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HOP LINE: To brew is human, to be craft, divine

by Jason Cole

Beer is beautiful. Beer is plain. Made from grains, plants and water, beer is of the earth, born of human ingenuity and necessity. As we have evolved, so has our relationship with the world around us. Our understanding of science and our environment moved us from necessity to luxury and then to art. What a fascinating creature we are, to be able to take those things so basic a need as to eat and turn it into an art form. Whether a chef, winemaker or a brewer, using a medium of necessity to create things that move us is a true art.

Craft beer is a celebration of both the earth and art. There is no better time to reflect on this than at harvest. Since ancient times, humans have used beer to celebrate the harvest. Thus beer and festivals have become companions. The most famous of these is the Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. Most people know of the massive amounts of beer that is served, the oversized pretzels, the funny attire of the locals and the sheer debauchery that results. But that’s a tourist trap. Oktoberfest is a celebration of what is at the heart of the craft-beer revolution. We need only to look at its roots and the people who keep it alive to know why.

In October of 1810, the Bavarian king invited the people of Munich to the fields outside of the city to celebrate the marriage of his son, Prince Ludwig, to his bride, Therese. The festivities included a horserace, a parade and (of course) beer. The king commissioned the breweries of Munich to brew a special beer to celebrate the wedding. As a basis for the wedding beer, the breweries used a harvest beer; Maerzenbier, or “March Beer,” was a beer that was brewed in March and then stored in caves over the summer to be consumed in the fall. The people had such a great time at the wedding that they decided to throw the same party again the following year. A tradition was born, and Oktoberfest became a signature festival for the Bavarians.

Bavarians live by one word: Gemuetlichkeit. It has no direct translation to English. In a few words, it means “the good things in life.” It is a sense of place, of togetherness and of friendship. I’ll bet Bavarians smile more than any other people in the world, and that’s not just from the beer – though beer does play an important part in Bavarians’ lives. It is a vehicle toward Gemuetlichkeit. It enhances it, nurtures it. No people more understand the true nature of beer than the Bavarians. For a people to have such a grand festival founded on these principles, the Bavarians understand what we mean when we say “craft beer.”

As craft beer continues to gain strength and popularity, it is very important to remember why we call it craft beer. It is not a particular flavor or the quantity of beer produced in a year – craft beer is a mindset, an outlook on life and a view of the world. It is a celebration of humanity and its positive effect on the things around us. To be craft is to be natural. Craft is a response to the mass-marketed beers created in boardrooms and marketing focus groups that are thoroughly un-human. Craft beers are born from artisanal-thinking men and women with a passion for edible art. Much like harvest festivals of the ancients, craft beer is saying we acknowledge the earth and our relationship with it. Craft is a part of the larger movement to celebrate the givings of earth and man’s ability to create beauty with it: the human triumph. Those principles are not far from those of the Bavarians, who 200 years ago found that celebrating the good life, appreciating the beautiful and using beer as a backbone for it all was worth remembering once a year in grand style. And at its heart, we find it was born of a celebration of love. Love for each other, love for the earth and what it gives us, and there is nothing more craft than that.