8 Philosophers To Pair Craft Beer With

Craft beer is a booming industry and the level of creativity and innovation that’s going on across the world is something to be admired.?

In my opinion, an interesting companion for craft beer is philosophy. ( I’m talking about more than just setting the world to rights with your mates down the pub).

Ancient philosophies such as Stoicism and Epicureanism are experiencing resurgences and being reinterpreted for the modern day, just as the image of beer has been altered with the craft label.?

With that in mind, I’m pairing eight of my favourite philosophers with craft beer from both a drinking and life lesson perspective.

Socrates -Northern Monk, Eternal

Socrates is one of the most widely known philosophers of all time and his influence has been felt for thousands of years across literature, art, politics and business.?

One of his most famous teachings is that the unexamined life isn’t worth living and his lessons are etched in time. There’s an eternal quality about Socrates and if he were a beer he’d certainly be Eternal from the Northern Monk Brewery.

Based in Leeds, Northern Monk is one of the UK’s most dynamic craft beer brands and it could be argued there was something monk-like about Socrates too with his view of the world.

The brand’s Eternal is a session IPA that comes in 4.1% ABV and has a light, refreshing and crisp taste.?

Diogenes The Cynic - Mad Dog, Stouty McStoutface?

Philosophers aren’t strangers to controversy and few were more controversial than Diogenes The Cynic. Described by Plato as ‘Socrates gone mad,’ Diogenes was a character who trolled Alexander The Great, threw chickens at people, said outrageous things to provoke a reaction and lived a life of voluntary hardship on the streets.

He was also called Diogenes The Dog and a fitting beer for him is the Stouty McStoutface from the Mad Dog brewery in Cardiff.?

Full-bodied and smooth, the stout hits you in the mouth, much like Diogenes’ Cynic philosophy. It’s something you’re meant to sit with, to consume in small amounts rather than drinking it all in at once.?

Seneca - Beartown, Trap?

The Stoic Seneca is one of my favourite philosophers because of his complexity and profound insight into the human condition. There’s an argument to be made that he didn’t necessarily always practise what he preached and there were two sides to the man: Seneca the philosopher writer and Seneca the rich, political powerbroker who served the emperor Nero.

By binding his fortunes to Nero, Seneca trapped himself in a system of chaos, while also locking himself into Stoic philosophy as a way to cope with his choices. This image of a trap is powerful and makes me think of Trap from the Beartown Brewery.

Trap is a pale ale that’s made with German Bamberger pilsner malt and flavoured with Amarillo and Mosaic for some citrusy orange and stonefruit notes. There’s a lot going on with this fantastic beer that is true to Seneca as well.?

Marcus Aurelius - Deya, Urgent Philosophy?

Marcus Aurelius is the reason philosophy became fun for me. His Meditations provide timeless lessons that speak of what it means to be a good human. He wrote to himself constantly, urgently to live his Stoic philosophy and that’s why Urgent Philosophy from the Deya Brewing Company is an appropriate beer for him.

Brewed with a mixture of chocolate, biscuit and caramel malts, Urgent Philosophy is a great beer for pondering life’s greatest questions and comes in at 8% ABV.

?Porcia Cato - Tartarus Beer, Charon?

There’s a misconception that Stoicism is only for men. It’s a cosmopolitan philosophy for people of all backgrounds and there were women Stoics of the ancient world like Porcia Cato.

The daughter of the famed Roman general Cato The Younger and wife of Brutus, Porcia was likely trained by her father in the ways of Stoicism. Stories of her courage and bravery are well-documented and most ancient sources agree that she met her death either spectacularly or with grace.

A beer to send Porcia on her way is Charon from the Tartarus Beer brewery. Inspired by the Greco-Roman ferryman who transported souls to the underworld, this imperial stout weighs in at a heady 13%.

Look out for notes of pecan, maple and vanilla.?

Montaigne - Crafty Cats, Tail Ale

Michel de Montaigne was a guy who was always curious about the world. The creator of the genre of the essay, Montaigne wrote widely about a range of subjects in the pursuit of better understanding himself and one of his favourite ways to do this was with his cat.

Montaigne famously imagined his cat’s perspective of the world and wrote “when I’m playing with my cat how do I know that she is not playing with me?”?

Given his interests, Montaigne would definitely enjoy beer from Crafty Cats, especially the Tail Ale IPA. Clean and smooth, the Tail Ale comes in at 5.5% and has a very unimpressed-looking cat on the label.

I think Montaigne would approve.?

Simone De Beauvoir - Belching Beaver, Existential Joy

Existentialism burst onto the streets of post-WW2 France like a firecracker, igniting the life of philosopher Simone De Beauvoir. One of the most influential philosophers of recent memory, Beauvoir wrote many letters, treatises and texts on the notion of freedom, femininity and sexuality.

She was so industrious that she earned the nickname The Beaver from her colleague and friend Jean-Paul Satre. I can’t think of a more fitting beer than Existential Joy from the Belching Beaver brewery in America.

Existential Joy is a complex drink with many layers. A barrel-aged sour brew that was aged for six months and then rested in Templeton rye whisky barrels for another seven months, the beer has notes of cherry, vanilla and tart fruit.?

Aspasia - Noctua, Night Vision?

Philosophy and controversy have always walked hand in hand and that is certainly true with the life of Aspasia. Many stories are told about the wife of the famous Greek statesman Pericles.?

Some portray her as a courtesan and harlot, while others show her to be an early feminist, skilled rhetorician and philosopher. Aspasia’s intelligence and skills were more than enough to match wits with her husband and Socrates and she can serve as a symbol of knowledge and wisdom.

A craft beer that represents her well is Night Vision from the Noctua brewery in Athens. A black IPA bottled at 7.2% ABV, Night Vision carries a picture of an owl, the symbol of Athena, goddess of knowledge.?

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