It's Beer:30!

I'm not sure whether I have written before about my infatuation with clocks. I'm sure I have mentioned my home brewing hobby. Since Jill and I moved into our lovely little bungalow in 2019, I am fortunate enough to have a dedicated space that I have turned into a tiny brew pub. This pub is an upgrade from the area I used to use in the RV garage/home workshop of our previous home, and when I set it up, I felt the need to come up with a different name for this facility. 

My previous setup was named after the street on which we lived "Hillcrest Brewing." Since we no longer live on Hillcrest Drive, it seemed appropriate to give the new facility a new name. And that brings me back to my infatuation. 

My interest in clocks may have begun in my childhood, when I shared a bedroom with my older brother. Somewhere along the way, he was the recipient of a little weight driven wall clock that looked like an owl. When the pendulum swung, the owls eyes looked left and right. When I was four or five, it was magic. 

In dental school, I bought my first true collector's clock in a little shop in Newport, OR. My classmate and best friend, Maury, and his wife, and my first wife and I went to the coast for a weekend. We wandered shops, and when we found a place with old clocks, both couples of us  were smitten. In what could only be called a leap of faith (or perhaps, lunacy), my wife and I decided to purchase an "antique" wall clock with the money we had saved to pay property taxes on the little house that we were lucky enough to buy on a rent to own deal. Maury and Bev also bought a clock. We wrapped them carefully for the trip back to Portland, and dubbed the car "the Tick Tock Express." 

Over the ensuing years, I have created a small collection of both wall clocks and mantel clocks. During my bachelor years, before I married Jill, I had all of the clocks on display. Oh, what a glorious din their chimes made in concert at noon!! The most recent addition is a mantel clock with a Westminster chime that Jill bought for me at a yard sale. Didn't I tell you she is the perfect wife? 

Wait, I thought we were talking about your brewery. You're right; I get carried away on the subject of clocks. One more thing about the clocks; Jill was not enamored of that glorious din when she moved into my home after the wedding. (Well maybe not the absolutely perfect wife.) So, for many years the clocks sat silently in various places around our home. 

Now, back to the brew pub. It is located in an extension of the garage that the previous owner used for a wood shop. With some minor remodeling, a bit of wiring and a bit of plumbing, it became not only my brew pub, but also my man cave. At last a place for my clocks that would not bother Jill with the glorious din, and they make very appropriate decor for the pub part of the brew pub. I decided to name my new brewery "Clockwork Brewing."

Our son, Patrick, is a very clever artist. I made photos of all of the brewery clocks (there are others 😬), and Patrick used the parts of the clocks to create a logo. 

The brew pub space has evolved over the years and today it looks like this:

So, clocks and brewing...combined. I suppose you could say these are nerd hobbies, but I don't mind. I have resigned myself to my nerdiness. But along the way these hobbies have taught me some life lessons. From clock collecting, I have learned a few things about precision. From brewing I have also learned about precision, but more importantly, I have learned a lot about patience. 

 

I have a dear friend who used to brew very fine wine at home. I never had the patience to wait a year or more to enjoy the "fruits" of my labor, you should pardon the pun. Beer can be ready for prime time in a matter of a few days to several weeks. Granted there are specialty brews, such as barrel aged stouts that can take several years, but I brew so that I can enjoy a nice beer with friends. It's not like grilling a steak. You do the "cooking," and then it takes a while for the beer to be table ready. Some patience (like some assembly) is required. And it's fun to learn the process and to experiment a bit with ingredients. I have learned enough about yeast to become a pretty good baker of bread, as well! 

On a more philosophical note, these hobbies have taught me about life. The clocks measure the moments of my life as they tick away, and they remind me how precious each moment is. Between the pandemic and my battle with leukemia, I have missed most of the past five years of my grandchildren's growing up. Looking at photos on Instagram is just not the same as showing them how to bait a hook or plant a garden. I didn't have a grandpa, so those things mean a lot to me. That makes my victory over cancer all the sweeter, because Jill and I will soon be able to do those things with the grandkids. 

Brewing reminds me of the glory of God's creation. When you think about it, His provision of grains from which flavorful sugars can be extracted and yeast that will interact with those sugars to create a touch of alcohol to warm the heart and a lot of bubbles to tickle the tongue, is pretty wonderful; no, it's downright miraculous. 

 

It reminds me once again of the magnificence of all of creation, including the human body, which can heal itself from wounds, do battle with microbes too tiny to see, and even reproduce itself, providing us with the joy of children and grandchildren. And though I couldn't have beaten this scourge alone, with the knowledge that God has provided to the medical world in concert with the amazingly adaptable human body that He designed, it is possible. I am here as living proof. 

 

One day, my walk on this blue-green globe will come to an end, but thanks to my Lord and Savior, I will simply move on to His heavenly kingdom and spend eternity with Him. In the meantime, He has given me some more time to enjoy family and friends, clocks and brewing and the magnificence that He has made. 

 

In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:2-3)