CL-106 Jonny Garrett Wonders What Is Beer?
Around the world, the craft beer community disagrees on a lot of things, but one big schism is over what beer actually is. Is it a rigid adherence to historical methods and styles? Or could it also be over-the-top, avant-garde experiments that are as far from tradition as it\u2019s possible to be while still remaining liquid? At Omnipollo Brewing, it turns out beer can be both.
In his latest piece titled \u201cLead Us Not Into Temptation \u2014 Omnipollo Brewing in Stockholm, Sweden,\u201d writer and filmmaker Jonny Garrett goes headfirst into the wacky world of Omnipollo, a brewery best known for its outrageous Pastry Stouts and iconic aesthetic. But being known for one thing hasn\u2019t kept them from branching out\u2014even if they\u2019re not quite sure where they\u2019re going. Today, Jonny reveals what it was like to have his own preconceptions about what beer is challenged by Omnipollo, and how brewing Pastry Stouts emulates the artistry of baking actual pastries. He describes Omnipollo as \u201ctearing up the rulebook\u201d of beer, with outlandish\u2014and yes, delicious\u2014results.\xa0
We also talk about how filming, photographing, and even writing about the art of others is an art form in itself, rife with challenges that can often yield something entirely new. Finally, we\u2019ll touch on that Yellow Belly controversy: what it was like to hear about it firsthand from Omnipollo\u2019s founder and brewer, their intent, the impact, and how context changes over time and in different places. Beer is always more than just beer, so let\u2019s talk about it.\xa0