Bucket List : Singular Beer Experiences

   Last week I was able to check another bucket list beer off and it spurred a lot of conversation around not only Pliny the Elder and our perception of it as being a much sought after OG whale of a pint up here in Canada, but also of other seemingly important, often difficult to obtain beers that we aspire to acquire with desire.

  For me, it all began with places like Bellwoods, a mystical place that was making stuff no one else in Ontario was able to. I would visit their Ossington Avenue location on special occasions, almost like making a pilgrimage to a holy place and each offering I would dutifully return home with to try and make out what special thing was going in inside my glass. Of course, as I spun further down into the world of beers, I became enamoured with yearly releases, special one-offs and collaborations, stuff like Nickel Brook's Bourbon Barrel aged Kentucky Bastard, Twin Pines from Sawdust City, Double Tempest from Amsterdam and Apocalypse Later Imperial Black IPA from Great Lakes are but 3 of the truly must not miss pints that would appear from the mists of the brew tanks once a year to mark the passage of time and the joyous reckoning of their fans. But at this point, I feel that these are not really Bucket List beers anymore, although one could make the argument for the 2016 NB Kentucky, as even my last bottle, consumed in December of 2023, was still a sublime masterpiece, never to be repeated again. The specialness of these much loved yearly returnees isn't diminished because I can get them every year, rather it has become something I eagerly anticipate and look forward to being able to purchase and enjoy. But to us who can get them with ease, much like people in California with Pliny, they are something just a little below that kind of truly unique and singular experience beers that hard to come things like Heady Topper, Cantillion or Westvleteren 12. It isn't that they are not amazing, but the lack of access certainly makes for part of the charm of these beers we seek.

  Having said all of that, I have no doubt that some of the beers we regularly consume here in this part of Ontario, either local craft beer or the amazing European selections at the LCBO, which has never ceased to please me, that people in other parts of this country and others would consider Whales that they would love to try. I often wonder what truly makes that kind of Bucket List experience so special and for me it has been a combination of the rarity, history and quality over that time that drives my imagination. I have been able to enjoy many of what I would consider those Singular beer pours and even though there are some I have been able to try again, at the time, thinking I would only ever get to sip and savour it once, only enhanced what I was drinking. To be able to consume something you have dreamed about for a decade or more is not easy to describe, especially when it is the benchmark of the style, the genesis of a revolution or a revered bottle that has stood the test of time and defied all challenges to its supremacy.

  I seek out these beers when I can, I have a sense of what I wish to see materialize in my glass for a special occasion and often they seem to find their way to me through the generous hands of strangers become friends from afar. Heady Topper and Focal Banger up from Vermont via beer friends, a bottle of Cantillion sitting in my cellar now, delivered across the ocean by a lovely pal and two times I was able to experience Pliny, once in my early years and the second time just a week ago, a cousin and a new friend giving the immaculate West Coast IPA to me with joy and thoughtfulness. 

  There have been others, perhaps not as well known, but Singular Beer Experiences that rocked my core, left me often smiling for days afterword as I pondered the existence of such wonderful people and liquid art hat filled my senses. These are not the beers of yore, progenitors of styles or even well known sometimes, but they stick out in my mind for a variety of reasons that still can bring me joy at a fleeting reminder they existed. But these are not really Bucket List in the fullest sense because part of that designation is about the yearning and anticipation of one day, somehow, obtaining and then consuming their glorious contents.

   I think we live in a pretty damn good time when it comes to access to very good, even great beer, of every conceivable style. I can find almost everything I could desire within an hour of my home when it comes to this and still, there exist things, that in my mind could still be worthy of much more than I could ever know. Drinking a Pilsner Urquell on a patio at the brewery in Czechia, seeking wisdom in the Belgian countryside whilst consuming Monk beers at or near the source and raising a very large mug of German Lager as Oktoberfest swirls around me. These 3 things are what wander into my mind as the very be all, end all Bucket List trip in beer. More so than being able to check off a single bottle or can of a much sought after pint, it is these three places and the liquid gold associated with them that are at the basis for every wild fantasy I have left in my imagination. I seek no surf or sand, no beach or cabana, I want only for the simplest, purest and most joyous ways to know that where it started, where it all began, found a way into my glass as I raise it and tip back history and the future at the same time.

  I wish you well, my friends, in your own pursuit of your Bucket List beers.

Polk

Sunday April 28th, 2024

From Bad Beer to Exceptional Pints : Rise Up

 I've been drinking beer for the better part of 3 decades and thinking more critically about what's in my glass for the last 10 or so, examining the context as much as the contents as it were, occasionally traipsing into philosophy while still operating as the low-key drunk that I am. I have scored thousands of pints in video and the written word, some in as short as a few sentences and others as long as is way past what any sane person would consider necessary for a beer, always with an eye to style and truth in advertising when it comes to what I encounter. I've led with my heart, held grudges and soft spots in my soul at the same time and tried to always seek the good in every beer I encounter...even when that isn't possible... 

  What all this preamble is getting to is that after all this time, as I seek more balance and even more value for the things I have in my day-to-day life, I wonder why some of the beers we see hit the market even bother existing? Why do some breweries set such high standards and benchmarks for themselves, never deviating or sending out inferior products and why do so many others just let anything ride as long as they think it will sell? There are more options than ever out there when it comes to beer and I understand not everyone can attain the very highest level of what can be described as art writ liquid, but the sheer number of low level uninspired offerings is disheartening from not only the standpoint of someone who loves to explore new things, but from the perspective of people who are new to this all and will walk away wondering why they should spend more for something that isn't noticeably different or better than what the big corporate brewers are offering. Releasing a sub-par beer and not investing in quality ingredients or time to develop recipes that exceed expectations doesn't sit well with me and I think the flatlining of growth, while not exclusively because of this, certainly isn't being helped by it. Legacy brewers who have let reputation drift them into irrelevance and ineptitude has left me pondering what level of beer we are willing to tolerate because we are "supporting" local or provincial business. Incompetence and ignorance shouldn't be something to applaud, your dollars give way to encouraging the things you praise, and we should be far more demanding of quality in this day of rising costs and diminishing returns. 

  Having said all this, there are bright and shining lights in this segment. There are people who care a whole lot about not only the highest quality, but also in delivering something that is what they say it is and to style every time. It matters and if we tolerate it any less, we will get the beer we deserve in the end. SO, let's talk about some categories I'd like to see the beer we are being offered put into and just how we should treat them going forward... 

1. Bad Beer 

  This is a simple category, although thankfully not the largest part of what we can find when we hit the liquor store or taproom. Without getting into the whole "macro beer is basically water" nonsense, I do have some respect for the consistent, if unimaginative product those multinationals offer, I am referring to what should be a premium product, priced as such, that is littered with flaws, off flavours and doesn't do what the label or brewer says it will. Whenever I find one of these offenders, I do my best to let folks know because it isn't right or sane to let such things fly. I don't care if it's a local business, bad beer hurts the whole industry because it cheapens the values we hold for our community and the decent standards of what we consume. Labelling a low abv pale ale an IPA to try and sell more? Knowingly releasing a beer that doesn't taste like you say it does? Sending an underwhelming, diacetyl ridden lager out before it is ready for market because you don't really care? All things I have seen, talked about and often been threatened with retaliation for. Bad beer hurts the cause, I'd rather take one for the good of all, review and spread truth and save you some money by keeping you informed. Don't encourage garbage marketing and shitty beer, call out that nonsense and lift up better things. 

2. Meh Beer 

  This is beer that isn't bad, it is meh and that may be just slightly worse in some ways. It's uninspired, lazy and seeks to somehow catch onto the trends of the day, without actually doing the work or inputting the quality ingredients or time needed to deliver such things. It is often found with a visually attractive label and all the right words on the can and then when you pour it in your glass, the thing you see, smell and taste is so underwhelming, you sigh, wonder what else you have as you quickly get past this and never seek it, nor think about it ever again.  A bad beer is something you'll remember, a Meh beer is something you'll forget as soon as the last drop is gone, never to return. 

3. Mid Beer 

  This is actually not a terrible beer, despite being something of a disappointment. It's someone's favourite thing, something neither a Bad Beer or Meh Beer will ever be and its most exciting characteristic is that it isn't special. It exists, it can be enjoyable, but ultimately it doesn't really move the needle when it comes to excitement and joy. It is the Wonder Bread of beer, it could be any style or ABV, but it is a minivan that just gets you from A to Buzzed without much else to discuss. 

4. Good Beer 

  This is one of my favourite categories, because there is a decent amount of this out there. We have a lot of breweries that deliver consistently Good Beer at different price points and styles and while this is not the most exciting kind of beer, it is the most common and includes most people's go to favourites and fridge fillers. It's the beer you buy most consistently and frequently. It's beer that lives in your mind when someone says "Wanna grab a beer?", it is what you picture when I ask you to imagine a pint. It's nothing special, but it certainly is worth having around. 

5. Great Beer 

  Here we start to leave the stratosphere and get into some of the seasonal releases, special beers and perhaps, big ABV offerings. But it also includes a lager that delivers pure joy, a saison that transports you somewhere special, or maybe a Mild that becomes so much a part of the day, you don't realize you've poured another and another. Great beer transcends itself sometimes, it doesn't have to be talked about outside of acknowledging what it is and eagerly awaiting its return. It can inspire misty eyes and wistful dreams, and it can be as simple as your everyday beer, if that is what you have chosen to seek out. Not perfect, but so close, you almost don't care. 

6. Exceptional Beer 

  There was a time when I thought all "craft" beer fell into this category. Some folks still do... 

  But after all this time and finding myself utterly left speechless by truly Exceptional Beer on some occasions, I know now that this category is not so easily attainable and certainly is where only the very best we can seek out will live. I am talking about Pliny, 2016 Kentucky Bastard and that first sip of Apocalypse Later. I am talking about beer that goes deeper than you understand and often leaves you with the sense that something special happened and you cannot quite grasp it. It exists outside time and space; it occupies a part of your mind that often casts a shadow you cannot quite catch a glimpse of. It is a moment you carry forward, knowing it may never come again, truly inspirational and often aspirational. It may be as simple as the perfect pilsner on a warm summer day, a soft and gentle wind bringing the laughter of a nearby park to your ears as you tip back that first wonderful sip and feel the cascade of everything good in life trickle down into you very being. It isn't just whales or bucket list beers, it is the very essence of life, the experiences we have, the people we love and the life we wish to have. Exceptional Beer is there, it just takes an exceptional brewery to deliver it to the world. Unafraid and bold, true to everything we hold dear about this thing we do, it makes me wonder why we demand any less, accept any less...this is the beer you see when your dreams become reality. 

I wish you all only the finest of pints as this summer approaches.

Polk

April 21st, 2024