While perfecting the recipe of our easy/familiar/Mediterranean lager, we were storming our brains out looking for its name. “NORMA” casually came through our notes, as it was one of the main contestants for our brewery’s name (instead of BABEL). Buuuut NORMA was already in use by other brands, so off it went.
We really liked NORMA. We felt it expressed our disputable certainties. A wondering beer, ready to question itself. (As you may understand, we had plenty o’ time. The brewery took 2,5 years to complete, to say that we over-philosophised stuff is an understatement).
– WTF am I? Am I a norm? A conventional one? A norm everybody is doubting? And if so, is that actually a good thing?
– What’s the norm in lager beers anyway? The Mediterranean or the Northern European recipe? Or is lager the normal beer category?
– Will I ever become the norm?
– Do I even want that?
A BEER THAT VALUES CRITICAL THINKING. A BEER FOR THOSE WHO DON’T FOLLOW THE NORM - AND CREATE THEIR OWN. GOOD, HUH?
BABEL’s first beer.
Our Norma. Our norm.
And then we came across this interview by Rick Rubin and it really clicked, so here it is:
I believe in everything
anything
I believe in everything until proven wrong
And even then, I’m still on the fence
You know,
That it’s possible..
There is nothing in the universe
from a single atom
to the larger cosmos
about which we have complete information
So with the limited info
we are drawing conclusions
And that’s why these conclusions keep changing
as times go by..
I’m always looking for a better way to do everything
And I never accept
whatever the accepted version of something is
As “oh that’s how it’s supposed to be”…
Rick Rubin
