago. I was the party guy, our house hosting parties almost every weekend and the alcohol flowed with me as head of bad decisions. I encouraged and cajoled people to drink with me, calling them out if they couldn't keep pace or didn't want to imbibe. Looking back, I am not proud of all that I did, but I also know that change and growth is possible and that's why I'm still here today to talk about how we move forward and change the conversation about drinking and our part in it. 

Marbs is always judging, but you shouldn't be.

  Personal responsibility for owning your choices is a good start. Doing what you need to do for your own health, mental and physical, should always be paramount to anything you do and while my own poor choices are well documented, I keep trying to be better every day. If not drinking gets you right with you, then that's all that should matter. I don't know what motivates it, but I see the people who do it sharing their "journey" much like others do with their social media accounts about beer or liquor and I don't for a minute question their decision. It isn't mine to make. The internet has allowed us to make friends across social and economic divides, distance means nothing when we can talk online and learn about each other virtually before we ever meet in real life. Sharing what we are doing allows us to communicate that with the wider world and that is what we all do every time we post a beer or whatever it is makes you tick. I don't see many folks being "preachy" about it, in fact a lot of them are forthright about their own struggles with consuming too much and boy, that hits home as I too have those conversations in my own head on a weekly basis. They recognize that perhaps they get a little too deep into their own cups, seeking that rush when they share a new beer pic that's gets their phone buzzing with likes and comments. It isn't just the beer that's addictive, the social media driven endorphin rush is real and powerful and not going away. So, by sharing their experiences with taking a break from booze, they can still stay connected and feel like they are not alone, big deals both especially as we continue to stay home and away from socializing in person. 

  I have friends who have gone completely sober, absolutely dry and hoping to stay that way permanently. They have come to the very difficult and personal decision that no booze is the only way for them to live and I strongly come down on their side with my whole heart and support. I congratulate them on every week or month dry as they celebrate it and make sure they know I applaud their courage to address what they need to just to survive. By the same mark, I also cheer on those doing the dry week or months because they too are being real and true to themselves. I know right now it is a most difficult time for many craft breweries, but supporting local doesn't end because someone took a month away from drinking beer. They are buying gift cards, picking up new releases for consumption after their dry period ends and continuing to share online their love of this community. As someone who lives very much out loud online, I don't hide a lot of my life from the world, I understand the fun in sharing something new and shiny in your world. I don't think I ever go more than a few days without posting pictures of Marbles and Simcoe because they bring great happiness to my life and while they are most assuredly not beer related, I don't really care because everything I do is about making myself feel happy when I may not be feeling that at all. 

Simcoe lets you know how he feels about judging people for not drinking

  Do what you like, as long as it isn't hurting anyone or yourself, and you will have my full support. I may one day do a "Dry" month myself, that would be a hell of a story to write and I do love to explore my own mind in real time and wide open to the world as I go along. But in all seriousness, be kind to other people as the planet still reels from this pandemic, the vitriol online should be reserved for the racists and hatemongers who deserve it. Someone doing a sober month deserves a "Hell. yeah", not a "Hell, no". As they say in the Different Strokes theme song :

"Now, the world don't move to the beat of just one drum,

What might be right for you, may not be right for some."

  Be good to each other and yourself and know that Old Polk is always here for a beer, some cheer or just to hear you talk.

Polk

Beer Money : What we spent in 2020

  I go to work to make money. 

  I use that money to pay for the things I need and the things I want, because a man cannot work just to survive alone, there must be some reward, no matter how small it may seem.

  Enter beer. Well, beer, wine, Irish cream and a little whiskey for good measure. We enjoy our spirits here at The Manor, a glass of Riesling while dinner is made or perhaps a dollop of Bailey's in our morning cuppa on our day off. A few pints after dinner and maybe a few more than that when there is no labour for the next day in our schedule, but all in all, the libations do flow with a little heavier pour in the last year or so and our wrap up of 2020 makes a stop at budget town to see where all that money went. 

  To start things off, we are pretty lucky to have been able to both continue working full time throughout the pandemic and that dual middle class income coupled with no children means we have both a bit more free time while doing the whole social distancing thing and a little more disposable income than we usually would if we did our normal routines. Perhaps we spend more than other folks when it comes to booze, but it is what it is when the truth in numbers hits the eyes. 

  I track all of our expenses and review them at the end of every year to see how close we stuck to our budget, the alcohol one is always the most fun and often the most frightening. But  I love numbers, statistics and diving deep into what they meant. Without sharing the real and whole numbers, I'll breaak down some highlights.

 So, let's dive right in...

  Where we spent our boozy dollars

  1. LCBO (52 visits)

  The product we sought had to come from somewhere and in 2020 we made a concerted effort to get most of our beer direct from the breweries, utilizing the local liquor monopoly only for wine or spirits. We did somehow manage to still visit the LCBO 52 times last year and factoring in a box of wine and a bottle of Irish cream a month, on average, we still managed to drop a decent amount of cash on craft beer despite our best intentions. All told we spent 21.22% of our alcohol budget here, far and away the largest expenditure in our book despite our expanded ability to get almost everything delivered right to our door as the year went on. We certainly saw a real decline in the amount of actual physical visits to the LCBO from previous years, as the pandemic made us think about every trip outside our home with a second glance.

  2. Nickel Brook Brewing (50 visits/orders)

  Not really a surprise per se, almost a weekly stop on the way home from work for whatever was new and a six pack of my 2020 Beer of the Year, Headstock, make Nickel Brook the far and away winner of my hard earned cash when it comes to beer last year. 13.2% of all the booze we bought last year was from this OG Ontario brewery in real dollars and accounted for 25.25% of all beer picked up or delivered for the year. A trend that will probably continue for the foreseeable future with the lockdowns continuing to tighten.

3. Collective Arts Brewing (31visits/orders)

  My Hometown Heroes are a quick jaunt down the Nikola Tesla speedway on my way home from work and given the sheer number of releases they pumped out last year, this seems like a reasonable number of stops down by the bay. Accounting for 10.5% of all our beer spending, the bulk most likely being the huge IPA releases that probably numbered more than a dozen. A few lagers of course and that wicked $40 for a 24 of IPA No 11 back in March was an easy buy. I've not missed a single CA release in 5 years and hope to keep that streak alive as long as possible, doubling up now with their newly opened Toronto microbrew pub. 

4. Clifford Brewing (19 visits/orders)

  This number is much lower than 2019 for one reason only, the pandemic. We didn't stop in for a beer at all, even when we were allowed to do so, preferring to imbibe at home and honestly, we used to Uber over so we could both have a couple of pints, but that was not happening in 2020. Still a monthly or so stop to pick up the classics like Clifford Porter and Pinball with newer releases like Marigold and Artificial Paradise getting a generous percentage of our 12 packs. Clifford still accounted for almost 10% of all our beer orders in 2020 and that will likely rise later this year when, hopefully, we can get back in the taproom for a night of music and beer.

5. Merit Brewing (17 visits/orders )

  My favourite (non west coast) IPA is Merit's Young Rival and with their plethora of lagers and wine/beer hybrids, I make at least one stop a month on James Street to talk to Tej and Spinney and enjoy their company. One of the few patio pints we had in 2020 was at Merit and while we miss their taproom like crazy, being able to get their food delivered is a decided positive amongst a negative year in 2020. Big bottles of intriguing ideas appear like a star in the night and I find my cellar always has something lurking that Merit has created. Accounting for almost 6.5% of all alcohol bought in 2020, I am sure if the taproom was open, we'd spend more money there on food as well and be better off for it. Best fries in Hamilton.

The Curve did not Flatten

  One thing I really caught onto as the year went on was the not so gradual rise in spending when it came to booze. Even as we settled into to the Quarantine Routine, we seemed to acquire more beer to do it with. Early in 2020, we spent an average amount per week, roughly what we did in the previous 2 years based on my numbers. But once March hit, we saw an increase in pure dollars of 25%, most of which came from ordering directly from the breweries. With shipping charges and minimum orders hovering around $50 a pop, we gave in and did our part to support our favourite places. The onset of summer saw yet another jump of around 25% and our beer fridge outside was never left wanting for space. A few orders of well over $90 drove August to be our highest spending month of the year, not coincidentally that was also the month we both took our summer week off and just hung out at home in The Grotto enjoying a solitary life. 

  The rest of the year played out much the same, although it centered mostly on the 6 local Craft breweries in Hamilton and Burlington, they all piled on the releases and we happily bought them up. The final month of the year saw a doubling in what we bought compared to January of 2020 and even December of 2019. Leaning hard into those numbers once again saw a plethora of local orders, indeed more than 46% of all our spending was done at just those 6 local breweries closest to us. We have still quite a bit of beer lingering from the last months of the year as January heads towards its midpoint and have seen a significant slowdown in purchases so far in the new year, mindful of what we spent last year at the very forefront of our minds.

What Does it all Mean?

  The hard part about being honest with yourself is that you can't lie or spin the numbers in any way. The truth is the truth and while I know the pandemic certainly played a role in our purchases this year, the thing is that we just enjoy a few pints or a glass of wine each day and that's on us. Our orders tended to be smaller this year as we tried to support more Ontario breweries (40 in all that we ordered from) and to highlight the growing number of them offering home delivery. Sometimes it would be a particular returning beer that would catch our eye and lead to an order or perhaps a mini road trip if they were close enough. Ordering beer for two people with very different tastes also made for some interesting choices and also kept me from putting other orders in where there was nothing for Kat to enjoy. I'll admit the shipping charges ate up a slight portion of our expenses and there were some breweries we didn't order from simply because we couldn't justify the charge to get it delivered. Most of our orders were for between 8 to 12 beers, often getting a few doubles of certain beers to share out with folks we know who haven't been so fortunate as us when it comes to working and others for friends whom we give beer back and forth with. 

  I know just how privileged we are to have this kind of money to be able to spend on something so unnecessary for our survival. I cannot fathom how hard some people have it right now and am mindful of just how lucky we have been in the last few years as I dragged myself out of the financial and mental disaster of 2012 when I almost lost everything I had. I know the very bottom and working to get back to level has not been something I've taken for granted. So I do look at this dissection of how we spent our money with an eye to why and what we can do to improve going forward. It used to be that we would buy every beer a brewery had in the fridge when we stopped in, even if the styles weren't something we desired. That stopped a few years back when I first did this deep dive into our beer budget and I think with this revisit 2 years later, I can see a change coming again in relation to what we buy and how much we spend per order. Do I need 4 of that new IPA every time? Well, need is not the word I'd use and I hope I can change a little for the better as we move into a still very bizarre year in 2021 to come. 

  I like to buy beer, but I like to drink it too and both should be done with a touch more moderation than 2020 showed. Awareness and sticking to the monthly budget will be a good starting point and in 12 months we shall return to this subject again and see just how well I managed to do.

Stay safe out there!

Polk

2021 - A Look Ahead

  

 Every January I sit down here with a couple of beers and ponder what the coming year will have in store for Craft Beer in Ontario. Let's just say last year that turned out to be an exercise in futility as the Covid-19 pandemic hit us and the lockdowns and business restrictions hit us mid-March...on my birthday no less. So, all of my careful considerations and prognostications went mostly out the window and I became both a spectator and a participant in one of the world's strangest years in a century.  I will admit that the pivots from both breweries and the provincial government were impressive to say the least and the freeing up of bars and restaurants to be able to deliver wine and beer with food was a good decision and the move toward more home delivery was a godsend to many folks who wanted to stay in and hunker down. It has certainly opened up the province to anyone who wants to explore from their phone or computer and with well north of 75% of brewers offering some form of delivery it is a positive change amidst the chaos. 

  The continuing shutdowns and rules restricting indoor/outdoor dining keeping us drinking at home, the bottle shops, restaurants and bars will need our support more than ever. We tend to stay close to home to spend our cash hyper-locally, although we do have some favourite breweries out of town that we will continue to support as best we can. I feel like this is most craft beer drinkers, trying to balance a worry about their favourite local places and others they love to visit from time to time, made easier by online ordering for sure, but still the dollars are stretching thin and these next couple of months are going to be the most difficult we've seen in this entire pandemic. 

 So, looking ahead to the next year or so is not easy or simple. The Federal government and their provincial counterparts have put in place some programs to assist with rent and wage subsidies, perhaps the loosening of some more regulations will continue to help breweries survive and even thrive as we hope to see an end to this trying time later in 2021. But I have some thoughts, nothing but musings and observations, hopes and dreams of what may be to come as we round into the back stretch of what has been a difficult to navigate emotional and mentally draining time for everyone. 

1. The rise of Independant Bottle Shops/Restaurants

  The legislation, at first temporary now permanent, relaxing the tight fisted control on restaurants and bars being able to sell to-go beer and wine will have a whole lot of long lasting impacts of the craft beer world, the biggest of which is the opportunity to see the rise of independent bottle shops carrying a plethora of Ontario and world craft beer under the guise of being "restaurants". The rules vary by municipality, but suffice it to say that with a little diligence and loophole digging, we are already seeing pop-up bottle shops testing the waters with an eye to more permanent locations coming. An entrepreneurial and dedicated person or group is but a spark away from bringing something new and exciting to our streets. This could be the development most watched for in 2021, if the money holds out and the rise in sales of craft beer continues, the buzz seems to suggest that this is the thing to keep an eye on.

2. Growth, yes really

  I was worried at the beginning of the spring that we were going to lose a large chunk of our craft brewers to the economic downturn, perhaps forgetting that in a crisis, people like to drink...a lot. From most of the folks I talk to, they are buying more and doing it more often from the source than before. They want to support local small businesses and it doesn't get more local than your friendly neighbourhood craft brewer. The patios were full all summer and into the fall, food trucks abounded and the prospects were good. The fall and late months of 2020 provided more sales as people continued to buy beer for the holidays at home and for friends distanced by the virus. Driveway beers gave way to garage beers or Zoom calls and now that the holiday season has passed, the inevitable slowdown is arriving.

But.

  I think that there are some breweries out there struggling, stripped down bare and without their taprooms and increased competition in an overcrowded LCBO, worried about market share. Again, I'm working from my gut and a little intuition mixed with information gleaned from conversations, but I really believe we will end 2021 with more breweries than we started. The ones who will not make it will be outpaced by the new ones already in the pipeline, a balance tipped forward to growth rather than backward to contraction. The money exists, interest rates remain incredibly low and the market is not near as saturated as some would think. The local movement of people wanting to have that taproom close by and becoming ardent supporters of whomever sets up shop will continue to fuel the boom for the near future. Making good and consistent beer will no doubt also play a factor as consumers vote with their dollars, but there is a larger segment of the population that will overlook some flaws in order to have that cache of being able to have a close by beer maker to call their own. This already exists in some places where the beer is decidedly sub par, but those who live and work close by will defend and spend to the very end their local brewery.

 I hope we don't lose anyone and I think that hope is just that and this coming year will see some dreams end. I also believe it will see more of them start to come true and that is something we can all look forward to.

3. Short Cans

  While I know the local liquor monopoly loves tall boy cans, the movement to smaller sized 335ml cans is going to continue to rise as more breweries find the format is appreciated by a lot of folks who like sessionable sizes for drinking. They will never take over from the classic 473ml cans, the system and our own old biases seem to be dead set against them, but I think they have a place going forward, especially in the higher ABV range barrel aged and/or Imperial stouts and IPAs. A province that has gained a little pandemic weight may not mind a little less calories per glass, so let's see if this continues to be a trend on the rise.

4. Light Beer

  This one is something I've watched happen in real time as breweries continue to roll out low ABV or session IPAs and lagers, even stouts, to keep up with consumer demand. Healthy conscious for sure, but for a lot of folks, they want to able to have 3 or 4 beers while hanging out and not be half in the bag halfway through the night. The older craft beer drinker and the more attuned to what they are putting in their bodies want an option that is still full-bodied, lacking nothing but without that 6%+ ABV. There are some great examples already and I think we will see even more hitting the shelves at Grocery stores and the LCBO as the warmer weather approaches in 2021.

5. Novelty Beers, Seltzers and More

  There was a distinct rise in craft breweries releasing seltzers around the summer months and I see no reason that wont continue to grow in 2021. From the ones I was able to lay my hands on, they were heads and shoulders above the White Claws of the world and with a fanbase already attuned to trying new things, it has a built-in market right at home.

  In the same vein comes the slushie beers, pastry stouts with more adjuncts than barley and a whole host of things I am sure line the dreams of brewers around the province. With a consumer likely looking to find the new in thing out there ready to spend money, there are a myriad of hybrid styles and crazy things to be heard in the coming year. Is it a big part of the market? No, but it is a part that will help get people out and about once we can get back to a more normal beer buying and drinking experience.

  It's only 5 things, I was going to talk about Lagers again, but I think I'll take a pass this year, knowing they'll still sell like wild at the breweries while getting little love from the influencers of the world. Not sexy enough I guess, but damned if regular beer drinking people don't love them. I had a thing about influencers, TikTok, Instagram and Reels, but again, beating the drum on that one seems better left for its own little turn on the blog, suffice it to say I think you're about to see more dancing and production on social media to try and drive that algorithm on Instagram while Facebook remains a wasteland and Twitter yells at the clouds. There are great people doing awesome things across social media, but I am a little more than jaded after 6 years of watching the world of talking about beer slide more and more into a short hit, visual medium rather than long form, thoughtful discussions and reviews. A lone voice perhaps, but its who I am and what I do. 

2021 will see me trying to use whatever platform or influence I have to continue to lift up BIPOC voices and causes, supporting those that do good in my local community and the craft beer one at large. I will continue to promote and offer advice to anyone starting out who wants to spread a little love of beer around the world and I will remain the same, unreserved and unrestrained bastard I've always been. 

Stay safe, stay sane and be good to each other. We've got a ways to go before we see true daylight in 2021.

Cheers, Polk

The Polkies - The Year in Beer 2020

 

  I used to make my Best of the Best lists a week long writing extravaganza...that was way too much work and to be honest, not as much fun as writing 'The Ten'. The act of ranking a beer is very personal, it reflects not just a palate pleaser, but whether it is indeed what it claims to be. A stout with an adjunct added like coconut can be overwhelmed by the addition or made even more enjoyable. A dry hopped lager can be enhanced by the extra attention or rendered a mess if not handled properly. But at the end of every glass, it's just your opinion or mine. One person's Sparklechunks is another's favourite beer...but not mine...seriously...

  So with more than 800 reviews this year and more than 4000 in the last 6 years, not all of them Headstock, I have a small grasp on what I like and know a little bit of what I'm looking for when I drink a beer. I seek truth in every glass, I want what the label tells me the style is to be reflected in what I'm tasting and while I am not the best palate around, heck in my own house Kathryn is far better than I, I know my own self very well. I wish I could try more beers of every style, the exploration of diverse options is what drives the engine of so many of us here in the craft beer world, but I am also good with not worrying about things I cannot try or that slip away into the ether of the past. 

  Drink what you got, drink what you're able, if you're drinking with me, let's peel back the label!

Beer that tastes like a Damn Beer

Lagers

1. Collective Arts Brewing Audio Visual

  This beer just kept appearing in our fridge every week or so, whether it was a pickup at the brewery, grocery store or LCBO. A no nonsense, full bodied lager that delivered a simple, yet nuanced experience every time. No doubt a staple for many, it is a gateway beer to bring your macro pals over to the side of beer where taste matters over how cold your beer is.

2. Anderson Craft Ales Gold

3. Sawdust City Brewing Rice Lager

4. Merit Brewing No Limit American Lager

5. Godspeed Brewing Otsukaresama

Light Lager

1. Muskoka Brewery Tread Lightly

  This one caught everyone who tried it completely by surprise this year, Muskoka launched into this growing market with a superior rocket indeed. Full bodied, balanced bitterness and a delightfully crushable 355ml (my personal choice for this one) availability made for one hell of an entrance. Lacking nothing in a light beer like most macros, it was worthy of inclusion in The Ten most memorable beers of 2020.

2. Clifford Brewing The Crusher

3. Steamwhistle Brewing Session Lager

4. Forked River Lo Town

5. Gateway Brewing Slightly Startled

Pilsners

1. Tooth and Nail Vim & Vigor

  A close race, perhaps the toughest decision of the year with last year's Beer of the Year Donna coming in a very close second, Tooth and Nail are deserving of the spot with their super clean and crisp Vim & Vigor. It brings a simple, yet complex, grassy front, noble hop spice and a subtle beautifully balanced delivery in every sip. Classic, legendary and a must have for a true beer lover.

2. Fairweather Brewing Donna

3. Fairweather Brewing Jr.

4. Counterpart Brewing Pure

5. Red Circle Brewing Crystal Park

Blonde Ales

1. Royal City Brewing Two Rivers

  A style made for BBQs, late nights and long afternoons, Royal City nailed it with their Two Rivers. Full bodied, lightly bitter and touched with some fruitiness, its got session written all over it. Get a 24, you'll appreciate having it around.

2. Collective Arts Brewing Dry Hopped Blonde Ale

3. Forked River Brewing Capital

4. Nickel Brook Brewing Cause & Effect

5. Collective Arts Brewing Saint of Circumstance

Come to the Dark Side, we have Beer 

Porters

1. Muddy York Brewing Porter

  A long time favourite. it is among a handful of beers that are consistently included on this list every year. It is the go to definition of a classic porter. Roasted malt notes of cocoa, dark chocolate and a dry bitter finish always seems like the perfect fit in every sip. After all these years, it never fails to deliver an excellent experience whenever I can wrestle one away from the Lady of the Manor.

2. Oast House Brewers Pitchfork Porter

3. Collective Arts Brewing Stranger than Fiction 

4. Silversmith Brewing Horchata Porter

5. Trestle Brewing Red Rock

Stouts

1. Cameron's Brewing Crooked Nose Stout

  A late entry into the beer scene this year, Cameron's Crooked Nose stout was an outstandingly balanced dark roasted beauty. Smooth and full with a huge chocolate front, it was a fine thing to be able to pick up as the snow began to fall.

2. Anderson Craft Ales Stout

3. Stonehooker Brewing Wrought Iron

4. Kensington Brewing It's a Stout

5. Royal City Brewing 100 Steps

Adjunct Stout

1.Sawdust City Brewing Viva la Stout
  This beer returned in 2020, albeit at a lower ABV, and Sawdust City sent it into the larger world of LCBO and Grocery stores with an eye to that sessionable trend and to deliver a real treat of a dessert beer. Loved it from start to finish and it should be an easy buy for anyone with a taste for chocolate and fruit.

2. Fairweather Brewing Long Shadow

3. Collective Arts Brewing All the Things

4. Nickel Brook Brewing Wonky Bastard

5. Omnipollo Agamemnon

Barrel Aged Imperial Stouts

1. Nickel Brook Brewing 2020 Kentucky Bastard 

  This is probably the hardest category for me to pick because I am an unabashed lover of the big, boozy slow-sippers of the world and I always have a bunch on hand in the cellar for when the mood strikes me, adding new ones as they are released throughout the year. 2020 saw a hell of a stiff competition from Wellington and their UVB-76 series, along with the usual Amsterdam Double Tempest options, but one rose above and even in its initial drop was an absolute beast of a balanced pint. Nickel Brook managed to come within a barley grain of topping the famous 2016 version with this late October release. While this style usually comes out of the gate still rocking a lot of that bourbon heat, the gang at NB nailed a balance on this I haven't seen before. Outstanding now and sure to age into something even more spectacular in the years to come. I have a few aging now, available at the LCBO for you adventurous types!

2. Wellington Brewery UVB-76 Daniil

3. Collective Arts Brewing & Civil Society Brewing Origins of Darkness

4. Nickel Brook Brewing 2020 Cafe del Bastardo

5. Fairweather Brewing 2019 Wishing Well

Black Lager

1.Silversmith Brewing The Black Lager

 Simply the best. Silversmith has long held this category and while GLB and Muddy York each had fantastic Black Lagers this year, the OG Polk favourite continued to deliver a perfect pint of dark lagered joy everytime. Can or bottle, doesn't matter, it is the perfect representation of that the style should be.

2. Great Lakes Brewery Black Lager

3. Muddy York Brewing Black Opal

4. Black Lab Brewing Cornerstone

5. Napanee Brewing Blacklist

All Things Good and Hoppy 

Pale Ales

 1. Great Lakes Brewery Canuck

 This is a family favourite and another of those comfort beers we leaned into so hard in 2020. The best deal in Ontario at only $54 for a 24, it is the epitome of an easy drinking pale ale. They often say that it runs through the veins of GLB like a lifeblood and it is a trusted go to pint around here on a most consistent basis. The fact that I can get it for delivery now is just another mark in it's favour.

2. Bellwoods Brewery Jutsu

3. Merit Brewing More Than

4. Fairweather Brewing Menagerie Citra

5. Nickel Brook Brewing Juicy Scoops 2

New England or Hazy Pale Ales

1. Great Lakes Brewery Burst!

  They cannot stop with the awesome releases to the wider world this year and GLB once again nailed it with Burst! Peach, mango and strawberry with a light pine back and under $3 a can makes for a crushable and well enjoyed tropical pint!

2. Lake of Bays Brewing Off the Grid

3. Nickel Brook Brewing Hazy Neighbour

4. Prince Eddy's Brewing So Many Friends

5. Great Lakes Brewing Empowered

IPAs

American

1. Merit Brewing Young Rival

  The gradual climb of Merit to the top of the American style IPA category has been one of subtle refinements along the way. They have tinkered with the original recipe as this relatively new brewery were getting their legs underneath them. Citrus and stone fruit, pith and pine, all together a beautifully balanced and crafted IPA.

2. Badlands Brewing King Kang

3. Barncat Artisinal Ales Extra Juice

4. Fairweather Brewing High Grade

5. Great Lakes Brewing Octopus Wants to Fight

New England Style or Hazy IPAs

1. Sawdust City Brewing Everyday Magic 

  Dropping a brand new hazy IPA into the LCBO at the start of the lockdowns broght some brightness to the darkness of early March and this peach, mango and pineapple gem was and is greatly appreciated. Sawdust City has always been solid when it comes to bringing exactly what they promise to every pint they sell and this smooth tropical delight was in my glass many, many times this year. 

2. Third Moon Brewing Bone Tree

3. Town Brewery One Tree Planted

4. Great Lakes Brewery HazeMama

5. Merit Brewing Way Too

West Coast IPAs (not a real category on UNtappd, but it is in my heart so here we are)

1. Nickel Brook Brewing Headstock 

  I've said all I need to say about this one on 'The Ten"

It's simply the best.

2. Great Lakes Brewery 2010

3. Sawdust City Brewing Lone Pine

4. Indie Alehouse Instigator

5. Fairweather Brewing California King

Double or Imperial IPA

1. Sawdust City Brewing Binary System 2

  You could probably make a case for any of the 4 beers in this series on any best of 2020 list, they are playful, exuberant and solidly put together. This iteration just grabbed my attention and held on enough to be included among The Ten, so to the top of the big slow sippers it goes.

2. Counterpart Brewing Crowned

3. Barncat Artisinal Ales Cat Nap

4. Collective Arts Brewing IPA No 15

5. Merit Brewing Unrivalled

Triple IPAs

 1. Collective Arts Brewing Triple IPA

  Dangerous and beautiful, this 10%er landed in mid November and brought all the berry, mango and orange with it. Pithy and a little warming made for an exceptionally smooth big beer. More of this style in 2021 please!!

2. Barncat Artisanal Ales We Miss Growlers

3. Redline Brewhouse White Knuckle

4. Lake of Bays Brewing Apex

5. Montibello Brewing Tripa 3

Belgian IPAs

1. Block Three Brewing Cathedral

  A category near and dear to my heart, I am in love with this hybrid style of Belgian yeast and North American hops to create a truly unique experience and it is no surprise that St. Jacob's Block Three Brewing takes it home this year with their early 2020 release, the 6.5% Cathedral. The interplay of notes was so well tuned, I can still envision it almost 11 months later. They have one of the prettiest looking breweries in the province and crank out a variety of styles, lagers and IPAs to go with farmhouse ales and sours. But this Belgian IPA is my big love this year! 

2. New Limburgh Brewing Belgian IPA

3. Block Three Brewing Danger Zone

4. Napanee Brewing Extremist

5. Shacklands Brewing Blessed Acceleration

Black IPAs

1. Sawdust City Brewing Darkness on the Edge of Town 

  Another difficult decision had to be made in this category of the 2020 countdown. GLB Apocalypse Later and Problem Bears from Silversmith both warrant a mention in this category, but Sawdust City took it to another level this year. I called it elegant and this delicate balance of roasted malt bitterness, citrus pith and pine was like a well timed dance of the highest order. A joy to drink and a moment I remember well as the sun set in early April. 

2. Great Lakes Brewery Apocalypse LAter

3. Silversmith Brewing Problem Bears

4. Manantler Brewing Dark Prince

5. Henderson Brewing Henderson Cup

Session IPAs

1. Fairweather Brewing Forever Eva
  A repeat champion, this Vic Secret, Ekuanot and Citra hopped little IPA brings way more to the table than you'd think for that low ABV. Melon, peach orange and a light spice gave me a singular experience in session IPAs this year, far outpacing the other contenders, a runaway victory!

2. Nickel Brook Brewing Party Dad

3. Royal City Brewing Exhibition

4. Collective Arts Brewing Hazy State

5. Sawdust City Brewing We Belong to the Thunder

Sour IPAs

1. Fairweather Brewing Golden Hour Mango

  This one still pops in my mind, even though it has almost been a calendar year since I had it. Bright sunshine in a glass at a time when my world was very dark and Jinx had just left this mortal world. Absolute banger of a beer.

2. Sawdust City Brewing Electric Storm

3. Fairweather Brewing miiNG

4. Nickel Brook Brewing Zap!

5. Grain & Grit Beer Co. Dog Days

New for 2020!!

Kveik IPA (another not a real style, but again its my list, so here we go)

1. Nickel Brook Brewing Cold Pop

  At 6.5% and 0 IBUs, this smooth and tropical mango, pineapple and pine example of that Norwegian yeast  was a revelation in late May as the Summer approached. Super crushable and an instant classic.

2. Collective Arts Brewing Kveik IPA

3. Clifford Brewing Valhalla

4. Wellington Brewery Kveik IPA

5. Collective Arts Brewing Dalliance

Tart Puckers - Sour Ales

1. Merit Brewing Waves Peach

  It was mid June and the day had been no good, rotten and terrible. The I opened this Peach, Plum and Vanilla variant of Merit's Waves series and all was right with the world. It was a journey through each flavour and they all came together at the right point to deliver a fantastic beer all around.

2. Left Field Brewing Lo Viste

3. Shacklands Brewing Razzle Blazzle

4. Collective Arts Brewing Smoothie Sour

5. Muddy York Brewing Staring Down the Sun

Those Belgian Beauties

Saisons

1. Shacklands Brewing Saison Davenport

  Another returning champ, this time available at the LCBO and in cans at that! I know I go out on a limb with this proclamation, but it is perhaps the best Saison in the world and that is the truth as I see it. Everything a saison should be this is and more. That noble hop spice on the finish is perfection.
2. Merit Brewing Chanan

3. Little Beasts Brewing La Petite Duchesse

4. Shacklands Brewing Wit Saison

5. Bellwoods Brewery Saison Maison

Tripels

1. Shacklands Brewing Tripel

  Another spot on Belgian Banger from the best of the best this side of the Atlantic when it comes to these kinds of beers. It is full bodied, loaded to the hilt with all the things that make this style one of my favourites.

2. Merit Brewing Tomorrows

3. Royal City Brewing Tripel Entente

4. New Limburgh Brewing St. Barbara

5. Forked River Brewing The Oracle

Wheat Ales

1. Silversmith Brewing Breakfast Wheat

  A real fine wake me up one early June morning, this flagship wheat is all about that orange peel, lemon zest and bubblegum before the dry and spiced up finish. it was just a great way to sit and enjoy a sunny, warm morning outside with no work in my near future.

2. Tooth and Nail Brewing Sparrowhawk

3. Gateway CIty Brewing Cloud Captain

4. Grain & Grit Beer Co. Zigge Zagge

5. Bandit Brewing Solstice

Malty Goodness

Barleywine

1.Great Lakes Brewery 2020 Beard of Zeus
  Barleywines are rare creatures here in Ontario, but the ones I've managed to track down have been quite the happy circumstance. Great Lakes dropped Beard of Zeus into the LCBO early in the year and this 11.8% behemoth was a godsend in the chilly, homebound months that followed. And since most folks had never encountered this style before, making it more easily attainable, with an eye-catching label to boot, Great Lakes hit a home run in more ways than one.
2. Granite Brewery Gin Lane
3. Cameron's Brewing Early Bird
4. Wellington Brewery Yuletide 2019
5. Garrison Brewing Fog Burner

Brown Ales

1. Fairweather Brewing Baby Steps

  A one off, not repeated since piece of heaven hit the bottle shop at Fairweather in late July and disappeared almost at once. They nailed the balance between sweet and bitter with an eye to super crushability all the way through. May it return in 2021 with a wider availability, I would advise you order early and large.

2. Counterpart Brewing Rise

3. Concession Road Brewing Lumber Jacket

4. Black Oak Brewing Nut Brown

5. Royal City Brewing Smoked Honey

Extra Special Bitters

1. Clifford Brewing Dark Streets of London

  This one is close to my heart, a bready malty sessionable ESB that is a constant pickup whenever it returns to the taproom at Clifford. When this is all over and we can head back to sit in taprooms with impunity and fully vaccinated, I may spend my first afternoon drinking this pint after pint.

2. SIlversmith Brewing Dam Buster

3. Great Lakes Brewery Monty

4. HIgh Park Brewing Across the Pond

5. Concession Road Brewing Little Britain

Red Ales

1. Gateway City Brewing Devil's Dessert

  This Imperial Red was a big hit as I floated in the pool in early June. Big and bready malts with loads of caramel and a nice kick of hop spice on the back made for a very memorable pint.

2. Cowbell Brewing Doc Perdue's Bobcat

3. Beau's All Natural Brewing Strong Patrick

4. Cameron's Brewing Ambear

5. New Ontario Brewing Tree Topper

The Mish-Mash - The Best of the Rest

Styles that I had less than 5 examples of in 2019. Any less than that and it's just not worth telling you about.

Amber Ale - Block Three Brewing Beauty & The Belgian

Belgian Strong Ale -  Sawdust City Brewing L'il Man

Brett IPA - Shacklands Brewing Fuzzier Peach

Brut IPA - Muddy York Brewing Paper Moon

Dubbel - Chimay Red

Fruited Ale - Oast House Brewers Grandma's Strawberry Rhubarb

Gose - Merit Brewing What Dreams May Come

Helles Lager - Trestle Brewing Hole in The Wall

Imperial Stout - Merit Brewing Black is Beautiful

Milkshake IPA - Collective Arts Brewing Collective Arts Fest

Pumpkin Ale - Great Lakes Brewery Pumpkin Ale

Scottish Ale - Second Wedge Brewing Monday Night Piper

Vienna Lager - Clifford Brewing Chain Link

Wild Ale - Fairweather Brewing Wide World

  That's a wrap on 2020 from this corner of the world, may this next year bring more great beer, better times and a chance to sit down together and share a few pints.

Cheers! 
Polk