Consider the Source
By Austen Conn, Head Brewer and BrewBilt Poet Laureate
Intention. Methods. Ingredients. Proximity. Quality. Execution.
As makers, as artisans.
As consumers, as supporters.
As citizens, as people of thought.
Ponder the pathway. Consider the Source.
How do we draw the lines from our dreams into reality? As we ask ourselves the questions of intention and quality – what elements of our inspiration are able to become tangible threads?
For us, the answer resides in the foundation. We believe our choices as makers can generate change, regardless of how glacial the pace. Conscious choices in sourcing and approach have guided us from day one. We continually invest in these sources to provide us with new pathways for our intent. Ultimately, we’re aiming to produce consistently high-quality beer – but plenty of great folks do that.
To take the vision further we’ve intentionally partnered with our friends at Admiral Maltings who have collectively chosen to source sustainably harvested grain from within the Sacramento Valley from farmers who have been farming that land for over a century.
Initially this can seem solely like an easy talking point. Considered wholly, this is an entire ecosystem of choices and decisions. None of which are easy or without complication. The easy part? Investing in small farmers, within our region, who tend the land and farm our brewing grains intentionally and sustainably.
This in turn creates a line of sight towards our finished product. The artisans at Admiral Maltings then turn this beautiful freshly harvested raw grain into its next iteration of existence. To coax flavor, color, aroma, and enzymatic potential out of the raw seed kernel. This act of hydration, germination, turning, and kilning creates the foundation of malt our brewers need in order to begin the next evolution of product and flavor.
So before we have even begun the process of an early morning mash-in, we have considered the source. We have pondered the pathway. We have placed ourselves into an ecosystem to which we hope we can positively contribute. We ultimately hope the outcome is something much more direct, more tangible. A dream has been forced to reality.
This reality cannot exist within a vacuum for so much as we can produce, we require a community to pour into. So while we remain committed to our cause, we remain continually inspired by you, our dearest supporters. Without you we cannot fully actualize. So we will leave you with our final paragraph of thought…
We recognize we cannot thrive without a proper foundation. As we endure through the challenges we make sure to recall our guiding ethos and aim to be true. Our hope is that regardless of your level of beer knowledge one of our layers of approach or intention can draw you in – perhaps beg the question – or simply just catch your passing glance. As we continue in our journey we remind ourselves and we repeat the mantra “Consider the Source”. As a means of approach, as a wellspring of inspiration, as a mode of investigation and engagement.
