Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is right around the corner!
While there are many practices associated with Rosh Hashanah, there are two that nearly all Jewish people participate in: Personal Reflection and Feasting.
It is at this time of year that we’re asked to reflect on our harvest from the year - literal and figurative - and delight in the year to come. This practice is encapsulated in the ritual of eating apples and honey, the harvest of one year with a reminder of the sweet year to come.
Individuals weave many myths, stories, and rituals together to create their own identity, and small businesses are no different. Chaos Cyser was originally brewed for a family Rosh Hashanah feast and took on elements of Greek myth and modern brewing techniques as the company grew and expanded.
As harvest begets harvest, Chaos Cyser has woven a thread through our business. It was our first canned product and really changed the face of the company. It has gone in and out of production as people’s tastes have changed. (Not dissimilar to how brewing mead has gone in and out of practice amongst Jewish households for centuries.)
This year I watched as Autumn, our artist, transformed the work of our original can (which was drawn by another dear friend of ours), to make an absolutely beautiful piece of art.
The mead itself has also changed as we’ve experimented with everything from new yeast to different apples. In the new year, we’re finally going to be able to use a true cider base to start the process rather than the apple blend we’ve been using. We don’t know what changes this will bring, but we’re so excited to learn.
In each harvest, there are the seeds of the future. This year brought us our son Erik and made Nora a big sister. It’s impossible to merely reflect on the year that’s been without thinking of what the next year will bring for them, for our family, and for our community. May it bring all of us peace, safety, and another bountiful harvest.
Shanah tovah umetukah. Happy New Year, may your New Year be Sweet.
