A Brewer's Contemplation

This past weekend was a success. Not only did I manage to completely avoid any schoolwork, or shirk all responsible pursuits for that matter, but I am one step closer to finishing my next batch of homemade beer.

The process that occupied my Saturday morning is known as racking. Unlike the corporate breweries such as Budweiser or Coors that produce a shameful example of beer, home brewers do not utilize a filtration system but instead use the racking process.

In the most simplest of terms, to rack one’s beer is to move it from one glass carboy (container that holds beer) to another. Compared to brewing day, or opening the first bottle, this is a bit more tedious of a process but one that is necessary.

Once a beer has completed the fermentation process, it leaves particulates and a caked layer of yeast at the bottom- not something you would want in your drink. Racking beer allows it to continue to the next stage in the process, while leaving the junk behind.

There are often moments in life, where we too, may need to undergo a racking process. An opportunity to move forward and mature as an individual while leaving those unwanted particles of the past to be tossed out on garbage day.

I remember using the transition from high school to college as racking process. As a student in a new town where there was fresh start, I was able to remove obstacles from my home town that would have impeded my capacity to grow as both a student and an individual.

When racking beer, there is a specific procedure to follow. One cannot merely pour it into another container, as it would carry the undesired content with it.  The beer must be siphoned with highly sanitized equipment that is carefully placed as to eliminate splashing and minimize the amount of oxygen and external elements that could be exposed to the beer.

Certain tasks, that seem tedious in procedure and minimal in importance, can often play a major role in the success or failure of a goal. When racking, it is just as important to keep new bacteria and possible contaminants out as it is to leave the unwanted behind. Beer is highly sensitive to its surroundings and easily contaminated while it is being produced.

If self-improvement is to be a worthy end worthwhile of one’s effort, then as individuals and as a society that is constantly moving from one stage to the next; it becomes important that as the next chapter is entered, old stumbling blocks are left behind while necessary precautions are taken to eliminate new vices and corruption.

It is necessary to go through a filtering process. It can be unhealthy for the beer, as it ages, to remain mixed with the particles and yeast that, through a reactive chemical process, made it what it is today.

As an individual, it is important for progress and growth to learn from the experiences and challenges that are faced. It is unhealthy that as one grows and matures, he or she still faces the same problems of one’s younger years.

When it comes to racking, it’s best to do it right and as clean as possible. A little work can go a long way and after all, no will want to taste bacteria infected beer.