The second installment of our conversation with 1664 Blanc co- creator Sylvie Lienhart. This time around we get into whether women are scarce in the world of new beer development, what she does when she goes hiking, and Sylvie’s preferred way to enjoy 1664 Blanc.
IT’S A WOMAN’S WORLD
Mistaken in our assumptions about the beer blending world, we imagined Sylvie as the sole woman in a sea of men. “Not in our company,” she tells us. “There are so many women in product development here at Carlsberg beer. It most definitely is not just a man’s world.”
Her gut feeling is that while men might be more drawn to the technical side of things, women are often drawn to the creative side of tinkering with beer recipes. It was this talent for tinkering that came into play when she was creating 1664 Blanc. She also suspects that women might be more patient by nature, definitely a virtue on the often long road to developing the perfect brew. But Sylvie went on to clarify that beer development and production is always a team effort.
DOWN TIME
Living so close to the German border in Alsace, Sylvie and her husband (who also worked at the brewery) often head to the Black Forest to go hiking with friends on Sundays. How do they end such afternoons? in one of the biergartens dotted around the forest. She enjoys discovering different tastes as well as the larger serving sizes, which adds another dimension to the experience. Exploring small local breweries is also on the agenda.
On one such afternoon, Sylvie and her husband were discussing the beers on offer at length, from aspects of their taste to their varied origins. “Excuse me, Sylvie,” her friend interrupted. “While you are both talking about every single beer on the menu, we are already on our second beers and you haven’t even ordered yet!” Once a beer lover, always a beer lover.
HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?
As Sylvie had such a big hand in creating 1664 Blanc, she was subjected to a pop quiz on ways to enjoy it. As hoped for, she was not short on ideas.
“I really like 1664 Blanc at the end of the day with friends, enjoyed as an apéro*. And those evenings in summer when you stay out late talking about how you can improve the world, sitting outside, a refreshing 1664 Blanc in your hand....speaking of summertime, I often pair it with fish or a seafood BBQ. It is the perfect way to end a summer day.” That does sound more than mildly tempting. And you? How do you enjoy it?
* French shorthand for apéritifs. See more here [smartlink to apero article]