![]() ![]() Have a homebrew.” It was Papazian’s motto. I noticed an old poster, a little yellowed with age, hanging above one of the workbenches. He’s saving that one for the day she turns 21 and can enjoy it with him. A beer he brewed on the occasion of the birth of his daughter, Carla, now 10 years old. Collectible beers from trips to Denmark, South America, England. Some early beers from San Francisco’s Anchor Brewing Company, one of the first microbreweries in the United States. Canned editions from the beginning of his career, when he was still a grade school teacher, homebrewing in his spare time. These are the beers for remembering.” He pulled down a few keepsakes. “The cooler out there-that has the beers for drinking. “These are the collectibles,” he said, dragging his finger over the bottles that lined the shelves. “But it’s a version of the same set-up I’ve always used. “People expect some sort of high-tech lab,” Papazian says. With biology, with chemistry! With life itself! Take yeast, for example: Depending on temperature, pressure, motion, it gives off different compounds. “That’s because the enzymes in your mouth are breaking down the starches.” He went on, “Now look, I don’t want to get too Zen-like, but what I’ve always loved about brewing is that you’re dealing with organisms. “You’ll notice that the longer you chew, the sweeter the barley gets,” he said. He encouraged me to taste a small handful of the grain. ![]() Smooth and not overly assertive.”Ĭrossing the garage, he found the barley he’d used for a different batch. “It’s got a porter-like quality to it, doesn’t it?” he asked. It tasted soft each sip melted on the tongue, like chocolate. “As a hello, or as a thank-you.” He offered me a pour of a recent concoction: a dark lager made with hops he’d grown in the field behind the garage. “I go to visit a buddy, or I give a talk, and I bring some beer,” he explained. He does not sell it, preferring to dole out samples to friends. These days, Papazian brews a five-gallon batch of beer about once a month-typically a lager or an ale. ![]() Right, Papazian has kept detailed notes about his yeasty adventures in journals stretching back decades. This article is a selection from the June 2020 issue of Smithsonian magazine Buy Subscribe to Smithsonian magazine now for just $12 ![]()
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