Beer 138: Corsendonk Pater and Geniuses

Tonight The Franklin Institute is honoring nine men and women with the uber-prestigious Franklin Institute Medals.  These nine pioneers of science, technology and business are joining the ranks of past Franklin Institute Medalists.  That list is anyone and everyone worth a damn in science and technology.  Marie and Pierre Curie, Thomas Edison, Stephen Hawking, Orville Wright, Bill Gates, Paul MacCready, Fred Smith, Herb Kelleher.

This year’s winners run the gamut from science I couldn’t even begin to pretend to understand (black holes, anyone?) to paleoclimatologists who are leading the conversation about global warming, from the man who figured out how to make super huge telescopes that allow us to see millions and billions of years into the universe’s past to the man who runs Cisco.  Oh yeah, him. I read recently Cisco impacts something like 90% of all Internet communication.  These individuals have vision, fortitude, intelligence and curiosity that is awe-inspiring.

It’s every year around this time that I feel a strange mix of emotions.  It starts with feeling incredibly dumb because when you’re hanging around with people who figured out how to take the twinkle out of stars for a clearer understanding of the universe, it’s hard not to feel inadequate.  But then inspiration strikes.  No, I’m not going back to school to get an astrophysics degree or jumping ship to the next up-and-coming tech start up.  It’s inspiration to be goddamn good at what I do.  (The funny thing is that I’m writing that as I pick tree pollen out of my beer.)

There’s no sense in living if you’re not passionate about something.  Be passionate about your work, your hobby, your second career.  Don’t settle.  Don’t be happy with average.  Don’t miss out on opportunities to be different, to do differently.  Of course you should also always pick the tree pollen out of your beer.

What beer am I picking tree pollen out of?  A Corsendonk Pater dubbel ale.  Corsendonk is brewed and bottled in Belgium.  The Pater poured a deep, dark ruby in my glass.  It had a thick, fluffy head that slowly faded.  It smells of roasted grains and raisins.  The flavor is dark fruit, just slightly roasted/smoky.  It is refreshing, quenching and satisfying.  Good stuff.

Cheers!