I got home this evening and racked Oud Grendel, the peat smoked Wee Heavy I brewed last month. Then I got online and saw an email letting me know that Marc Gaspard, a fellow brewer and beer judge, passed away yesterday evening.
I knew he was in the hospital, that his health had been poor generally of late, and had been meaning to visit him at St. Joseph when I learned he'd been transferred to Research and was in ICU. I don't know the exact cause of death, but when I met Marc over a decade ago, he was already a three time cancer survivor, and I know he'd been dealing with congestive heart failure in recent years.
Marc forgot more about Belgian sour ales, especially Lambics, than I'm liable to ever know, and he made some great ones. It's brave work, playing with all those wild yeast and bacteria to mimic the spontaneous fermentations that characterize these beers. Marc had the patience, daring, and willingness to experiment it takes.
I'm going to miss you Marc, I'm honored to have gotten to judge with you, drink beer with you. I'm going to miss all that, and I don't know where I'll ever find someone I can aggravate so thoroughly with my politics.
1 comment:
So sorry to hear that.
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