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!



Polkapolooza 2016 !!!!

I'm going to say that as I get older, I don't really celebrate my birthday with quite as much passion. It isn't that I fear getting older or that I hate not being 20 anymore, it is just that I have moved past the need for blowing out a 24 of Brava Light and forgetting my own party. I have been planning something special that I hope will become a tradition, the aptly named Polkapolooza 2016. What is this odd looking celebration you ask? Come with me a moment as we open up and see how the Drunk Polkaroo does things.

Not one for half measures when it comes to things I am passionate about, Mrs. Polkaroo and I are going on a 3 day quest to seek out new beers, friends and stories. We have both booked time away from our day jobs to embark on a mini-odyssey of Craft Beer.

First up will be a little solo Polkarooing. On Tuesday March 15th, I am heading out to some old favourites like Grand River Brewing and  Wellington Brewery, as well as a few places I haven't been. Stone Hammer, Royal City and Innocente. Hopefully a new growler or two and as many new beers as I can fit in the car.

On my actual birthday next Wednesday March 16th, we will engage in an ambitious travelogue of epic proportions. This is a big day trip. Up the 400 to cottage country and 5 breweries I can only get glimpses of down here in the Hammer. Barrie contains Flying Monkeys Brewing, Barnstormer Brewing and of course Redline Brewhouse. So looking forward to this one as a start. I've had quite a few of Flying Monkeys brews, but the other two have eluded my grasp thus far.

After we hit Barrie, we will head to Muskoka Brewing and Sawdust City. Again, I've had some of their beers as well, but they have so much more that never gets down to my neck of the woods.

We were planning on heading home after that long day of driving, but my mom and dad had a better idea. Why not stay overnight? A little outside this Polkaroo's budget for the week, but they didn't mean I should pay. Dad graciously booked and covered the cost of our room. I'm a damn lucky guy to have such wonderful parents.

We haven't figured out 100 % of our plans for the High Holy day of Beer, St. Patrick's Day. It used to be that I called it "Alcoholic Christmas", but since I'm moving to a different approach to how I consume beer, I think it's time for a change. So from now on I will consider this like a Craft beer Christmas and hopefully Hopsy, the Craft Beer Elf, will leave me some new beers for being such a good boy. I am sure we'll have some fun and we won't be all road weary doing it.

Friday brings me to one of my favourite cities in the world, Toronto. So many breweries that I am having a hard time deciding where we should go. No doubt that Amsterdam Brewing is our destination for lunch and I must go to Bellwoods Brewing and Left Field Brewery because everything I've read about them makes me feel like they have to be part of my pilgrimage. So there are a few spots left open on our travels to The Big Smoke and I am sure something will inspire me in the next week. The real nice thing about this day is that I can also stop in at old friends like Great Lakes Brewing, Cameron's, Black Oak, Nickel Brook and Collective Arts. I may or may not be trying to set a personal record for beer acquired and breweries visited in a single day. Whew. That is a little ambitious, but I will triumph in my search for new beer!

Finally, on Saturday evening, my quest for the perfect beer will culminate at a place I cannot believe I have never been to. BeerTown Public House. Seriously, if there is a place you think you would find someone named the Drunk Polkaroo, it's BeerTown. Just thinking about everything people have told me about this place is making my mind race with the possibilities. Not really sure what to expect, but if |I get to spend and evening with friends and family, you know it will be amazing. Luckily I have a cousin who lives relatively close by, so we don't even have to make it all the way back to Polkaroo Manor.

There you have it, my grand plan. Polkapolooza 2016 is a really big idea that I hope will become something I can grow every year. My biggest dream, after all the delicious craft beer, is that maybe I will get to meet some of the people I have come to think of as Beer friends. Maybe we can toss back a pint and talk about the crazy stuff we used to do and what we think this journey through amazing beer will take us next.

What a way to celebrate turning 43.

Cheers!