Drinking On The Way To Happiness

It is a happy coincidence that we chose this topic while the Beer Fair was on, this time in its fifth incarnation.  We imagine that happiness is the default state and that anything less is a sign of something we are doing wrong.  However, it is not really happiness that is the default, but rather apathy or numbness.  Happiness is something we have to work for.  The question then is what we need to do, and how much.  This is jarring for many people, who seem to believe that they should naturally be happy without any effort on their part, and that if something interferes with that feeling they have no sort of personal responsibility for caring for their emotional state and it must be the fault of others if they are under any sort of negativity.  We are told that we deserve a certain amount of success and when we do not reach that level, we feel like we have been cheated.  Of course, the status quo in many forms depends on our expecting a certain amount of joy or ease in our lives, because the idea that we can be happy if only we follow the right steps is a powerful one, one that prevents revolutions and social upheaval.  As long as enough people are happy, or believe they are happy, the majority will keep quiet.

The Source reminisced a little about her teenage years, saying she and her friends were sure that being happy was for stupid people.  Only the most removed from reality could be happy.  As an adult, her opinion began to evolve and she was influenced by the saying "There is no way to happiness; happiness is the way" and helping others started to take on importance.  She also came to the realization that happiness is momentary, rather than a state that can be extended to the point of being permanent.  Hobbies and achievements can contribute to being happy, but she also asked what can impede reaching happiness.  She suspected it had to do with some amount of dissonance between thought and feeling.  Another participant proposed steps to happiness as suggested by L. Ron Hubbard, many of which have a similarity to the Ten Commandments embraced by Christians.  This does echo the appearance of rejection of responsibility or ignorance in the search for happiness that many people, most predictably the religious, ascribe to.

Our Doctor explored the etymology of the word, as he often does, mentioning that the Spanish translation has different origin, hence quite understandably a different feel to it.  The Latin root is connected to fertility and prosperity, giving an idea of what is required to reach that emotional state.  He also introduced the concept of satisfaction versus happiness, and stated that the idea of what happiness is changes over time anyway.  In a later contribution, he chided people for using Indian or Chinese philosophers to try to convince others, calling them cowards.  People hide behind exotic ideas that make them appear learned, worldly, or wise, whether they understand or fully agree with them or not.  We need to find solutions to our problems, but we are not prepared to look for or accept them because we feel protected by our ignorance.  He believes the cured patient might not be happy, but certainly satisfied.  Also, our level of happiness can be reflected in our biology, making it rather more tangible than many of us considered at first.

The Actress took a fairly combative view, stating flatly that happiness was not natural at all, it was a sort of mirage that we are told to chase.  In her opinion, only psychopaths are always happy.  Towards the end, she mentioned human enjoyment of problem solving, which would include overcoming negative emotions to "win" at the game of life.

The True Philosopher told us that the "Way to Happiness" is purely metaphysical, without any ethereal or celestial component.  Happiness is similar to pleasure, but not quite the same thing.  Interestingly, his recent religious experience was one that left a bad taste in his mouth.  In spite of the instigation to happiness that the pastor was trying to achieve, it felt more like rigid dictatorship to the Philosopher, who was not happy at all with the feeling.

The Organizer could not let go of the question of what prevents us from being happy.  More than a path or process, it is avoiding or overcoming obstacles that we need to pay attention to.  We do not even know what makes us happy personally, if we are saturated in ideas that society bestows upon us which are not necessarily for our benefit.  We should think about how much we need to know to make a plan for happiness, to reach it and to maintain it as best as possible.  We need to have an awareness of our own reality and possibilities to efficiently find happiness.  At the same time, he gave us this thought to ponder: just because you are sad, that does not mean you are not happy.

The Deep Thinker was reminded again of chemical stimulants.  It is true that chemicals can produce an effect of happiness, but there is a certain disdain for it.  It is not real happiness if you need outside sources to produce it.  He also mulled over the temporariness of happiness, noting that even objects that please us are not eternal.  He asked if there was a feeling of pleasure that was not dependent on an external and possibly fleeting object, one that could be coaxed into being everlasting.

An Educator gave a bundle of seemingly trite phrases, but under the focus if this topic they could well be truths: happiness and unhappiness are part of the same package; happiness requires a fight because it is easier to accept the bad than make an effort for the good; the best way to happiness is to be at one with oneself.  She also made another point that I think is key, which is that we always need to weigh whether it makes more sense to enhance our reality or lower our expectations.  In the simple explanation of Buddhism, it is not lack that makes us unhappy, but desire for the things we lack.  If we can rid ourselves of the desire for things that are impossible to obtain, we would all be happier.  It sounds like a very rational piece of advice, but the Writer, while not disagreeing, was sure that happiness could not be reached when one is guided only by rationality.

The Seeker of Happiness did not have many new things to reveal at first.  He agreed that happiness is a very individual feeling, and that we have the responsibility to find it for ourselves, which means we need to be aware of what makes us happy.  He also said the feeling was the great stimulus for people to do things, I suppose the desire to reach the feeling really.  He then brought up the contrast of attitudes among the citizens of "free" countries and those in totalitarian states, calling it interesting that freedom provides people with more happiness, while a state that might "work" for the good of the people tends not to be popular.  He also finally gave some explanation of his use of the term "love" in this and other meetings: loosely basing his idea on the Maslowe pyramid of needs, he said food was the most important, but being able to achieve everything else depends on interactions with other people.  Positive connections, of course, are the ones he considers to be love.  I find it a much broader definition than might be useful, but it is more understandable than thinking of romantic love as the only possible way to have a relationship with others.

Whether produced by means of physical activity, chemical intake, or sensory provocation, we do have an internal urge to seek out happiness.  Sometimes happiness wanders into our path for the taking.  Beer fairs have a habit of doing just that.

There were a number of new names for me, which was exciting, although the variety of styles was on the normal side.  Since Sunday is a busy day, naturally, I started near the door with Arriaca.  They had a nice light blond ale, simply called Arriaca Rubia.  The rep called it "golden" and was clearly happy to practice a little English.  The beer is indeed golden, a very happy color, and with a most classic head.  The taste is sharply bitter at first, a refreshing flavor, although towards the end of the glass it gets a little bit heavy.  Perhaps something to clean the palate would be recommended.

Farther up the aisle I found Yakka, which had appeared at fairs before.  On tap they had an IPA and a brown ale, which was named German Bio.  Since I'd started with the Rubia, I felt like something a little different, so toasty beer it was.  It has a nice, caramel color and a sweet smell and a surprisingly bitter taste, which is not at all unpleasant.  There is also a hint of some fruity sweetness in it, not quite honey-like.

La Vella Caravana was lurking around the corner with a name that draws attention: Mataelefantes.  It might seem like a warning about the strength of the brew, but it is a normal IPA at the normal alcohol level.  The name is actually a jab at the former king of Spain, known for his hobby of shooting large animals.  The beer has a good IPA taste with strong bitterness and slight citrus notes.  It has a nice color, opaque orange-y, and just a little head.  There's also a welcome consistency in the flavor, which remains the same in terms of bitter-sweet from top to bottom.  The taste is refreshing and clean all the way down.

Lights!

Look out, Dumbo, or Babar, or...whoever the elephant was in the Jungle Book

Sagra reappeared for this fair, but I didn't pay too much attention at first.  They have excellent beers, it's just that I'm very familiar with them...except for the Framboise they tapped as Sunday was wearing on.  I was leery, Belgian fruit beers do not always agree with me, but I was assured that it was not a lambic, just a red ale infused with raspberry.  So I went ahead and tried it, to my delight.  It really is a lovely beer if you want something just a little sweet, without the tang of the Belgians.  The color holds just a shade of red in the brownness, and the first whiff clearly tells you about the raspberries, but they come out in the flavor only slightly.  It has a very rounded, mellow ale flavor, with the fruit being just a light note on the top.  I found it to be a very relaxed drink, and even with the fruit it doesn't necessarily feel like a dessert beer.  As the glass gets emptied, a sort of spiciness developed, with a kind of cinnamony feel to the hit on the tongue and even in the scent.  It is a moderate and tasty beverage to the end though, and Sagra continues to be a highly respectable brewery.

My final take on Day 1 was a stout.  Not many were on tap this time, which was a little disappointing for me, but the bar itself had Juliett L'Anjub, the L'Anjub brewery's imperial stout.  It's a very representative stout, fantastic black color and light tan fuzz on top.  The stoutiest of scents comes off it, that wonderful mix of earthiness and sourness, which is reflected in the taste along with a nice dark chocolate blended in.  A lovely end to the first day's tasting.

The next day I only had the first hour of business free, so it was a bit quiet when I arrived.  Easy to see the offering.  I started with Santo Cristo, which had an IPA an acquaintance recommended the day before, but I was still looking for something unusual.  They also had a brown ale with chestnuts, Castaña Asada.  Very seasonal.  The brewery is based in Galicia, only founded a few months ago and just now sending out feelers for national markets, and they have a festival in November that traditionally involves roasted chestnuts, so it's not for Christmas, just a coincidence.  Only the chestnuts are used to give the beer's flavor a bit of body, it's hopless.  Very nice color, just a whiff of sweet smell, and an excellent flavor.  The chestnut is prominent, but the taste is very smooth and balanced, without the excesses of sweet some browns have had.  It is a little strong on the alcohol - 7.1% - but it is a very easy drink, clean and tasty to the end.

You see it's been drunk from some on the way to the counter

Finally, there was Maier Imperial IPA, a craft beer from Cádiz.  The south of Spain is not a region especially known for good beers, although Mammut hails from Granada.  Being an IPA, it's a risk with regards to strength, especially after the Santo Cristo, but what the hell, I'm at the fair!  It has a very bright and happy color, another orangey one, like Andalusian oranges maybe?  I was warned it would be bitter at first, but it really was hardly bitter at all.  The foam has just a touch of bitter, but the beer itself is smooth and sweet, a definite caramel touch.  The alcohol content is great at hide and seek, and the beer really tastes nothing like a strong IPA normally does.  It is dangerously delicious.  After about half a glass a big gulp seems to give off some fumes.

I'm allowed behind the bar!  Because it's early, I guess

There seemed to be fewer children this time around, and more glasses broken.  On day 2 there was a smash before the first hour was even up, and it looked like it was soda.  Must have had a few Maier's before that.