Dear IBS members,
After reading Tony Forder's accounts of his brewing day
from the day after the attacks made against the United States
of America, I felt compelled to make a submission to the
Forum on the behalf of not only brewers, but for the citizenry
of Canada.
I do not presume to speak for an entire nation, but the events
surrounding the latter few days have prompted me to make
my first submission, albeit unrelated to brewing.
I work at Granville Island Brewing Company in Vancouver,
BC, Canada. I work as an assistant brewer, also dividing
my time between bottling, deliveries, and giving tours. On
September 11th, I found myself with the unenviable task
of giving a public tour; I had heard much news of the
attacks from 7:30 am PST onwards.
Vancouver, being a very tourist driven city, and Granville
Island a beacon for all sorts of visitors, had more than its
share of tourists that day. On my regularly scheduled tour
I had three people from Australia, two from Mexico, two
from Japan, and a couple locals. All had heard of the
atrocities carried out in both NY, Washington, and
Pennsylvania.
My problem was this- Also on the tour were a middle-aged
couple from Cleveland, Ohio, who had not yet heard of the
attack. Being guests in our city, our country, the couple had
left their hotel at 7 PST, and had remained completely
oblivious thus far. Invariably, I discovered this fact upon
completing the brewhouse tour. Silent and stoic until the
sampling component, one of the Aussies, a nationality
associated with candour, asked them what they thought
about that morning's events. They were shocked.
Over the next hour (tours normally lasting half an hour, tour
and taste included), any predilections, biases or past ill-will
were shed. I assure you, this had nothing to do with the
drink service. The people on my tour, regardless of language
barriers, political leanings, whatever, spoke openly, honestly,
and clearly on the subject at hand. It was like witnessing a
microcosm of the UN. People cried, openly wept, offering
not only formalized condolences, but heartfelt apologies for
what had taken place.
I felt a genuine sense of well-being when I went home that
night, not because I felt I had facilitated an open dialogue,
or torn down international barriers, but because I saw
humanity, concern, and empathy for one another and the
state of the world in every person who sat at that table. It
may sound overblown, or like the punch-line to some
macabre joke, but common interests (even though it was
beer!) brought people together for that brief period of time
to diagnose and address the illness, the most base of motives,
for what had just occurred.
No toasts were made. It would have been inappropriate.
Total strangers helped break the news to this poor couple
from Ohio state, and consequently helped them through it,
to comprehend, to accept it as fact. I was impressed.
To everyone from within or outside the brewing industry, be
strong in the time to come. Seek solace in the company of
your loved ones, or, if you should find yourself in some
far-flung part of the world, the bar-stool scholars who will
listen to your plight. If my experience was any indication,
they will hold you up and lend a hand, shoulder, or ear.
Deepest sympathies from Granville Island,
Tyler Austin Bradley
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