Zen and the Art of Craft Brewing
William
In Beer, Philosophy Posted January 22, 2010
I love beer. This is not surprising to anyone that knows me. I’ve driven miles, changed plans, and hunted far and wide just to get my hands on interesting and tasty brews from all over the place. I also enjoy Zen Buddhist thought. In many ways, making beer is very much an experiment in Zen, there are many steps to brewing that help teach us many aspects of Zen philosophy.
In Zen Buddhism, the aim is to be mindful of a Buddha-nature within all things. Through the rote task of brewing (which has many steps), we must be mindful of the nature of the thing (presumably to achieve enlightenment when our cups are empty).
Preparing the vessel
Having a clean set of tools for beer making is incredibly important. Anything which is not sanitized can ruin a beer by inoculating a delicious, sugary broth with microbes other than the yeast which is desired. In Zen meditation, one must clear the mind, to be still before turning the eye inward. By cleansing the mind of thought, order is ready to be established.
Meditation
When the grains have steeped, the water is brought back to boil before sugary extract is added along with hops in different stages. There is often an hour or more of furious boil going on in the pot and as such, the pot must be stirred to keep the mixture from burning as well as to keep the brew from frothing over and spilling. The home brewer, therefore, must sit and watch as his or her pot boils. An hour spent stirring gives the mind time to process and think clearly. In this way, stirring the wort is meditation.
Discipline
The discipline of regularity is essential to Zen. By being mindful of even the smallest activity, one’s ego falls away and the focus on the task can clear the mind. In brewing, one must be well disciplined to ensure that the beer is heated to the right temperature, all equipment is sanitized, all ingredients are measured & added at just the right time, that the yeast are alive and growing, and that the wort chills quick enough. All these steps must be followed and followed strictly in time and procedure to make beer. The repetition of steps over and over makes better beer each time.
Patience
Enlightenment does not come easy. It is difficult to find the right path. In brewing, even after the stressful and arduous task, you must wait. And wait. And wait some more because the beer will not truly be ready. You are always waiting for the reward with beer: You must wait for water to boil, wait for the hops to open their oils, wait to cool the wort down to room temperature, wait for the primary fermentation to finish (a few weeks), wait for the secondary fermentation to finish (a few more weeks), then the bottle/ keg fermentation (another week at least). This teaches us patience, if any of these steps is rushed, we will pay for it later.
Impermanence
In Zen Buddhism there is a concept of letting go of things in order to focus on the now. The idea translates well over to beer making. I recently had to trow a batch of beer (several gallons) out because it was contaminated. Even when things do go according to plan, the hard work and effort put into crafting a beer still culminates into a perishable beverage that must be destroyed to be enjoyed.
What other sorts of activities do you think might also translate well as exercises in Zen? Leave a comment below and let me know what sorts of activities you do that help you achieve a better state of mind, a hobby that helps get you into a zone where you can focus on the task at hand.
