Polk's 2021 Festivus Message

 

Happy Festivus fuckers!

Usually I'd be knee deep into my grievances...but this year, well, I'm just happy to still be around.

I can't hold onto that angry kind of energy anymore, life is far too short and way too precious for that kind of nonsense. I don't know, I'm a guy who holds grudges...some for decades...but what does that get anyone? I'm gonna try and be a better person in 2022, seriously, I've been doing a lot of soul searching the last few months, trying to find something, anything to spark that kind of love I used to feel for life and living, it had long been snuffed out and silenced by worry, anger and the sheer weight of a life gone off the rails. But I keep trying, even through a pandemic, the sheer stupidity of it all and personal choices that left me wondering what the hell I was thinking. 

But I'm trying, I'm laughing and I'm gonna have a couple drinks while the lights shine off the aluminum pole. Be kind to each other and yourself, it's been a helluva time for everyone. Cut yourself some slack, Lord knows you need a break, we all do...Happy Festivus, next year let's celebrate together! It's a #Festivus miraculum!

Cheers! 

A Couple, Three Pints with : Clifford Brewing

  We go to a taproom/bar/pub with thoughts of enjoying a respite from the world. We want to sit, enjoy a couple pints and then make our way home again, six pack in hand and some of our troubles left behind. I endeavour to do this more often in the coming year and I'm gonna take you along with me as I pull up a chair and grab a beer.

   'A Couple, Three Pints With :' will be my ongoing series of exploring different places to enjoy a beer or three while talking about atmosphere, quality, experience and whatever else happens when I settle in for an evening or afternoon at leisure, because life is for livin' and beer is for drinkin'.

Up first is the closest brewery to my home, a ten minute drive and we pull up to Clifford Brewing, a large interior that somehow feels like an East-end Hammer pub...seriously. The long bar and high top tables are accentuated by the additional picnic tables and odds and end tables and chairs that fill up fast on music nights, which prior to the pandemic was what Clifford was becoming known for. As a live music venue, the acoustics are quite wonderful and a mix of musical styles certainly lends to the atmosphere when the amps appear. 

 My usual stop in is on the way home from work, picking up something for the fridge at home and engaging in a pint or two of self-care...especially if Danny, Brad or Matt happen to be hanging around the bar. I'm not much of one for small talk, but a beer in hand and solid conversation is something I do enjoy and that is part of what brings me back again and again. 

  The huge variety of styles is another big reason I love it here, not overloaded with too many IPAs or sours, balanced and with an eye to making sure there truly is something on tap for every kind of beer drinker. The simple flavour profile of The Crusher (4% Light Lager) and easy going crushability of East Hamilton (5% Lager) open the palate for a little more adventure, although I will say that the 24's of each of these two beers must flow pretty well out the door when this blue collar town strides in at the end of the work week. Beer is for drinking for most of us and these two fit that bill of beer that tastes like a damn beer. If you're wanting to step things up a little bit, explore the next level as it were, you then could easily get into Chainlink (5% Vienna Lager) or Dark Streets of London (5.2% ESB). These two will change the game for some people, they bring a little more malt character forward and edge up the flavour complexity without getting too big or bitter. The journey continues with the flagship Porter (5.9%) and the latest stout, albeit a white one, Spider Palace (4.8%), challenging the everyday lagers with rich and robust dark roasted malt flavours. The classic Pinball (5.7% Pale Ale) and Devil's Punchbowl (4.8% India Session Lager) bring the senses up with more hops and bitterness, citrus and malt backbones give more zip to the proceedings. There are two IPAs on tap, usually only two and with an eye to not allowing an overwhelming list of this style to dominate the room, it ensures freshness of consumption and an appreciation for what each delivers. Currently it is the tropical citrus pineapple forward Valhalla (6.2% Kveik IPA) and the smooth, mango pineapple and orange All Roads (8% Double IPA, a collab with Grain & Grit). Both are very fresh and top of the game when they hit your glass\. I have and do enjoy them both, although All Roads has been really hitting the mark and may be one of the best beers I've had in 2021. By not having five or six IPAs on tap, it makes sure we get fresh product and don't see a style of beer that is best experienced fresh sit and fade because there are simply too many of them. A sour and seltzer round out the options and while Clifford does not currently have a kitchen, food trucks often are brought in on weekends to serve the hungry patrons. Bring your own food or have something delivered, it's all the same to the brewery, that is what makes it feel a little more like it belongs in my end of town.

  As for atmosphere or ambiance, it is decidedly laid back, laconic and easy going. Brad Clifford has a Big Lebowski-esque demeanor of cool that permeates throughout his like named brewery and that translates down to the staff and beer drinkers alike. You feel like the stress of your day disappears when you walk through the doors, it dissipates more after your first sip and you can feel the mellow vibe settle over you as you chat with fellow drinkers and those behind the bar. It is beer in an unrushed state, a congenial place that feels like what bars used to be, a meeting place to gather and enjoy the company for friends with some seriously good libations. There is a jovial feel to every conversation, no doubt a beer helps ease the anxious moments of the day, but it is something that radiates outward while you settle in for a spell. I am often struck by how easy it all feels to be part of the gang who call this their regular spot even if you're here for the first time. The people who make up the team at Clifford also offer knowledgeable directions to each beer to those who need them. Recognizing that there are a lot of people who don't know what each style has to offer and bringing them the information and finding something they can enjoy is a big part of making patrons feel comfortable and coming back again and again. It isn't about being flashy, this brewery has more than enough accolades and awards to showcase what they can do with beer, including the 2019 Canadian Brewery of the Year, but they do it with a sense of pride and commitment to delivering beer that is what it says it is and that is the kind of bottom line stuff that impresses me most. 

  It's not hyperbole to say that I enjoy my visits to Clifford immensely. The last two years have seen my ability to travel and sit down in a taproom curtailed by safety concerns and personal trepidation about the world gone mad. It has affected me in ways I couldn't have imagined, but I will do what I have done for the past 6 years and use beer and my love of writing about beer to bring myself back to the world. Starting this trip all over again, it seems right to begin at Clifford, where you'll find me coming back again because it feels like home.

 For more about Clifford or to order beer for delivery, check them out here : https://cliffordbrewing.com/

Goodbye...Polk love forever....

 

I drink beer because it makes my day a little better.

Sometimes it's just one...other times it's more...I'm a drinker, not an accountant, so numbers are often lost on me....but here we are.

Loss is tough, family means everything to me but I've been absent a lot in the last decade while I've just been trying to survive and come out breathing when I wake up the next morning...you know, regular stuff. I'm knee deep in reflecting on it all as we get ready to say goodbye to the Matriarch of half my family, 96 years seems like a blink of an eye and a long life at the same time when we find a huge hole where my Granny used to be, maybe I'll have a couple, three beers and wonder about what it all means. I know we tend to lean into the happy, the shiny new thing and all that jazz, but honestly, having a six pack of beer from Collective Arts Brewing Toronto in my fridge just because I can is not something I ever think about, it just is. I know the sadness of tomorrow, the goodbye to a very huge part of my life,  but tonight I'm gonna crack some pints, tell some stories and know that we are never really gone as long as someone remembers us...be good, be kind and be better because we only get one shot at this life and you want to leave a legacy of kindness and love  like my Granny has... 

She'll live on long after I'm gone because she was always ready to embrace and cherish the people who loved her so much. I used to think I had forever to get stuff done, but I feel that weight of years now and know I need to do the things I want to do in this moment because we have no promise of a sunrise tomorrow. 

Love from Polk, many thanks to everyone who messaged is over the last 24 hours, you made an old guy feel very loved....take care of yourselves,the folks you love and your community because we are all just trying to get by with a little beer, love and kindness ...Cheers!

Happy the Sads...

 

Happy the Sads.

Want to admit it or not, it's what the booze does...

The world is on fire, literally.

The pandemic marches on.

The arguments roll and roll and roll and fucking roll...

I'm out...for a bit...but not really...

Pour me a double, rocks, and be quick about it.

My heart is big, I love a lot, I want to see happiness expand and grow. 

I really do 

I want folks to feel safe and right and heard. I have looked deep into my heart and despite its inherent darkness, a spark of light exists. 

The next few weeks will be trying, they will be anxious and they will no doubt make us feel divided even more...I've been on that fence and seen the other side arm and prepare...but that shouldn't be us...aren't we better than that?

I'm here, drink in hand, a la Dean, saying let's talk, because shouting ain't getting us anywhere near love...but we gotta come together, otherwise we come apart...god damn it,  I just want to drink, laugh and be happy...and that's all I want for you too...

The choice is simple, we saddle up and ride this eternity together or we drift alone into oblivion tossing meaningless arrows at each other...what's it gonna be? I'm here and ready to be part of the next step....

Polk

6000 posts later...still here

 

We still out here...

6000.

That seems like a lot.

Is it though?

There is almost a decade of my life where there are no photos of me in existence. I was absent from the kind of life where people took your picture, save a mug shot...or an errant background capture at the family Christmas party where you showed up because you needed something to keep you going...life isn't always pretty, I've lived ugly for a lot of years...the scars are deep but they push up sometimes....that's why we have beer. Joke or not, a couple, three beers is an okay time to let the past go and the ache of what was lost goes away for a little while. I get maudlin sometimes, but I like where I have come to, where I've overcome and where I may go, I'm not done yet, but sweet jebus I like a few pints to take the edge off and I know that's not exactly the message in the echo chamber of beer instagram that's kosher or acceptable...but here I still am, intact, pouring another pint and telling y'all I love ya because I've seen the bottom, clawed my way back up and I'm here for anyone who needs a hand up or a shoulder to lean on. I don't know, I'm just a regular dude, maybe a little more into beer than someone should be but at my heart I'm a blue collar, simple man who just wants some love to find its place in the world and the emptiness to stop feeling so vast...thank you for all the indulgence you've given me, I'm trying to earn every moment you deem me worthy of having...

Polk

Set Adrift on the Memory Bliss....

 

A couple pints and I'm set adrift on a memory bliss...

In the mid 90s I was completely lost, emotionally and more, feeling the need to recoup and recalibrate my life. I returned home to my parent's place after a less than stellar couple of years and began hanging out at a local bar called Shuffles, a pub filled with the riff raff of East end Hammer life, myself included.

On occasion I would get to drink some beers and shots with a couple of my Uncles. To me, mid 20's broken hearted Polk, they were sage elders, bringing wisdom from the mountain top, along with whiskey shots and pitchers of beer. It wasn't many times, I drank alone or with whoever hung out the longest in the bar a lot of the time, but the image remains of getting to hang out with them and feel like I wasn't some dumbass kid who had completely fucked up his life at that point. I felt like I belonged and along with some other old drunks who'd taken me under their wings, I felt accepted. It was a weird time between loves and as life changed so did I, moving on and leaving behind that sacred temple of cabbage rolls, perogies and $5 pitchers of Canadian...but sometimes I reminisce about those days and smile a little at the time I had.

Then the other day I was thinking of those real good times and pondered just how old my late Uncle Tom and, (still with us, cheers!) Uncle Lloyd were back then and realised that not only weren't they old then, I'm damn near the age they WERE then now... when I though they were old guys drinking with me.

Seriously.

I'm the old guy who should be dispensing life wisdom at the local pub, listening to stories of love and loss and life and offering insights into a world the young folks are just dipping a toe in. I know it's a silly thing, but I feel a very real connection to them and all they taught me, whether they meant to or not, because it's lasted almost 3 decades and that means something to me. 

So when this is all done, or maybe before, I'll think I need to find a local spot to hang out, spend some time doing what I do best, drinkin', thinkin' and helping the next generation find their way forward.

To my Uncles, I say thank you....love you...

Polk

Inspired by Real Love

Be good.

Do good.

Drink good.

Gateway City Brewing dropped this tasty treat in collab with North Bay Pride and thanks to a good pal, I can enjoy it here in August still celebrating all the things we were supporting in June and should keep going all damn year. Real Love is a 5.2% Golden. lager that brings a solid biscuity toasted malt body balanced with a floral and grassy feel, a touch of rye spice on the finish, bitterness an object of affection as this one is terrific.

 Love is love and everyone deserves to be happy with who they are and who they love. Other people's religious beliefs should only apply to the narrow minded people who espouse them, the rest of us want to see a future where the bigotry, racism and homophobia of the world's religions disappear like they will as humanity sees truth and love over all. I'm a big believer in humans who see other humans ahead of doctrine and covenants with invisible deities...sky daddies need not apply. 

Reality comes strong as we move forward in this life,  being good to each other because it is the right thing to do, not to avoid punishment in the after life. I'm here to make the world better because I'm a human and I think everyone deserves a chance at happiness without compulsion. Believe what you will but leave everyone else alone to believe what they do to, your right to use a fictional book ends at your own life. Other folks aren't your problem but I will be if you try and impose your arcane beliefs on anyone. Be good and do good because it's the thing that makes this time on earth a little easier for everyone...just my two cents. Weird Tuesday flex but it's what the beer inspired so here we are...

Love from Polk.

Cheers! 4.5/5

Sunday Garage Beer Truth : Thinkin''bout Drinkin'

 

Outdoor day drinkin' on a rainy Sunday means hangin' out in the garage and listening to hurtin' country tunes while the pints flow nice and easy.

I know it's not kosher on social media to enjoy the drinking part of drinking beer, but after another 60 hour work week and another 50 hour one staring me in the face, a couple, three beers to take the edge off is a-okay by me. Let's stop pretending that beer isn't fuckin' beer and admit that part of the draw and shine is that it makes us feel a little bit less shitty about the things in life that try to bring us down. Should we indulge or over indulge all the time? Of course not, but let's stop with the nonsense that beer doesn't alter reality and we kinda like that...it's not popular but it's fuckin' true. Be nice to each other, but please be nice to yourself too, sometimes we are our own worst critics and we deserve a break from time to time. Enjoy your beer, enjoy however many you want to as long as you can live the rest of your life too...I know I do.

I like me enough that what other people think doesn't matter because I know I can pour another beer, raise my glass to the heavens and not give a shit...I also know I should maybe have a couple less a week, but I feel okay in my own skin and that's not for nothing. I don't know, it's such a tough thing, its way easier to talk about moderation and non alcoholic beers and all that stuff, but that's not me and I'm not gonna lie because that's just so easy to see through. 

Once again, this is just me rambling through my mind and things I think about. I don't want to glorify getting hammered, I rather enjoy that two or three beer buzz more than anything and hope you know, despite the folks who think otherwise, that I'm good with me and mine right now, but I'm always trying to be a little better every day. 

Beer me.

Polk

Friday night Rambling' Polk

 

Friday night by fire light... S'up Fuckers.

Things are okay, 

We keep on keepin' on and do the good things we gotta do to keep the world upright around us 

Masks? No problem.

Vaccines? Double up baby!

Listen, I know a lot of folks don't want to be political or rock the boat, but at the end of the day, this is just beer pictures and fancy words about it...life better be more than what we see on the internet or that's the saddest fuckin' thing I've ever seen.

Unless your making your buck off selling or serving beer, it's all just smoke and mirrors boo-boo. I love the folks I've met and come to know, even if it's just virtually, but we gotta be more than sharing other people's things and memes. Find a role in real life to okay, even if it's just giving some $$ to good people doing the real work. I know when to step aside, sign a damn check and let the wonderful people who actually make a difference do their thing. I don't know, I'm heading for the next half century of my life and I just want to see the world be a little more fair, a little more open and a little better than it's been...we can be part of that change, but it's gonna take a little heavy lifting and while I'm out of shape, I'll lend whatever heft I have, real, internet or imagined to making life better for anyone who needs a hand up to fight oppression or the systemic affects of the world that let this drop out, hobo Hefner live a life with almost no effort save working 80 hours a week...

Wait... that's not cool... fuck this shit...my least favourite part of this app is that 90% of folks don't bother reading any caption, save hashtags and I haven't used those in almost a year and a half because I'm equal parts train wreck, righteous deliverance man and indifferent drunk...beer me.

I mean, I ramble a lot because I spend way too much time alone and inside my head, so you do you and fuck anyone who tells ya different...even me, I'm a mess at the best of times. I love seeing the crazy love you have for beer, it's weird and crazy and makes no sense and it is who we are...

Polk

What you leave behind...

 

Sober-ish.

Near the orbit of moderation.

Getting that 2 beer buzz...on my third beer

S'up Fuckers.

Get to know yourself this summer, have a couple, three beers and listen to the music you love. Read the books you like, sit outside and do absolutely nothing but indulge yourself on leisure and self care.

The end game for all of us, rich or poor, is the same and no one will escape this mortal coil with anything more than the memories others hold of you. That's what lasts, that's what you leave behind. When your memory fades, that's when you cease to exist...make sure they remember you for the right reasons, leave behind love and a life you can say made a difference in the world, big or small. 

You live on in the lives and minds of those you've touched, that's your legacy and I hope it's a beauty one!

Polk