Movie Tagline: The most precious things are lighter than the air
First, a word about Smoked Beers. The original smoke beer, or Rauchbier, came from the Bavarian city of Bamberg, and was a beechwood-smoked Märzen. Its smoky flavor came from drying the malted barley over an open flame. Two breweries, Schlenkerla and Spezial, still make a version of this beer. Indeed, they are largely responsible for keeping this unique style alive through the years. But, more recently, brewers have sought to revive and update the smoked beer. From pilsners to stouts to sours, every style seems to be getting the smoked malt treatment. And as much as we would like to talk about each and every one of them, we are going to limit ourselves to one: a special smoked beer from Schlenkerla called Eiche. Also called Schlenkerla Oak Smoke, Eiche is only released during the Christmas season. It was never produced on a large scale because oak was always deemed too valuable a timber to simply burn. Beech was always the timber of choice because of its abundance in German forests. But the Oak Smoke was and is a special treat. This makes it go well with Smoke, a 1995 movie featuring Harvey Keitel as Auggie, the owner of a New York smoke shop frequented by a cast of accomplished character actors, including William Hurt, Stockard Channing, Jared Harris, Ashley Judd, and more. It is fairly unconventional for a slice-of-life 90s movie. It is delicately assembled, and dialogue-driven, with no big scenes to punctuate the small ones. Even the most memorable, telling lines are delivered so casually they can get lost in the shuffle if you are not listening closely. It is revelatory, but quiet; epic in a very small, personal way. Harvey Keitel is the glue that holds the movie together. He helps these frantic New Yorkers slow down and pay attention to the little things in life. He is a philosopher who draws stories out of people, and makes them look at their lives in different ways. And when it's his turn to tell a story to cap off the movie, Keitel nails it. This came out during a weird stretch in his career. Maybe not weird, but weirdly varied. He was a crook with a code of ethics in Reservoir Dogs (1992); a vile, tortured soul in Bad Lieutenant (1992); an outcast neighbor in The Piano (1993); a con man and loving father in Imaginary Crimes (1994); cool and collected as The Wolf in Pulp Fiction (1994); and a priest who's lost his faith in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996). For a guy who could easily make a career out of playing tough guys and gangsters, Harvey Keitel sure does like to keep you guessing as to what he will do next. But Smoke has more in its arsenal than just Keitel. Everyone turns in a solid performance here. And director Wayne Wang does a fantastic job of weaving the stories together so they don't seem too forced or rushed. In other hands, this movie could have easily devolved into contrivance and cliche. But it is well crafted and subtle, hitting all the right notes. Just like Schlenkerla Oak Smoke.
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Movie Tagline: NONE
Gose (pronounced goes-uh) is an old style of German beer from Leipzig, cloudy and straw-colored with a refreshing crispness that is both tart and salty. It does not adhere to the German Beer Purity Law of Reinheitsgebot, as it predates the law. Almost forgotten, the style was revived by a subculture of craft brewers who know that, to make something new, you must know what came before. Knowing where you stand in the context of history helps you envision ways to move forward. The work of Fritz Lang, too, could have been forgotten all too easily. Not because his work is unimportant or irrelevant, but simply because movies from his era of filmmaking don't get a lot of attention in this age of bombast and spectacle. But M is a precursor to innumerable films that are part of a genre that is still fascinating and wildly popular today: the serial killer genre. Even if they don't know it, many people who make serial killer movies today owe a great deal to Fritz Lang. M's straightforward depiction of a child murderer's psychosis and the fervent, paranoid manhunt to locate him, as well as its innovative style and craftsmanship, have impacted films since it was first released. Its influence can be seen in everything from Arsenic and old Lace (1944) to A Clockwork Orange (1971) to Hanna (2011), not to mention countless other serial killer movies that borrow heavily from M's story and setup, knowingly or otherwise. As recently as 2013, the same could not have been said about the impact of the gose style on the craft beer industry. But since then a lot of craft brewers have embraced the style, and it has made a rather impressive comeback. Westbrook's Gose, Destihl's Here Gose Nothin', Evil Twin's Mission Gose, 2nd Shift's Green Bird Gose, and so many more are fantastic beers worth seeking out. But they are all modern takes on a classic style, and therefore not appropriate to pair with a classic like M. That's where Ritterguts Gose comes in. Still made with a traditional recipe, Ritterguts Gose is regarded as the most authentic example of the style. Tart and salty, it has become the blueprint other breweries use as a jumping-off point for their more adventurous modern takes. But none of these new and exciting goses would be possible without the original. Just as Fritz Lang paved the way with his controversial, experimental vision, so too did the brewers in Liepzig and Goslar when they first created the (at the time) spontaneously-fermented, salty wonder that is a true gose.
Movie Tagline: NONE
This pairing comes about because of one particular scene in the German gross-out movie Wetlands. The movie is about a disgusting yet attractive girl who has divorced parents and medical issues with her butt. None of that is important as far as this pairing goes. You see, Brew Cocky is a play on the term bukkake. For those of you who don't know, bukkake is when a number of "gentlemen" encircle a "lady" and proceed to "finish" themselves atop her face and chest. It's not pretty, but there you have it. Sorry, but we had to cover that to get to the Wetlands scene. I know you're excited about it now. So there's a bit in the movie where Helen, the protagonist with the butt problem, relates a story to the male nurse she's got the hots for about an urban legend she once heard involving a local pizza place. Apparently, after dealing with an especially rude customer on the phone, the men who work at the pizza place decided to bukkake the customer's pizza before sending it out for delivery. The scene is beyond explicit, but it's also pretty hilarious, with shots of slow-mo ejaculate and an over-the-top, operatic musical score. There's no other beer in existence to pair with that scene, so Brew Cocky wins the dubious distinction of being the "Best and Only Beer to Drink While Watching Some German Dudes Sexually Defile a Pizza". Congratulations to the guys at 2nd Shift Brewing for that one. Thankfully, I think they will take that as a compliment.
Movie Tagline: It’s a strange world
Blue Velvet is David Lynch's surreal descent into the dark underbelly of small-town America. It is raw and voyeuristic, like something out of a nightmare. But that doesn't mean you can't have a beer and enjoy it. And depending on which end of the BDSM spectrum you fall on, this movie has some options for you: Do you like to be in control? Do you like to physically, mentally, sexually, emotionally, and/or spiritually torture other human beings? Do you like Roy Orbison? Then Pabst Blue Ribbon is the one for you. Drink it with some buddies as you go on a joyride through the psychosexual hellscape that is your hometown. Do you like to watch? Is it even better if the person doesn't know they are being watched? Do you ever get the feeling that you've gone too far? That you're in too deep to ever get out without being fundamentally changed as a person? Heineken it is. Are you a garbage person who doesn't deserve to make decisions for yourself? Are you filthy and disgusting, with nothing to offer the rest of society? Has someone ever put their disease in you? Then you don't get to drink anything. Now go get me a bourbon, and don't you fucking look at me! |
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