Celebrate Craftivus with the Drunk Polkaroo

My favourite person to share a beer with.

What is it about Craft Beer that turns people into such evangelists? I cannot think of another product that encourages such devotion outside of maybe wine. And even then, you don't see the sort of communal sharing, writing and dedication from regular folks like me.
I have noticed that many of my Beer Friends are alike, just wanting to spread the word of great brews for no other reason than they are amazing. I don't get paid to review beers. I do it for myself, as I have described many times, and also because I want to help my friends who may be new to all this in their decisions. It's fun to talk about beer, its history, my favourites, my not so favourites and what I  think about it.

It is not only getting together for a beer that makes my night, it is amazing when I get to treat my buddies to a beer they haven't had or couldn't get their hands on. It's a great thing to share beer with people and even better if it blows them away like it did to you.
It is in this spirit that I would like to introduce an idea I've had fermenting in the back of my mind for many years. In the long ago time of the lost years of the Drunk Polkaroo,  I used to refer to St.Patrick's Day as not only the high holy day of beer but also Alcoholic Christmas.  It was a way to cover up my ridiculous over consuming of shitty beer with some humour and while it was true, it also made me sad.
So while I no longer cram adjunct lagers down my throat like a man who is chasing his demons away, I do still love to enjoy this celebration of not only all things Irish,  but also all things beer.
So in the spirit of sharing the love of great beer and preaching the Gospel of the Craft that I will celebrate Craftivus; in conjunction with St. Patrick's Day of course.
 What is Craftivus you ask?
Much like Festivus does for Christmas,  this Holiday is a rejection of green beer, corporate sponsored overindulgence and the general  commercialization of this once genial holiday. To celebrate this wonderful day, all that is required is for you to share a beer with a friend. Maybe two. Get together with someone you love and spend some time enjoying not only each others company, but maybe a few beers that are new to you. Perhaps you can share a favourite Craft beer with someone who is just new to the scene or give someone who is in need of it the gift of great beer. It doesn't matter how you celebrate, it just matters that you share. With friends,  family,  coworkers, that weird guy, like me, who just loves to talk about all things Crafty.
I think it is high time we take back our holiday from the frozen glass, food colouring in the beer , shamrock shaming bastards who want nothing more than to watch you fade to black as they find a cheaper way to make beer. It is only in the compartmentalized world of pie charts, sales tactics and paradigm chasers that adding rice and corn to beer makes sense.
Craftivus is meant to embrace this day with the joy and happiness that only great beer can bring. Quality versus quantity is a battle worth fighting. Raise not only your glass but your standards and help spread the word of awesome local craft beer.
So if you going out today to celebrate the greenest of days, I encourage you to not only grab that pint of Guinness to honour the Emerald Isle, but to try something new and perhaps do it with a friend.
Craftivus is all about coming together in support of your neighbourhood bar, your local craft brewereries and you, the loyal exporer of delicious brews. Give it a try, it might change your life.
Cheers!



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)

 

 



Niagara-on-the-Lake Beers with Nana and I

As I have wrote so many times since I started the Drunk Polkaroo, I want to get out of my comfort zone and explore the world. What better way to do this than by visiting where the brews I love come from and getting some tasty Ontario Craft Beers straight from the source.

Having a day off during the week is advantageous when you want to visit a brewery because it isn't quite as busy and you can really take your time. My mom was off, so I asked her if she wanted to come along on my first trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake.

I didn't plan ahead for doing any tours, I just wanted to go out, grab some new brews and head on home. When I started looking at the websites for Oast and Silversmith, I noticed that the latter was a brewpub and figured we could grab a bite as well. Off we go.

You can't miss this.

First up was the Niagara Oast House Brewers. It is located at 2017 Niagara Stone Road in a converted big red barn. Easy to spot and only about 40 minutes from my house. An open space that somehow feels quite warm and inviting as you as you open the door. The staff member who greeted us was cheerful and very engaging. She took the time to explain each beer as we inquired about it and was very informed. My mother is not a beer drinker, but she is willing to at least try them, taking a sip of mine. I tried the Chestnut Brown Ale and the Saison in the tasting glasses. The Ale was quite flavourful and had a biscuit and malt flavour that was light and refreshing, so sad it doesn't come in bottled form. I thought the Saison was sharp and earthy, but quite lovely overall. When the bartender found out Mom didn't really like beer, she poured her a taste of their sour beer, which she explained was a lot closer to wine with its acidity. What good customer relations it is when you can draw a non-consumer of your product in with a positive vibe and make them curious to see what you are offering. She liked it and when I took a sip, I found it quite tart, but complex. Needless to say, I purchased a bottle. Actually , I bought one of everything they offer. Not to worry, I didn't break the bank, they only have five different beers in their distinctive corked 750 ml bottles. Prices are in the $10 plus range, but you're getting a larger bottle with about two pints in each, so it is pretty reasonable. I am looking forward to getting into their take on Farmhouse Ales.

We will be coming back for a tour on a Saturday or Sunday in the near future. I hope I can expect to encounter this passionate level of commitment to the customer and great beer at all my stops.

Here's a link to their website.

Nana bought me some glassware to help
with the tasting later on.

As I said earlier, our next stop was for lunch and it was a good choice.

Great logo. Look for the Ivy
covered church.

 Besides the red barn, another iconic small town Canadian building is the church. Silversmith Brewing is located at 1523 Niagara Stone road in a converted Anglican one and the bar is the kind of a pub that makes me want to move to this part of Niagara. It is a nostalgic space that makes you want to sit down, put your phone away and have a deep conversation with your company and maybe a pint or two. Mom and I both loved the design of the interior and if I hadn't been having such a good time talking, I would have remembered to snap a couple of photos. Next time I'll try, but I'm not really sorry because we were having fun. Go check it out, you'll see.

I don't go out much and haven't really been a bar guy in long time, but this space is perfect for lunch or dinner. The staff are friendly and upbeat, with the whole atmosphere being geared toward helping you enjoy the people you are with. We both ordered the Bratwurst for something to nosh on and when they brought it out, I thought no way mom could finish it. Great portion and the bun was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The picture doesn't do it justice. So damn tasty!

I had the sauerkraut and the mustard made with their Black Lager on mine and it was very good. I was pretty shocked to see that my mother had finished hers as well. It was that good. Since we were having something to eat I decided to grab a pint. Only $5 on a Thursday, imagine that. Good beer at a reasonable price. Or go pay $2 more than that for a watered down Bud at a sports bar. Your choice. I picked the Dam Buster British Pale Ale to drink with my meal and was I glad I did. It is a fantastically made beer with all the hallmarks of the best British Ales. Bready malt flavour with caramel notes and a slight bitter flavour made me smile every time I tilted it back. Good beer does that..

We lingered and talked about anything that came to mind. The layout allows for you to actually hear your friends and as I have been adamant about doing, I was being present. No need for phones, or writing about my beer, I just enjoyed the company. The bar was starting to fill up as we left and I noticed the people were reacting much as we did, enjoying each others words and not their chains to technology. Wonderful.

I bought all four of their signature beers and am most looking forward to trying their Black Lager. It is a German style beer that I have encountered before from other breweries and loved. I have no doubt their take on it will be great. Reasonable prices for both the beer and lunch. It was about $6 for each of the brews in 600ml. bottles and lunch for the two of us was only $30. Friendly staff, good food, great beer and an amazing space make this a place I will be returning to. If you want to go, book your brewery tour ahead of time online. We will be doing that next time, when hopefully dad and Mrs. Polkaroo can join us and see all that Silversmith Brewing has to offer.

A link to their website, check them out.

Looking forward to this one tonight.

This year is getting off to a good start and I have high hopes for all the other places we are going.

 Look out Ontario, the Polkaroos are coming for a visit!

Cheers!