Deepika tilts a small vessel toward the lamp and a faint cloud swirls inside. She watches you watching it, smiling. "That is alive. Every beer in town starts with this. You cannot rush it, and you cannot fake it. Ask me how long it takes to trust one strain." The lab is quiet and the cultures are happy. Come closer, look carefully and tell me what you notice. Most people say nothing. The ones who ask questions get to stay.