“Cleanliness is the mantra of a brewer,” agreed Julien, as he washed the last pieces of equipment once the brew day had finished. It was a gloriously sunny Saturday, and I had come to pick up some beers and chat a bit with the team at Viking Brew Lab, a small craft brewery located in an industrial park some 30 minutes by train from Zurich.
The sight of him, wearing turquoise rubber gloves and scrupulously examining every nook and cranny, reminded me of how often people mistake brewing jobs for all-day beer sampling. In reality, it’s never-ending cleaning, scrubbing, and disinfecting. Washing, steaming, mopping, wiping.
These days, a lot of breweries look cleaner than ever—maybe because of COVID-19 precautions, and maybe because, in this time of stress, cleaning has become a kind of meditation. Just like how fellow Fervent Few members unwind and find solace in running, hiking, cooking, and other activities, I find the dogged pursuit of hygiene can be its own comfort. In a brewery, it’s a win-win for everyone: Self-soothing on the one hand, and hey, a little additional effort doesn’t hurt the beer, either.
I wanted to ask Julien if he needed help with the final touches, but I guess he didn’t. During my train ride home I caught myself murmuring, “Washing, steaming, mopping, wiping, never-ending disinfection,” to the tune of Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” and giggled like a small girl. I can’t wait for Viking Brew’s new beer, and I guess I have a name to suggest for it, too.
Words + Photo by Lana Svitankova