Beer Break: A Colorado Brew and Bukowski Quote

After writing five blogs about some of my favorite things—a book, a band, a poem, a team and a film—it was time for a break.

Rather than diving deeply into another object of fandom, I thought I’d kick back with a beer (or several) and write briefly about something I love without exhaustively explaining why.

This is the first in an occasional series I’m calling “Beer Break.” It’s a pause, a respite, a recess from the time and energy I typically spend on these entries. Unlike my usual lengthy commentaries, “Beer Break” is more of a vignette in which I pithily pay tribute to a favorite drink, quote, song, poem, whatever.

The debut of “Beer Break” features two things I’m a fan of—a beer from Very Nice Brewing in Nederland, Colorado, and a quote from Charles Bukowski. Surprisingly, they’re connected.

Let’s start with the beer. It’s Very Nice Brewing’s Royal We IPA, which I rated 4 out of 5 on the beer ranking app Untappd. The town of Nederland, about 45 minutes west of where we live in Boulder County, boasts an elevation of around 8,200 feet. Beers poured at such a high altitude always seem to display an exceptionally frothy and airy head, as seen in this photo.

The beer is perfect after a day on the slopes of nearby Eldora, a hike in the surrounding forest or simply walking around town and enjoying Ned’s quirky vibe. And yes, it’s as tasty as it looks.

Now, onto Bukowski’s quote. It is depicted partially in the header image above—that mural is from inside Very Nice Brewing’s taproom, hence the connection—and pasted in its entirety below.

It’s a quote I’ve long admired for the author’s honesty, humor and refusal to accept society’s conventions. The sentiment is one I readily identify with, even if I don’t always adhere to it. Here it is:

For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can’t readily accept the God formula, the big answers don’t remain stone-written.

We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command nor faith a dictum. I am my own god. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state and our educational system.

We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.

–Charles Bukowski

As I wrote on Facebook a few years ago about this quote: “Fuckin’ A.”

I still feel that way, maybe more so now because I’m older and because of the quote’s relevance to all the wars happening around the world—the literal wars abroad and the figurative wars here due to political and religious zealotry.

As Bukowski implores us—and I wholeheartedly agree with him—we should kill it all.

But, he adds, even as we do that, even as we forge our path and find our voice and strive to kill war, we must remember to savor life. That’s how we prevent the bullshit of those zealots from bringing us down too much.

With that, I’ll bid farewell. Thanks for joining me on this inaugural “Beer Break” while I plot my next blog entry. In the meantime, I plan to enjoy another beer and continue reflecting on Bukowski’s quote. I hope you’ll do the same—either with the above items I shared or with your own favorite beverages and quotes.

Cheers.