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!



Time to de-Christmas the house. Booooooo!

Christmas was over two weeks ago and the Polkaroo household still looks like we await St. Nick's arrival. I hate the thought of putting away all my decorations for another year, but realise if I don't act soon, it is going to seem like I am just lazy instead of festive.


It's drier than Nevada by now

Growing up, my mom always took down everything by New Year's day so we could have a fresh start. I really think it was because there were 4 kids in my house going back to school and my saint of a mother needed her house to resemble some kind of normal before the tornado of a new semester took over the place.

We grumbled and half heartedly helped take down our growing collection of Christmas baubles and went back to the dreary days of winter. I always thought I wanted to leave the decorations up longer to keep that happy spirit alive, but in reality, I was just putting off stuff that had to be done.

Putting aside my aversion to taking down what I put up only a month and a half ago, I begin the process of hauling the 30+ boxes of regular household knickknacks to replace the assorted holiday gee-gaws. Trudging up and down the stairs, I start to envision a future where we do a minimalist Christmas. Maybe a bauble or two and that would suffice.

Why do we need so many damn decorations?

We don't even have kids.

 This is ridiculous.

I really hate taking down my Christmas stuff.

When I start to wrap the breakables, it brings a smile to my face as I put away certain ones because they mean something a little more. A musical Santa Mom and Dad fixed for Grampa.

It still plays music too

 Mrs. Polkaroo's ever expanding Christmas village that is starting outgrow its spot.

The picture doesn't do it justice, it is growing quickly.

These things remind me of why I decorate for this holiday only. The act of doing it reminds me of the excitement of childhood and who wouldn't want to relive Christmas Eve and morning as a kid one more time. When I take it down, it helps to put those feelings away until next year when I get to do it again.

New this year!

The process of re-decorating and hanging our assorted picture frames, paintings and wall ornaments is a nice way to consider what we have and if it really is necessary. I know no one needs any of the stuff we have, but they contain memories and feelings from what they mean to each of us. I am forever deciding if this piece or that has had it time with us and needs a new home. It usually ends up that I donate some stuff to charity and make room for new memories that we will acquire in 2016.

I have always been the one who decorates, it is just something I enjoy and Kat doesn't seem to mind. I have made all the picture frames in our house (and there are a plethora of them) full of pics from our few and precious trips to the Caribbean.


Fun times with my best friend.

Nothing is better than as you trudge down the stairs mid-January than seeing the fun times we've had on the beaches of Jamaica or Cuba and the hope that we may do it again. 

Almost twelve years.

Wedding pictures of course are a fixture as well, not forgetting that youthful snap from our engagement.

Oh, the matching blues.



As the house slowly returns to normal, it cannot help but look barren. Nothing can generate the excitement and colour that Christmas does, so you learn to cope. I have no doubt that part of my "blahs" of February are caused by the sharp contrast between the sparkling promise of Christmas and the regular everyday gray of our lives.

This year I approach it from a much better place and look forward to doing a little redesigning of the main floor with maybe some classy beer bottles sneaking their way onto our built-in bookcases in the dining room. Just one or four, I promise.

So much room for my beer collection!

I have long felt the depression of this time of year, but it was only recently that I began to understand it and fight back. It takes a concerted effort and the support of my lovely wife, who never gives in to the darkest days I have, to remain on an even keel. I have a much better grip on what causes my sadness and with that in hand, I am confident taking away my Christmas until next November will not put me in a funk.

Plus this year has so much to look forward to. I am off to visit some new places tomorrow and despite the chill in the air, we have committed to start our walking regimen. New shoes from the store always made me feel like I could run faster as a kid and I still get a rush when I lace up my new high tops.

But for now it is the careful wrapping of breakables, the packing of the boxes and the unhanging of funny snowmen wreaths.

These guys always make me laugh.

I put them away not with sadness, but with a happiness that comes from recognizing what a wonderful life I have and how much joy this past season brought to me. I look forward to the chilly walks and explorations the rest of winter will bring and am excited for the warming of Spring and the sun shining on my face as I work in the gardens.

Bye-bye penguins, snowmen and Santa. You will be missed and I look forward to seeing you all again as soon as the clock turns on November 12th, 2016.

Cheers!



Polka Dot Awards 2015 #3 - Long Dark Voyage to Uranus

Just something about the name makes me smile.

Long ago, in the barren macro lager land of the Drunk Polkaroo's past lies a sad little truth. I never understood what it meant to drink good beer. Anything but the coldest, flavourless lager would chase me from the table and make me hide behind my tall boy of Old Milwaukee.

Moving my taste buds away from not feeling anything at all through drinking better beer led me to discover how much I love the dark stouts of Winter. So many flavours, textures and combinations of ingredients make for some amazing beers. This might be one of the best. Not to mention, what a name!

Gravenhurst, Ontario brewer Sawdust City makes many good beers, but I looked forward to no beer more than the return of Long, Dark Voyage to Uranus. I bought the beer for the wacky name and wanted it again because of what was inside. I rarely quote the blurbs found on the beer I drink, preferring to craft my own not so eloquent description and I will, but this is too much to pass up

"What's in a name? Uranus by any other name would smell so sweet. That was written many eons ago by Toftorg Golshop, Ruler of the Third Empire of Uranus on one of his many voyages to earth (it was stolen and re-written by "you know who" sometime later).
And while on earth for one of those trips, Toftorg grew fond of the rich, robust stouts of Northern England. Designed to withstand the grueling intergalactic voyage from Earth to Uranus, "Long, Dark Voyage" is a Uranal Stout of the highest order. Ass puckeringly bitter and dry as a bone, this dark chocolate treat is quite dangerous and can sneak up on you from behind if you don't keep your wits about you. You've been warned! "

I mean, come one. Who doesn't want to try this seasonal beer after that.

Pours thick as motor oil, with an impenetrable black colour and a creamy bronze head. Smells like dark chocolate. Tip the glass back and get a thick mouthfeel that cascades coffee, bittersweet chocolate and roasted barley malt. Hint of caramel and licorice add to the complexity of the darkness. Driest stout I've ever had and the finish is a great bitter punch that leaves you wanting more. At 9.5% ABV and 60 IBUs, this isn't a beer for the weak of heart.

This brew was the first time in my life I waited for a beer to come back. I never knew that such a thing as seasonality existed when it came to malted barley and hops. Learning the patterns and tastes of each season really is a treat and I appreciate what they bring as the world turns. These dark, high alcohol beers are perfect for the long cold winter here in Canada. they warm you up and give you a healthy glow as we hibernate and wait for the first light of spring.

I am in love with this beer and have one set aside for next year to age as well as one in the fridge for New Year's Eve. Nothing but great beers that night.

Congratulations Sawdust City and Long Dark Voyage to Uranus on your Polkie win!

Cheers and let's go exploring!

Seems like these guys should get together and make a beer.
I know, sometimes it's like I'm 12.



Make Time this Christmas to be Present

All of us in one place? Not as easy as it used to be.

As I was driving home last night, I was thinking about Christmas. More specifically about all the great things we did when I was a kid. It was a real treat to grow up in my family, Christmas was considered to be the best time of the year. not just because of presents, but due to all the get togethers and various functions both sides of my family would have. Christmas parties, visits to our house and visiting other people kept us going crazy all month long. Christmas Eve was the most looked forward to night of the year. Papa and Grandma would come over to our house, soon to be joined by a large contingent of my fathers' family. It was a loud, boisterous time and when it died down it was off to my mothers' side and even more Christmas. Grampa and Granny brought the whole brood under their roof every Christmas Eve and more libations and presents were exchanged. There would be 30 plus people crammed into that little house and what fun we had. 

The point of this little non-beer related post is that while I thinking of these wonderful times, I started to contemplate the future. Already these traditions are changed from when I was a kid. That is natural, things change. But what struck me was what Christmas will be like in 10, 15 or 20 years from now for me and Kat. We do not have kids, hopefully we will, but nothing is certain. My extended family rarely can get together because everyone is "busy". I am guilty of this myself. Just wanting to go home and try a beer or two before crashing out for the night. The thought I kept coming back to was not the presents of Christmas past, but the presence of the people who made it my favourite time of the year.

I am lucky enough at 42 to still have my Granny around to keep me grounded in those childhood days. She does an amazing job of bringing us all together on the Eve and at 90 has more energy than pretty much any of us. But still, there are some things I really miss.

 My Papa and Grandma coming through the door on Christmas Eve was one of my favourite memories and I always kind of wish I could have that feeling one more time.

 Walking into Grampa's house and seeing him sitting at the kitchen table waiting for all of us to arrive for that same night is another thing that I would love to experience again.

So many other moments big and small that make my Christmas memories shine.

Life doesn't work that way. All I have are my memories and that is what I am getting at. It truly is the people who are not here that strikes me the hardest. We lost my Uncle Tom this year and he loved Christmas more than almost anyone. He played Santa Claus and raised money for charity doing it. He loved to watch the kids eyes light up when he walked into a room, dressed as Santa or not. We've said good bye to more amazing people than I care to remember. Brothers, sisters, parents, extended family and friends passing from this world far too soon. This is what made me open my eyes.

I am sure we all have fond memories of those who are not here. I ache at their not being with us and saddened to see those around me suffer from the pain of the important people who they've lost and cannot have with them at this most joyous time of the year. This has struck the chord with me. What about the people who are here, but whom we do not make the effort to see. What about that best friend you've fallen out of touch with because trying to fit them into your schedule is "hard". What about that family member who you don't talk to because of some slight years ago. What about all the people who we want to reach out to but feel too much time has passed and despite our best intentions, we just don't try.

This is the thing. I am sure we all feel rushed. We shouldn't, but we do. Always trying to cram more things and events into our hectic schedules, but missing out on what is truly needed. Time is a commodity that isn't bankable. All we have is the here and now. You are not promised tomorrow, so get on with your life today.

I know it sounds simple. Pick up the phone, drop by for a visit or send a text message and get together for a pint. It isn't that easy for most of us. Maybe we feel some shame at letting people lapse out of our lives or not being there when they called. Perhaps we've spent to much time looking inward at our own lives and not enough time trying to connect to our wider circle of family and friends. I don't know what it is you miss, but I am sure it is something or someone. And that is the whole point of my rambling.

There is time, as Scrooge learned, to start all over again. It really never is to late to come back home. Just because we have fallen apart does not mean we cannot put it back together again. My biggest fear is who I will be missing next year. Hopefully no one, but we never know when our time here on this planet is up.  I do not want to be sitting here next December thinking about someone I've lost and wishing I had spent more time with them, especially at Christmas. You do not want to remember someone you love and regret that you couldn't find the time to include them in your life. People are not perfect. We know all too many ways to hurt one another and often do so without malice. That is the thing I want to stress the most. If you can forgive someone, do it, you will be better off for it. Hanging on to old wounds if it is possible to heal them is not going to be something you will treasure as the years pass.  I am as guilty as anyone at holding a grudge, but all that gets me is exactly nothing. By all means do not interact with someone who actively hurts you emotionally or physically. I am well aware that there are some things people do that are just not forgivable. But I am talking about those things which seemed so big at the time, but now you can see them for what they truly are and wish there was some way to repair the damage.

Don't let 2015 pass by without trying to do better. Make the first step and I think you will be surprised at what happens. At the very least, you tried. Forgive yourself while you're at it. You are never as bad as you think you are. Have some humility, you are not better than anyone either. Try to get along with people, it makes life better. And most of all, go home. Wherever that is. Go there, raise a glass of egg nog, or beer or coffee and toast your amazing luck at having found your way through that door. I may only have my memories of those long ago days, but that isn't a reason to not make new ones. Please do yourself a favour and at least try.

Someone misses you, I guarantee it.

Merry Christmas!