Baring it All: Transparency in Beer
Nerd, geek, Trekkie—many of us have been called these names in a derogatory manner at some point in our lives, but now they are considered badges of honor. “I’m a _____ nerd,” or “I like to geek out on _____.” Where once promises of wedgies and friction burns kept us in the shadows, our passionate secrets were kept under lock and key to avoid torment and ridicule. Now, we’re viewed in a different light. Geeks are cool—a phrase you’d never be able to convince me of when I was a child sitting in my sweatpants wearing my Mogwai t-shirt and watching A New Hope. Now, a geek or a nerd is associated with someone who has a passionate, almost obsessive interest in something. In my case, I’m a nerd of process. I religiously watched How it’s Made and have an unrelenting curiosity about production methods. There’s something so satisfying about uncovering the mystery of how a can of beer ended up in my hands and what went into making it. My curiosity is what ultimately landed me in my job today, and I respect and appreciate those who are so transparent with their process.
When I was working at my last job at a specialty beer and liquor store, a little brewery opened down the street from my shop. I remember the owner/head brewer and a few employees coming in to ask me if they could stage a few beers in my cooler to see how the bottle design looked amongst the competition. They stood back to assess the design, and I looked at the packaging, reading the words Bare Bottle Brew Co. on the label of the bottle. It was simple yet eye-catching, I thought the design reflected the name well. We got to talking, and I came to find that this new brewhouse was a collaborative of homebrewers who would all make small batches of beer. Whoever was voted as having the best brew would make it to full-scale production; as a former homebrewer, I loved this concept. Five years later, Bare Bottle has expanded their love of beer into wine, coffee, and homemade sodas. Their beers can be found in craft beer stores and served at restaurants all over the Bay Area, and they are continually coming out with new and high-quality suds.
So sure, we have another Bay Area craft brewery success story, so why am I not talking about Anchor, Fort Point, or Seven Stills? While they are all great breweries, and I’ve formed fantastic relationships with many of the employees of these local beer monsters, there’s one thing that sets Bare Bottle apart for me:
Transparency.
They’ve done something in the beer world that I’ve personally never seen; hell, in any industry for that matter. Tell me, when was the last time you went to a restaurant, had an amazing dish, and asked the chef for the recipe? Have you ever sipped a cocktail and were so blown away you asked the bartender what was in it? Did they write down the list of ingredients and how to prepare them, and in what quantities? I’d wager that IF you got the ingredients, the weights and measurements, as well as the step-by-step instructions, were casually yet intentionally breezed over. It’s understandable, of course: these professionals toil tirelessly over proprietary recipes made to keep you coming back, and some are even guarded under lock and key. Not Bare Bottle.
On the back label of every bottle and can is the brewer’s recipe. They not only give you the name of the brewer and all the ingredients of that beer (grains, yeast, hops, and any other flavorings), but they also give you the amounts, percentages, and times added for each ingredient. It’s a beer nerd’s dream. When was the last time you drank a beer and wanted to know what the mash temperature, time, pH, and efficiency was like? Do you even IBU, bro? The information is almost superfluous and, in all likelihood, goes over the head of most casual beer drinkers, but if you know your yeasts, if you adore your hops or if you want to recreate what you just had in your own kitchen at home, Bare Bottle has got you covered. The Bay Area brewery is dedicated to honing their techniques and recipes and sharing their passion with homebrewers and beer lovers in bars and restaurants and living rooms all over.
Sharing secrets and recipes in the name of passion is true transparency and shows the level of dedication for the craft and almost dismisses the capitalist money-grab mindset. My utmost respect goes out to those who give themselves to us through the things they make and envious wonder to those who reveal what makes them so damn good. There’s a level of trust that goes into exposing the process of your product, and for me, that trust goes both ways.
- Jackson Lee