23, October 2015: In the popular and growing field of craft beer brewing, there are a few individuals who go on to quiet greatness as makers of fine craft beers. Today we cast the spotlight upon Master Brewer Mark Cook of Bent Kettle Brewing, a modest genius among brewers who is in it solely for the love of a glass of fine craft beer.
Cook is a private and modest man, one not usually inclined to reveal too much about himself. Little is publicly known of this Master Brewer who is rapidly growing in popularity among lovers of fine craft beer. The author of this editorial happens to be a fan of Bent Kettle craft beer. So an interview was sought to learn more about what we don’t know about Cook.
What You Don't Know about Mark Cook
Mark Cook, an Optometrist who operated his own practice for over 20 years, attributes his success at brewing craft beer from a high level of attention to detail. At first, he started out brewing as a hobby, learning the ropes of making beer by following the instructions that came with a beer kit and some basic equipment. He learned all he could about the step by step process of making a batch of good tasting beer. http://bentkettle.com/about-us/mark-cook
He quickly learned the basics and got them down very well. His foundation was strong once the time came to innovate and use some brewing creativity to make some truly new and interesting blends such as his signature brew Insolence and another popular craft beer called Thwack.
As a medical doctor Cook is a fanatic about cleanliness and sanitation. This adherence to cleanliness carried over to his brewing efforts. Mo
st often when you taste home made beer that is flawed it comes from lack of attention to sanitizing the preparation equipment and maintaining an almost operating room level quality of sanitation throughout the brewing process. To Mark Cook, there is no such thing as "good enough" when it comes to how clean his beer brewing facilities are. His standard of excellence stems from his long experiences as a trusted medical professional.
A basic personality trait in a person who is devoted to making only the finest of quality craft beer is patience. This patience shows itself in a number of ways though Cook's craft brews. It shows itself in his willingness to shop without tiring to get the finest ingredients for the next batch of craft beer he makes. It shows itself in his willingness to only buy enough materials for one batch and then go out and buy a completely new set of materials each time just to make sure his ingredients are perfectly fresh and of the highest quality.
Above all this true Master Brewer will wait as long as it takes for that beer to go through weeks of fermentation and aging. And if he takes that beer out after the cycle is done and tastes it and it isn't up to his high standards, he will cycle it another month or two or more until it reaches a level of high quality that will be acceptable to those craft beer drinkers who have the most discerning palettes.
Finally, Mark Cook is that one Master Brewer in a thousand who is going on to greatness in making the best craft beer imaginable. All this growth from the simple beginnings a home brewing hobby setting makes him impossible to discourage.
The idea of giving up because one batch of beer didn’t come out right or something else introduced a set back to the effort is out of the question. It is that kind of persistence combined with patience, cleanliness, attention to detail and creativity that is the perfect personality blend that makes Cook a great Master Brewer who continues on toward greatness in this wonderful passion of craft beer brewing.
Enjoy the fruits of creativity and brewing excellence in a draft of craft beer from Bent Kettle Brewing. Visit their website for more information and locations where Bent Kettle craft beer is sold. http://bentkettle.com/beer-finder
Video about Bent Kettle Brewing: https://youtu.be/ADEVEYC3OxM