Beer Barrels & Blockbusters

It's almost Halloween, so we wanted to do something creepy for this edition of Facing Off. And what's more creepy than that scene of JCVD dancing in Kickboxer?

We're calling this one "Most Awkward, Most Unnecessary"

Schwarzbier, or Black Lager if you're not into the whole Deutschland thing, is another one of those super old beer styles that doesn't want to fit nicely into our contemporary notions of what it means to be an ale or a lager. It's roasty and dark, like a stout, but light-bodied and easy-drinking, like a lager. So that's fun.

We also talk about base and specialty malts, and how to use them. You know you can't resist that, so why even try to fight it?

We're reviewing some more beer reviews for our third episode of September. It's fun, as always, and it gives us an opportunity to feel superior to others, which is something we desperately need from time to time. So stop staring blankly into The Void for an hour or so and give our pointless goofery a listen instead. Don't worry about The Void; it will still be there when we're finished with you.

We're talking about an obscure but sought-after Belgian beer style today, the Lambic. But we also go into the remixed version of that style, which adds fruit (and sometimes sugar) to make it more approachable.

Then, on the pairing side of this episode, we delve into movies that never made it out of development hell.

And, on that note, here's a link to a story about the many attempts to make a film version of A Confederacy of Dunces:

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2006/12/the-development-hell-of-a-confederacy-of-dunces.html

We're Facing Off again, this time about some legendary character actors. We're discussing our favorite movies featuring James Hong, Stephen Tobolowsky, and William Fichtner!

Not one. Not two. We're covering THREE beer styles today!

Oh, the humanity!

Thankfully they're all very similar. They are Ordinary Bitter, Best Bitter, and Strong Bitter. So strap in, this one is going to be a doozy!

Today we're covering everyone's favorite beer style, the American IPA! I also rant about Disney, throw out over a dozen beer and movie pairings, and I think there's a random Xenia Onatopp reference in there somewhere, too. Enjoy!

Grab your woodruff syrup and your Beer Bible because this episode is all about the beer style that Napoleon once called the "Champagne of the North!"

But, you know, it's not really ALL about that. We also discuss drag balls, Pan-Asian Markets, and much, much more!

We're Facing Off on our favorite sequels past two. That's third or higher. It's trickier than it sounds.

We're talking Belgian wheat beers today. This beer style was almost completely extinct at one point, but one man's dedication saved the style from obscurity. It's a very interesting story.

There's also a bit of an anti-capitalist rant in this episode, so all of you easily-triggered, money-loving snowflakes should considered yourselves forewarned.

Here's that article about Pierre Celis I mention in the episode:

https://punchdrink.com/articles/rebirth-americas-original-witbier-celis-brewery/

Oh, and here's the one about Spring Breakers and Britney Spears:

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8247403/spring-breakers-britney-spears-everytime