The Ten - 2025's Best Sober Moments

  

  A whole year of beer boiled down to ten spots. Just ten moments that lingered in my mind and helped get me through the last 365 days make this list and while there were a lot of low points in 2025, these beers gave light and hope to an often dreary world.  It's been an adjustment talking about NA beers versus regular pints, the alcohol effect being absent makes for a whole different vibe to be sure. But the options are getting better and as the market for NA offerings grows, so should the quality. I'm here for the beer, so let's get on with this year's Sober Ten.

10. One for the Road Brewing Proceed with Caution Amber (January 26th)

  One of the first non-alcoholic beers that really wowed me this year, One for the Road Brewing certainly tries to deliver as close to the real thing in a whole lotta styles as anyone out there. Prolific in number, they try to find an NA offering for every taste and this nutty, toasted malt beauty hit all the marks. Lacking nothing, satisfying the promise of the style. 

Full video here.

9. Lake of the Woods Brewing No Wake Blonde Ale (October 23rd)

  With this full bodied, bitter and bubbly Ale, Lake of the Woods Brewing brings an ode to classics like 50 or OV. Easy drinking, absolutely bang on flavours and a really wallet friendly price are all positives in my book. It scratches that itch for a beer that tastes like a damn beer real well and should find a place in the fridge or cooler anytime of year,

Full video here.

8. Sober Carpenter Brewing Oktoberfest Lager (September 21st)

  I keep coming back to comparing what Sober Carpenter is doing in the NA world with what Beau's All Natural Brewing was doing in the craft beer one about 10 to 15 years ago and I really appreciate the style chances they've taken, even if I don't always dig what the result is. This Oktoberfest Lager was the best of the best this year from SC though, just topping out the Black and regular IPAs in my book. Bready with a caramel and rye spice feel, it was a grand addition to a sober September afternoon.

Full video here.

7. Cowbell Brewing Pretty Near Lager (April 19th)

  The ability to create an NA lager is profoundly difficult. Off flavours often abound and the appearance in the glass is sometimes secondary and ignored. Cowbell Brewing goes to great lengths here to not only bring a great but simple crisp and clean Lager to us, but it has the head retention and carbonation to make the entire experience just like a regular pint. That's golden.

Full Video here.

6. Harmon's Craft Brewing Jack Pine Pale Ale (January 23rd)

  The search for a non-alcoholic West Coast IPA/Pale Ale is perhaps my foremost desire when it comes to this whole journey through this NA world. I am an unabashed lover of malty, bitter beers and in Harmon's Craft Brewing flagship Pale Ale, I first found a spark to fuel that love. Toasty malt back with a floral, orange and pine bitterness caught my imagination and this one has found it's way back to my glass many times over the year.

Full video here.

5. Big Spruce Brewing Kitchen Partly Pale Ale (January 15th)

  A take on their classic Kitchen Party Pale Ale, this quickly became a must have whenever I placed an order with Designated Drinks. Big Spruce has found a fantastic way to bring an NA beer to life that is full bodied, has a real beer feel, lots of citrus and pine bitterness, leaning West into an almost full IPA hit. This one helped me start to feel like there was hope for this trip through the sober world, perhaps some joy could be found after all.

Full video here.

4. Left Field Brewing Everyday Player Lager (February 15th)

  There was little doubt when I first saw this Left Field Brewing offering available that it would be good. I trust and love the pedigree of LF beers over the years and this Lager raised and set the standard going forward for the style. Grainy, floral with a solid bitterness, a firm carbonation, crisp and clean with no aftertaste, nothing but real beer goodness all the way through. It remains the best NA Lager I tried in 2025 and one of the best beers overall. It found it's way into my glass all year long.

Full video here.

3. Guinness (September 4th)

  The best NA stout is widely available and comes with an international pedigree for consistency and quality. Guinness 0 was one of the first NA beers I tried back in 2024 and has set the standard for every stout that comes after it. I have encountered very few that can match up to it, most devolving into a smoky, ashy mess...but not Guinness. Rich and velvety smooth, it has dark chocolate and coffee with just the right amount of bitterness and has never let me down. A beer I've bought almost every month this year, it's one I know I can count on all the time.

Full video here.

2. Bellwoods Brewery Stay Classy IPA (January 11th)

  One thing I have discovered in the last year is that it's easy to release an NA beer, but it takes a real dedication to bring a quality product to the market. Bellwoods has long been one of the best breweries in Ontario (probably Canada and beyond, imho) and they don't fool around when it comes to delivering  great beer. This extended to their non-alcoholic Stay Classy IPA, a pint that feels like the real thing and you know you're drinking a Bellwoods from the sniff to last sip. A beautifully constructed beer with notes of white grapefruit, lemon and pine, bitter and full with lingering pithiness. A go-to IPA that made my world a better place. 

Full video here. 

1. Nickel Brook Brewing Wicked Tame IPA (September 1st)

  It wasn't difficult to choose my top NA beer from the last year, this one from Nickel Brook stood out from the first time I had it and was the most regular purchase and only 24 I bought in the last year and a half. Aside from its fantastic flavour profile of lemon, tangerine, pineapple and pine, the full bodied texture was such a lovely thing to behold. Many non-alcoholic offerings are thin and watery, but Nickel Brook delivers an as close to the full test IPA as possible and their care in crafting this shows. Along with their NA Blonde Ale, they've given us two great options when seeking sober living. Wicked Tame earned its spot at the top of my list by giving me the break from the worry of the world and just letting me enjoy a beer for beer's sake. 

Full video here.

  

Happy New Year!

Polk

December 29yh, 2025

October Sober - Top 5 NA Beers from the last month

 

Has it already been an entire month? I know time moves faster as you get older, but man, this last 4+ weeks seemed to be gone in a flash.  The transition from outdoor patio beers to indoor basement beers happened almost overnight and while I will miss my sunshine and warm summer breezes, I do enjoy hunkering down in the winter and enjoying all my lazy indoor activities while the wind howls and the snow flies. Soon we will decorate the house once again for Christmas and I'll get that weird nostalgic feeling that challenges my sobriety at the best of times. I used to love to get 4 or 5 beers deep and dive into classic TV specials and holiday movies while reminiscing about how it used to be. Being sober, I find myself more in the present, but when I do cast my mind back, it seems to be in a better light and with less regret. I don't know which way is better, I sure did love that Christmas buzz, but here we are now and I've got another 5 great Non-Alcoholic beer options for you to try as we head to the season of giving. 

  As always, I had these delivered from our pals over at Designated Drinks. You can get yourself a whole fridge full of great options over on their website https://www.designateddrinks.ca/

  In chronological order, here we go :

  1. Side Launch Brewing NA Lager (October 4th)

    In search of beers that taste like damn beers, I found this latest release from Side Launch and was pleasantly surprised. Once renowned for their to style Wheat, Dark and Pale Ale in the sideways printed cans, Side Launch has taken some swings for the fences in recent years and not always hit the mark. I am happy to report that this lager is a true, simple tasting, clean and crisp half pint that leaves no aftertaste nor has any off flavours. It feels like a macro lager and delivered a fine experience. 

Full video here.

2. Refined Fool Brewing Wet Thunder NA Lager (October 9th)

  I've long been a fan of Sarnia's Refined Fool. Lots of fun beer names to go along with some pretty solid offerings inside said cans and mix packs that deliver a fun time in every 6'er. Having said that, this non-alcoholic Lager was just the thing on a warm, sunny October afternoon to refresh my spirit and my smile. It was reminiscent of a Molson Canadian, but more refined (Ha), crisp and bitter with no off flavours or aftertaste. Simple and good, it does the job you need and does it well.

Full video here.

3. One for the Road Brewing No Regrets NA 

  This one was a second go around in 2025 and I think I liked it even more the second time. Full bodied, bready toasted malt body with caramel sweetness and a firm bitterness make for a true marzen style lager, a nod to the fall season with that Oktoberfest feel throughout. It strikes me as a huge compliment when I say a beer doesn't taste not feel like a non-alcoholic option and this one is right up there with the best of them in that regard. Nothing missing, all good in the glass. 

Full video here.

4. Lake of the Woods Brewing No Wake NA Blonde Ale (October 23rd)

  Harkening back to a classic Ale, think 50 or OV, No Wake came in smooth and bitter with no doubt as to the care and work put into it's creation. At under $2 a can, it's a bargain that delivers far above expectations. Bitter and full with a slight fruitiness, grainy cereal malt body and a feel that is all beer, no filler. I finished a 6 pack without a second thought, it felt like the old days, drinkin' with the old guys and letting the world slide on by.

\Full video here.

5. Sober Carpenter Brewing Scottish Ale (October 31st)

  Coming in just under the wire as the trick or treaters hit the streets on Halloween, this ode to the maltier side of life from Sober Carpenter hit the mark from pour to sip to savour. Looking to always find something different, especially in the NA world, Sober Carpenter resembles what Beau's used to be in craft beer, always throwing new stuff into the wild and while not all of them are hits, they sure do keep us trying new things and expanding the non-alcoholic offerings in the world. This one was a bready, toasted malt treat with toffee notes and a solid bitterness, feeling like a full strength offering, made with the classic Fuggle hops and having an old world feel in a new world order. Excited to see what they'll try next.

Full video here.

  And of course, we have to have a moment of disappointment or how will we know when we are happy...

1. Eichbaum NA German Lager (October 25th)

   I don't know why I keep trying these non-alcoholic Euro Lagers....it's almost pure torture from beginning to end at this point. For every decent one I find, 2 absolutely terrible ones pop up behind it and for some reason I gotta drink 'em all so you don't have to. This wort forward, smokey ashtray laden sweet mess shouldn't be in anyone's glass, it feels like someone hated you enough to try to give you a double vomit beer and watch your discomfort and sadness. I am disgusted now and it's been weeks since I had this awful offering in my glass before it hit the bottom of the toilet...just fuckin' no.

Full video here.

  A pretty good month, 20 different new and returning non-alcoholic beers made for a full flavoured and many styles experience and while more than a few are not to appear again in my fridge, there weren't a lot of full on bad pints. The good are getting better and the rest are coming along. Let November begin!

Cheers!

Polk

November 1st, 2025

Sober September - The 5 Best NA Beers I tried in September 2025

   I had high hopes earlier this year for a monthly series of posts about the best non-alcoholic beers I had tried in the previous month, but like a lot of things I think are a good idea, I get in my own way and somehow talk my way out of it. So we are back after an 8 month hiatus with a Top 5 must try and 2 to give a pass to when it comes to NA beers. 

 Up first, in chronological order of when I tried them, the Top 5 for September 2025

1. Nickel Brook Brewing Wicked Tame NA Hazy IPA (Sept 1st to 21st, inclusive)

  I drank one of these a day for 21 days and let me say that I always looked forward to cracking on open when it was time for a little refreshment. It has a great, full-bodied feel and it hits like a full on IPA. Full video here.

2. Tool Shed Brewing Zero Red Rage Red Ale (September 2nd)

  This one captured my attention with it's malt forward toasty malt body and caramel notes. It felt like I was drinking a full test Red Ale, no hint of NA aftertaste. Picked up from Designated Drinks. Full video here.

3. Guinness 0.0% (September 4th)

  An easy pick-up for my fridge, I revisited it after 9 months to see if I still felt it was as good as I did way back when I first started trying NA beers. It did not disappoint from pour to last sip. Slightly sweeter than regular Guinness, but it's almost imperceptible. Full Video here.

4. Sober Carpenter Oktoberfest Lager (September 21st)

  Another great offering from this Quebec brewer, their limited edition pints seem to really be what I am finding as their best. This one brought light dried fruit and toffee with a firm bitterness and a touch of noble hop spice. Felt like Germany. Found at Designated Drinks Full video here.

5. Partake Pale Ale (September 23rd)

  I've enjoyed Partake's offerings so far, but this west leaning, English inspired Pale Ale was a clear favourite for me. Malt forward with orange citrus pith and a solid bitterness. Reminds me of when I first tried Pompous Ass from GLB. Full video here.

  And as with life, not everything is Guns 'n Roses...

  Time for two to avoid.

1. Brulo 7 Grain 7 Malt IPA (September 12th)

  It was a mess from first sniff to garden pour. Off flavoured and muted with nothing much to say about the kitchen sink of hop additions. Full video here.

2. Busch Lager (September 26th)

  Best thing I can say about this one is that it was ice cold. When temperature is your number one thing and I'm the one doing that to the beer, it's really not much of anything happening. Also, one of the ingredients is beer flavour...what the hell would it taste like without that? Meh. Full video here.

  All in all, a good month of pretty solid NA beers. 16 different ones and only a couple that fell into the never buy again category. Obviously a few of the best are repeat tries, but I likes what I likes and there she is...

Cheers!

Polk

October 1st, 2025

  Drinking is personal.

  My relationship with alcohol is more complicated than anything else I've encountered in my life, because at the end of it all, it's really about my own internal struggle and conflict with how I live and what kind of reality I see every day. The past is hazy, I leaned hard into the mind altering, carefree way that a couple of beers could make you feel, nobody loved the 2 or 3 beer buzz more than I...nobody. I didn't want to get obliterated every night, my addiction was far less insidious and in front of me in a way that I wanted to escape but still seem in control. Just enough alcohol to numb, not enough to become a problem for anyone but myself. And without the health issues I encountered last fall, I don't see how I would have interrupted that pattern without some form of intervention, from the outside or within.

 I always say that nobody know more about how to diet and exercise than a fat guy, we know the stats and what we need to do, we just can't find the will or the way to do it...but baby, do we know the cheap, expensive and everything in between about it. Same goes for drunks. I can see through different, sober, eyes now, even though I always knew the problem existed. I watch how much everyone else seems to drink now, and know that I probably drank at least as much and probably more. Until you step back, you don't see how many you're putting back in a week, they all blur together into a mash of everything is okay...until the day it isn't.  

  We glamorize the new releases and beer fests, ignoring the underlying social and health issues associated with our favourite thing outside of paying homage to fallen pals and urging the "moderation" crew as long as it doesn't impact the bottom line. We don't want to talk about the societal issues, health ramifications and mental health problems associated with alcohol, we just want to see pretty reels and pictures about community and having a good time. We know deep in our souls that everything on social media is seen through a foggy lens of false perfection, all the while claiming authenticity and good times. I live in this world, it is my window and my door, the only way I feel like I belong anywhere is when I exist there and it is exhausting. The break I forced myself to take from most of it during my initial recovery was freeing in a way, but I still find myself drawn back into its orbit because I don't know what else to do or where I should go. I like talking about beer and how it feels, even the non-alcoholic ones have a way of giving you a break from the world, where you can focus on what's in your glass instead of the growing dystopia that seems to be gaining momentum around the globe. I know so many folks want beer and other alcohol based communities to be free of politics and a place for everyone, but as we have seen and heard for so long, the more things change, the more they stay the same when it comes to our problems and our inclinations. Is it wrong for people to want an escape? A place where the biggest problem is a beer style they don't like or an off flavour killing the lager vibe? The gathering of like minded individuals, who's political leanings may or may not be aligned, is possible, as long as no one rocks the boat or makes it weird. But making it weird means making it better. Making it weird for the majority means everyone can feel weird together. 

But what do I know, I'm a drunk...

Polk

September 29th, 2025

One Year Later...

                             

  I woke up this morning, knowing it's been exactly 1 year since the last time I indulged my inner drunk and had way too many pints, topped off with a big old glass of whiskey. One year since I could barely breathe after going up a flight of stairs or walking to my car and one year since my resting heart rate was somewhere around 170 beats per minute. In those 365 days, I have not let go of reality even once. No slip ups or "accidents", never having more than 2 beers in a single day and no hard liquor of any kind. Part of this is predicated by all the medications I'm on to help control blood pressure and keep my heart from running itself out of beats before my time is supposed to be up. But the other part has become a battle of internal monologues, each vying for supremacy and each with some good points to be made. 

  On one side, we've got the good times Polk, the drunkard who loves to let go and seeks the haze that only a half dozen beers and a full glass of whiskey can bring. He seeks the nostalgia of a past that sometimes isn't just seen through rose coloured glasses, it's outright delusional. But he relaxes. He takes the weary mind and the world gone mad and just let's them go. He watches his favourite movies and shows and has not a care in the world except for his next drink and he gets to drift away into the night, careless and thoughtless.

  The other side, Sober Polk, hangs off me like an ill-fitting suit two sizes too small. The biggest problem I have run into being sober for an entire calender year is the unrelenting reality of the world around me. Living through the entire last year without a hazy filter or escape has led me down some pretty dark paths and while I know intellectually that drinking too much is part of why I'm where I am today, I still can't help but miss it dearly. Sober Polk is a quieter guy, but he rages underneath and sometimes that bubbles through unintentionally. I feel like I have begun to care less about things that used to be important, maybe to not have to feel any emotion or maybe to shield myself from the temptation to say "Fuck it", and pour the last of my whiskey from a year ago and fire the whole thing up again. It would lead to my demise faster than I'd like, but somedays, sober me gets the feeling that he isn't afraid of that anymore.

  That I haven't given into my lesser angels this year has been a surprise to me for sure. I remember lying in that hospital bed trying to figure out and bargain with whatever the universe is to be able to just go back to living as I had been. What part of my intellect was I suppressing to try and make that work is beyond me, because I knew life was changing and would never be the same again...but then it kind of has been, just without any release from reality and responsibility.  I wanted it all to just be a big misunderstanding and it has turned into an internal struggle for my very existence. I know I am better now than I was a year ago and I have an incredible opportunity to further take my health in a better direction with the help of many professionals, part of a bariatric/heart health study I have agreed to be part of. I like when they ask me if I drink and I can honestly say 2 or 3 beers a week. 1 specialist asked if I could go completely dry and, without hesitation, I said "Yes.". 

And I meant it.

  I have come to enjoy my pursuit of the best in non-alcoholic beers over the last 9 months plus. I've found some incredible gems among the almost 200 different offerings I've been able to find. The ability to keep writing and talking about some kind of beer is part of what keeps me sane and around. I don't know what I would do if I couldn't do even that little escape into what I love to do. But as I have learned in the last year, I am capable of change, even if I fight myself all the way through it. 

  I need to lose a lot of weight still, apparently it wasn't the beer after all, I know, I was surprised too. I need to reevaluate my relationship with food and the how and why I eat the way that I do. I need to become more active, even if it scares to take the first step on a walk that could alter my life forever. The things I seek exist in the wisps of the future that stretch out into the unknown. I am not sure if I am truly capable of the next steps, I honestly have been fighting myself for so long that I am sometimes lost as to how to get myself unstuck. But I have hopes that with professional help, including some much needed therapy for my mental health, I can find some new tools to help me find a way forward into an even brighter future.

Thanks for all the support to everyone who's reached out in the last year. Your kind words have meant the world to this old fella and I appreciate every message, DM and comment I get. I don't wanna go anywhere, I still got a lot left to say.

Cheers!

Polk

09/22/25

Time to Let it Go...

  

An appropriate us for my growlers now, I suppose...

  I've come to a crossroads in my life and while this particular intersection may seem a little silly, it feels like a momentous, albeit small, decision going forward.

  I have a lot of beer paraphernalia, bottles and clothing. Mostly bottles and cans I've saved from all the thousands I've tried, about 500 or so that line the shelves and walls of my basement, along with many signs and pictures, various knick-knacks and mementos of the last decade of my life. Here's the thing though, I don't know if they speak to me anymore. I don't know that what they used to represent is what or who I am now and I wonder, quite seriously, if hanging onto these things is holding me back from the next evolution in my life. 

  I know that in the end of it all, they are just things, collectibles to me and my memories and not really necessary to the times they represent. But looking around as the NFL season begins and hockey is just around the corner, I wonder if all this stuff that surrounds me down here in my "Man-Cave" I lovingly refer to as The Crease isn't just weighing me down instead of lifting me up. We surround ourselves with things that have the potential to inspire us and by leaving all this beer related stuff surrounding me so many hours a week, do I leave myself open for failure or worse, paralysis of the mind as I seek to make so many changes to my life and how I live it. I wonder if I need a physical rendering of the mental one I've already done, taking charge and changing my environment to better reflect the pursuits I now endeavour to and seek. 

Beer Wall circa 2016

  I feel like it is time to say goodbye to 90% of what is down here. Perhaps a single shelf of the most important of favourite beers of all-time. I have photos of everything, so perhaps printing them and putting them into some frames as part of the decoration, but not the focus would be a good idea. Do I need 40 plus growlers collecting dust around my room or can I give them back, collecting the cash and freeing up the space for the new things I'm trying to fill my life with. I wonder if the change I want is not just the things, but what I used to think they represented about my over the top lifestyle of just 1 year ago. The indulgence I found myself leaning into after so many years of trying to be a better drinker lent an air of defiance to showing off my consumption and now that I've spent 12 months sober as a church mouse, I don't think these displays represent me or who I am anymore. Even though it's just me, for the most part, that sees these things, I am the target audience for the message and the message needs to change.

  So stay tuned if your looking for some beer related stuff to decorate your own personal space, I know a guy who's going to be looking to clean out some stuff real soon...gratis...

P.S. I understand the irony of me writing about my beer walls just a couple of months ago. Time's change and so do folks who spend a lot of it sober...

Polk

9/14/25 

   One thing sobriety has taught me is that I am an angry man. Not that I wasn't before, but the booze would give me a sort of freedom to say the crazy shit in my head out loud and at least then, I would figure, the truth would be out there. The problem, of course, is that sometimes that truth was little more than vitriol dressed up in a whiskey bottle and thrown out into the fire. I was never a violent man physically, but I know I could hurt people even more with the words I chose and how I chose t spin those words into my own narrative of the truth. 

  Coming round on a year of being sober, I find myself still having some angry moments that can cause me to shut down into myself, but I do not lash out at those around me in a vain attempt to alleviate my own pain. I process the feelings I have now in a much calmer way, but I do sometimes dwell on things for a longer time as I don't have the 6 pack of freedom to rely on anymore. I'm more honest, but I'm also more afraid of what that honesty entails. I wonder if I'll ever find happiness again somedays when the darkness lurks behind me, but then I find a bright light to climb up to and begin again.

  Perhaps the next step will be finding some help to process the things I've done and said for the last 5 decades plus that cause me to feel this way. I've heard it said that everyone could use some therapy at some time in their lives and I guess that probably includes me. I'll let you know how it goes...

Polk

9-15-25

One Day in July...

   I wrote this back in July. I was in a pretty dark place a the time, it was a bit of that darkness that was driving me at the time. Feeling better now as I approach a year of sobriety, but I felt compelled to put this into the world to remind myself that I can keep coming back, every time.

It's hard to believe a decade has passed so quickly. Time is relative, I've been told, and as I get older, it does seem to be speeding up, even as I feel like I'm slowing down. On July 11, 2015, I changed my handle on Instagram from RobbyBaconStrips to the DrunkPolkaroo after a particularly drunken night where I made promises to go to a beer festival the next day, drunk me making plans sober me could not afford. The origin of the name is something I've gone over way back in the early days (Find it here : Why the Drunk Polkaroo?), but it was never intended to be about craft beer or anything other than a silly play on words and my ridiculous propensity for having a few more wobbly pops than was advisable and then making plans for the coming days that I would not go to or had the money to do even if I could make it in any case. I fully intended to change my moniker back after a few days, but some friends had a chuckle at it and I figured a joke is as good a reason to keep it around for a while. The ensuing months found me really getting into talking about craft beer and exploring the expanding scene, both online and in real life and with a little encouragement from a close family member, I leaned into it all in late 2015, early 2016. 

  Those were the heady days of what became my life for the better part of a decade, we made new friends, traveled in search of new beer experiences and generally embraced this odd lifestyle with two steins and a laugh. I can't describe how it felt to write not only about the beers and community, but to talk about my mental health struggles, our infertility problems and a whole host of other, personal things along with critiques and thoughts on the craft beer industry and the people who lived and breathed it all. We came together in crazy ways, staying overnight at peoples houses we only knew online, travelling hours to hang out and embracing this change with a hearty cheers and an open mind. Looking back from 2025, I don't really believe it was possible for me to have been able to do all of that, it seems like a bit of a fever dream and lingers in my mind, hazy but happy. 

I'm not sure when it started to feel different, a lot of the folks I came up with in the first five years moved on from the whole thing, having kids, exploring new things and more often than not, finding both a toxic undercurrent and health issues too much to bear. The early days I so embraced were filled with good people who genuinely wanted to make craft beer something different from the usual Bro-culture that seemed to be so prevalent, but I've watched so many of them leave or be forced out by indifference from allies and outright anger from people who didn't want anything to change or felt that any sort of accountability was akin to tearing down something they felt should only focus on the good and not the bad things happening. The reckoning that seemed to come from our very own Me Too moments when Erin collected and shared the stories of women who had been harassed and worse petered put after an initial reaction and little changed except perhaps the bad actors keeping things close to the vest and moving problems around until the heat dies down. Silence met inaction and on it went. While there are some good people still working to bring about positive change, a sour taste lingers years later and it certainly played a part in my own slow departure, accelerated by my wonky ticker and deteriorating mental health. 

I found myself isolating from events, posting a lot online, but leaving any real life interactions at an absolute minimum. Self loathing makes every contact feel like nails on a chalkboard. It wasn't that I didn't like other people, I came to hate myself so much I didn't know how anyone could spend a moment with such a person, so I removed myself and wandered slowly into the darkness alone.

  Sobriety has not always been a kind friend. I suppose the clarity of constant awareness is a good thing, but I find myself trapped sometimes in a loop of nostalgia that is equal parts happiness and regret. I don't know what the future holds and my experience in the last 10 months has me questioning a lot of what I thought my past was too. Reality isn't for everyone, but when it's thrust upon you when you have been actively seeking to escape it every day, it is jarring and often seems to send my mind into a spiral. Perhaps therapy would help, I know a couple beers and two fingers of whiskey would do wonders, but I don't know that either is going to make any difference. 

 The Hip sing "It's a good life if you don't weaken" and I feel that every day. The struggle finds me strong or weak and I move forward with little more than the quiet desperation of dwindling years and no direction. 

Desperately Seeking Better (NA) Beer

  I often wonder how to rate or judge non-alcoholic beers and then communicate in a way that people who are looking for NA options can understand.  Realistically, the depth of the field isn't the best and there is a wild chasm between great and good, even more so between mid and bad. I guess it's a young(ish) industry that will need some time to really find its legs, if it can be profitable enough to force quality to the forefront and not just an add on to entice the DD to stick around so everyone can have a few more Pints before heading home with a six pack or two. Even some of the breweries that are entirely focused on making NA beers can have terrible products side by side with some really fine offerings. The lack of quality control, coupled with an uneducated and/or desperate consumer base has made for a rush to market for a lot of things and an acceptance of that's just how things are...but I think there is a real opportunity as we move forward in the Sober and Sober adjacent community if we call out poorly conceived, off style and badly executed pints and raise awareness and help promote good, on point stuff.

  There has always been an element to talking about craft beer on social media that doesn't want to rock the boat. They don't want to criticize a bad beer, they don't want to be seen as not part of helping to grow the community and promote local businesses. While all taste is truly subjective, off flavours and just plain bad beer is pretty evident when you find it. I'm not talking about a style you don't personally like, I'm talking about things that don't come as advertised on the can or that are riddled with off flavours and imperfections. Brewing beer is art plus science and a dedication to consistency and a commitment to only releasing a quality product. Accepting any less is not helping to grow anything, it only allows bad actors and bad faith to become ingrained in the industry and makes anyone who's dipping their toe in the water to see what all the fuss has been about feel like it's not worth the time or money spent to switch over from macros. I've seen great and innovative breweries fall by the wayside and loose their mojo, all the while being praised for making beer that should never have left the bright tanks. It can be disheartening at the best of times, but at least there are so many options available that avoiding shitty beer can be done with a little research and wise spending.

  The problem that has arisen as I've now crossed over to the other side of the ABV is that the options are severely limited at a local level and a lot of folks are not going to order beer online for delivery without being able to be assured that what they're getting is good and well, drinkable. What we find in most stores and the local LCBO's is limited by a ridiculous amount of macro sameness. It seems to be similar no matter which part of our monopoly riddled, oligarch driven grocery sector you shop at, familiar, big brand names pop up again and again. There are some good ones to be found in the Non-alcoholic section of the drinks aisle, but the rotation and selection remains very static, without fail the same things and usually only in 4 or 6 packs, from place to place. 

  The largest deterrent to growth in this industry, however, remains the issue of taste, perhaps the biggest roadblock for so many people who may be open to jumping on the sober(ish) bandwagon as we find the years adding up and the beers piling on. There is little control or accountability for poor quality, bad tasting beers and for far too many brewers, the public's low expectations have allowed a lot of them to release sub par products because that is what they can get away with. As with everything I've encountered in my decade of talking about craft beer, education and worthy products are the key to growing any segment of the community. We've seen the rise of the Hazy IPA side by side with barrel focused, funk beers and Lager only breweries delivering amazing things. Despite some consternation, the truth is there has never been a better selection of styles in the LCBO and while the IPA tends to still be the focus of a lot of people, there truly is something for everyone if you look around. This is partially true for non-alcoholic brews as well, although on a far smaller and less available scale. Breweries like Harmon's, Perth, Bellwoods, Big Spruce, Nickel Brook, One for the Road and Left Field (just to name a few) have delivered some truly amazing things, lagers, sours and stouts to yes, even IPAs. They bring things that still taste and feel like real beer for those of us who have chosen or have had chosen for us a sober lifestyle (or a semi-sober one, who am I to judge). I know a lot of folks think that if you can't or won't drink beer then you should just drink something else, but when I find really well made NA offerings, it warms my (slightly broken but recovering) heart that I don't have to give up on the things I enjoy entirely. I know without the alcohol, many people wouldn't drink, but what I've found over the last 5 months and 120 plus non-alcoholic beers and ciders is that I don't need it as much as I thought I did and I've found some incredible, go-to pints that leave me feeling whole again. 

  But what we cannot and should not accept is less than good products. We need to be more vigilant and demanding when it comes to NA beers. Do not accept that they can't be as full and flavourful as their regular strength counterparts or that it is inherent that off or weird flavours are just acceptable. I've tasted so many good things, I know it is possible to do. But there is a huge gap in our knowledge, a chasm of culture that we are trying to bridge with experimentation and learning. The only way we can see the kind of growth necessary to sustain and inspire breweries to deliver quality non-alcoholic options is to reward the ones doing it and spread the word about inadequate or poor tasting releases that shouldn't see the light of day. Just because someone okayed a beer to be sent out does not mean we have to accept it. Your dollars speak volumes about what you are wiling to accept. At any time that is true, and even more so in the current economic and political climate.

  I'll continue my crusade and exploration. I'll continue to advocate for better options and better quality in non-alcoholic beers, spirits and mixed drinks. I'll promise to always be honest, as I have always been, about what's in my glass every day.  I'll seek out everything I can get my hands on and share it with you, the good, the bad and the ugly. I know for a lot of people, switching to NA products isn't always an easy choice, but we should hope that it can be made easier by showcasing and spreading the word about what to buy and what to avoid.  

  It's been a wild ride and it's just getting started.

  See y'all out there.

Sober (mostly),

Polk

April 7th, 2025

Looking for a Place to Happen - Seeking Sober Spaces

 

 I've been on a lot of beer runs in the last 35 years, maybe just to the Beer Store in the beginning, but after 2015 we stepped it up in a big way, culminating in cross province, week long jaunts that left my fridge bulging and my glass overflowing with the new and interesting things Ontario had to offer. We've done multi day road trips, driving hundreds of kilometers in search of pints to explore and met countless people like ourselves along the way. Sometimes it was just popping into one of the nearby breweries for a bite and a beer, the simple pleasure of belonging to a community that supports the hopes and dreams of local small businesses and hoping to do our small part to help spread the good word. I love a solid beer run and this last weekend was perhaps the worst, most depressing one I've ever taken and it illustrates a real problem the sober or non-alcoholic beer world has when it comes to helping folks crossover or drink a little less if that's what they're after.

  For the last couple of months, I've been getting deliveries of non-alcoholic beer from a fantastic service, Designated Drinks (Check them out here) has really shown the wide range of what's available across Canada when it comes to this category and they will continue to be my go to when it comes to seeking new and interesting things to talk about.

But...

  Getting a beer delivery does not replace a beer run, visiting a taproom or wandering the fridge at the local LCBO. It brings, with ease, many selections to your door and while this is a boon to all of us seeking sober pours, I must admit to longing for that jump in the car and head off down the road moment we used to have when it came to grabbing some new beers. There aren't many options for a sober third space and while some breweries have NA offerings, good ones that aren't more than a cheap knock-off of something they toss on the menu for the DD are not as easy to find. The culture of raising a glass with your friends is missing, the fluid conversation and excitement of new and returning beers, old favourites and solid stand-bys doesn't exist and this past Sunday illustrated that writ large for me as we travelled across town in search of something new.

  I had yet to put in my monthly order for Designated Drinks and by Sunday morning, I figured we could augment the beer fridge until it arrived with a stop at a couple grocery stores and maybe the best LCBO in the province (located on Osler Road in Dundas). Surely they would have enough of an offering to satisfy my cravings and while I found a few things, for the most point it reminded me of the vast and empty wasteland we have when it comes to the non-alcoholic beer line-up around us. The same drab macro 6 packs, lots of NA Euro lagers and store brand knock-offs that often resemble bad homebrew beers crammed into a tiny section of the drinks wall, unrefrigerated of course and inspiring no one. The LCBO was almost worse, a reminder that we are indeed not like we used to be and with nowhere else to go, I headed home with a couple of shabby Joe's to add to the fridge, an embarrassment of emptiness not worth the gas money or effort to acquire. There was no joy in seeking them out, only a resigned indifference of a cold world, quietly slipping from any hint of community or camaraderie and into the night without a smile. 

  Now maybe I'm being a tad melodramatic, I have been known to be given to theatrics from time to time, but the truth is, I could not find inspiration or illumination at any of these corporately controlled stops, there is no excitement or anticipation in an experience that cannot be shared and is often one made only out of necessity, not out of inspiration. Giving people options is a good way to grow your business, there are some really fine non-alcoholic beers being made here in Ontario, but for most people, as is true with craft beer, access is the key to that growth. As I have already said, we do not have third spaces for the NA crowd, there exists no taproom to seek out or exciting new thing to explore. We do not get the anticipation at a returning favourite beer, nor do we feel joined in a communal raising of the glass at events we used to love to attend. Whether you're sober by choice, by necessity or just because, it means you have to adjust your expectations of not only what's in your glass, but also of what your experiences and memories will be...although, to be fair, at least we can remember them all now...

  All of this isn't to mean that all is lost. Delivery services like DD and Sober Sips (which has a storefront in Barrie), among other start-ups, have truly expanded access to a wide variety of alternatives to the boozy booze and I am eternally grateful for their existence and work at trying to help grow with the sober community. I will continue to use their services and steer other people to them when they are seeking the stuff I talk about on social media. What all of this boils down to is a need for more actual places for us to gather and feel that sense of community craft beer had brought us. A feeling that we belonged to something special and that we were all connected in the very best way, seeking a good time and a break from an increasingly chaotic world. While I can no longer imbibe with impunity, many can't take a drink at all, we still want to find a place to be part of that larger world. It can be lonely, for even the best of us, as we revisit fond memories of days gone by and nights full of friends and amazing beers. You wonder if you'll ever feel that type of connection and joy again and until we figure a way to do it, or some inspired individual gathers enough courage to create it, we will have to keep making our own, wherever we can. 

Stay sober, my friends.

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Polk

Match 31, 2025