The Art of Wort

Lunch at Mum’s

Kiwi and Passionfruit Sour

Bodriggy Brewing Co.

Chapter 1. Laying in Cans

Ts’ao kung, in defining the meaning of the Chinese for the title of this chapter, says it refers to the deliberations in the bottleshop, or in front of the fridge at home.

1. Sun Tzu said: The art of wort is of vital importance to the State (of mind.)

2. It is a matter of deliciousness or of mediocrity, a road to a civilised pint or smashing cans like a ‘mad lad’. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which on no account can be neglected.

3. The art of wort, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one’s deliberations, when seeking to determine the beer to be selected at the time.

4. These are (1) Moral Law (2) Heaven (3) Earth (4) The Commander and (5) Method and Discipline

5. The MORAL LAW pertains to flavour and deliciousness, and causes the drinker to imbibe and enjoy regardless of perception, undismayed by trends.

6. HEAVEN signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons.

7. EARTH comprises pricing, logistics, how far one needs to travel to obtain the beer, how far one needs to go in order to consume it.

8. THE COMMANDER stands for the virtues of sobriety, wisdom of choices, generosity and restraint.

9. By METHOD AND DISCIPLINE are to be understood the marshalling of the beer in its proper subdivisions, the appropriate quantities to obtain, the correct glassware and the careful deployment of appropriate beverages at appropriate times.

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Chapter 7. – On Adjunct Sours

1.  Upon observation of Bodriggy ‘Lunch at Mum’s’, it should be noted that the beer will pour a very pale yellow, almost milky in its opacity, with little to no head.

2. It yields aromas of passionfruit immediately.

3. It yields the flavour of passionfruit immediately, however, it must also be noted that you can taste the kiwi – rare in a beer of this stripe, where the subtle qualities of the Chinese gooseberry can easily be lost.

4. The lovely sourness is fresh, tart and crisp with a vibrant fruitiness; coupled with the brut enzyme the initial bloom of flavour is swift and decisive, and the initial strike melts away rapidly to leave the perhaps slightly unwelcome retaliation of an almost lagery, crisp, grainy finish. A potential cause for this is a rapidly kettle soured brew in place of a longer, more traditionally soured process. To minimize your exposure to such an onslaught, you should brew longer with natural souring agents.

5. The fizz is present but gentle and coupled with a pincer of delicate vanilla sweetness creates an almost creamy sorbet-like quality. It is important to note that this sweetness is neither cloying nor overpowering, as a pavlova – or a pavlova beer – can have a tendency towards.

6. A beer drinker who finds themselves taking note of all these elements prior to finishing the can will arrive naturally at the conclusion that this is rather drinkable drop, lacking funk and complexity of a traditional style of sour and instead presenting only clean, fruity characteristics – aside from the steep malt drop off at the back palate, which can be forgiven its presence when all else is in harmony.

7. In summary, should you find yourself presented with an encounter with Lunch at Mum’s, one should try to dictate conditions thusly; the field should be bright and sunny, late afternoon, when you and your forces are a little parched. Be prepared to mount an offense against the brew with a tall, cold glass and be prepared to take on a number of waves until all the opposing forces are depleted and spent. Then you will know the taste of victory, and of Lunch at Mum’s – a successful sortie into the style of pavlova’d ales.