As many of you may know, beermaking is my current pastime and small joy.
Consumables for each 5-gallon batch of beer run roughly $90-$150, which is to say somewhere in the neighborhood of $2-$3.50 a bottle. I could cut some corners and probably shave costs down a little, for instance, reusing my beer yeast (risky for fermentation and flavor) or using cheaper adjuncts (risky for flavor and depth). And this back of the envelope equation also isn’t accounting for unexpected costs. Mesh bags wear out, sanitizer gets used up, hydrometers shatter.
Yet if I am to continue in my pursuit of beermaking, I’m also choosing to ‘pay-to-play,’ I accept these costs as necessary, even if I wind up messing up and having to throw out the entire batch (thankfully not the case, so far.) They represent a barrier for access to the real world practical skills and experience I need to improve in my craft. These costs are essential for the part-timer or hobbyist not just to learn and develop into the professional, but simply to understand their own limitations; if they want to continue in a field altogether.
In the past year I’ve been doing this, I’ve noticed prices have crept up about 25% so far. The essential framing of additional price increases tacked onto goods and services is being described as an ‘affordability crisis.’ I would argue it’s creating a more concerning ‘opportunity crisis.’ How does an art student create art if they can’t afford art supplies? How does a musician create music if they can’t afford an instrument? How does a developer learn to code without access to a reasonably capable computer? How do amateurs become professionals?
If only the independently wealthy can afford to pursue a creative endeavor, how then does anyone outside the independently wealthy gain access to those same opportunities? One thing I find disconcerting is that this is a longer term risk in our society -- today’s mentee might be tomorrow’s maestro. We need the next generation of talent to mature as older artisans retire or pass on.
A counterargument could be made that those who truly have passion for learning a trade will make these sacrifices; perhaps. But how many people are discouraged from pursuing a new skill because they simply don’t have the money? And how many people are discouraged from continuing because they can’t afford to spare the burden compared to other, more essential costs? And how often is this occurring now, compared to previous generations?
I believe the answer is more than a handful, and I fear the wake that is coming in our society is something we have yet to face.