Is Homebrewing A Creative Outlet?

[SpillsMostOfIt]

(warning - art may well be bad)

...and that is perhaps the best and worst bit about art - that sometimes it is just plain bad and yet it is still art. Speaking (writing) as a card-carrying wanker, I think it is the passion with which people refer to their pass-times that defines whether they are a hobby, passion, etc, and that parallels the art/craft thing. I think that someone who cannot speak passionately about their pass-time is unlikely to be considered by many as very good at it.

Bad art is (regretfully) still art. Bad craft is a dodgy job. Bad Street Theatre is what turns people to home distilling.

 

[Katherine]

And Katie, you over-rate food. A $15 curry with an exceptionally well cooked & presented basmati rice kicks arse over Tsetsui (sp?), Aria or Otto styles. We dont need an 18 inch diameter white plate to showcase a 100 gram bit of dry, overcooked fish with a few sprigs of fresh chive to make it a memorable dining excperience. Although Im sure the tuxedo-clad maitre de adds to many peoples experience.

mmmmm I over rate food don't you tell me how I feel or how I rate food! I've dined in fine places, but then I've also eaten a gutter in Saigon, etc etc etc! Po Mo brought up Tetusya's I was actually writing in jest... Expensive food but affordable art!

Artisan bread is best described by thinking about the person who makes the bread. An artisan baker is a craftsperson who is trained to the highest ability to mix, ferment, shape and bake a hand crafted loaf of bread. They understand the science behind the chemical reactions of the ingredients and know how to provide the best environment for the bread to develop. Compare an artisan baker to other familiar craftspersons. A baker's work parallels that of jewelers, glass blowers or furniture makers. They all have a palette of preferred, trustworthy materials. They know how to combine their materials to build something strong and at the same time delicate or elegant. Combining the raw materials in different ways will create various shapes, textures or colors. The finished product is something to be proud of when so much thought and creativity went into it.

 

[Jase71]

Expensive food but affordable art!

How many times are you going to repeat that line, until it's given adequate recognition? Ok, here goes.... You are a very clever girl.

 

[Katherine]

No I don't need recognition... you told me how I rate food! I was just giving an example of what I said!!!!!


You are a very creepy dude!

 

[brettprevans]

stolen from Batz' signature

Creativity & imagination are the first two ingredients of any good beer.

I think making beer should certainly be a creative outlet for people. if you brewing it just for the beer then your probably not drinking the beer for the right rreasons either (is the taste and not to get pissed/have cheap booze).

I try and be creative and imaginitive/put my slant on the beers I make. it is a creative outlet esp for those who are not creatively/artisically inclined. you dont have to produce art to be creative (look at creative accounting :lol: ). So lets all move on from the definition of art v creativity. we all get what was being asked.

creativity and imagination shows passion in what your doing.

as for the naming of brews. yes it would be great to do it for all brews but its a lot of work and theres only so many ways you can come up with differant names for the same brew. besides if its too obscure no one knows what the hell your brewing!

theres also something to be said for following the straight and narrow until you have the basics down, then be creative.

 

[PostModern]

Artisan bread is best described by thinking about the person who makes the bread. An artisan baker is a craftsperson who is trained to the highest ability to mix, ferment, shape and bake a hand crafted loaf of bread. They understand the science behind the chemical reactions of the ingredients and know how to provide the best environment for the bread to develop. Compare an artisan baker to other familiar craftspersons. A baker's work parallels that of jewelers, glass blowers or furniture makers. They all have a palette of preferred, trustworthy materials. They know how to combine their materials to build something strong and at the same time delicate or elegant. Combining the raw materials in different ways will create various shapes, textures or colors. The finished product is something to be proud of when so much thought and creativity went into it.

Artisan != Art

I'm not saying that beer cannot be a creative process. Hell, I think it's the most creative thing I do atm. One thing I reckon could be done well is the production as a work of performance art..

TB, I agree that elements of mundane items can be artistic. The shape of a piece of wood in a chair leg could be done artistically, the fact that a chair can be hewn from a solid lump of tree, etc are all artistic. The chair, or any common object may have art on it, but it doesn't make the chair itself, or the glass of beer ready to be consumed, art. So I think we agree, I may not have put that across well earlier.

 

[Jase71]

Nice edit K. Shame I read it before you did so... ... ...

 

[warrenlw63]

Paraphrase Frank Gallagher;

Make Art History... Cheaper drugs now.

Warren -

 

[jonocarroll]

IMHO craft brewing is a craft...

Craft:

• S: (n) craft, trade (people who perform a particular kind of skilled work) "he represented the craft of brewers"; "as they say in the trade"

http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=craft

but to say that it's a creative outlet is probably pushing it a bit far I think. A creative outlet should let you express your creativity and unless you're making particularly specialty beers (odd things that people haven't tried before, or in a way that people haven't tried before) then you're just doing a craft - something you love doing.

I can't honestly imagine someone saying "this standard bitter is really creative" to a 'to-style' standard bitter. It's when you start brewing waaaay off style that you become 'creative'. I am reluctant to say that 'perfection is an art', but 'perfection is admirable' will do.

As for how art comes into this argument (and I doubt it was intended to) I think this sums up my opinions of art nicely...

 

[brettprevans]

ok since im waiting on a report to come thorugh i have some time to kill. ill weigh into the art v creativity debate.

good example. years ago i was bored sh*tless at a job and started fiddling with paperclips. I made a heap of little paperclip ducks and other animals and things. creative yes. art no. well maybe if i had of made them 5m tall i could have called them art and sol them to some stupid council for $50k!

i think you'd have to say that potentialy beer labels could be art. Look at Andy Warhol. He challanged the concept of what art is. a picture of cow that he made pink. ihe said that could be art (and the original is now worth heaps). same goes for his 'art' he made from pics of tins of cambells soup/. actually theres a cool/weird kids book with Andy's stuff. my kids love it.

but to say that it's a creative outlet is probably pushing it a bit far I think. A creative outlet should let you express your creativity and unless you're making particularly specialty beers (odd things that people haven't tried before, or in a way that people haven't tried before) then you're just doing a craft - something you love doing.

its creative if you design the recipe yourself. if you just copy it then its not. a slight twist shows some cretaive flair. but those who come up with a recipe themselves , thats creative.

EDIT:

Hey Jase- your doing well. youve starting stouches everywhere today! ok only 2 threads.

 

[Katherine]

its creative if you design the recipe yourself. if you just copy it then its not. a slight twist shows some cretaive flair. but those who come up with a recipe themselves , thats creative.

yeah i agree: I think that is why the thread was started.... I think im creative but no artist!

Brewing beer is a creative outlet for myself and my partner... but we also like a beer of two.

Just like bread making is for my partner.... this is his little creatures sour dough!

 

[MarkBastard]

Is Homebrewing A Creative Outlet?

Yep.

It's creative because you create beer.

And afterwards it comes out your outlet :beer:

 

[newguy]

And afterwards it comes out your outlet :beer:

Ahem. Outlets.

 

[brettprevans]

Ahem. Outlets.

the joys of live yeast.

 

[MarkBastard]

The joys of not straining your hobs out and your first glass being filled with hop particles and then doing a baby green... oh wait nevermind

 

[Zizzle]

A creative outlet should let you express your creativity and unless you're making particularly specialty beers (odd things that people haven't tried before, or in a way that people haven't tried before) then you're just doing a craft - something you love doing.

Wait a minute, why is creativity defined by what other people have previously done rather than what you have previously done?

Lets say I had never seen or heard of a stout before. If I independently came up with a beer in the style of a stout on my own then I would think that creative.

But really brewing is a creative outlet if it makes you feel creative. It's a simple as that. We don't need some dictionary definitions to justify our own feelings.

 

[jonocarroll]

Lets say I had never seen or heard of a stout before. If I independently came up with a beer in the style of a stout on my own then I would think that creative.

And if I independently carved a 'statue of David' myself this week, or independently painted pictures of soup cans myself this week, would anyone call these creative in their own right? They would only be called 'creative' if the 'originals' didn't exist already.

If you take the line that anything you create that you weren't aware of before is 'being creative' then someone with total ignorance of their field is by definition 'creative' - no matter what they create. By this logic, an elephant with a paintbrush is the most creative of all artists. We should get the elephant a brewrig - their beer will be the most creative ever. Sarcasm aside, my point is that the word 'creative' is only really powerful when you DO know your field, and yet still manage to create something new.

"Wow Timmy, you've painted your genitals green - how creative" isn't really the same meaning as "Wow Timothy, this stout is like nothing I've tasted before, and I've tasted a lot of stouts - how creative!"

 

[brettprevans]

View attachment hopsoup.pdf
leave me and my artistic/creative soup can alone!

 

[jonocarroll]

"Wow citymorgue2, you've painted your genitals hop soup green - how creative"

 

[Katherine]

I have tasted some very creative brews from some very creative Western Australians whom have creatively won awards!