To be honest, I had a torrid time trying to uncover that one thing that I truly believed in, my CORE VALUE.

So, I found myself at the closest watering-hole, as I searched for this answer. After a few colored mugs of cheer, I thought out loud and said, just like W.C Fields did:
“Everybody’s got to believe in something. I believe I’ll have another beer.”

I wondered: Should I order the golden yellow, tall and shiny Wit, with its towering glass walls, much like my parents’ supervision? Building a “protective blanket” around me, allowing me to rise to the top of the glass as I lived in my own carbonated bubble, breaking out to face the world head-on?

Or Should I order myself a short and bold glass of a black mystical Stout, much like my deepest darkest vices, my alter-ego – the part of me which undergoes these complex emotions which “aren’t really accepted in society”, or are frowned upon? That fat little glass talks to me and says: “Not everything works out. Not all glasses are meant to be tall. Not everyone has it all hunky-dory in life, but it’s us fortunate ones who are brewed for a longer time duration, creating a much more complex mouthfeel that has an aura of the deeper, unsolved mysteries of the mind and soul.”

I tell myself: I think I should order myself the crystal-clear wit, much like the shiny medals on my bedroom wall, where the CO₂ bubbles and the froth dance to the beat of the music here, making us listen to the distinct and vivid, but basic happy notes and filling us with positivity enthusiasm, rejuvenating me and making me want to live each day to the fullest.

Or no, I think I’ll go with the dark, cloudy and viscous Stout, where the bubbles seem to be catching hold of the subtler and deeper rhythms, making us question each decision we make and dive deeper into the darkness and finding peace in it.

The Wit, the Wit !! says part of me out loud, drawing me to its fruity and natural flavours, the taste of hard work and determination that goes into the process but also one that is short-lived.

Yet, another part of me wants to bury myself into this coffee-flavored-cocoon, with its slightly higher potency and its lovely bitterness, that leaves a longer lingering sensation.

With every glass that I drink, and with every unique incident I live through – be it a happy moment or a sad one: it changes me as a person, changes my perceptions, my assumptions and makes me rethink my core values.

It’s at the intersection of these two beers: a wit and a stout, two shades: light and dark, two virtues: good and evil, two sides: Yin and Yang – where life lies in all its glory, and it is upon us to embrace both and strive to find the right balance between them.

As I raise my hand to usher the waiter, I’ve made up my mind. I think I’ll order them both.

I’ll order them both. Thank You.

Article contributed by: Nikhil Jhanji

Contributor profile: A craft beer fanatic and self-proclaimed beer geek, Nikhil Jhanji is a management consultant by profession. When he’s not working, he can be found making ritualistic visits to multiple microbreweries in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, to indulge his love for local, specialty beers and enjoys his liquid-bread served in a ‘beer-clean glass’ with a well-formed head. A graduate from the Indian School of Business, he is now enthusiastically gearing up to get certified as a Cicerone Beer Server.