In Relation to More

When you look up the word “more,” here are a couple of the definitions you might find:

• used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs; “more interesting”; “more beautiful”; “more quickly”
• comparative of “much”; to a greater degree or extent; “he works more now”; “they eat more than they should”

Typically in our society, we consider “more” to be associated with better; however, when it comes to “more,” “better” doesn’t always follow. Take the statement “less is more,” which is generally attributed to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in regard to his minimalist-architectural style. What I believe van der Rohe is trying to express in his famous statement is a sense of balance between the decorative arts and the functional. Or, to put it another way, that simplicity and clarity lead to good design—be it design of beer or buildings.

So, as brewers, should we align ourselves with the various schools of design that exist or are evolving? Should we have schools of thought or paradigms that drive the decision-making process in regard to brewing? If so, how is it that you decide to follow one paradigm versus another? I would challenge all of us to think about how and why we make the decisions that we do in regard to the beer we make. How does your personal philosophy influence the beer that you brew? The challenge that faces every brewer is not how to brew a beer that’s higher in alcohol, or has more IBU, or more whatever it is that you want to throw into the recipe. Rather, the challenge is how to make beer more interesting.

At New Holland Brewing Co., we have preached and we have practiced what we believe to be a modern course of brewing through one simple word: balance. This may seem contrary to what appears to be the current reactionary course of placing emphasis on “more.” However, is this “more” trend simply a response to decades-long inaccessibility to flavorful beer that started with Prohibition and was supported over time by the commoditization of beer? We may never know, but certainly we don’t want our decisions to be based off knee-jerk reactions to perceived mistakes of the past. So we believe it is within balance that we find complexity without absurd IBU counts, and we find flavor with appropriate levels of alcohol. Bigger and smaller, more and less—these fail to determine the direction that the beer takes. Instead, we strive to achieve interest, complexity, dynamism, conversation, debate and opinion. In short: a life of balance. When all the elements are represented onstage with appropriate intensity, then your beer has arrived.

As brewers, every barley kernel, every hop cone, every yeast cell and every ounce of water should be considered carefully. The solution to recipe design should not simply be to add more.

Albert Einstein is quoted as saying,“When the solution is simple, God is answering.”

Amen, brother. ■