Career Day

My 4-year-old daughter, Charlotte, brought a memo home from pre-K the other day asking parents to participate in Career Day. My wife, Connie, read the memo aloud: “I think you should do it… your job is way more interesting than mine.” This is an ongoing debate of ours; Connie is a professor of historic preservation, I am a brewmaster. What’s interesting to me may be something quite different to a bunch of pre-K students, their parents and the faculty of my daughter’s school.

I’ve known some of those parents to enjoy my beer at Moon River on occasion, so I’m confident I’ve got their support. I’ve even received a low-key prop from Charlotte’s teacher, who noticed my uniform shirt. “Are you really a brewmaster or is that just what the shirt says?” My answer was met with a smile and a discreet thumbs-up. On the other hand, I’m sure preaching to kids about the importance of math and science for making delicious beer will be a little upsetting to MADD and the typical “My Jesus beat up your (insert distained spiritual icon here)” demographic. Hmmm… What do I care? It won’t be the first time in my life I’ve ruffled feathers.

So, chilluns… listen up to what the brewmaster has to say:

Nurture your inner Willie Wonka
I like to think of brewing as a creative science. A big part of craft brewing is drawing on our creative intellect to act on and react to our media in ways that distinguish our beers in the brewing world. I’m not just talking about coming up with crazy, new recipes either. The single most exciting part of brewing for me is coming up with new ways to improve quality. It’s true—you must have a firm grip on the math and science—but the creative part of our brains helps us apply those skills in crazy, new ways… like chocolate waterfalls!

Put the master in brewmaster
With all that creativity flying around, we must also have the discipline to know our process. Brewers who shoot from the hip get lucky from time to time, but on the professional level, you cannot afford to play those odds. Before you get too fancy, you must master the basics. My money’s always on being a smart brewer, not a lucky one.

The Golden Rule
I’m sure for every unkind, critical comment I’ve ever made, there are at least two or three seething, mean-spirited reviews of my beers. Conversely, the kind words of people who enjoy my beer have kept me going for about 15 years now.

“I think I can, I think I can… ”
These days, when it comes to fixing things, it seems like people are either too scared to mess with it or just plain lazy. Doesn’t anybody tinker anymore? Don’t get me wrong, I have broken lots of things beyond repair just trying to fix them. But each one of those experiences taught me a little something about what to do next time. It seems to me, everything in life works this way. Believe in yourself and take notes along the way.

A powerful thirst
No, not for beer… for the knowledge of beer. My brewer, Chris Lady, came to us with absolutely no brewing experience (not even a batch of homebrew). Now, as a serious beer enthusiast or advanced homebrewer, you might consider yourself a better candidate for his position, but you’d have some pretty big shoes to fill. Chris’ excitement for learning and his strength as a team player have been his keys to success with Moon River. Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to learn about something by which you are genuinely intrigued?

I can’t help but wonder how things may have been different for me if someone along the way had suggested that I might grow up to be a brewmaster. Perhaps I would have made more determined choices and pulled them off with a little more grace. I hope on Career Day I can give these kids something worthwhile, but I don’t know if they’ll have any idea what I’m talking about. I guess when you boil it down: I really just hope Charlotte’s impressed. ■