| Letter from the Editor: Beer & Broken Hearts |
| Featured Artist: Brewer Jen Kent |
| Ptotem: Raccoon |
| ________________ |
The ptotem for March is the shark.
Submissions of original sharky images
should be sent to pterobones@gmail.com
no later than February 20th. All submissions
will be included in March's Ptero Heart.
Submissions of original sharky images
should be sent to pterobones@gmail.com
no later than February 20th. All submissions
will be included in March's Ptero Heart.
| Welcome to the Ptero Heart of Luna Taylor |
February 2010
Jen Kent is the brewer for Thompson Brewery and Public House
in Salem, Oregon. She lives in a house named Ava.
--------------------------
Hi Jen. Welcome to Ptero Heart. In this interview, we will talk
a lot about the concept of home. So to start, I would like to ask
you about your foundation. Who was your strongest
childhood influence?
I have never really thought about it before, and as I scan my
mind I realize the simple influence that was always there with
me was my mother. She is an artist. She had a wood box that she
kept her paints in, and growing up I would sneak deep-breathed
smells of them when she wasn't looking because it reminded me
of her creations. My mother has always mixed what she loves of
life to make her own religion. She is the strongest woman I know
and also the most giving. It's where I get the "let me take care of
you" part of me. She is so creative and her house, Sadie, softly
radiates her energy.
You also inherited from your mother your skills in the art of
naming?
Yes, as you see her ways have been passed on. All of our cars
growing up had names and she named the house on the coast
where she lives now. My brother and I have both named our
houses. Naming something brings to me a sense of safety.
Names help bring hope into my realm.
Will you tell us about your house, Ava? How did you choose
her name?
Ava is an early 1900's home, and also the original orchard home
for the area. We never seek out their names. It's whispered in the
energy of the house. Tucked behind a huge evergreen, it's almost
as if she is on her own acreage instead of in the south
neighborhood. She is two stories high with three sweet smaller
bedrooms, and lovely high ceilings in the downstairs. The floors
in the bedrooms are all the original pine, redone. She is heated
with an awesome wood stove that reminds me of days of
growing up on the coast. The owner before me put her
foundation underneath her and she is putting a photo album
together for me of her early days. I can't wait to see them.
A beautiful deck off the back porch leads to the hot tub, and just
beyond is my garden that is filled with established raspberries
and artichoke plants. She also has a pal that is my dance studio
just behind her. I haven't named him yet but that will soon come
to me.
There are a few names, some very old, that indicate the gender
of a brewer of beer. Which one do you like best?
The technical name for a female brewer is a brewster. I really am
not fond of that version. I have been tagged a beer goddess, and
also a brew mistress, but my all time favorite was shown to me
by my brewing friend, Grahm, at John Barley Cornes: alewife.
That's been my favorite term ever since I heard it. Alewife. It
just fits.
How did beer brewing enter your life?
I started working for McMenamins as a prep cook and server.
The brewer before me, Gary Nance, lives in Eugene, and, instead
of having to drive up to Salem to do a 15 minute job, he started
showing me little things.
Taking gravities was the first thing he taught me. Little by little
he showed me what beer stone looked like. He would have me
take out the big 50 gallon drums of spent mash to show me how
to do it safely.
Then the company was getting ready to open a new brewery in
Corvallis, and Gary wanted it. So he told me I should try for the
position here in Salem. I had to pass a weight lifting test to get
the job: move kegs onto and lift the dolly with a loaded set on it,
make sure I could huck the grain bags around, and of course
move the mash outside. You know—man stuff !
And you got the job?
I got hired and started from there. You're on your own with
guidance from your brewery manager, helping you make sure
your recipes are to the style. Then you just learn and grow as
a brewer.
In my early brewing eagerness I chose a California Common
style—a nice light beer. In reading my guide it suggested that
you add 10% of chocolate roast to it. In my non-math mind I
decided that 10% is also equal to ten pounds. As I'm brewing
away and starting to see the wort, the liquid beer before it is
fermented, I notice that it is a rather dark color.
So I brew it up and get it all finished. My good brewing pal
Paulie was at the pub, so I told him what I had done. He just
laughed and said I should name it Dr. Who. It's a beautiful
brown sweet ale that we ended up with. It is funny looking at
the recipe now that I know what I'm doing. It was done so
wrong for that style, but the blessing of brewing is that, a lot
times, even if you mess up the grain bill, new magic arrives in a
quaffable beer. Even if it isn't to style.
Let's talk more specifically about McMenamins. In a nutshell,
how can you describe your bosses?
My big bosses, the McMenamins brothers, are two cool guys.
They have saved so many historical properties and brought them
back to life, along with keeping true to the property's original
history. If you are ever able to stay at one of the overnight
lodging properties and immerse yourself in the history, do it. It
is so cool!
And what about Thompson House, your brewery?
My historical knowledge of the place is not very accurate, I am
sure, but I will tell you about her. I know that she is about 107
to 110 years old, and was one of the first homes in the area. She
is sweet with many little rooms tucked away and a great place
outside to sit under the trees.
I love that the house has no foundation. The basement walls are
dirt, and you can see in the back far corner where the original
staircase was. Something always needs tending to, but you love
her. So cozy.
Are there mysteries?
As with many McMenamins' properties I say that, yes, we have a
ghost. Franklin Thompson. Original owner of the house who
passed away there, and, rather funny kind of guy. He likes to
mess with the lights while you are upstairs, or push the chairs off
the tables when you are vacuuming. You always see someone out
of the corner of your eye. Many many stories.
We were also the first brewery to be built in Salem since
Prohibition and, at the end of the month, we are celebrating our
20th year anniversary. Five new beers will be on tap.
What are some of the brew names you have designated that
you are most proud of?
It's funny to listen to people try to order Bumble Blue Pale Ale at
the pub. A lot of my beer names coincide with my emotions.
Looking in my IPAs, I see when I was going through a break up
with a friend—Drama's IPA, Shut-it IPA, Cat Scratch IPA—
emotionally brewed. Broken Pipe IPA was named during the day
that the water pipes burst.
I also name beers for friends that have passed. It always brings
out the conversation about that person when we order a pint.
Magnuson Ale and Mama's Boy Pole-ax are two. I know that
there will be more.
There is my Shooters IPA. A brief friend, Caleb, took his life and
I had made it for him previously when I knew he was coming up
for a trip. I always had this half full keg left over of it that I
never tossed, this was even before he left us. I have it inside my
beer shed to prop my door open when I am loading kegs into it.
I can't bring myself to de-bung it and move it and get it back into
rotation. I just always thank him for holding the door, even
though I hardly knew him.
It makes me wonder sometimes if the guys have the same
connection with brewing. Do they have as much emotional
silliness tied to their brews like I do in my girl way?
Female brewers are rare. Tell us about your position as a
goddess in a god's market.
The really cool thing about us girls is that we are mainly based
on the West Coast with the higher amount of female brewers
being in Oregon and California. It feels a bit odd at times being
in the boys' club. I don't feel that I'm not accepted, but it is
different. People expect more from the girls, but, at the same
time, we get a lot of attention just because we are girls.
It's good to be able to teach some history to people, that back in
the day the girls tended the beer. That was our job. It was
ceremonial and often men were not allowed to help in the
process. But, people could really care less what gender the
brewer is just as long as a great quality product is in your hand
to make your day just that much better. Brewing continues to
expand. I'm just happy to see the brewing world filled with both
genders now.
I'm in a company that has so many brewers, and I am the token
girl. A lot of the other girls either work on their own or with just
a few others brewers. I feel that I hold my own in the industry.
Out of your brew repertoire, which is your all-time favorite?
My Bumble Blue Pale Ale. Close behind her is my Black Opal
IPA—a black-bodied IPA. They are wonderful brews and I enjoy
making them every time. I just got done brewing the Bumble
Blue again, first time since last year, and she smells so good and
is fermenting away beautifully. I still struggle at times with the
Black Opal but he is just that way. A broodier beer ya know?
There is something about Oregon and the comfort of beer.
When I am in Oregon I feel taken care of and looked after in
general, and often by the people running the pubs. What do
you think is it about Oregon that makes me equate it so much
with hearth and home?
It will always be home to you some way. Even if it's just in your
dreams. We love our home and are very protective of it, yet we
are always jumping up and down to show it to our friends. Even
the ones who already live here. It's all at your fingertips—ocean,
valley, desert, mountains—all within hours of each other. I feel
as if it has four equal elements that helps create a balance.
I go crazy in land-locked states. In Oregon you know the ocean
is just right over the coastal range, the big glorious girl pushing
her Alaskan waters down onto us. I never want to leave this
state. Ever.
Where would I be if I didn't get to play in my rain forest? Or
feel my senses tingle when I go up to the high desert? Or find
myself when I am at the ocean? She's a healer for me. She makes
life what it should be. Connected.
But we all know it is often dark and rainy and cold in
Oregon. How does this affect the people?
It tucks us in at our favorite pubs and places and then makes us
freak out and book something for every weekend in the
summertime. We run like neurotic little squirrels flying about
soaking in the sun and being outside for the little bit it is here.
Then we tuck away for the winter and hibernate, and alas,
spring brings out Oregonians wanting to create and move. We
have amazing beer, art, and gardens around here. Let me tell ya.
You've been observing beer culture for a long time now. What
are some of the realities of a culture that evolves around
alcohol?
Oh the realities. It's a hard thing ya know? Alcohol is a way to
relax and see friends and have a good time. But it can become
for some a strong force to be reckoned with. Being in the micro-
brew world I see a lot of wonderful people affected by it. More
men then women in my world. I've seen a lot of my male friends
taken down by it and not able to recover, looking for the
answers in a pint of brew.
I did have a drinking problem when I first started working for
the company and wasn't yet brewing. Working a full shift, then
staying late at the pub with no phone calls as to where I was. It's
different though now because I never, ever, want to be that
brewer who is stumbling around looking stupid. The brewer that
has a problem. I don't brew beer to get drunk or to see my
friends get drunk and stupid. I find it disrespectful to the art.
To me there is a respect line.
I have opened my eyes up a lot to what this concoction will do to
your body. Even though you adore it, there has just got to be a
line drawn in the sand so that you can keep your ahead above
water. Otherwise it will take you down so fast your head
will spin.
What is your advice for broken hearts?
I have had my heart broken through love and friendships. It's
hard with those creatures. You have all these words of advice
and yet everyone knows them. I think we all know what to do,
it's just getting through it that's so hard. My personal way is to
keep myself busy.
Can you recommend the best grilled-cheese sandwiches in
Oregon?
I will brag and say that my wonderful friends Dee and Gary
who own Brownstown Lounge, here in Salem, make the best
grilled-cheese. You have to order it on the Greet Harvest
bread. Hands down it rocks! Grilled-cheeses are an art form
here and you come across them on almost any menu. I think you
will find the best grilled-cheeses at those great little cafes and
little homespun restaurants.
What do you think about pterodactyls?
When I now see fossils or dinosaurs, you are always tied to the
thought. You and my mom. I have fond, fond grade school
memories of learning about the creatures of Times Before. I like
that they are back in my world. I loved watching you hunt for
fossils on the beach with the little rock hammer. What did you
name him again? Shark? Sharky?
Yes, all rock hammers should be named after sharks in my
opinion. Which animal do you most relate to?
The animal that most draws me in is the crow. Growing up,
Mom had this wonderful book my brother and I were obsessed
with. It had a rhyming poem to it for when you saw a certain
amount of crows. We would race to count their numbers, and
then recite out loud quickly until we got to the number we'd
just seen.
I would think about how the words pertained to my life at the
moment. As of late, I keep seeing six crows and that is a thief. So
it sits in the back of my mind and I contemplate.
Crows are also tattooed on my body, and they all pertain to
their numbers. I have two sets of two. That means mirth. And
the third crow I have tattooed on me is my wedding crow. They
teach me to look inside and also at what surrounds me. I try to
keep an awareness of all that I see , and not get sucked into the
mundane routine that sucks at us at all times.
How is having a grounded and safe nest, like a house or a pub
yard or a library, important?
I feel that home is becoming important to people again with the
way the economy has affected so many. I like that the hustle and
bustle has slowed down to where we are now seeing our homes
for what they are. Sanctuary!
Home has always been so special for my family because we
were poor growing up, though we didn't really know it at the
time. Even when we had to clean, we would always crank
Aretha Franklin on the stereo and all of us would clean together,
dancing around the house, and singing into anything that looked
like it could be a microphone. Or a possible air guitar.
I think a lot of people fly through life not seeing where their
grounding roots are in their home. I love going to friends'
homes and seeing how they put their lives into a space. Big
or small I love it when you can feel the energy of who is living
there. I think it helps people see who you are.
Is beer your true passion?
It is my passion and I do truly love making beer!
When I look back on my life I always have different stages of a
passion in me. If I find something I love I tackle it and pick it
apart to see what it's all about, then immerse myself until it is me.
Beer is this for me. You want to create something for your
family and people to love. You stir, and smell, and taste, and
throw this in, and that out, to get to where you want to be.
I still say to this day that my favorite thing about brewing is
seeing the pub customers sitting at tables, or around the fire
sipping my brews, the day's conversation on their lips, and my
elixir is the cherry on top. How cool is that?
What about the close to your story. When you are an old lady,
who will you be?
I just want to do good to others and have others do good unto
me. Simple as it sounds. When I am old I want to be pittering
around my house and garden, chattering back at the crows as
they fly by squawking out a hello to me. I want to still be so in
love with my husband, the two of us still cracking jokes at each
other. I'll be that lady with her garden hat, who brewed beer
for most of her life, and that people will remember with a smile.
"Remember Jen and her beer? Man those were some good
times." That's all I want: love, good friends and beer. That's
my motto!
Thank you very much for playing pterodactyl, Jen.
Jen Kent
Ava
| Featured: The Brew Process Pterodactale |
| M-shine |
Ava
Jen Kent
| Recipe: Beer Bread |