Take a Friend, Make a Fan

  The nexus for the craft beer revolution for many people happens at home or at a friends place when they try something new and different. The spark may happen at a random event like this or when that leap of faith occurs and you take from it a fire that builds slowly and steadily. But for many people what cements their transition from macro to independent craft beer is most likely a visit to a certain taproom that propels them forward into a world they didn't know existed.
  A few weeks ago, I took my brother in law Cam to a few of my favourite stops in Toronto while our wives went to see Ellen. Starting at Muddy York, a place we frequent on a fairly regular basis, I began to see the taprooms I had come to know and love in a different light. Watching someone else soak in the atmosphere we may have become accustomed to and seeing the wheels spinning on what was happening was inspiring. It made me think of how far we have come in a few short years and what generated that transition. From décor to personalities and of course, the beer, I could start to understand the pull of the taproom and where it was becoming so much more than just a place to pick up new or favourite beers.
  Most beer drinkers are not craft beer drinkers. Whether from habit, disdain for the new or unknown or just plain indifference, the market we live in, while intense and growing, is mostly unknown to the larger beer drinking public. They have little interest in our squabbles about macro versus craft and even if they are into the craft beer drinking, it is merely as a consumer, not an adherent to some unknown principles of independence and creativity. They just wanna drink some damn good beer and enjoy themselves.
  We become entrenched in our little world and spending some time with people who enjoy craft beer but are not involved in the ups and downs of the daily movements and social constructs of the industry is eye opening to say the least. Things we think are huge issues do not even begin to resonate with them. They buy new beers all the time and if they like them, buy again. Brand loyalty isn't a real issue as it's a big section of new stuff to try and the occasional stop in a brewery on a Saturday drive out with the family. They are not invested in the "battle" we fight every day of corporate beer versus independent beer and our squabbles about this beer or that being off flavoured or over priced doesn't even reach their ears.
  The trials and tribulations of our tiny corner of the beer aisle aside, the thing I saw that resonated with me the most was how exposure to one or two really well run taprooms can change peoples perceptions on a dime. Talking on Twitter about this, I was a little surprised by the response I got when I asked people about that particular visit to a brewery that turned them into craft beer drinkers. Everyone had their own reason for falling in love but the driving force behind a lot of the talk was the people who worked at each spot and the beer that grabbed their attention. From small out of the way places like Killanen up towards Owen Sound to craft giants like Amsterdam, Great Lakes and Sawdust City, people were passionate about their first loves. The one that gave you a glimpse behind the curtain to a world where beer wasn't just a 24 and a hangover. It could be a place to hang out, bring the kids and the dog and enjoy a beer while everyone listened to a local band play and a food truck sat out front for snack time. It could be a hub for groups to connect and help spread the word for worthy causes and maybe a home away from home for someone in need of a break from it all. It in time replaces the local pub, never a real kid friendly place to be fair, with one where strollers and talks of favourite hops go hand in hand. Paint nights, comedy, activism and social gatherings all help to convert a casual fan into a long time one and bring forth a new and wonderful feeling of community and ownership that never existed in their beer drinking lives before.
  The impetus lies with us, the lovers of independent craft beer to help keep open the doors and make room at the table for everyone who wants to sit down. We must continue to strive to be better than what came before us and make it so that whenever someone comes into our favourite brewery, they too can experience what we felt on that day that changed us forever. It only takes one bad experience to turn someone away and it is a real shame when we lose people who could otherwise be a part of growing what we love. Make time to explore your favourite places with a friend or family member who expresses an interest and help make the revolution spread.


Cheers!


Polk

Polk's 5 Stages of Craft Beer Life

  

  We've come a long way as beer drinkers the last few years and as our ranks steadily grow and our palates change with them, I look back on how we've come to be where we are in 5 stages. Now, granted, these are sort of simplified and reflect my personal journey in beer but I have no doubt you will see part of yourself in each one.  The pride we have in what we put into our glasses now comes from a place of our beer birth drinking macro lagers, the toe dipping exploration of the different styles, becoming a full on convert and then a hard core preacher and judge of what other people drink before finally reaching the nirvana of understanding that acceptance is the key to all.

  Like I said, simple, but a trip every craft beer drinker has taken in one form or another. Some are taking different ways to get there, but understanding that the path to enjoying life and indeed, your beer is never ending and being open to that kind of growth and change will make it an enjoyable one for all of us.

1. Denial
  In the beginning, there were lagers and ales. Perhaps we stole a sip from our father's bottle or a relative gave us a drink and laughed when we made a face at the bitter, sharp flavour we were unaccustomed to. For so many of us, our very first experience with beer isn't something we even remember and we move to those teenage years where intoxication is the only goal, flavour a far off consideration compared to the thrill of scoring a case and getting drunk at a bush party or in someone's basement.
  My own first experiences with beer were as a side to the whisky I chose for its "cool" factor and ability to get me hammered quick. Beer was what we drank once we were good and liquored up. This changed as I started to get older and beer transformed into a more social drink, still trying to get drunk, but finding hard liquor not as much fun once I hit my 20's.
  All through this, craft beer wasn't really on the radar, but as the scene was shifting and as local and imported choices of different styles made their way to the liquor store, we would deny ever wanting such weird stuff, touting the "Real men drink real beer" mantra and shutting down any conversation of trying a fruity, dark or any other beer that wasn't straight up beer.

  To be sure, Sleeman's Honey brown and the occasional British dark ale would sneak in when that one friend would make you try it, but for the most part, we just ignored the existence of any choice and kept on with whatever was our traditional and known choice...but things were about to change.

2. Exploration

  It begins without thought or foresight. Maybe you were at a friends house and out of your regular beer. Perhaps you found yourself at a party or a bar and someone just bought you a beer and you didn't want to be rude. Or maybe you just got curious and finally decided to see what the hell the fuss was all about. All of these or 100 other reasons could be how you started to explore the wider world of beer, but at some point you stopped caring about just getting hammered on the same old stuff and reached for the unknown.

  Today we take for granted the myriad of options and 260 plus craft breweries with taprooms and educated staff to help us try new things. Not so long ago, none of this existed and the tiny craft and import section at the local liquor store was like an exotic wasteland you went into unprepared and unarmed. For me, it began with a few "Guy's Nights" parties when the ladies would be away and we would have Beer around the World themes, each guy bringing a dozen beers not from our normal purchases and sharing them together. We'd still get drunk but once in awhile we would stumble across a new beer that caught our attention. This would be added to the rotation as a special beer and while our macro lager, 24 buying days were not done, the need to find new flavours and seek out interesting things for Untappd started to take hold and we were off. It became almost a contest to see who could find the most new beers and this tepid, toe in the water exploration soon led to the next stage, which sets the rocket alight and we ascend to new heights.

3. Conversion

  For a lot of us, the craft beer revolution was a slow build, a gradual addition here or there of a few new beers or styles as we still drank macro lagers. As the time went on and we began to visit more breweries and connect with like minded folks in real life and online, we started to feel part of something special, something unique and that appeals to anyone. We start to actively look for ways to get new beers into our glasses, we start to plan trips and meals around finding new breweries and places to go. We begin to feel like the money we spend on that 24 of Coors Light every week is being wasted as we eschew it more and more for a craft choice. The basic lager sits in the fridge longer each time, getting drank only when everything else had run out.

It becomes a bit of an obsession and as the macros fade into the background, slowly disappearing from our fridges, we turn and find ourselves becoming acolytes and preachers of a new gospel of a church made of hops and barley.  Eventually, you buy your last case of macro beer and something changes inside, you feel the burn of a fire you want to spread and you turn to the world, alight with energy and a new way to live.

4. Evangelical

  There comes a time for almost every craft beer drinker when you feel the pull of a need to share your love. You post pictures online, perhaps write about what you taste and then share that with the world. You bring a mixed dozen of your favourite craft beers to a party because you cant drink that 'macro swill'. You start to talk about your friends beer choices and deride them if they still drink Blue or Coors or any other non craft beer. You rail against Big Beer buying your favourite craft brewery and swear you will never buy any of their beer again because they sold out. You engage in lengthy debates about government policy and grants to help the industry grow and dream of cracking a higher percentage of the market. You check dates on your cans obsessively and post rants about pseudo craft and forget about one fundamental fact that helped drive you into craft beer in the first place...fun.
  You wanted beer to be fun and it has become a zero sum game of getting that latest, hard to get release and mocking what your friends and family drink. You start to feel like you've lost something on this particular Road to Damascus and begin to come down from your mountain top, enlightened and educated but also with a vision of the future and taking a new path, one of being a true lover of beer and of those times we have to enjoy each other.

5. Acceptance
  The final stage, the one hardest to reach for many Craft beer lovers, is this one. Learning to accept and let people drink what they like can be a difficult path to find, grown over with the sure knowledge that we know a better way and should shout it from the roof tops. Becoming an advocate and an acolyte are two very different things and as I've moved through these stages, it became easy to tap that righteous anger and superior feeling you get when you first fall in love to try to push the needle and force others to see the world as you do. It is easy to slam a fist on the table and openly mock people and their beer choices, forgetting that at one time, we too held fast to our macro lagers, not knowing what the future held.
  We started to drink better beer because it was fun to do. We went to events, visited breweries and met interesting people who had the same interest because we found it ourselves. Sure, we followed others who came before us, but the decision was ours. We sometimes forget that this journey started with one sip of one beer that made you stop and wonder what was happening. We lost sight of the joy felt at finding a new flavour or style that helped shape who we are now. We seek to recapture that moment so many times, we forget that everything was supposed to be about enjoying life, not judging others or chasing things to posses them.
  Be an advocate, an ambassador and a voice of passion. But approach every moment with joy and not scorn. Let light in where there is darkness when asked but be not the scowl of judgement on what other people drink. Give suggestions, share and be open to new things yourself. Be honest and let stand your opinion, with the knowledge that all of our palates are different and no one responds to mockery with acceptance.
  The end game is always to enjoy our beer without being an asshole about it. Pour, sip and ponder life while spending time with people you love. Respect the choices of others and always make room in your fridge for different things. Life is too short and often too hard to let that kind of stress in when it comes to beer.
  Have fun and be cool.

Cheers!
Polk


 

So you want to be an Influencer...

  So you've decided to start a social media page dedicated to reviewing craft beer...I congratulate you on becoming an Influencer in this awesome community. Life is better with craft beer and the more people who help spread the word, the stronger we become. Now that you've made this choice, I have a few tips to help you going forward. Not that you need them, but I wouldn't want to miss a chance to help someone out.  Keep in mind that I am the third most important person in my own house and that's not nothing. Here are 10 things to help get you started.


1. Pick a name - Whether your doing it solo or are sharing the account with a couple of beer loving pals, your name becomes your identity in real life when you meet up with fellow enthusiasts. Choose a witty take on the various states of inebriation or perhaps add craft beer to some everyday thing and go to it. You don't want to be known as Jimbob21 when you become famous.
2. Decide on a tone - It's important to pick a serious or fun style for your account. Are you a hard core craft head or do you just want to enjoy beer and take a few pictures along the way? The truth is not many people actually read your descriptions, hence the constant "how was it" comments you'll get even if you've dissected your beer to Ciccerone levels. Don't forget to rate the beer out of whatever arbitrary number you decide. That's always a wise move.
3. Pictures matter - The rise of the smart phone is not coincidentally connected to the rise of social media. We are a visual species and if you want to get validation through likes, hearts and shares, you need to step it up. Props, backgrounds and animations are all necessary if you want to catch people's eyes. Or just put some boobs in there, perhaps a dog. Then just wait for the accolades to roll in...not to mention the job offers.
4. Brand - Once you've gained some traction, it's time to start talking branding. Clearly people follow you because your so awesome and know everything about beer so now is the time to hit up those breweries for some free beer. I mean, you are doing all this work promoting them, so clearly they should give you stuff to help you help them.
5. Share - On every available platform, share your work. But not easily, make people click on a link on your Twitter account to go see your Instagram picture. Make sure you share every Untappd login as well, everyone loves to see what badge you got. Don't forget the promise of a blog your going to be starting soon and the vague reference to big news that just never actually happens. Leave 'em wanting more.
6. Follow/Unfollow - Using either the old fashioned method of physically following as many people as possible and then unfollowing them a few days later to boost your own numbers and show just how important you are or paying someone to get you followers, it's all about numbers baby.
 7. Swag - Yes, it's a word and you need this stuff. Start an Etsy account and sell it to your followers. Your brand needs to extend beyond the virtual world and what better way than with a logo your cousins' girlfriend, who is a totally bitchin' graphic designer/barista, designed.
8. Pseudo Craft - You are now in a position for the big boys of beer to recognize you. AB-InBev and Molson Coors can see your influence and will want you to help promote their Pseudo Craft. It's time to break out the "It's just beer" argument and get even more free stuff.
9. Quit your job - Now that you've got 20,000 plus followers, paid for and renewable every month, it's time to turn that kind of influence into a job. Everyone says you should work in beer and clearly you should be paid accordingly. No need to wait and work your way up, just demand a corner office and all the free beer you can drink.
10. Influence - Basking in the glory of your new found prominence, you can now bring your considerable influence to the front and push for your word to be the only one that matters. Your Instagram posts move pallets of product every time and a single poor rating can send brewery owners into despair. Attain purple robes and ascend the throne as King/Queen of Beer.




  Just follow these simple steps and you too can rise to the top of the crowded social media beer reviewing world.


  **That got dark really quickly but sometimes that happens. The time has come to check yourself and make sure you are still doing this for the right reasons. I don't take any of it too seriously and hope you don't either. It should always be about sharing great beer, making new friends and having experiences that create memories to last a lifetime. Want to know how I really feel, check out my post from earlier this year, Share Your Love of Beer...
Like I always say, "Don't be a asshole, drink your beer and try to have a good time."***


Raise your Glass and your standards,
One Glass at a Time.


Cheers!


Polk

Share your love of beer anyway you want.

 

  When I first started writing and reviewing Craft beer, I had no idea what I was doing. The flavours were new to me and I would research and agonize over every thing I said. I wanted to describe what I was tasting but lacked the knowledge to find just what that was. So I took to the internet and sites such as Beer Advocate, Rate Beer and of course, Untappd. I would drink my beer and read the reviews of other people, acquiring the descriptions of what it was I was tasting and training my palate to find them each time. It took a lot of trial and error, experimenting with actual citrus fruits, dark chocolate, black coffee and other foods to grasp the notes in my beer. It was that kind of insatiable quest for information that helped me to pursue the path I have.  I try to learn more every day because it is in knowing that we can understand not just the beer, but why we drink it and what it can say about us.

  Many people have written me and asked how to get started or to ask questions about my reviews or larger journey. I always love to talk beer and life with anyone who takes the time to ask and it is a real pleasure to help people discover their own specific voice.

 My advice to anyone who wants to review or share their views on craft beer is to do what makes you happy, be open to new things and don't be a snob.  

 Want to write in depth, critical reviews? Do that. Why not go get the proper Ciccerone or Prud'homme training and become the master of beer.

  Want to share what beer you're drinking in a fun and less informative way? Do that and speak with enthusiasm about everything you do.

  Just want to be part of the larger craft community but don't want to get into rating or describing your beer? Do that, share your pics on social media and just be yourself.

  My point is always the same, do what brings you joy, not to please anyone else. I get the odd person who criticizes my flavour description or rating but I don't let that interfere in my process. I taste what I taste and so do you. Beer ratings are highly subjective and while many people don't do it, I will continue because that is what I like to do. Don't feel pressure to rate a beer 1 to 5 or 10 or 100, in the end it only matters if you liked it or didn't. Someone challenges what you taste, tough on them, it is your beer, your palate and you taste what you do. I am always open to an honest discussion about my rating, tasting or love/hate for a beer. If someone wants to have a genuine talk and help bring me information, I am all for it and you should be too. But there is nothing that I tune out quicker than negative or angry people.

  At the end of the day, it is just beer. Great beer, but still just a beer nonetheless. I do wax poetic on the subject and feel an affinity for the industry because it has truly changed my life. But you should never feel like your review or sharing of your thoughts or pics doesn't matter. It is a community that thrives when there are more voices, more stories and more opportunities to learn and grow.

  So take that picture of your beer on the table while you watch TV, head outside and get arty if you want or just drink it, it's really up to you. Sharing your beer and thoughts on social media is a great way to meet new people, it encourages you to find new and different beers, explore the local breweries for the latest releases and become part of something that is bigger than you are. I love it when someone is just starting out and they connect with me, I want to be the voice of happiness and encouragement for anyone who is brave enough to share a piece of who they are and if you follow along on my Facebook page (click here), you will see that I am constantly sharing the blogs, videos and reviews of other people. I am a firm believer in the people of Craft beer and am overjoyed to help them spread their voice to a wider audience.

  There are those who have an opposite view, looking only to themselves and leaving the wider community in the background, insisting on their own perfection or omniscience as the only beer writer/reviewer that matters. I see this and know that not only are they setting themselves up to be left behind but they are missing out on all the amazing people in the craft beer world. My life has been made infinitely better because I share so much of who I am. I believe in being humble, open and friendly because that is what I want in return. One of my favourite beer writers, Ben Johnson, told me to always be honest and that is exactly what I try to do. Give people an unblemished account of your beer experience and they can see that right away. Be not afraid to say what you mean, but try to be a good person about it. Negativity, sexism and anger only bring more of the same into your life and while I have made mistakes, I recognize, apologize and change with the acquisition of more knowledge. Grow, learn and always give the best you have to anything you share.

  It is the beer that brings so many people of different background and lifestyles together under one hoppy roof and I have met people and done things I couldn't even imagine. So if you're thinking of starting a blog, video, Instagram account or any other social media to share your love of craft beer, I encourage you to do it.

  Don't do it because you think you'll make money, get famous or are better than anyone else. Do it because you love great beer, the folks who drink it and the people who make it. Give a little of yourself to this wonderful community and it will come back tenfold.

  Below is a list of some of 20 of the writers and beer reviewers I love to follow and share. There are literally hundreds of great people but I wanted to keep it short, so my apologies to anyone I missed. Check them out, follow along and then join the craft beer world yourself, it's such a great place to be!

Beer Writer - Website (2 other social media)

Ben Johnson - Ben's Beer Blog (Facebook, Twitter)

Crystal Luxmore, Tara Luxmore, Erica Campbell - The Beer Sisters (Facebook, YouTube)

Adam Kemp - The Brew Head (Facebook, YouTube)

Robin Leblanc - The Thirsty Wench (Twitter)

Jordan St. John - Saint John's Wort (Twitter)

Don Redmond - Brew Ha Ha (Twitter)

Mike Burton, Matthew Renda, Beth Hughes - The Bottomless Pint (Twitter (Mike, Matthew, Beth)

Glenn Hendry - IPA Tales (Twitter)

Steven Beaumont - Beaumont Drinks (Twitter)

Chad McGee - The Albino Rhino (Facebook, YouTube)

Tiffany Martin - The Travelling Pint (Facebook, YouTube)

Christophe Paquette, Max Monet - Hops & Bros (Facebook, YouTube)

Paul Meloff - Paul the Beer Guy (Facebook, Twitter)

Some of my Instagram friends who are just killing it with their photos and reviews -

Phil C. - Keltic Devil

Sean A. - Moonstone Brewer

Brett H. - I Find Beer Enjoyable

Southern Ontario Beer Boys

Michael K. - Michael Kras

Ryan, Nathan, Dave - RND Blast

Robin C. - Beer Core Droid

 

There are so many more, have a look around and you will find your own favourites.

Raise your glass and your standards,

One Beer at a time.

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!

Craft Beer is my Mixtape and #BeerSaint

Do you remember mix tapes? Agonizing over the song selection, hoping to craft a perfect sonic progression to illustrate your mood, love or other drug. Whether it was made for that person who you wanted to pledge your undying youthful love to or a pal who you just needed to share the latest find from your favourite band, the mix tape was a way to communicate without having to say anything yourself. I miss those days but I still have oh so many of mine around here and once and a while, Mrs. Polkaroo and I will dance and laugh at the songs we used to love. My word I was a sappy guy when I was young. So many power ballads...

For even me, those days are long past and it was when I started to make gifts of beer and receive them myself that I was struck by how similar it made me feel. When I visit breweries in search of new beer, I often get a few extras for people I know. Mostly styles I know they like and sometimes stuff that I want them to try, perhaps for the first time. Crafting a mixtape took me to places in my mind that helped me express myself and I am now engaging in that same feeling when shipping beers out to long distance friends or opening the beer fridge in the Grotto to grab a pint or two for someone closer to home.
What this all means is the Gift of beer is far more than just a generous thing to do for someone, it is an expression of who you are and what you want to say to that person. Maybe it's not a three chord acoustic riff that says it, but this Bellwoods limited edition beer we're sharing means I care about you and want you to be happy. I don't think I am alone in this. We all like to make the people we cherish feel special and I like to do that with a Craft Beer.

 I know I am an emotional guy when it comes to my beer, but when my Uncle Jerry wanted to stop in to try some craft beer, it made my heart sing. He's a Corona guy, so I picked beers for him to try that would showcase a bunch of flavours that wouldn't scare him away from trying some in the future. Descendant's El Buscador, Side Launch Dark Lager and Muskoka Summerweiss were just a few that I shared with him and my Dad on that warm Saturday evening. They both found something new they liked and when Uncle Jerry brought out his guitar, I knew I had done some good. It is in the gift of beer that we can express ourselves and help show our friends and family how we feel about them without saying a thing.

Summer hasn't started and this is already a high point.

Thank you Jerry!

The end game for me is, as always, to improve my relationships with people, release the darkness I carried for so long and enjoy a pint or two without losing my head. Sharing beer is all about bringing people together and creating memories that will last forever in your heart.

Steve from Craft Beer and Bacon
saved mine with this #beersaint
moment at Bar Volo

Going forward I will be tagging anyone who gives me this wonderful gift of beer, be it a pint at a bar, a beer from their fridge or some unexpected surprise in the mail or when we meet up with the hashtag #beersaint. I chose that because they really do bring something heavenly to my life with these lovely gifts. I encourage you to use #beersaint to celebrate your friends who do this as well and perhaps we can start a movement that will bring the joy of well made, delicious Craft beer to everyone we meet.

Cheers!

Raise you glass and your standards, one beer at a time!
Share the love, #beersaint someone you think deserves thanks today!

Mrs. Polkaroo is my #beersaint every day

Keltic Devil sent me an East Coast
#beersaint package

Paul the Beer Guy became a #beersaint with this beauty from Manantler

The Big Canuck bought me a Pint for his #beersaint moment

My #beersaint share with The Big Canuck

You Never Go Full Polkaroo

Hey you.
Yeah, you, the guy at the end of his rope after a bad day.
Wanna get a case of Old Mil and just drown your sorrows in shitty macro lagers? Sounds awesome doesn't it. But what you don't know is that all that is going to do is make your day worse and your morning a disaster. Chug away anyway but don't say I didn't warn you.

That was what I used to do when I had a rough day. Get hammered and ease my mind out of the conscious world into the unconscious one. It was so easy to just pound tasteless beers into my gut one after the other until I could barely remember my own name, let alone all the garbage that life was throwing at me. But of course this never solved what troubled me, it only made it worse because I would now be hungover and still have the problem to deal with.

I have many times explained how craft beer helped me to slow down, engage my beer in a responsibly and generally stop being such a jackass. I mean, I'm still a jackass, but with nicer beer glasses and of course, better brews. Check out one of my earlier posts, A Brief History of Me  for a summary of how I came to be here.
What happens now when I have a rough day? I still want to get hammered and forget all my problems. Sometimes it is very strong, that siren call of oblivion. But I no longer respond to her tasteless, empty cry. Instead I let my emotions run their course, vent a little to someone I trust and begin my ritual of choosing a beer for the night. I describe some of my techniques for slowing down in my post Just One Beer. The biggest thing I can do when I have one of those days, that we all do sometimes, is to remind myself that I have stared into the abyss of losing everything so many times and kept going. That's good solid advice there. How many times have you thought you can't possibly go on and look at that, you're still here. You and I are pretty awesome.
Last night was one of those times and I really took my time in choosing my beer. I wanted something to just sip and enjoy so that I could roll my issues around my head while keeping it clear. I have shared how I have developed a process I call The Ritual, that helps me to really consider what I am doing and choose my beer accordingly. It is important to me that I embrace all the flavours, aromas and textures of my beer every time I have one. A new beer means a chance to write a review, attempt to take an "artsy" picture and share it with the world. This is my favourite time of the day and I don't want to ruin it by just mindlessly pounding shitty beer. Or good beer. Never waste good beer on a bender. That's just stupid.

Artsy beer pictures are my thing now. Weird.

I chose a big 9 % ABV Cameron's Brewing Company Obsidian Rum Barrel aged Imperial Porter and it was delicious. A large flavour profile beer that I knew would keep changing as I drank it, so I really sipped and savoured. Just a great beer for helping to see that even the worst of your problems have a solution or an end. And if it's just not going to get better for a while, why not at least have an hour where all you do is embrace your beer. It worked for me, along with some tunes, and I felt like a human being again.
So the next time you think cramming shots and chugging flavourless macro brews is the only thing you can do to forget your problem, try to consider what I've shared with you. I am proof that you can still drink beer and not give in to that inner voice that wants all the beer, right now. Call a friend, take a walk or do something to get your mind moving. Then open the fridge, pick something amazing from your favourite brewery or maybe a new one. Pop the top, pour it into a glass and settle down to contemplate what's troubling you. Let the beer be part of the solution, not an addition to the problem.
And remember kids.
Even though it sounds awesome...
You never go Full Polkaroo.
It doesn't end well.
Cheers!