It’s the first Friday of September, Beer Blogging Friday, meaning it’s time for another round of The Session. This month’s topic is brought to us by Bill Vanderburgh of CraftBeerInSanDiego.com, and he is asking us to write about Beer and the Good Life:

Beer ads famously sell us “the good life”–fit, scantily clad friends imbibing on boats and beaches in the summer sun. But that’s advertising, not real life (not often anyway). So how does beer fit into a well-lived life? What does beer mean to being a good person, or having a good life?

Bill offers an additional comprehensive list of ideas to write about, should anyone need prompting.

Before I go any farther, I would be remiss in not mentioning that here in Bend, we have a brewery literally named GoodLife Brewing. It’s not an accident either:

GoodLife Brewing is a tribute to the incredibly good life we live in Bend, Oregon, our hometown. On foot, bike, skis, in a kayak, on a cliff, over a mountain, and under a full moon, our beer makes life better. Each brew is crafted with the finest quality ingredients money can buy. Northwest and select imported hops, quality malts, and highly prized pristine Central Oregon water that has won awards and acclaim from experts who know good H2O.

Our trademark is brewing an outstanding, well-balanced beer that is not overly bitter, sweet or heavy. With our custom-designed brew system, we produce exceptional craft ales known for their distinctive malt balance and hop aroma. When you down one you’ll say, “Cheers to the GoodLife!”

The good folks at GoodLife brew good beer, as well, worth a visit for anyone traveling to Central Oregon. And in a further (tenuously coincidental) connection, I will note that GoodLife was originally planned to be named Noble Brewing—until they changed the name to avoid any potential conflict with Noble Ale Works, located in Anaheim in southern California, home to our host Bill. (Okay, 95 miles away from San Diego, but still!)

To Bill’s questions, which are rather philosophical.

How does beer fit into a well-lived life?

It fits as an amplifier, in moderation, to the enjoyment of that life. I suppose it depends on each individual’s own definition of a “well-lived life” of course, but I’ve found that beer has been a gateway into other experiences I may not have encountered otherwise. Not “gateway” as in “drug” but rather, the topic or idea of beer as much as the liquid—writing about beer, for instance, as I have for years, has led to connections with brewers and people in the industry and opportunities that I would never have known otherwise.

What does beer mean to being a good person, or having a good life?

Highly subjective and everyone’s views and opinions and experiences will result in a different answer to this question. I don’t have an answer. Beer might play a role in being a good person, or not; it might play a role in being a bad person as well. I guess to a good person, having a good life, “beer” means a positive part of that life—whatever form that might take.

As far as fitting beer into a well-lived, good life, I don’t have the answers but I do have some general guidelines or advice that might help.

• Drink in moderation; be aware of your limitations.
• Drink what you want, not what marketing/trends/peer pressure say you should drink.
• You don’t have to like every style of beer.
• But you should at least try every style of beer; be adventurous.
• Drink lots of water.
• Don’t judge, mock, or denigrate other people for their beer choices.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously.
• Be gracious; if someone offers you a Coors Light in earnest, drink it.
• At the end of the day, it’s just beer, even if it’s not just beer.