Warming up with a Stout

You need this in your life.

Long, cold nights followed by short freezing days is what winter brings to Canada. While this year has been milder than most, it is still not summer. I don't complain about winter, I love all the seasons and the differences they bring both in the weather and my beer. It seems only right that I take a moment and salute those brews that bring warmth to my belly when the temperature falls.

When I was a younger man, I avoided stouts. Although, given the state of the beer world in those days , it wasn't like I was given much choice. For the most part, the only stout we had access to was Guinness and it held no appeal to me. Oh, I would choke one down on St. Patrick's Day when we would start our pub crawl in Hess Village (think lots of bars, little self control) but then it was on to green food colouring in my beer and the sweet release of blackout drinking.

Hmm. This seems wrong.











My recurring them from the last two years has been how craft beer saved my life and with stouts and porters, it is particularly true. Lagers and IPAs can be very crushable (Easy drinking) and even as I was beginning to understand how destructive my drinking was to myself and others, I could still get ramped up when drinking those as well as any macro lager.

Enter the humble Mill Street Vanilla Porter. This is one of those beers that changed everything for me and one of the reasons I will not drop this brewery from my regular rotation despite their being bought out by Labatt's. It is a creamy, vanilla, coffee bean and chocolate dream. I often refer to it as ice cream in a glass. It is just so smooth and tasty, I found myself lingering over each glass and when I would look up at the clock, an hour had gone by and it was time for bed. This was a new development for me, as I would most often race to cram as many Old Milwaukee's as I could down my throat before passing out. I loved how it warmed me up and filled my senses with wonderful flavours. This was a something different.

I was moving forward with porters, but still struggling with stouts. They are generally have a higher alcohol content and the roasted malt can give you at bitter note that, when you are starting to try them, can turn you off. I know it did for me and much like the amazing IPA, it took some time for the changes to my palate to take hold. Slowly I began to purchase and consume more stouts as the weather turned cold and they began to make sense to me. The thicker mouthfeel helps you to really experience the most common flavours of the roasted malt, dark chocolate and the bitter coffee beans. Most often, a stout slows you down with its large body and high ABV. You don't want to pound a 10% Oatmeal stout, it is something to sip and savour. This was the essence of my discovery. I had found a style of beer that really held me back and slowed me down.

Grab a Kentucky Bastard from Nickel Brook, a Winter Beard from Muskoka or maybe a Chocolate Manifesto made by Flying Monkey's. You do not put these beers in a funnel. Well, you shouldn't, but it's your life. These beers will force you to sit up and  notice the flavours they impart. They are big bold beers that make you pause as you drink and feel the warmth spreading through your heart. Stouts can range from smooth and creamy to strong and biting. there is something for everyone and most assuredly you can find one that speaks to you.

When I grab a dark beer and settle into my chair for a night of hockey watching or maybe a movie or two, I like to think of it as my Hi-beer-nation. Just letting go and putting myself in the mood to shut out the world and relax.

 I have an Amsterdam Brewing Company Tempest Imperial Stout that I have been ageing for a year and a bit chilling in the cold cellar and I think tonight is a good time to see how it has changed since last year. That's one of the other things about higher ABV stouts that I was surprised to learn. You can age them for a few years and really see how the beer changes. It never occurred to me that I would want to save a beer for that long, but I have cellared a Kentucky Bastard and a Cuvee from Nickel Brook from this year as well to see where they go next year or maybe even into 2018.

So if you are hesitant to get into a stout, give a porter a try. they are generally less bold and have a thinner mouthfeel and flavour profile. They have many unique takes and they should help you to ease into the often bigger, stronger notes that stouts bring to the table.

But don't give up on these dark angels, it is in the attempt to find the Perfect Beer that I have come to love them and you could too. They bring so much to the table and while it is the season of snow and ice, it is also one of robust flavours. It will soon enough be time to break out the saisons, lagers and IPAs. But for now, why not get your snifter or pint glass and pour some warming love into your life.

Cheers!

The Ritual

I think one thing that I have gained from exploring all that good beer has to offer is that I no longer desire or need to get blackout drunk. I might sound like a broken record, but Craft beer may have saved my life. This is a subject I keep coming back to again and again as I write because it is so important to me. It is always hovering in the background and I have no doubt that if it weren't for some self control and of course, delicious Craft beer, I would fall off into the abyss again.

It is with this in mind that I want to pause my day for a moment to discuss The Ritual.

I think we all have some sort of routine we fall into for anything we do, brushing your teeth, cleaning the house or car or even getting ready for bed. These things are mindless activities that we go through every day and for the most past they occur without any real forethought. I used to drink macro beer with the same approach. My only concern was with having enough and getting it as cheap as possible. Growing as a person and coming to the realisation that I could do better than I was has created a lot of change in my life and part of that is how I approach beer and life in general.

I like to call my approach The Ritual and it helps me to be fully present in the moment for the purpose of gaining all the experience I can from anything I do. With beer, it begins when I choose what to drink. I have an array of beer in my cold cellar and fridge and often take a bit of time to consider my choices. What am I feeling? What do I want from my beer tonight? Am I enjoying the game, someones' company or is it a quiet night just sipping and reading? All of these things play in my head as I scan the bottles and cans before me. It was easier to just grab an Old Mil and get plastered, but hey, I am trying to grow here.  A lot of times, I will latch on to a theme, like a particular region or country or perhaps a  style like a stout or pilsner and ride that for the evening. Other nights see me choosing a beer I have seen popping up all over Instagram or Untappd. It is not so much falling prey to advertising, as it is reading what others I trust write about the beer and wanting to try it myself. 

I always consider the proper and recommended temperature for serving the beer when choosing. Often I need to bring a beer out 30 minutes or so before drinking it in the case of a stout and warm it a bit if I need to. Check with the brewers website or someone you trust for advice based on the style you want to consume. Macro lagers must be drunk ice cold because that is the only way you can avoid any flavour issues they have as they warm.

Once a beer has been chosen, it is my next step to get the glass I want to use and rinse it out. I have harped on this subject as well and I cannot drink out of the bottle or can anymore unless I am forced to by circumstance. I always drink some water before I have my beer, as well as between brews to help cleanse my palate, slow myself down and fill me up. Not a bad idea.

The Pour is maybe the best thing about beer after the taste. The moment when you pop the top, crack the can or twist off the cork begin a cascade of events that lead to the first sip. The sound of opening a beer turns my head and heightens my other senses. I know what is to come. Tilting the glass in front of me, I begin delivering its contents forward. Slowly and deliberately, it is almost a religious experience. As it fills the vessel, I begin to straighten it up and the head, be it thick and bubbly, or thin and ethereal, begins to form. The aromas can make you salivate sometimes. I love it when a beer announces itself as soon as you open it and often it really explodes as you get it into your chosen glassware.

I always take a moment when the Perfect pour is done and consider what the beer looks like. Hold it up to the light and pause for a bit. You can start to tell the character of the beer by its how it looks. Is it thick and dark with a large head? Thin and straw coloured with a foam that just sits on the rim? An amber? Cloudy? So many things can come into play when you take the visual impact of a beer into account. But you must always approach with an open mind as appearances can be deceiving. I have been surprised plenty of times when a beer looks like one style and delivers a knockout flavour I wasn't expecting. I recently had a Farmhouse Ale called Biere de Noel from Niagara Oast House Brewers that poured black with a thick tan head, but it delivered a saison like orange peel, the spices of a winter warmer and a hint of roasted malt chocolate flavour. Great discoveries in beer take all the senses into account.

Only a small step left before the grand finale. Smell your beer. Give it swirl, get in there and sniff. The main reason I hate drinking from the bottle or can is that I miss a lot of what I was intended to receive when the brew master conceived the brew. The sense of smell tells you so much about what you are about to experience and why you would want to miss that by bypassing the aroma is beyond me. Especially with the stouts and porters. They can transport you to distant places with their thick heavy smells of roasted malts, coffee and spices. Other, lighter beers can have floral notes, grassy takes and fruits, even banana. I wouldn't have known that I was supposed to slow down and smell my beer from my previous experience with beers like Brava Light, as those are meant to be consumed quickly, not savoured and enjoyed.

Finally the time has come for the final step in The Ritual.

 The Sip.

I call it that and always begin my flavour descriptions with the phrase "On the sip" because that is what I want to do. You should too. Take a sip, swirl it around. Let it play on your taste buds. Often times when I take that first sip and begin to feel the brews notes expand I am surprised by what appears. There are a myriad of flavours in any beer and it is up to you if you experience them. Quickly downing beer after beer will get you nothing but drunk. Stop and consider what you have in your glass and savour the whole experience. I get the need to just pound beers one after the other, I really do. But it is in the slowing down and deliberately giving in to the beer with all your sense that you truly open yourself up to new and wonderful things. I have travelled the world through my beer and it is that kind of thing that has led me to this point. There are so many different styles and sub styles and even smaller niches that I don't think I could do them justice in one lifetime. The discovery of a flavour that you never considered before in a beer can be eye opening, as it was for me with English pale ales and their bready, caramel and nutty flavours. I never thought I would crave that kind of thing, but I never pass up a chance to grab one and enjoy that combination of tastes and many more. 

The drinking of my beer is always a singular experience for me. If I am going to a party or dinner, I always choose something I have had before. I want to be there for the experience of the event, not trying to make notes or take pictures about the beer. I touched on that last week and work very hard to pair the beer I drink with what I am doing. When I am chilling with my wife or alone, I always try to get new beer or two and just really enjoy them. Every beer deserves your attention because if you are not going to get all that it has in it, why bother. Get a case of Coors Light and get lit up. Even a brew that you don't like can tell you something and it is often by revisiting a style I didn't like at first that I am most surprised. IPAs, saisons and stouts are prime examples of beer types I struggled with when I first began my journey, but now clamour for on a nightly basis.

So please take the time tonight to slow down a bit. Open your senses to what is before you and really give your beer proper consideration. Explore something new and try something different. You will be surprised at how much you can learn just by letting yourself become immersed in that beer you have in front of you and shutting everything else out.

I know I will.

Cheers.

So Damn Good!


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Finding a "Go-To" Beer

I love to try different beers. My fridge and cold cellar are usually filling up faster than I can drink my acquisitions and it is not always easy to decide what to try some nights. Choice can be a devious thing. Studies have shown that too many choices can confuse and intimidate a person, freezing them into indecision. I honestly feel that way from time to time as I open the fridge and reach for a new brew.

A lot of time it is just a style thing. Do I want a strong beer? A refreshing one? Or maybe a little IPA love with some bitter, citrus kick? Oh the problems of a Craft Beer guy.
. I tend to stick to lighter and less filling beers at the start, moving to big bold ones as the night progresses. But I try to make sure I have several different breweries and their respective takes on each style in there, so I am often left waffling over where to start.

When I drank macro beer, it was easy. Lakeport, Brava Light and finally Old Milwaukee were my quick pick me up choices and I never gave it much thought. As I began to venture into Craft Beer, I would add a new beer or two a night, but it was so easy to grab an old faithful or more likely four of them, as the night wore on. When I made the decision to not purchase this type of beer anymore, it left me in a quandary.

What would be my "Go-to" brew?

By "go-to" I mean the beer you just want to chill after a long day at work. It is also a beer you have had before and loved. I am not always in the mood for something new and sometimes just want a good beer to relax and enjoy the evening with. Something familiar, yet tasty and well made. There are a myriad of choices out there for this type of beer and a lot of it will depend on your own personal taste and what is available near you.
For myself, I generally try to go with beers that are lower in alcohol by volume (ABV), so I am not getting hammered while I watch the game. Despite how bad my Leafs are, I still want to be able to enjoy the action, not stagger around in a stupor. 

Summer come soon!

Pompous Ass Ale from Etobicoke's Great Lakes Brewery is always in my fridge and I love chilling in my chair with one of these. I wrote about it here, on My Top Ten of 2015. Great, easy drinking beer and available at grocery stores as well.

The goal of having a "go-to" beer is to have something familiar that you can reach for when you just don't know what you want. I am often finding myself getting a Cause and Effect from Nickel Brook when I am thinking about what I want to review that night. Or maybe a Fireside ESB from The Collingwood Brewery. Can't forget Steamwhistle, my favourite Pilsner. I have literally dozens of beers I can grab at the LCBO just to have in my fridge for plain old drinking.

I love my Steamwhistle.

The thing I want to stress the most is that it is fine to enjoy a beer more than once. Hell, that's what beer is meant for. I absolutely love the pursuit of the Perfect Beer and all that entails, but I need to be able to just drink a damn beer once and a while. Especially when I am around other people. I don't want to be writing things down and trying to figure out all the different notes in the glass when talking to my friends.

Should I be doing this at a party? Hell no!

Those times call for something I know I like and will not be disappointed by. I used to hide behind my beer by getting drunk and blacking out. I now use beer as a social lubricant and consume with care. I want to be around when the night ends and to be able to carry a conversation past 10 p.m. is a fun idea too. So when I go out, I am choosing from a great list of beer that is pleasing to the palate, easy on the system and sharable.

Discovering that an everyday beer didn't have to include hangover inducing macro lagers is part of the reason I am here today and with my dogged pursuit of the next great beer in full swing, I have no doubt I will keep adding "go-to" brews to what is a pretty great list already.

Find your "go-to" beers and it will make your evenings full of tasty, yet familiar deliciousness.

Cheers!

#lagerlove

My Current Go-To Beer List

All Available at the LCBO

1. Steamwhistle Pilsner 5.0% - Steamwhistle (CAN)
2. Pompous Ass Ale  4.2 %- Great Lakes Brewery(CAN)
3. Lake Effect IPA 7.0 % - Great Lakes Brewery (CAN)
4. Pale Ale 5.6 % - Sierra Nevada (USA)
5. Fireside ESB 5.8 %- The Collingwood Brewery (CAN)
6. Headstock 7.0 % - Nickel Brook Brewing(CAN)
7. Boneshaker 7.0 %  - Amsterdam Brewing (CAN)
8. Boston Lager 4.7 % - Samuel Adams (USA)
9. Barking Squirrel 5.0 % - Hop City Brewing (CAN)
10. Wells IPA 5.0 % - Charles Wells Brewery (ENG)

 

 



Treat your Beer Right. Put it in a Glass!

That looks delicious!

Do me a favour, won't you? Put your beer in a glass. It's not hard and you will thank me for it. I can do it for you or show you how if you are unfamiliar with the process. It's not that I want to be "that" guy, but you are really missing out. Beer is not just meant to be tasted, it is meant to be smelt, felt and dealt. By that I mean smell the aroma, feel the texture and deal with the flavours as they come. Don't force yourself to decide your love or hatred for a particular beer based on one sip. Relax and enjoy the journey.

One of my first posts was about whether the glass you use to drink beer matters, check it out here. It was a pretty simplistic view of what a proper beer glass means but had one central theme : Don't miss out on the wonderful aromas that the brewers intended you to have as a component of the beer by chugging it straight from the can or bottle.

If your having a Macro lager like Coors or Canadian and all you are after is a little refreshment or that sweet oblivion that only many beers can bring, you should ignore what I am saying and keep tilting them back. Maybe shotgun one and speed up the process. These beers are only "good" if they are served ice cold and flavourless. The less time you spend trying desperately to find some flavour, the better.

However, if you are like me and really want to get into your beer, grab a glass, something clean and big enough to hold your beer. Try to avoid novelty glasses or plastic. They will do in a pinch, but for best results a  glass appropriate to the style is best.  If you can find all six of the glasses below, you have all you need to really drink your beer. They are available at the Bay here in Canada and while they are not cheap, I love them for drinking beer. German glass maker Spiegelau has teamed up with well known brewers to design glasses that are ideal for every style of beer from IPA to Stout. Here's the link to the glasses available online here.

I hope someone got to drink all those beers.

I only have the IPA glass on the far right so far, but am anxiously saving money to get all of them. They'll run you $29.99 for two of each, so you are paying a little more for the quality. The glass feels thin but they are quite sturdy despite that delicateness. I am not gentle by any means and they stand up to a night of citrusy Pale Ales very well. I think it is the fact that they are designed with brew masters that makes them perfect. These guys get what you need when you want a beer, so they really tried to help deliver the whole package in a glass.

If you don't want to spend more than $200 on beer glasses, then any pint glass will cover 90% of your needs. I have several that I love to use on a regular basis and would encourage you to get a couple that you can really hold on to as you drink your beer. If it feels good in your hand, the vessel becomes an extension of you. I am not conscious of the glass when I drink my beer if it feels right and that is fantastic. Nothing should get between you and that delicious lager or ale you have been waiting to try all day.

I have an cabinet built into the wall of my basement and it acts like a cold cellar. This is where I store my glasses until I need one. I always rinse it out before I use it to ensure there is no dust or residue left from washing. A clean glass is imperative for a good pour. Tilting your glass at a 45 degree angle as you start the pour will allow the beer to flow without building up a crazy huge head that, for the most part, you don't want. As you pass the halfway mark, start straightening your glass, this will help create the right amount of head and really release the aromas. Pour at a slow pace to start, there is no hurrying a good brew. Not all beers have a head that lingers. Depending on the style you will see very different results. My Saison last night had a big 2 finger foamy head that lasted the whole time I drank it, but the Barking Squirrel lager I drank after was just a thin off white one that dissipated quickly to the rim. There is nothing better for me than the creamy thick head a stout gives you. It adds to the complexity of the brew and it looks cool too.

Take a moment when you have poured your beer to admire how it looks. Damn that's nice. Give the beer a sniff and a sip. Dig into your senses and use them to really experience the whole beer. Swirl it around (gently, don't spill) and give it another smell. You will get something every time and as your beer warms up, the flavours will change too. Sometimes becoming stronger or weaker depending on what you have. I am always surprised as new notes emerge and combine to create something special.

But do this one small thing.

 Pour your beer into a glass.

 It's worth it every time.

Cheers!

Saisons are still growing on me.
But Dougie will always be my favourite!



One Less Bad Habit or A Smoke Free Polkaroo

I have another confession to make. I used to smoke and I liked it. I loved the way the first cigarette of the day would wake me up and get me going. Nothing beat a smoke and a beer after a long day at work. Take a break, light one up and inhale that lovely nicotine. Damn that was stupid.

I started smoking, like a lot of people, when I was a teen. Probably to be cool or something. Everybody I hung out with did and I wanted to fit in. I can still remember the foul taste and odour from that first pack. I coughed and choked and kept at it. Terrible, but slowly I began to need one. I needed the lift it provided or the calmness when I was upset. It was the last thing I did before sleeping and the first thing I thought of when I woke up. I have been addicted to many things in my life, but nothing can match tobacco for sheer destruction and cost.

I would imagine being smoke free, but it scared the hell out of me. What would I do when a craving hit? How would I calm my nerves? Would I get fat(ter)? I was never the best person at denying myself any pleasure, so quitting smoking seemed like something I could do later.

As I got older, I noticed that I knew less people who smoked. Many of my friends and family never did, so it was a non starter with them. Some people I knew tried many times to quit before it took hold and many gave up trying and kept on puffing. I may have tried to quit once or twice, but never seriously.

Sitting outside all winter to get my fix, I bought propane heaters for the garage and thought this was normal. Having to get up from a movie or party and traipse outside for a butt was something I did so often I should have just stayed out there. I was hooked, knew it and didn't care.

Summer was easier, I could stay outside all night and smoke while I drank my macro brews. Something about alcohol and tobacco just clicked and I associated them with each other. I would smoke like a chimney when drinking, often going through two packs at a party. This was part of the pattern of abuse I put on myself. I didn't care about the future, just right now.

A year and a half ago, I was in a wedding party and if you know me, you know I love an open bar. The wedding was in September, so the weather was still fine and I looked forward to a night of drinking, dancing and of course smoking. Many of my "smoke free" friends still puffed on stogies when we drank, so I would have company that night. A funny thing happened as the blessed day approached. I had seen people using e-cigarettes and thought no way that would work for me. Beside that, we were broke all the time and I couldn't afford it.  My cousin Angie and her husband Glen bought me one when I expressed a desire to try it and quit smoking. I hung on to it, trying it out now and then, but still spending upwards of $100 a week on packs of Player's. But with the wedding approaching and the knowledge that I would be stuffed into a limo with non smokers made me self conscious of the smell associated with it and I decided for that one night I would use the "vape" only.

My last cigarette was when I was driving back from Burlington after picking up the flowers for the wedding. As I puffed away down the QEW, I decided it wouldn't just be that night I wouldn't use the demon weed, it would be for good. I had half a pack left and put it in the ashtray of the truck in case I failed; I always hedged my bets.
 I threw them away a week later.

It was a wonderful evening and while I drank way too much still, I didn't smoke. I vaped away like a hipster (I know) and showed it to my mom and dad, both of whom had smoked for decades. Little did I know that by the end of the year Dad would have quit any sort of smoking altogether with the help of this little machine and Mom was not far behind. The next day dawned and I didn't smoke again. It continued that way as the winter came down over us and I had no desire to ever go back.

Early in 2015, we finally came up with our first workable budget and I knew I would never smoke again. The financial costs are out of this world. At $11 a day and around 9 packs a week, we were going broke one cancer stick at a time. My costs on keeping the e-cig going come in at about $40 every 6 weeks or so, just remarkable. Controlling my bad habits has not only improved my life, it has been a financial windfall. This is the stuff grown ups have to do I guess.

I realise that vaping is still not good for you, but there are far less chemicals and other nasty stuff coming out when you do, so it is a start. I am trying to work up the courage to give up even this device. I know there are serious concerns about its long term affects and have no desire to leave this world even a minute before my time is up, let alone accelerate it by poisoning myself. But for now, it keeps me off the cigarettes and that is a victory I savour.

I try to leave it at home if we go out and find myself using it less and less each week. Not binge drinking helps me to avoid temptation and I don't have the edgy feeling I would get when I couldn't smoke for a few hours.

I have made so many changes to my lifestyle in the last year that I kind of forget smoking. It doesn't lurk in my mind the way excessive drinking does. It doesn't creep up on me at night and tug at my sleeve. I wish I had done it sooner and hope I quit before much damage was done. My taste buds have roared back with a vengeance and it is partly why I have gotten so into craft beer. I can actually detect the subtle and not so subtle flavours the brewers are trying to impart in the beers and it is wonderful.

If you smoke, I want you to know you can quit. But don't beat yourself up, hate the habit. Look around at all the loving and wonderful people in your life and think about how much you would miss them if you leave. Think of the money you can save and what you can do with it. I use it to pay bills on time, but if your good with money, maybe you can save up and take a trip. Whatever your motivation, just do it. Your body will thank you and so will your wallet.

Cheers!



Why Do We Have So Much Stuff?

I'm running out of room. Something has to go.

When putting away the Christmas decorations yesterday, I was struck by just how much stuff we have acquired in the almost 10 years we've been in our current home. It feels like it fills every spare corner of the house and garage. Not in a hoarder like fashion, but with a chaotic organization that we alone can understand. It isn't messy or dirty, it just sort of sits there.

I do downsize from time to time. Using the internet to sell some of the better items we no longer need and failing that we donate it to local charities. I go to the dump with the stuff that is broken or just plain worn out. But it seems we still have so much.

Some things survive the purges because of sentimental value or the fear that maybe I'll need that later. I know we all probably have those items that we just can't part with because it may prove useful in the future and we take it from place to place, never actually needing it. Our crawlspaces are full of things we cannot let go of and don't know why.

I have an old bottle of Orange Crush I found when I was a kid and I've taken it with me as I've moved all my life. It has been wrapped and packed 11 times in the last 24 years and serves very little purpose except I liked the design when I was a young boy and can't toss it out. It sits in a box somewhere. That's just silly.

There are things in totes that haven't seen the light of day in more than a decade and yet are important enough to survive the big spring and fall cleanings we do every year. Lugging them from their spots under the stairs or on shelves in the garage, checking the contents and then putting them back is a semi-annual ritual we keep alive. That seems ludicrous.

I don't want to imply that we should toss stuff with true sentimental value. If something is dear to your heart because of a love one or a cherished memory, then by all means that is treasure to you and not junk. The stuff I am referring to is those items that exist in a halfway zone between useful and useless. Old kitchen gadgets, knick knacks that collect dust and only get moved to put out the holiday stuff or any myriad of "vintage" consumer electronics that seem to clutter our basements. These are the things that need to go. We can downsize without going to extremes. It is possible to find space for cherished objects while still getting rid of stuff that no longer fits who we are.

I cannot even begin to imagine what my friends and family with children must go through. Having witnessed the influx of new things at Christmas makes me wonder where it all goes, given how much they already seem to have. Most parents have a good grasp on what their kids play with and are very active in keeping the toy room at acceptable levels of stuff. Many make it a life lesson with the child helping to decide what they want to keep and then teaching them the value of donating it to those less fortunate. Good stuff to teach your kids, but I bet they hang on to some things just because.
Most of us live in a pretty affluent community. By this I mean we are not living in the slums of Calcutta or subsistence farming in Africa. We live in the west and even at my lowest point, I never worried that I would starve to death.  Don't get me wrong, I know people right here in Canada live in substandard conditions and have real worries about food, but I am lucky that those I love have places to live and enough to survive. Poverty is a real problem and I wish it could be different. Consider yourself lucky and blessed to live the life we do. We might not be in the 1%, but we are better off than most of the world. Struggling with bills, repairs and the unexpected costs of life are commonplace among us, but no one is homeless and we all know we can rely on each other for support if things go bad. So when I talk about stuff and its accumulation, I understand it is by definition a First World problem.
So let's make 2016 the year we try to get a grip on our homes. Look around and be critical.
Do you really need it?
Does it serve a purpose?
Why do you want it?
What does it make you feel?
I want to be relentless in my pursuit of making my life simpler. I don't want to lug around bins of useless junk every time I clean the garage and neither do you. Part of reclaiming my life is making space for new memories and things. As I begin to venture forth from Polkaroo Manor, I will undoubtedly purchase brewery related souvenirs. Branded glassware is my most likely target and if I want to display them, I need room. I hope I won't buy anything to put in a box and stick under the basement stairs. that would defeat my whole purpose. So I will make a real effort to get rid of stuff that I have outgrown or that simply just needs to go.
My shelves are filled with "collectible" beer bottles, that has to stop. I only have so much room and cannot keep every new beer I try. This will prove difficult because I want to keep any unique design or label I find. Perhaps I can find a middle ground. I have pictures of each brew and it might be time to print them out, get some frames and display them on the wall at Merle's (more on my home "bar" another time). I'll keep the ones that are really awesome and if I find one that I want to add, a different one will have to go.
 The basement and crawlspace will be next on my list and I promise to be ruthless in downsizing. If it is covered in dust and hasn't seen the light of day in the last year, maybe it is time to go.
 The garage is organized for the winter and I have no desire to spend days in there purging things while the mercury cruises to minus temperatures. But when spring rolls around, I will load up the Jeep with the stuff that does nothing for us anymore and off to the dump I will go.  I have big plans for a home brewing station and workshop in there, so useless junk that is in the way will have to go if I want to have enough space.
Lofty goals inspire me to accomplish things. I have set the bar so low for so many years that the slowly building momentum of reclaiming my life seems to be moving at a more rapid pace than it really is. I try not to revert to a shell of anxiety and fear as I downsize and get rid of stuff. I can see the light of day approaching and I want our home to be a reflection of who we are and a place where all are welcome.
Now if I can just find the Crush bottle.
Cheers!