The microcosm of beer, and the macrocosm of life.

So, I have been doing some thinking today. Being a little introspective if you will, which if you know me doesn't happen often. Not to gloss over something that is important and serious in my life but I have a family member that is gravely ill and it got me thinking. And, as this chain of thoughts shows, we all deal with these things in our own way. Somehow my thoughts turned to beer and how it relates to life in general.

So, in brewing, we take a living organism and give it food and shelter. We nourish it, nurture it, and try to keep it from getting sick. In some ways it becomes a child to us, and yes, I have been known to talk to it. If you haven't guessed I am talking about yeast. That magic little fungus that takes basic sugars and converts them into alcohol which, when you have the proper mix of grains, water and some hops, hopefully gives us beer.

Now, in thinking about this, I realized that every time I brew I get to watch life begin and end in a matter of weeks. It's the beginning and end of time for all the yeast know. In watching yeast when it's active, I have witnessed clumps of it banding together to help find food and survive for just a bit longer. Higher thought process or not, they do the same thing we do, survive to propagate more life.

In nature, though, it seems these little guys have a bigger purpose, to break down matter and return it to the earth. That begs the question, what is our purpose? We live, eat, breath, and give off copious amounts of Co2, just like yeast, but where do we fit in? We celebrate coming into this world and mourn leaving it, yet in the end what is it for? Yeast are here for mere days and we get 80 years if we are lucky, which is not long at all. Yet in those few days, a yeasts actions can seem more grand than ours.

I guess what it comes down to in the end, is what have we done of purpose lately? Think about that and then go home to your family, or call them if they aren't nearby, tell them you love them and start making plans. Plan big, give life some purpose, and hopefully when our time comes we can say we lived with purpose.

Keep evolving.

Call of the Wild.

Well, this is it. I have finally succumbed to all things interwebs related. Facebook? Check. Twitter? Check. Blog? Wow....check. It's weird how wanting to start a business makes you want to connect.

Anyways, as the days drag on and the seasons change I'll be posting my random musings about brewing and the industry in general. There will probably be lots of drinking involved and probably some beer reviews. Hopefully I have something interesting to say and hopefully you enjoy reading what I have to say. Until later, keep evolving!