COLObrewer
Well-Known Member
After years of brewing multiple different fermentables with multiple different adjuncts and yeasts in many different situations and receptacles I've come to the conclusion that this hobby (or profession or addiction or compulsion, etc) of ours is more than a mere craft.
I believe it is craft utilizing science mixed with experimentation mixed with creation mixed with colaboration. It is a means of expression, it's manipulation of various ingredients, methods, process's in order to affect a response from ALL of our senses.
It has invoked numerous different emotional responses from me at times, I have been exstatic, happy, proud, intrigued, amazed, puzzled, saddened, lethargic and crushed, some of these at the same time.
Of all the "hobbies/recreations" I've tried, . . . I have painted, sketched, fabricated in various ways (wood, metal, leather, etc), I have played music, built cars, built houses, exercised in numerous ways, etc. . . . This is the one that endures in it's full glory and repetition.
I believe it endures because it is a mixture of so many of the different emotional experiences that have come with all these other hobbies or recreations. It is also an activity that has endless possible combinations of techniques and ingredients making it ever changing and never boring.
I FEEL, my fingers get sticky from hours of picking, sorting and bagging of hops, I SMELL these same hops as the pungent aroma fills the air, of course I TASTE a sample before I'm done bagging. I SEE, and SMELL, the pebbles of grain as they slide down the hopper into the mill, of course I TASTE them after they are crushed. I SMELL, as the liquid rests among the grains, then boils, then ferments and transforms into gold, of course then I TASTE the liquid before it is drained or bottled. I FEEL when I burn my hand on the handle of a molten pot. I SMELL and SEE the yeast as it comes alive. I FEEL, the aching back and muscles the day after lifting, walking, carrying, stirring and other physical motions involved in brewing. I SEE, and I SMELL, as the glass nears my face increasing my anticipation. I FEEL, when I drink from a mug or a glass, be it cold or warm. I FEEL and TASTE as the liquid washes through my teeth, around my gums and tongue, sliding down my guzzle and warming my core. I FEEL, . . . GOOD.
Yes my fellow brewers, I FEEL, this is an ART, what say YOU?
I believe it is craft utilizing science mixed with experimentation mixed with creation mixed with colaboration. It is a means of expression, it's manipulation of various ingredients, methods, process's in order to affect a response from ALL of our senses.
It has invoked numerous different emotional responses from me at times, I have been exstatic, happy, proud, intrigued, amazed, puzzled, saddened, lethargic and crushed, some of these at the same time.
Of all the "hobbies/recreations" I've tried, . . . I have painted, sketched, fabricated in various ways (wood, metal, leather, etc), I have played music, built cars, built houses, exercised in numerous ways, etc. . . . This is the one that endures in it's full glory and repetition.
I believe it endures because it is a mixture of so many of the different emotional experiences that have come with all these other hobbies or recreations. It is also an activity that has endless possible combinations of techniques and ingredients making it ever changing and never boring.
I FEEL, my fingers get sticky from hours of picking, sorting and bagging of hops, I SMELL these same hops as the pungent aroma fills the air, of course I TASTE a sample before I'm done bagging. I SEE, and SMELL, the pebbles of grain as they slide down the hopper into the mill, of course I TASTE them after they are crushed. I SMELL, as the liquid rests among the grains, then boils, then ferments and transforms into gold, of course then I TASTE the liquid before it is drained or bottled. I FEEL when I burn my hand on the handle of a molten pot. I SMELL and SEE the yeast as it comes alive. I FEEL, the aching back and muscles the day after lifting, walking, carrying, stirring and other physical motions involved in brewing. I SEE, and I SMELL, as the glass nears my face increasing my anticipation. I FEEL, when I drink from a mug or a glass, be it cold or warm. I FEEL and TASTE as the liquid washes through my teeth, around my gums and tongue, sliding down my guzzle and warming my core. I FEEL, . . . GOOD.
Yes my fellow brewers, I FEEL, this is an ART, what say YOU?
