So Long, and Thanks for All the Beer

Is it better to burn out or to fade away? That question has been hovering around this blog, at least in my head, for the past eight months. Today marks the end of A Year of Beer, which I think puts me in the “burn out” category. It is also the fourth anniversary of this blog and the 600th post, which seems like an apt time to bring a sense of closure. It may be a slight OCD tendency, but it’s nice to end on round numbers.

There are many reasons why I’ve chosen to end the blog at this point in time. The demands of work have made it harder to regularly produce content. There are things I’d rather be doing with my evenings or weekends than sitting in front of a computer. The beer journalism landscape has changed drastically in the past four years, meaning that I’m now competing with freelance writers for stories and content. This is great for the industry in general and these writers are friends, but it’s hard on a blogger that works full-time. More media events and tastings are being held during the weekdays, which made most almost impossible to attend. It was not an easy decision, but one that feels right.

This is something I’ve been contemplating for months, but didn’t make a final decision until I was in Belgium earlier in the summer. I had a bit of a buzz and was wandering the cobblestone streets of Brussels, anguishing over the thought of coming home and having to write about my trip. That is when I realized that blogging had no longer become fun, which it was for the first three years. Yes, there have been nice perks, but the benefits were now outweighed by the sense of obligation to write two or three posts a week and provide coverage for anyone kind enough to send some beer in the post. It was then that I decided to end the blog before it killed my love of beer.

The sense of bliss after making that decision may partially be a result of all the gueuze, coupled with how beautiful Brussels is in the rain. But there was also a sense of freedom – it was now possible to once again enjoy beer and be free of my shackles as a beer blogger (woe be unto him). It has now been two months since that decision was made and it’s time to shut it down. If you see me at a Toronto Beer Week event and I look insanely happy, it’s because I don’t have to rush home and write an event wrap-up post.

My love of beer has never been stronger. A big part of my decision is wanting to go back to enjoying beer without all of the outside distractions that come with blogging. Those in Toronto can still expect to see my face at a lot of events. I will still be active on Twitter under my @ayearofbeer handle. Giving your opinion in 140 characters or less is much better for time management, so that is where most of my beer-related thoughts will go now.  I can also now put my time and energy into other projects like Toronto Bottle Share.

The craft beer landscape has changed so much in the past four years and it has been thrilling to play a teeny, tiny role in how beer gets talked about in Ontario. The Ontario beer scene has been getting better every year this blog has been in existence and I know that the best is yet to come. The biggest change that I’ve noticed is that Ontario craft beer now gets treated with a respect that was not there four years ago. The beer made here holds up to those from anywhere else in the world.

Like any good soap opera, no death is final and the blog may be sporadically resurrected from time to time. There will be a final post for the 2013 Predictions in December. You may still find the very occasional rant about a beer-related topic, but it’s hard to say right now. Maybe I’ll do guest posts for whatever other blogs will have me – it’s hard to say. I am very proud of the four years worth of time and effort put into this blog. My fear was that keeping this blog alive would only diminish all of that hard work if the posts suddenly dried up and I just allowed it to fade away. (My other fear is not being allowed back onto the Beer Writers curling team.)

The past four years have truly been amazing and have far surpassed my expectations when this blog began (though I had no expectations, so that is not really saying much). There were a countless number of times that I wrote a post only to think, “Hmmm, I doubt anyone will care about this topic but me.” Those posts usually got the most comments, shares and views. It has been the support of my readers throughout the past four years that has kept this blog going for this long. It seems hollow when compared to all that you have given me, but thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I’d also like to thank my wife as she has put up me and this blog for the past four years. There have been too many times where I’ve been unable to do something with her because of blogging obligations, yet she continues to be my biggest supporter. (Don’t feel too bad for her, though – she was usually my plus one for events. And yes, she likes beer too.)

Drinking so much amazing beer has been great, but the best part has been meeting so many people who are passionate about craft beer. So many people have supported this blog and I am grateful to everyone one of you. Expect to still see me at your bars, breweries and events drinking delicious Ontario craft beer. There are too many people to thank individually and I’m terrified of leaving someone out, so let’s leave it at this – beer people are truly the best people. Thank you all once again.

-Michael Warner