Beer may be humble but it is not simple. We as the brewers construct a recipe to yield a product to suit our vision. When you think of Washington DC, you know that it originated with a vision. The nation’s loved buildings in Washington were ranked the best in the 2007 American Institutes of Architects poll; some of its classical vision is White House, the US Capital, the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, the Washington Monument and the Supreme Court.
A brewery based in Washington DC has done it again putting Washington DC on the spotlight, taking a well known and loved beer an Indian Pale Ale and infusing it with sorghum. Postdoc Brewery in Redmond has launched this beer this month. The sorghum infused Indian Pale Ale it is Postdoc brewery’s greatest vision in the year 2023. Beer is democratic. It does not depend on the finest real estate or limited geographic destination that is how come Obakeng Malope a South African beer brewer and the founder of Beer is Art collaborated with Postdoc Brewery in the United States for the recipe of this beer.
Civilization and civility thrive where there is a pot of beer. Beer brings people together on common ground and has been doing so for thousands of years. This beer shows a sense of community whereby a South African brewer and American brewers decided to work together and infuse each other’s cultures in a beer.
The story of Indian Pale Ale (IPA) is so vast. You read about it and get so many versions. The British sailors, while sailing to India, loaded up barrels of beer with hops, because hops were a preservative. The hops hung around in the beer for so long that they lost their fruity flavour and left a bitter tasting beer “one author says”. True India Pale Ale evolved from October ales shipped to India, most famously by a London brewer, George Hodgson. This is according to another author.
The new generation of brewers are trying to make their local beers meaningful, fresh, and exciting again. That is taking a recipe that is well known and adding an exciting twist to it increasingly the past inspires the future. These brewers are happily translating their ideas into characterful, drinkable beers, at the same time; many craft brewers are looking to move beyond hops, seeking to brew something meaningful using local food and drink traditions as well as indigenous plants. There is a huge interest in creating beers that incorporate local ingredients.
This is where the sorghum idea came to play. There a strong cultural link to sorghum that still remains in South Africa. Sorghum is seen as a culturally significant food, part of the South Africans indigenous foods and is part of the South Africans cultural heritage. If you have been to the villages in South Africa you can remember seeing men and women on a tractor in the morning, huddled up together at the back of the tractors trailer some even wearing a winter scarf to their faces in an attempt to avoid the cold wind going in their face while the tractor is taking them to the farm to harvest sorghum. Another person can remember a beer traditionally made from maize and sorghum by the women, specifically grandmothers for special occasions, such as contacting the ancestors, weddings, funerals and traditional meetings.
Sorghum is used for cultural practices and it gives South Africans a sense of identity. Obakeng Malope did not think twice but suggested the sorghum idea to Tom Schmidlin founder and head brewer of Postdoc Brewery.
Craft brewing is a business of course, but it is much more than that. It’s a movement with artistic, social, and political dimensions. Craft brewers everywhere remain passionate about their calling to make delicious and creative beer. Beer is a shared skill.
Obakeng founded Beer is Art. She was afforded an opportunity to study beer brewing and she wanted to pay it forward. The campaign teaches about beer, that beer is not something that you drink and get drunk off. They teach beer and food pairing, beer brewing, beer podcast and licencing. They show the unemployed youth over the age of 21 that they can turn beer into a career. The name of this beer is called Beer Is Art it is named after the beer is art campaign.
For More Information:
https://postdocbrewing.com/