A little post as the holiday season kicks off, I wanted to share a few thoughts on an idea I have had swimming around in my head for a little while. Being a former beer server and currently a home brewer, I have struggled to find accurate and relatable ways to bring what most people consider to be a commercialized liquid into and an actual craft. I wanted to share with you a thought that I feel best describes and grips what I consider craft beer to be, and that is art.
I know there are examples of people creating beer bottle Christmas trees, (mind you this is awesome on an Epic level). But more directly to be able to look at a glass and see it as a painted canvas is something I try to show just about anyone willing to sit and have a brew with me. This blog is a bit of my thoughts on that, beer as art and how I came to this small epiphany.
During my time at Pepperdine I spent a year abroad in Germany. Now, I had not acquired the taste for beer that I have now at that point and time in my life, but I did give a few a try while I was there. As part of our educational experience we visited many of the great museums such as The Prado, Luvre etc. I loved them! Not that I became an instant art critic, rather, I found a love for learning about the different meanings, symbols and stories conveyed through the brush strokes. I had no problem listening to the tour guide (when it came to art) as we toured the corridors of priceless artifacts, busts and still lifes.
Through tours, books and wandering corridors, I made a discovery, Monet. He is my favorite painter and help found my favorite style of painting, Impressionism. Impressionism is such an interesting stylistic concept; that it is not the specific image we are observing, rather the reflection of the light given off by the image that the artist is capturing. I think you can make alot of connection with this metaphor (well I think its a metaphor). From philosophy, theology and I think there is a good argument that craft beer can be included on this list. That craft beer is Impressionism in a liquid form.
When I pick up a glass of craft beer I see a canvas in my hand. And when I sniff, swirl, sip and ingest, the canvas comes to life. While I know of the ingredients that may make up a beer, I am only getting the vision or impression that was given to me by the brewer. As I taste the beer I try to take apart all of the different flavors, smells and nuances that are going on in the glass and draw out what the brewer has drawn for me.
Is this a glass assaulting my palate through the use of hops, spices or yeast flavors? Is the malt a backbone holding everything together like a strand holding up Christmas lights sparkling with flavor? Or has it been lost on the wayside in turn for notes of adjuncts and other characters? Is there an aroma that slaps, kicks or kisses you? Does the flavor linger like a flirtatious smile or fizzle like the affections from a flirtatious smile?
When the first few sips have been ingested and fully observed, I think about the brewer and ponder whether the impression I have taken from his/her piece of art is the same they had in mind. If the thoughts, subtleties and nuances I am experiencing are near what they had as they tasted the same glass.
While my experience as a brewer is not at an expert level, nor am I a grand master Cicerone, what I do know that craft beer is a very individualistic experience. A brewer can direct a glass, but, what you taste is what YOU taste. Just as in art, while you may glace at a grand master piece and pass it by, you may also find wonder and awe in the simple drawing of a child. This is where a trained eye or pallet can help you to appreciate the art in front of you. They can explain techniques or methods use to procure a particular whim or sensation. Educate on the proper way to sip, observe, swirl or smell the craft in your hand. Or tell you of the history and genealogy to a particular brew. But when it comes down to the exact moment of judgement, everything is just between you and that glass. You may try beers that are ranked on the highest level on beer advocate, or listen in on beer snobs on what is the greatest IPA (seriously Pliney and Sculpin are amazing!), in the end it come to the eye or taste of the be(er)holder.
Allan
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