Tradition often comes in to play in the beverage industry, and most of us are guilty of being party of it. My own personal love of classic cocktails drives me to find new cocktail recipes that date back to the pre-prohibition era; for some reason that “traditional” way of making drinks just appeals to something inside me. Modern society has somehow pushed us to return to the classic way of doing things. Personally, I think some of this is good. When modernization degrades the quality of a product, then I believe a more classic approach should be used. However, if it helps the quality of a product (Scotch was never blended until the mid 1800s, and was only done to improve the consistency of flavors from one year to the next) then I think new and innovative approaches should be utilized to their fullest potential. So how does that relate to the beer and wine industry?
The craft beer industry has embraced a level of creativity in their products. New, unique brews are coming from craft breweries all the time. These brewers are not afraid to experiment with their recipes and add all sorts of unique things to mix: coffee, vanilla, oak, fruits, sours, and many more. However, the wine industry has stuck by their tried and true traditions of wine making. It is rare to find a wine that has had a spice or fruit added to it so a unique flavor profile can be created. The legacy of wine, and the tradition, has stifled the creativity of the industry. Image a coffee cabernet; the rich, acidic grape flavors mingling with a hint of earthy, toasty undertones from the coffee. Or perhaps an orange riesling; the sweet notes giving way to a slightly citrus finish. Rarely, if ever, can you find a wine that has been made with anything other than grapes, time, and yeast. They just don’t hold popularity these days, and who are we to question tradition?
Where am I going with this? Well, the real point is to see what your opinion is. How would you view a beer or a wine that has been made with unique additions to create innovative profiles? Is it acceptable in one genre, but repulsive in another? How would you handle being presented with a wine that was fermented with cinnamon in the fermenter? I’m very interested to hear your opinions on this post, as soon I would like to attempt another home wine brew. If you had the chance to make your own wine, and could go absolutely nuts with the recipe, what would you create? Perhaps, with the help of my awesome readers, we can create a wine that defies the tradition and comes up with something altogether more wonderful; or, perhaps, we shall agree to stick to the traditional method, because that is a better way of doing things.
In today’s Drink of the Day episode I cover two offerings from Shmaltz Brewing Company: Messiah Bold and Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah. I also open another one of my homebrews to compare it to last week’s opening. We will keep this trend up to see how the beer ages over the coming weeks! Also, in the video I mentioned I was curious what hops went in to the Jewbelation; well, if you check out the website it tells you what malts and what hops went in to the beer! How handy; thanks Shmaltz!
Also, thanks to my good friend Travis, over at SIEGE Films, who was kind enough to provide the intro for the episode. Much like my new love of homebrewing, Travis has recently fallen in love with film making. He’s recording his journey here, and I highly recommend you check him out. I’ve known Travis for 14 years, and can promise his creative prowess and perfectionist personality will result in some really great films. Please add their blog to your reader so you can provide him with comments and feedback, much like I request here!
