Nature & Outdoors
Deeply inspired by nature in both brewing and art, I'm especially fascinated by the impermanence of things which to me is most obvious outdoors; be it in the changing seasons, in a fallen tree, or in a perished animal, where for one thing to begin another must end. For me, beer is therefore an interpretation of natural processes where mindfully sourced ingredients are transformed by micro-organisms into these elixirs we get to enjoy.
Foraging
Ever since I was a child, my family would forage for mushrooms, berries, or herbs, while I wandered endlessly through forests and meadows. This meant learning to live with the seasons and paying close attention to changes in the environment. Eventually this also seeped into my brewing practice, as I forage for seasonal ingredients to incorporate in my beers, such as the "Woodland Wonders" elderflower saison featured above. Brewing with foraged ingredients brings me closer to nature, allowing me to slow down, think local, and work with what is given instead of just what's in an online shopping cart. When foraging, I try to be mindful of Robin Wall Kimmerer's "Honorable Harvest", in particular to never take the first nor the last, to never take more than I need, to leave some for others, and to not waste what I take.
Hiking
I've loved the outdoors since as far back as I can remember, and the connection between nature and beer began before I even started brewing: whenever I would go on a hike I would also bring along a trail beer to drink on the summit. Few things are as rewarding as a cold beer on a hot summer day enjoyed over an Alpine landscape after hiking up a mountain. As I started to brew myself, those trail beers innevitably became my own, as seen below.
