Be a Better Beer Friend : 3 Things you can do

 Welcome back my friends, it's been a while. Life happens like that and while the last few weeks have seen my usual Instagram and Youtube posts going out daily, I've been struggling on my longer form thoughts. A not unusual phenomenon when you combine those long ass days at work with stretches between days off reaching 11 or more in a row. It makes it difficult to find inspiration when your only goal is that comfy chair and a few pints.

   I find myself going to the LCBO more than usual as I don't have time to visit the craft brewers I would like to and it was while I was looking for a bottle of wine the other day that it hit me. I know almost nothing of wine, looking for local Ontario brands and grasping my limited spectrum of experience, I fall into descriptors on the tags and cool looking artwork. I know I like full bodied reds and the occasional fruity white but I have no idea what is good, bad or indifferent. I imagined people wanting to get into craft beer and being overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices that line the coolers and shelves at their local liquor store, most people new to it don't even realise how many breweries are close to them when they first start exploring the craft. For most of us who love talking beer, we get those questions from our friends all the time and try to help steer them into things they would like based on their preferences and maybe sharing some of the more adventurous stuff when we can. With the proliferation of pseudo craft and big beer buy outs that are inevitable, how can we help those who want to support local and honest to goodness craft beer. 

  Here's the 3 things you can do to make the world a better place for craft beer newbies
1) Take them to a Craft Brewery

  The first step is to help steer them to local breweries close to where they live. The amount of civic pride I've found as I travel all over the province is found at the taproom in small town Ontario and neighbourhoods in the big cities. People are only too happy to talk about why their particular local craft brewer is awesome, from the tiniest hole in the wall to the gleaming cathedrals and giants of the industry. The easiest way to help someone become a true believer is to show them that the taproom experience of craft beer is as important to the whole community as the beer is. Get them into that mind set and watch them become a big fan quickly.

2) Share the wealth

  Nothing better than being able to showcase your favourite beers and breweries by hosting a tasting or a bottle share. With a few pals who are into craft beer already or on your own with those new to it all, you can be a great ambassador of it all by simply sharing. Pick a theme, go wild with a whole bunch of styles or focus in on one in particular. Know your audience and try to deliver the journey in front of them with an eye to growing their palate, not scaring them off. Start with craft lagers, pilsners and cream ales before exploring the bigger and fruiter saisons or even the hoppy IPAs. Make it a fun evening by targeting the likes of those you are helping with some things to challenge their preconceived notions about craft beer.

3) Stop Beer Shaming

  Guilty of this one myself, I have come to see the light. There is a fine line between advocating for better beer and being an asshole about it. Talking down to or making fun of other people's beer choices does absolutely nothing but put up a wall that is tough to go around. Educate don't humiliate should be your mantra as people will defend their personal choices to the end. The very best thing you can do when it comes to showing people great craft beer is know what they like and give them an option that is similar. Someone who likes a light macro lager will most likely not like that Double Dry hopped Imperial IPA and all you will have done is turn another person off the path to a brighter future when it comes to beer. Be respectful of what someone else likes and at the end of the day, the most important thing isn't what's in your glasses, it's that you are spending time with the people you care about.
  A little simplistic but 3 things that could have a huge impact in the beer life of a friend who's ready to leave the macro brews behind. Lots of great beer loving folks, brewers included, still have PBR, MGD or any other acronym macro floating around their fridges and enjoy them for what they are. Be a better beer person and bring the love to everyone, it's a community that grows by being more open than we used to be to new things.


Cheers!
Polk

Beer Saint 2.0

 

Sharing is caring!

Early last summer, I wrote about how sharing beer now was like making a mixtape for that girl I loved back in the day(Check it out, here). It echoed the sentiment that I was after when I would put together that collection of songs, trying to convey certain feelings and using the music I loved to do it. Being a Beer Saint is not just about trading beer, it's about spreading the love and joy that great craft beer has brought to your life. Whether it is a straight up trade, sending a care package of local brews, buying a pint or pulling something from the cellar or fridge, the act of sharing shows our commitment to not just drinking better beer, but preaching the gospel of the community. There is no higher recognition of what a beer means to you than to buy a few of them and share them with fellow craft beer lovers. Perhaps I preach a little much about sharing and maybe I am the lucky recipient of many beer saint moments, but the absolute joy I get when I open beer mail or meet up to trade beers is true and real.

Tabernac Crew from August in Quebec City

It should never be about hoarding or trying to one up someone. The truth about craft beer lies not in the singular experience or drinking alone. To be truly enjoyed, it must be shared and there is no better way to do that than with friends, new and old.

Meet up and swap stories with friends, new and old.

As the craft beer movement picks up speed and approaches the mainstream conscious of drinkers every day, its growth can only be enhanced by those who take up the mantle of being Beer Saints. From the singular bottle share to a night of multiple flights and pints at a local brewery, it can be the most wonderful way to bring people together. The next year will see more growth, new breweries, beers and experiences. To be able to do them all is impossible and sharing your latest discovery with the people who mean the most to you is but the start of what you can do to help keep our movement going. Social media is a great way to keep people informed of what's going on in your area, offering to trade that new find for something someone else has far away from you can spread that joy outward. I am a firm believer in the act of sharing coming back to you in double if you just put yourself out there. You will find a world of people who want nothing more than to see and hear what you think of their favourite brew and you will get that same feeling when you receive a notification that your friend tagged you in their post about that beer you sent them. Using the #beersaint to describe them is but one way to show the love.

 There is a real sense of excitement when I finally get to meet a friend I didn't know I had to trade a few beers or raise a pint or two in friendship. The smiles and handshakes are genuine and the banter quickly turns into friendly inquiries about your experinces and life before craft beer. How we got to this point, what we used to drink and what is your favourite beer now are questions that sometimes lead to an afternoon of laughter and happy new friends. Even the beer mail delivery can bring a smile to your face, especially if it is unexpected. It's like grown up Christmas morning when you open that box containing someone else's fave beer and their sincere gesture of sharing it with you.

Better than just sending beers and trading them, why not do what my friend Paul The Beer Guy is doing and organize a day of visiting a local brewery or two for some of your crafty friends who maybe haven't been to your area yet. Make it even better by having everyone bring something from their local or favourite craft brewer to share with everyone after the day is done and the party begins. Get the guys or gals together and do a beer run to a few places, then head back to someone's house for a night of new brews, styles and flavours. You might make some discoveries that you didn't know you liked and maybe make a few new friends along the way.

Beer Saints meet at Luois Cifer last Summer

Experience the feeling of becoming a Beer Saint not just because you want that limited edition barrel aged stout, but because you want to share that very beer with someone else. If you can truly let go of the macro and join the movement, it will change how you see beer, it will open a world you didn't know existed and you will be a better person for it. Go out and meet some new folks, share a pint and get to know them. I think you'll find, much like I did, that good people drink good beer.
Be a Beer Saint, it really does make the world a better place.
And we could all use a little more love right now.


Raise your glass and your standards,
One beer at a time.
Cheers!