The two most significant Stoic philosophers were Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius- the former a slave, and the latter a Roman emperor, making Stoicism literally a philosophy of slaves and emperors. This dichotomy is matched in Deschutes Breweries beer “The Stoic,” part of which is aged in Pinot Noir barrels while part is aged in whiskey barrels.

This might sound a little pretentious to you- it did to me- but you can actually taste both flavors in the beer. There's a little hint of a wine taste and a little hint of a whiskey taste, making this one of the most complex-tasting beers I have ever enjoyed. I highly recommend you try a bottle, because it's not like anything else I can think of but it tastes really good.

On the philosophical side, though, I'm not so sure. I initially wanted to compare the wine taste to one of the two big names of Stoicism, and the whiskey taste to the other- but how would I go about it? Is wine in some way like a slave-turned-philosopher, or is whiskey in some way imperial? Or is it the other way around? In pondering these weighty questions as I drank my beer, I began to notice a larger problem.

The ideal of Stoicism is a state of serene dispassion. After drinking a glass of the Stoic I did feel more serene, but I cannot say I felt less passionate. In fact, due to the rather high alcohol content of this brew, the second glass began to make me more jovial than serene, and the third glass made me more talkative than dispassionate. So, while I am delighted with the beer itself, I'm afraid it will not contribute at all to your quest for Stoic sagehood.