After lunch, Adam and I made a batch of beer. We used Coopers Canadian Blonde as the base mix and added 1 kg of Brew Enhancer #1 to it. We completed the first part inside, which was to mix the ingredients with 2 litres of boiling water, and then Adam carried the fermenter out to the rainwater tank and we filled to 23 litres. Adam then carried the heavy fermenter to the shed, and we finished of mixing and took the initial specific gravity measurement (1.045), then pitched the yeast.
I then philosophised with Adam and I proposed that yeast were kind of like our current civilisation. Let me enlighten you. Yeast multiply when there is an abundant and reliable food source (sucrose) and ideal living conditions (water temp between 21-28 degree C). They then produce waste that they can’t dispose of (ethanol). If their water gets to hot, they die or too cold, they die (micro climate change). They then multiply rapidly until their food source runs out, and eventually their waste poisons their environment. Most of them die and fall to the bottom of the barrel! Sounds familiar, doesn’t it. I can certainly relate to the analogy and so did Adam. The real question is, will we be like yeast, or will we stop being like yeast and change our behaviours and create a new way of living sustainably?
I vote for living in a sustainable way, as I don’t want to end up like the yeast in my beer fermenter, which is at the bottom of the barrel!
From one home brewer to another, I love the analogy!
Nice one Dad. Very emotive. Sounded almost like Agent Smith from ‘The Matrix’ comparing the human race to a virus. Also, we should of taken some photos of the amber fluid being brewed. Maybe next batch.