The Session #5: Atmosphere

The Session is a monthly group beer-blogging event. I participated in the first one and kept meaning to participate again but somehow it hasn’t happened. I like the idea though and this time the topic is something I care about deeply enough to get off my duff and craft a posting.

The topic is “atmosphere.” The question: where, when, with whom, and why do you drink beer?

The simple answer is “yes.” It’s like the opposite of Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham story: “I would, I could drink beer in a car, at a bar, on a star. I would, I could in a tub, at a pub, with my buds. I really like it Samiam. I like to drink it in a can, I like to drink it with a dram. I like drinking beer Samiam!”

But what is the “ideal?”

Now that is a question to ponder long and a cause for eloquent elocution. It is a vague destination toward which I shall now mosey forthwith.

My favorite reason for drinking beer is to talk with one or two close friends and solve the world’s problems while getting slowly, profoundly drunk on very good beer. The best such session usually involves a late night adventure that might be mostly forgotten the next day. Maybe it’s just a walk to a nearby park or to a late night convenience store for peanuts. But inevitably it is more fun after several beers and several hours of working out solutions to war, poverty and greed – and global warming and deforestation and, well . . .  everything. With solutions in hand, the adventure becomes purposeful. We are united in our knowledge that the world will be a better place tomorrow and therefore we now must get peanuts – or walk to the park and wade in the stream – or whatever.

The last time I did this was with a friend in town visiting from Portland, Oregon. At the end of the night we walked a few blocks down the street to a house that has a little table in front of it with free stuff on it. Usually there are a few books. Once recently I actually found a glass carboy which I immediately snatched up for homebrewing! So on this particular adventure, I felt a need to give back. I brought a decent-sized box of books and simply deposited them on the table. At the time it seemed like we were making a radical affirmation of the oneness of humanity and contributing to the free access of knowledge. In reality, I was just dumping a bunch of old books that I didn’t want to throw away. But brother, at that moment, I was bonded with the world in a way that only deep beer drinking can deliver.

Basically, this whole drunken philosophizing thing is just that: a bonding ritual. And that’s really what I’d call my favorite “atmosphere” for drinking beer.

Oh, and televisions should absolutely never be involved.