Better Drinking

I drank my last 2006 Imperial Stout homebrew last night, brewed on 10/28/06, bottled on 11/9/06, approximately 6 months old. It was both an enjoyable and melancholy event, the beer excellent in its own right and yet the last of its generation. The flavors were smooth, refined, and satisfying, the providence of time being very good. The beer went down nicely in the cool of the evening whilst smoking my pipe and reading a big thick book on the front porch, as seemed fitting for such a beverage. As a friend of mine mentioned the other day, this particular stout requires respect; the ABV hovers somewhere in the high 8% to low 9% and is bold and aggressive. Such a beer deserves to be imbibed while mulling over deep things.

Upon continued reflection, it occurred to me that good beer (homebrew or otherwise) is a result of several factors, some of which are more or less under our influence and those that are not. (I am speaking here about brewing, not running down to the package store.) Those elements we do not control are mysterious, unknowable and totally belong to God. Our response should be abject humility. Those elements under our influence are still under God's control, requiring an even harder kind of humility, yet this does not absolve us of personal responsibility to bring particular plans to fruition, so far as it depends on us. Things like planning, budgeting, thoughtful consideration of the end product, and so on. In a broad way, even planning beers for holidays, personal events, and seasons requires a bit of forethought, especially when bottle conditioning is taken into consideration.

I have been contemplating the production of some unique beers, most of which require up to a year of secondary fermentation, not including the bottle conditioning. Some brewers may balk at such time-frames, but patience is required for such creations. Of course, talent and skill are required as well, which is one of the reasons I have only done small experiments up to this point. No sense in taking 6 months to find out my beer is best used for fertilizing the lawn. I've had a few poured down the drain, but thankfully not many. Yet good brewers have always had bad batches of beer, whether their fault or not, and accept it as part of the learning process. Like in life, it’s the willingness to move past failures that separate the mediocre from the exceptional. This does not mean that dumping 50 gallons of homebrew somehow guarantees success but rather that the fruit of success is born in the shadow of failure.

The message is not merely for the aspiring brewer though. Those drinking, the true patrons of the brewing arts, should be mindful that every glass raised is a result of labor, of providence, of sweat, and oftentimes, of failure. Whether in London, Prague, Brussels, Munich, or Portland, the challenges and results are the same. But also remember that good planning was involved. A poor product is not intentional and things we do not prefer are driven by marketing not a lack of skill or attention to detail.

The Beer Advocate guys would say "Respect Beer", which is true. But to that I would add "Respect Brewers". God not only shares his grain, hops, yeast, and water with us, but gives us folks who undertake such labors with passion, joy and diligence.

Enjoy beer, respect brewers, and thank God for both.