November 23, 2011

Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout

Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout (2011)
Brewed and Bottled by Otter Creek Breweing Co., in Middlebury, Vermont. USA.
Year Round (Standard Release)
12 fl. oz. / $1.75 USD / 5.9% ABV

About: "Three cheers for our Wolaver's Oatmeal Stout! This weekend we took 3rd place in the Stout category at the Great International Beer Festival in Rhode Island! You asked for it, so we're brewing it. Wolaver's first dark beer, this oatmeal stout is black in color, with a beautifully creamy head. This full flavored stout imparts hints of coffee, chocolate, and roasted flavors. It is being brewed with organic rolled oats, organic wheat, and of course organic barley and hops."

Thoughts: Poured near black with a tan, tan chocolatey head.

Smells of coffee beans, but it's not overpowering. Malty and chocolatey. It's got a bit of a chocolate chip granola bar thing going for it. Pretty cool.

Tastes like a solid, bitter semi-sweet chocolate. Like cocoa. The dark roasted malt flavor comes in after the initial coffee and chocolate flavor with a light zing of alcohol. It lingers around after the gulp. Coffee and bitter chocolate are very well balanced. The organic oats really bring out a nice fullness to the beer. If the alcohol content were higher you'd most likely not be able to get it so easily. 

It's as the bottle states: rich and creamy. And it goes down super smooth.

This is a lighter stout with a very good taste too it, and a very well accomplished overall beer. It doesn't feel light though, nor does it weigh you down. It's a very approachable stout with no real downside. Wolaver's gets my approval once again.


Check out those bubbles!!

November 20, 2011

Twilight 4 - Breaking Dawn: Part 1 (2011)

Twilight 4 - Breaking Dawn: Part 1 (2011)
[Rated PG-13: for disturbing images, violence, sexuality/partial nudity and some thematic elements.]

The film starts off with Jacob walking out the door into the rain, his race riddled with emotional pain as usual, before he tears off his shirt (again?!) to show his ripped bod and starts to jog. I really should have expected that.

We first get a glimpse of the White Wedding as Bella walks down the isle towards Edward, only for things to become surreal and uneasy once they kiss. She looks down to notice that they're now both covered in blood, and as the camera very, very slowly pans out, both are standing over the pile of all the guest's dead bodies. Nice! Once the real wedding begins, Bella stands there holding her father's hand nervously and asks him, "Just don't let me fall down." This is important to note as it is a recurring theme for Bella, and to remind audiences that she is indeed, on rather clumsy ass, dumb bitch.

It's a very, I guess pretty would be the word, wedding scene and up until this point nearly every character from the previous films has had at least one scene. As Bella is walking down the isle there's a slow, minute-long scene of the camera's transition down the back of her dress. It sure is one detailed and cool looking dress, admittedly. [I wondered why the shot took so long, (not that I minded, it was interesting I thought and added to the real time factor of an event like this) so I looked it up and found out that Stephenie Meyer had written some six pages detailing nothing but the back of that dress. Weirdly obsessive much?] There's some humorous bits thrown in with the toasts, and while it's all about true love forever and all that gushy business it doesn't go completely sappy as before. And so, they get married and tongue kiss for about five minutes straight while all the tween girls in the audience get wet.

Jacob shows up (with clothes on for once!) after the ceremony, standing in the woods, and seemingly unbitchier than usual. He seems to be finally coming into his own as a rightfully pissed off dude, and less of a crying, whimpering, shirtless and running, buff, teen-angst boy (Well except for that first scene, but I heard should have been towards the end of the third film actually). Anyways, he's manning up a bit. Even though, he's still majorly in love with this chick who keeps leading him on slightly, even though she just fucking got married! The two share a dance and some words together while everyone is still back at the party. When the honeymoon and subsequential turning get brought up, Bella tells Jacob that she will indeed be fucking Edward that night... but not as a Vamp, just as a mere, fragile human girl. Jacob naturally flips the fuck out, then storms off into the woods again crying like a little bitch.

Edward whisks Bella away to the mysterious vacation area of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, where the two dance in the street for a short while amongst the local Asado-Grilling Muchachos and Gordita Putas. They share a few more kisses before taking a small motorboat out to a secluded island with an incredibly gorgeous and absolutely stunning looking summer home. Here we go, Edward and Bella finally get their fuck on! It's about time too. Bella's all nervous, brushing her teeth, shaving her legs and pumping herself up in the mirror while Edward decides to take a nude stroll out into the ocean. After coming to terms with the fact that she will indeed soon have Edwards wooden stake inside of her, she strips down and joins him in the water where they kiss for another fifteen minutes. There is a lot of goddamn kissing in this movie.

(This whole scene had to be shot just above nipples, so there's a whole lot of negative space with the sky in the background, and it looks just plain weird. The camera was too far out about half the time and it was distracting and downright infuriating to not see her boobs. It was far too lingering as well and the fact that I had to look at Edwards nipples didn't really help matters either!) It's actually pretty romantic this time around though, and a lot less (glaringly) cliche than the previous films. There still are some cheesy ass lines for those of us who so desire them, because come on, who doesn't love Meyer's groan inducing writing? I sure as fuck do! When Edward carried Bella to the bedroom to their honeymoon she gives him some shit, and he says "I'm nothing if not traditional." A major theme for Edward by the way who's a total old-school nerd of a virgin vampire. That line doesn't seem so bad written down, but in addition to his previous lines and delivery it's delightfully tacky.

Where was I? Oh right, the sex scene. It's a fairly quick scene (after all they are virgins), but it appears as if they go at it twice, with Bella mounting Edward the second time around. When Edward first slips inside of her sweet, pink little twitcher, he grabs the headboard, crushing it with his bare hands as he shoots his vampyric load prematurely inside of her. Smooth move. Bella later awakens with pillow feathers all over the place, the bed has been torn to shreds and the frame is busted all to fuck. There was a fun little scene later with the Spanish housekeepers, particularly the superstitious wife, when they walk through the house and that bed (whole room actually) is utterly thrashed! That next morning Bella stares at herself in the mirror for about five minutes and touches her face and lips for a while. Edward comes in and asks her how badly she's hurt. Yes, I grinned. He then opens parts of her robe to expose dark bruises all over her body.

Edward of course refuses to touch her shortly after that because he's so insistent on not ever hurting her. All the while she's pretty much screaming out "Fuck me! You idiot." He of course resists all of her temptations with the lingerie and blatantly rubbing her curvy ass in his face, instead opting to make her breakfast each morning and obliterate her at every chess game. She starts having bad dreams about never getting fucked again, one in which she finally wins a game of chess and then as compensation mounts him. Only to wake up and start crying as the dream was not real. How unfortunate! A few hours later Bella eats some slightly undercooked chicken and begins vomiting. When she notices that she missed her period, she checks herself out in the mirror and feels a violent trembling of a demon child. Edward naturally shits himself, panics and says they've got to get "that thing" out of her. Ouch!

Yeah, that's the look! Pants shat.
Talk about romantic, huh? The next half of the film deals with Bella's incredibly short and downright sickeningly-grim pregnancy. Arguments over "fetus" vs "baby" are had, and many of the family (including Jacob) want that fuckin' monstrosity out of her belly before it kills her. Bella insists that she's strong enough and Edward scoffs at the dumb girl's words. You, strong!? Que laughter. Nobody can sense the baby, or what it's like or what it wants until Edward reads Jacob's sarcastic mind that "it probably wants to come out so it can rip out someone's throat." Carlisle and the rest of them decide that the malnourished (and not to mention pretty fuckin' gross looking) young lass needs to Drink Blood(!) to feed the baby. Over the course of a few days, Bella goes through the family's lingering supply of Type O Positive blood pouches (drinking them with a straw out of Styrofoam cups). Soon enough, Edward discovers the error of his ways and comes to comfort his wife, telling her that he can now hear the baby's thoughts, that he loves the baby, and that the baby loves its mother. Aww.

With all well again in the Cullen family, Bella stands up and accidentally drops her cup, only to lean down and furiously Snap her spine in half! Dark lord. She screams in agonizing pain and goes into labor. As Dr. Carlisle, his wife and Emmett have gone out for more blood pouches (to accommodate the birth, nice timing), Rosalie, Jacob and Edward are forced to deliver the baby. After Edward slits Bella's stomach open with a scalpel, Rosalie's bloodlust takes control and Alice has to get her and Jasper the hell out of there before they eat her alive. The three of them go out to fight off the wolf pack, who are now focused on killing this baby as it is "too much of a threat to the world." Leaving Jacob and Edward both together once again in this dire situation. The fetus lining is too strong that the scalpel won't penetrate it, so Edward must bury his face into Bella's other slit and rip that fuckin' baby out with his own teeth! It's all pretty bloody disgusting actually.

Then she dies.

Yep. She's pregnant! I mean, It's totally obvious...
This film nearly got an R-Rating and had to be edited in two major spots. Personally this saddens the hell out of me and I hope that the home release will feature unaltered editing (though I highly fucking doubt it)! There were some strange cuts during the sex scene and also the birthing scene (far too many red lens and fades and shadows and disguise - I really wish they would have just shown more of the eventful gore). It was still nasty, and blood was all over the place, however. That being said, this film shows far more skin and blood than all the three previous combined. Not that that's really saying too much.

One of the main things I like about the film was how beautifully shot and composed everything is. All of the framing, set pieces, costumes, cinematography and timing are expertly handled. The music was distracting in only a few parts as it would start out of nowhere in the middle of dialogue, and I did notice one strange jump-cut between Carlisle and Edward's faces while in the doctor's office. But otherwise things flowed rather smoothly and scene transitions were often to some other spectacular looking location with some eventful bullshit building up. The whole first half of the film is so inviting and gorgeous. The last third of the film gets pretty damn ugly, especially in the case of Bella's walking corpse look.

Nearly all of the characters from the previous films all share moments together before Bella and her future sisters prepare for the wedding. The film takes its time to slow down and focus on a lot of the less dramatic scenes, where not much goes on aside from some dialogue and humorous, warm moments. It's nice that a lot of the smaller character development reminder-scenes were included in this split end-film, as not to compact and lose the  important stuff (Alright, let's get another shot of Jacob shirtless standing in the rain!). Bella's mom makes more of an appearance, her school friends aren't all dead after all, and the two least annoying siblings of the wolf clan (Seth and Leah Clearwater) get the most screen time from that bunch (which is good because I found all of the others particularly annoying!).

The werewolves actually speaking to each other was otherworldly and just plain weird. I know they communicate telepathically, but I just didn't see this coming at all. In the previous films it was merely suggested with eyes and understood looks, but here you flat out hear what they're saying. It was like a cartoon. The CGI of the broken spine and envenoming blood traveling through the body looked pretty cool, as did the self-stitching skin. There were some quick flashback sequences (and man do I utterly hate flashbacks), but they were mostly done in quick fashion and didn't end up bothering me too much.

It's hard for me to rate this one in comparison to the other films in the series based on two factors. One of the reasons I watch these are for Kristen Stewart. If I could dream at all, it would be about her! Unfortunately she looks pretty disgusting for a good part of this movie (and while relevant to the film, I gotta shake my head no). Then there's the lameness and cheese factor. The last two Twilight films have been stepped it up a notch on the serious meter, and this time it didn't come off a total giggle-fest. Luckily there was still just enough awfulness that I went away fulfilled. Did I mention that Jacob falls in love with and "imprints" on their baby at the end of this? Motherfucker's now a babyfucker!


November 19, 2011

Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot Barley-Wine Style ALE


Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot Barley-Wine Style ALE (2011)
Brewed and Bottled by Weyerbacher Brewing Co., in Easton, Pennsylvania. USA.
Year Round (Standard Release)
12 fl. oz. / $3.29 USD / 11.1% ABV

Theirs: "Enjoy Blithering Idiot in a brandy snifter or wine glass with full-flavored meats and cheeses, or as an after-dinner drink. Lay a few down. Aging only helps a barleywine develop more complexity. At 11.1% ABV this fine ale will keep for years. We feel comfortable setting our “Best By” date out to five years past the bottling date. This wonderful brew is available year-round."

Mine: Super hazy light-brown, somewhat copper with a very slow-to-form head that did indeed form and then lingered for a good amount of time.

Smells of heavy alcohol and melted down sugar daddies, or that cereal Golden Crisp I remember having when I was a kid. Honey, with a small hint of fruity tones.

Strong! Caramel backs it up heavily as the intensity dies down. It's spicy and sweet, hardly any bitterness, but strong alcohol. Fruity tones come out a bit more in the taste. It's like biting into a reverse caramel apple (that's a ball of caramel, coated in an apple flavored candy shell - I'm a genius to think up such a concept). There's a brown sugar type of biscuit like note at the end of everything. I like it.

Thick. Fizzy and attacking at first. Stingy once it settles. Coating once it's gone.

Aftertaste is so good. It's actually quite remarkable how good this tastes considering the initial heavy alcohol of each gulp that simply proceeds to kick the ass. If this brew gets better with a couple years age then it must be absolutely fuckin' remarkable by that time, because it is damn good with this new batch I'm drinking right now! My suggestion would be find a bottle and drink it, immediately. If you grab a four pack, save one of them for next year. This is my second Weyerbacher brew, but do believe me that I plan on trying all of them whenever I come around to do so. I can't find any of their Bombers (let alone any of their brews) in my area. I've only come across random singles here and there in the fridge, and sometimes their appearance startles me out of a purchase. I've never seen a company's bottles so manhandled at the store and still around. Maybe it's the price?? It sure as fuck isn't the taste!


November 18, 2011

Check out my Darts! ... oh, and future posts too.

I've got some upcoming Events that I'd like you all to know about, if you can call what I do to be eventful...

First off, I'm going to be doing this fairly big Sierra Nevada series of brew reviews (a lot of their special stuff). Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale was the first Ale that I ever tried, back when I was doing intern work for an independent aspiring video game company run by stoner, earth-loving hippies with a taste for the good shit. I was fifteen, got bored, raided their fridge and chugged the last three of the leftover six pack in one large plastic cup. For a non-paying job, sitting in a dark room stoned all the time and playing on Photoshop for hours while nobody bothered me, it was pretty sweet. Once they pushed their drug-loving founder out and tried to go "corporate" in a new, totally not as cool building, things went completely downhill. I stayed for a few weeks but ended up getting the fuck out of there. The change in attitude was bullshit. No more trips (LSD, Cinema, Coffee House... you name it.) No more beer and smoke during work, and the music had to be approved. Motivation meetings? I think not, bitches. The place crumbled shortly afterwards.


Secondly, I've noticed by visiting the liquor store time and time again lately (each day) that Christmas seem to be coming upon us. So therefore, I declare: Tis The Season To Get Fucked Up! I've been collecting a small arsenal of festive seasonal snowy brews which I'll be doing a little series on. No telling how it's all going to end up. I got cut short with my Halloween pumpkin brew reviews because the area couldn't keep me knee deep in the variety of it all. But I'm not trying for any records, I just want to find and drink the best damn beers I can stumble upon.

Third and fourth ... I've got some upcoming Artwork that (when I finish it) I'll be showing off. There are previews in this very post with the pictures of my new darts. And (back to beer) I'm also going to be trying all four of the new Samuel Adams Single Batch bombers that just came out: Third Voyage, The Vixen, Griffin's Bow and Tasman Red. They all look pretty interesting to say the least. Nice artwork too. Until then I'll probably not be doing much besides hanging at the pub practicing my darts and drinking.


Oh hey, did I mention that I got a new set of darts!? I left my two sets of darts back home when I traveled afar, and it's been about ten years since. Probably not necessary to tell anyone, but I'm a bit of a barfly now. Never been to a bar before 2009. I'm a relatively quiet guy, bit of a loner(that's an Understatement!), but my friends are loud and have been around. There's a lady who owns the bar I go to. Well, I started shooting for a while with my friend's darts and joined a competition even though I totally suck! One day I decided to try the house darts and shot considerably better. I asked the owner if I could buy them. She told me no, and I left unhappy.

It wasn't a few days later that I got a phone call and was told that there was something waiting for me at the pub. A cold beer is good enough... but when I got there, I was presented with this new set of darts, straight from our lady owner. Her gift, to me. She wasn't there at the time. As I sat there drinking my beers, I just kinda stared at them. Words to describe this feeling came to be most difficult. Some people call it happiness, I suppose. I've not really done anything but be around. But she did this incredibly gracious thing for me, even though we don't know each other too well. When I talked to her about it she insisted that it was very much a gift and that I should keep on being me. It's been a long time since I felt something so warm inside that I was in disbelief.

[Notes: The pic doesn't feature the original stems, which were long, black and cheap. I bought shorter, red-colored spinners. My friend bought me the two extra sets of flights.]

November 17, 2011

21'st Ammendment Brewery's Monk's Blood

21st Amendment Brewery's MONK'S BLOOD (2011)
Brewed and Bottled by the 21st Amendment Brewery, in San Fransisco, California. USA.
Winter Seasonal (Limited Release)
12 fl. oz / $2.95 USD / 8.3% ABV

The Beer: "Hops: Magnum, Centennial / Malts: Belgian pilsner, two-row pale, caramunich, caravienne, aromatic, special b, flaked oats, flaked wheat / Other ingredients: Belgian candi sugar, cinnamon, vanilla bean, dried black mission figs, aged in oak."

My Thoughts: Poured a dark, hazy reddish-brown with a half-inch tan head and some sediment floating throughout the brew that later settled to the bottom.

This stuff smells completely awesome. Everything mentioned is there: Cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, oak, dried figs. All of it. It smells so sweet. The spicy tones fill and tickle the inner nostrils.

Wow. This beer may just be climbing amongst the ranks of my, as of now uncompiled, top ten list. I don't know if it's the Belgian Candi Sugar or what, but Wachusett's Imperial Pumpkin had that in the mix and ended up being the best pumpkin ale that I've ever had. The bite on this ale is minimal, despite it being so strong. Cinnamon and Vanilla roll around a raisin and dark fruit flavor. Thankfully it taste's nothing like sour grapes or wine. Instead it just tastes damn good. It's robust in all of the right ways, in all of the right areas, and minimal where it matters like peppery or tangy. The strong alcohol, which does show itself randomly, sneaks in like a fog and fades away soon after.

It's got me licking my lips for more. It's a little bubbly, very minor fizzing and smooth... just like drinking blood. Fucking crazy! Just as I wrote that last line, Dracula by Iced Earth came on my playlist, into my earphones and tickling my brain. If this ale were transitioned into musical form, it would be this song! They compliment each other wonderfully.

It's woody afterwards when you breath in the air which rounds it out quite nicely. Seriously, this is one of the best tasting beers I've ever had. Don't be skeptical as I was at first (it's in a can with sediment after all), buy the four pack of this when you see it. It comes in a lovely box as well, which I as of yet do now own as I only purchased a single. Soon, though.

Shmaltz HE'BREW Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. Double IPA w/ Rye

Shmaltz HE'BREW Bittersweet Lenny's R.I.P.A. Double India Pale Ale with Rye Malt (2011)
Brewed and Bottled by Shmaltz Brewing Co., in Saratoga Springs, NY. USA.
Year Round (Standard Release)
12 fl. oz. / $3.25 USD / 10% ABV

About: "Malts: 2-row, Rye Ale Malt, Torrified Rye, Crystal Rye 75, Crystal Malt 80, Wheat, Kiln Amber, CaraMunich 60 / Hops: Warrior, Cascade, Simcoe, Crystal, Chinook, Amarillo, Centennial. Dry Hopped with Simcoe, Amarillo and Crystal."

Thoughts: Poured a dark, dark hazy amber with a light tan head. Some dark bubbles are rising up around the edge of the glass which are pretty much impossible to see as this brew is thick like fog.

Toasty. Malty. Sweet. Tangy. Light caramel and cherry tones.

It's pretty intense. Very toasty. Bitter. Some of the sweetness comes through when you're feeling around for it, but it's a hard sweetness. Very faint grapefruit at the very back of my tongue, as well as some all around the mouth Christmas tree sensation. This is only my second Rye beer I think, so I'm going to have to experiment a little with other brews like this to see what's going on. The alcohol creeps in as a backdrop, but it's only accentuated by the previous blisteringly absurdity of malt and hop.

Thick. Foamy and attacking. Expands in the mouth and explodes, making it a slight chore to drink unless you're ready for it. I feel kinda dried out about 3/4th's the way through.

Not overly offensive, but definitely lingering. You're going to have to scrub this taste out of your mouth. It's bitter and sweet (hense the name I guess), and it sets out to do what it does. Well, it's powerful as all hell, but I'm not blown away by the taste (That's compared to all the beers I've ever drank though, and not compared to other Imperial IPAs or Rye brews). It's a good thing these are only sold in 4 Packs or 22 oz. Bombers. Actually wish I had a bomber of this... shit, now I'm sad again.

November 16, 2011

Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA


Flying Dog Raging Bitch Belgian-Style India Pale Ale (2011)
Brewed and Bottled by Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, MD. USA.
Year Round[?] (Limited Release Batches)
12 fl. oz. / $1.75 USD / 8.3% ABV

About: "HOPS: Warrior, Columbus, Amarillo / YEAST: El Diablo  / PAIRS WITH: Wasabi, Ginger, Jerk, Cajun or Cayenne."

Thoughts: Poured a pretty damn light amber with an off white head that faded in under a minute.

Well the smell is original to me. It's hoppy and citrusy but also woodsy, kinda like tree sap. What the fuck am I getting here?! I can't put my finger on it. Wait a minute... it's floral! Which in reviewing brews for this short amount of time, this is the first time I finally got it. Holy shit, I've just been deflowered. It's strong like some kind of filthy rose, and while girls may like flowers, let's all just admit that most of them smell like dirty compost (just check Bullseye's expression after smelling that rose in Daredevil [my favorite scene from the film, by the way - Well, aside from Elektra getting stuck!]). I probably shouldn't admit this but when I was a teenager I went around clipping people's flowers and roses (some gardens that were obviously taken great care with) in the middle of the night so I could hang them from my ceiling to stare at while I would trip. The smell of this one reminds me of those cold, dark nights creeping through the sticker bushes. That fuckin' scarecrow following me around, telling me to fuck things up. It's kinda weirding me out how floral it is actually though. I may just be tripping now! I used to love it though, laying in my bed staring up at those black, moldy roses growing down towards me while the room spun in circles.

Bitter. A lot of citrus. Grapefruit and malts. Caramel and raisins after it warms.

Fizzy, wetting, and somewhat easy going down. Just as a Raging Bitch should be. Oh!

This one really grew on me after it warmed up. Just as a Raging Bitch sh... ah forget it. When it was cold I was about to get cold with it, but I waited it out and that was obviously a good choice. Though I usually like my Raging Bitches cold on the slab, the bittersweet spiciness to this one really brings that good sort of funky business. I just may have a bottle of this served to each person at my funeral.

Hah. All for me!

November 15, 2011

Dracula's Pub Light-Up Sign from BigLots


Check this out! Who say's you can't shop at BigLots and respect yourself afterwards? "It's October, Halloween just passed, fools kickin' down doors wearin' X-Men masks!" I haven't even lit the fucker up yet... but I just couldn't live without this on my wall (or for the pic, my bookshelf, as it were). Got it half-price on Sale because hey, I ain't payin' 16$ unless I get to drink the damn thing.


Totally sweet though, huh? I mean, I love to drink... and I've drank blood on multiple occasions (I miss her too!). Plus, Vampires are the fuckin' cool as beer and well, let's just leave it at that. Regardless of all, it's a damn cool looking item and I'm displaying it proudly all year round. Just as I do my skeleton hands, rotting jack-o-lanterns from many Halloweens past (gotta keep those darn kids off my lawn somehow), and well, ninja stars and nunchaku on the walls just attract the bitches like no other. I am after all, a samurai-sword wielding nerdling of the malt drowning apocalypse. Gettin' laid... even if it means they're gettin' Slayed! For Realz.

November 14, 2011

Immortals (2011)

Immortals (2011)
Rated: R (For sequences of strong bloody violence, and a scene of sexuality).

On 11-11-11, there came another movie... one which didn't Suck! (Note: I haven't actually seen 11-11-11 yet, I just wanted to say that). Immortals tells the story of the absolutely ruthless King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke, daw yeah!), who's roaming the land in search of the mystic Epirus Bow, a weapon of presumed myth, and legend. He needs this Bow to set loose The Titans, a nemesis group to the Gods, imprisoned since ancient times and thirsty for revenge. Though the Gods' laws restrict them from interfering with Man's destiny, Zeus himself under the guise of a wily old man (Luke Evans and John Hurt, respectively), raises and guides bastard child Theseus (Henry Cavill) to become mankind's savior. How that isn't to be interfering, I don't know... but I will not question the mighty and powerful, old turned young Zeus. All chaos ensues, and after King Hyperion kills the only mom that Theseus ever had, shit doth get utterly fucked up! Oh yeah, and Spoilers too.

So what was so cool about Immortals? Let me start with the Perfect Casting! Henry Cavill. Not only is this guy a great, simplistic actor (first saw him in The Tudors), but he's also just got that look (totally Ripped).  He plays a sensitive, lost soul with null and void religious beliefs. Caring about only the things closest to him, he closets the Inner Rage within! And man, is he fuckin' full of said Rage. Mickey Rourke is at his best here as one Evil, Unemotional and Dark motherkiller! Totally rivaling his role as Marv in Sin City, Rourke has taken his gritty yet elegant, ugly yet enticing, uncompromising yet giving nature to the Ultimate Level (Think Gary Oldman in Dracula). He's magnificent in every aspect and the true star of the whole f'n show. Steven Dorf makes a Blade comeback and totally Rocks It as a horny ass thief who gets pumped up and never lets his adrenaline level drop down. Luke Evans is spectacular as Young Zeus. Though much of his work is an intimidating emotional look, he pulls off a superior and saddened God quite well.

Onto the beautiful women. Isabel Lucas, evil tongue-lashing, Fembot-in-Disguise from Transformers 2 is here as Zeus' daughter, Athena. Hot as all fuck, she looks kinda like She-Ra in her Goddess uniform, and not only does she kick some Serious Ass, but all of her scenes are actually important to her character development. Imagine that. She was a perfect choice for this and her beauty is much appreciated by me, especially if I have to look at so many muscular, shirtless dudes. The most beautiful and visually intoxicating Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), gets totally naked (body double) and aside from that looks so fucking beautiful every single scene she's in. Not to get picky with the close-up that is a butt double, but the far away shot sure as hell looks like her (I know it's supposed to), even if she's in the shadows you can still see "things". Nice close up butt shot though. I don't think I heard much of her dialogue as I was too busy using my drool to shape my wizard beard into an erect point. She plays Phaedra, an Oracle with three distracts, who sees future events and seriously wants to get laid!

Secondly, it's GORY AS ALL HELL! The fight scenes are palm-sweatingly intense and their potentials are all reached to the maximum. There's heads fuckin' exploding(!), heads cut off, throats slit, stomachs pierced, bodies cut in half, limbs torn and cut off, eyes gouged out... major bloodshed, anarchy, chicks get roasted to death, and one dumb-ass headless fucker gets kicked off of a nine hundred foot cliff in which we get to watch him from afar, fall... all the way down. All of it very tastefully done. Some (not all) of it in that Zack Snyder slow-mo, with insane positions and maneuvers that not only tingle the brain but make one confused enough to think for once. It's completely badass. The finale goes nuts, and you will break a sweat! There's mental anquish and sheer torture throughout the film. I like that! It's a dark, dark film with lots of death and thoughts on death, and great dialogue on the legacy that one can leave behind. Be that a legacy of brutality, or of heroics. There is a hunger for both.

Also, there's The Look! Though majorly shot with seemingly CGI backgrounds, everything is so well done and thought out, that it's simply amazing looking. Many scenes transition from one another into similar looking but different locations and set pieces (say for instance a mask lingering will become a boat being rowed down the black ocean). Things like this happen often, and it's remarkable how visually interesting it's done. I can only imagine what it would have been like if I were not sober. The sets were also magnificent. Cinematography was mostly CGI play fields, but all of the zooms and fades and roaming just looked damn good. This movie really is like a painting come to life. Costumes are also great. For the most part it's the masks and hoods of the evil motherfuckers that attract. But for the royalty, purple capes and armor was used. Gold, exquisite and strange interesting head pieces for the Gods. Even the peasants had some stylish gear (hey, they're not rags!). It was all very well imagined and commendable. The story may not be the most unfathomable imaginable, but above all, the acting, look and gore made every single scene worthwhile.

The 3-D was subtle for the most part, but the movie was very layered and really thought out in terms of how every scene fits together depth-wise. All the positions of the actors and locations were done splendidly and it was, quite simply put, gorgeous. The color was a little drawn out, but I would have rather seen it in this way as I'll never do so again. Plus, the colors in these types of films are always a bit drawn out. Immortals is going to look beautiful in home High-Def hopefully, especially in its normalistic film version. Buy it, and Love it! That's your only option as far as I'm concerned, unless of course you see it now, and then do so.

Wells and Young Banana Bread Beer

Wells and Young Banana Bread Beer (2011)
Brewed and Bottle at Wells and Young's Brewing Company in Bedford, England. UK.
16.9 fl. oz. / $4.99 USD / 5.2% ABV

About: "This unique brew combines all the traditional qualities and style of a Charles Wells beer with the subtle flavour of banana. The beer has achieved a number of accolades including winner of "Beer of the Festival" award at CAMRA's London Drinker Festival in March 2002."

Words: Poured a darkish orange amber with a fluffy eggshell white head that slowly bubbled itself away.

First impression. Wow! Smells just like freshly baked banana bread. Spot on! It's crazy how close they got it. After a few more times leaning in and out it starts to smell a bit like those candy "circus peanuts". The real banana bread scent and banana "flavoring" seem to go back and forth. And it's a bit like dried sugared banana slices... like those ones you find in trail mixes.

Taste is a strange one. I don't really tend to notice "bubblegum" flavor that I've read about quite a few times, but this one's got it. Aside from that the beer seems well balanced, but has this sort of overall blandness about it. I wish there were a more spice-pronounced flavor that goes along with banana bread. And while it is bready, it could use a touch-up on the recipe - say for instance a little brown sugar and cinnamon. The spice of the hops alone just isn't cutting it (no pun intended). That said, it's still pretty decent.

It's a little heavy, and not the most approachable beer I've ever had. Kinda tough to swallow in big gulps. Finish is thankfully bitter, yet dry.

It's an interesting gimmick beer that's fun to try once, but I just couldn't get past those Circus Peanuts. I never really liked them too much when I was a kid, and I'm pretty much still a kid... only with a long ass wizard beard. Wells, it was fun while it lasted.

November 13, 2011

Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier

Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier (2011)
Brewed and Bottled by The Boston Beer Company in Boston, MA. USA
12 fl. oz. / $1.70 USD / 5.5 ABV

About: "Brewed with Oregon Marion blackberries, orange peel, and coriander to complement the malted wheat. Malts: Two-row Harrington, Metcalfe and Copeland pale malts, and malted wheat / Hops: Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops."

Thoughts: Poured a light hazy, golden amber with a small head that faded quickly.

Smells fruity and tangy. There's a spiciness that creeps up afterwards too. Reminds me of this black raspberry ice cream I once had.

Tastes of wheat and bread... and kind of like Boo Berry cereal(!) That is, if you had used Sam Adams instead of Milk and let it sit for a while. The blackberry taste isn't weak, nor does it go overboard. Something pretty rare I'm finding is that this actually tastes better than it smells. Not that it smells bad but there's this strange twinge about it, whereas the taste is pretty straightforward, spicy then fruity, then a very soft bitter that resides underneath the sweeter tones.

Foamy, and giving of the frothing bubble belches.

Decent aftertaste. Even though this beer is a bit light and unoffensive, the taste does compensate. It doesn't taste weird or sour, it's a little bitter, a little sweet and sugary and doesn't overwhelm. It's just special enough that not everyone is going to like it, but I couldn't imagine anyone other than those who are disgusted by fruit beers to shy away from this if it came about.


Opa-Opa Blueberry Lager



Opa-Opa Blueberry Lager (2011)
Brewed and Bottled by Opa-Opa Brewing Co., in Williamsburg, MA. USA.
12 fl. oz. / $1.85 / 4.2% ABV

About: "This light lager is flavored with natural blueberries giving it a clear but subtle blueberry flavor. Made with pilsner malt, a touch of wheat for crispness & lightly hopped with fine German hops."

Thoughts: Bottle says that this brew is a "gold medal winner", but doesn't say from what or where. Doesn't show the ABV either. Quite frankly, I'm shocked there's even a born on date as many other beers don't even have that.

What in the fuck!? Poured a very light cloudy yellow with a no-inch thick head that disappeared as I took the photo. It was basically gone as I poured the thing. Born on date is 07/12/11. Looks like white grape juice. Talk about unexpected.

Well it sure as hell smells of blueberry. The lager smells very light. Not really sure if the blueberry flavor is real or not. I would imagine if there were actual blueberries brewed in with this it would have some color and not be one of the clearest beers I've ever seen.

Hmm. Smells a lot sweeter than it tastes. It actually tastes pretty sour and citrusy. Like the kind of feeling you get when you bite into a lime. There's no kick to it other than the puckering up it forces on the mouth. Taste is fairly light beyond that though, and there's really not much too it aside from that synthetic tasting fruitiness. The closest thing I've had to this recently would be that Woodchuck's Pumpkin Cider.

It's fizzy in the mouth and real light. It's pretty drinkable but you probably wouldn't want to do so. This rates slightly above Blueberry Seltzer Water.

Finish is dry and stale. I don't want to gross anyone out, but 'about to engage in oral sex after a few hours of exercise without showering' is what I'm getting two thirds of the way through. Do yourself a favor and pass on this one. Sorry dudes. Opa-Opa's Pumpkin wasn't half bad (it was pretty much half good), but it was leaps and bounds a hell of a lot better than this concoction.

November 12, 2011

Shipyard Smashed Blueberry

Shipyard Smashed Blueberry (Pugsley's Signature Series) (2011)
First Brewed: May 2011 (Seasonal?) (First Year Beer)
Brewed and Bottled by Shipyard Brewing Co. in Portland, Maine. USA. 
22 fl. oz. / $8.39  USD / 9.0% ABV

About: "This beer is a hybrid between a Porter and a Scotch Ale. This beer has a rich mouth feel and a body of complex intensity. Upfront, there are distinct flavors of coffee and chocolate beautifully accentuated by the aroma of fresh blueberries. The finish features a delicate balance of sweet fruit and dry hops. Malts: Pale, Crystal, Chocolate, Roasted Barley, Light Munich, Torrified Wheat / Hops: Summit, Tettnang, Cascade / Yeast: Top-Fermenting English Food Pairings: Glazed Duck, Ribs, BBQ, Chocolate, Blueberry deserts."

Thoughts: Well it's not blue as I had previously worried it would be(!), so that's a good sign. Dark tan head that wasn't much of a build and faded out just as quickly as it started to form. Color is dark, dark brown. Can't see through this brew at all.

First thing I got hit with was the high alcohol level. Then it was somewhat like a strong ale, but kinda reminescent of a not-so-bad malt liquor. Gave it a few seconds and then that blueberry really started to come through. I'll start this one cold and let it warm while I drink it to witness the effects.

A high alcohol haze surrounds slightly burnt toast flavors that come through later like a blueberry bread or a jam smear. This doesn't taste like a blueberry muffin at all so don't go in expecting that. It's not sweet at all, but rather bitter instead like a spiked coffee. "Malt Beverage with Natural Flavor" is the description. This brew makes me happy, but it's a child-like happiness... that later slugs you in the face with harsh reality! And that's the way I like it.

Heavy mouth feel with a tickle and a pucker up. Leaves a feeling in the mouth that isn't a film, nor a slickness... it's somewhat dry, but not drying. If you're into wine, you may like this. But I wouldn't suggest being into wine.

Aftertaste is very pleasing actually. Better than I would have expected. The bitter and semi-sweet both work together quite nicely.

It's not an immediate go-to re-buy beer for me, but I just may try it again once or twice in the future. I'm not really much of a blueberry fan to begin with. They're like the WTF fruit of the berry universe. I much prefer blackberries actually. Drinking this makes me dream of that the label would read SMASHED BLACKBERRY instead. Damn, that would have been sweet. This is on par with their smashed pumpkin, they're both quite similar actually, but with the different headlining flavors.

Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout

Southern Tier Imperial Choklat Stout - Blackwater Series (2011)
Brewed and Bottled by the Southern Tier Brewing Company in Lakewood, NY. USA.
Winter Seasonal (Limited Release)
22 fl. oz / $7.29 USD / 11% ABV

Stats: "2-row barley / caramel 60 malt / barley flakes / chocolate malt / bittersweet Belgian chocolate / kettle hops: chinook and willamette"

Choklat poured a very dark, dark brown with a chocolatey tan head. It was thick as all hell and not to be seen through.

Dude, this smells just like a hot chocolate or chocolate milk with marshmallows. So sweet! You can tell that it's got a kick to it too because halfway though the scent it's like a little warning flash is set off in your nostrils.

High alcohol vapor that hits you at the very first moment with a big slap to the mouth, but that initial hit dies down almost instantly and the tastes flow in. What that means to me, is I'm going to let this one warm up a bit because it's too cold. Loads of cocoa, and high quality bittersweet chocolate. Low hints of coffee aftertaste, and vanilla roast. The smell is better than the taste, as was with their Pumking. But that's not saying anything bad about the taste here, because this indeed tastes damn good. It's cold 'hot cocoa' with a strong side effect... that side effect being gettin' you warm real quick. Keep this one away from the kids. Unless they won't go to sleep that is.

Tingly at first, yet goes down silky smooth. It's smoother and easier once it warms, but this one is quite heavy.

A bit overwhelming actually. This is one powerful brew! There's nothing to stop you from drinking and enjoying the whole bottle, other than the risk of drowning in it. Southern Tier has made me a life long fan of their brews by simply drinking Choklat and Pumking so far. And the fact is, I'm not even much of a chocolate guy. Still, consider this beer Highly Recommended as a one nighter. It's a special occasion kind of treat, and unless you're an alcoholic chocolate fiend, not something you would want to drink too often.

November 11, 2011

Narragansett FEST Lager

Narragansett FEST Lager (2011)
Autumn Seasonal (Limited Release)
Craft-Brewed and Bottled by Narragansett Beer Co., in Providence, RI. USA.
16 fl. oz. / $1.60 USD / 5.5% ABV

Info: "Winner of the silver medal in the 2010 World Beer Championship. Winner of the gold medal in the Oktoberfest category at the 15th annual Great International Beer and Cider Competition in Providence, RI 2011."

Look: FEST poured a light auburn orange with a small bubbly head that lasted a minute.

Scent: Smells like sweet malt, minor vanilla bean, with a wholesome citrus overtone to the whole brew.

Taste: Roasty. Toasty. Yeasty. Kinda sweet. Little bit spicy on the tongue after swallowed, and followed by a very slight bitterness. Sweet bubbling tingles around the tongue and when I lick my lips it's even sweeter. Damn good tasting... the bitterness is so very light, with that sweet coming through at just the perfect amount. This absolutely slaughters the competition taste wise. It's euphoric!

Feel: A heavy medium with an above average drinkability. Goes down pretty smooth.

Feelings: Probably the best $1.60 I ever spent in my life. This is one of those few beers that I just let sit in my mouth for long periods of time, and felt good. Much like I did with my second bottle of Pumking during the Halloween snowstorm / three-and-a-half day power outage. For this one I can't really imagine any room for improvement. It's near perfect, the best Oktoberfest I've ever had without a doubt. If it were stronger it most likely wouldn't taste the same, so that's the only downside to improvement that I can think of here. FEST is one of the best beers that I've had this year. I'd say that FEST is a FEAST... in itself.

 Update: The guys over at Narragansett gave thanks to my positive review on their twitter feed and blog. Much appreciated. Here's a screen cap: 




Harpoon Octoberfest Beer

Harpoon Octoberfest Beer (2011)
Brewed and Bottled by Harpoon Brewery, in Boston, MA. USA.
Autumn Seasonal -  August to October (Limited Release)
12 fl. oz. / $1.50 USD / 5.5% ABV

Stuff: "The beer’s color is from a blend of Munich, chocolate, and pale malt.  The thick head results in part from wheat malt added to the grist.  The hop aroma of this beer is not overpowering but it is present.  Tettnang hops add a subtle spice nose that blends with the malt character. Willamettehops are used to provide a gentle bitterness and to balance any residual sweetness present from the malt.  The finish is soft and malty with a mild bitterness."

Pour: Pours a pretty deep red with amber shades and a huge fluffy head that almost spilled over.

Smell: The initial scent I'm getting is some grape wine here again, just like the Spaten. When that sour mash hit me first it was a bit unnearving. That all died down after a minute. Getting some subtle fruity tones afterwards.

Bite: Very bitter and hoppy. Not much to say about the taste other than those two things seem fairly well balanced enough. Except that it's ending up way too sour. The bitter and the sweet are ok, and I'm getting some weak spices and bread but nothing really seems discernible. I can't figure out if it's this or that.

Open Wide: Feels fluffy in the mouth, a slightly light to medium body.

...and Later: For a 5.5% ABV this one sure does smell and taste a bit strong. Hop and Malt strong. It's too heavy in the areas that it perhaps shouldn't be. The finish is major bitterness. The sour and sweet have all but faded and it's all just a bit grim and smokey. A heavy funky blandness. I'm not really digging this one too much.

November 10, 2011

Samuel Adams Octoberfest


Samuel Adams Octoberfest (2011)
Autumn Seasonal - August through October (Limited Release)
Brewed and Bottled by the Boston Beer Company, in  Boston, MA. USA.
22 fl. oz. / $2.99 USD / 5.3% ABV

Notes: "Brewed to celebrate the arrival of autumn. Malts: Two-row Harrington and Metcalfe pale malts, Munich-10, Moravian, and Caramel 60. Hops: Tettnang Tettnanger and Hallertau Mittelfrueh Noble hops. Yeast: Samuel Adams lager yeast."

Look: Poured out a light reddish tone with a huge puffy head that eventually bubbled its way down to nothin'. Carbonation is very light after that.

Nose: Little bit spicy, but it's very subtle. There's light cherries. Besides that smells like a malty lager.

Lips: This one is pretty sweet, not like over the top sweet, but with the amounts of malts to hops, it comes out pretty good. Still, with that said, it's not really getting me too excited. Caramel and toffee for the most part. Nothing else is really standing out, but the balance is quite well done.

Inside: Smooth, watery, and goes down like nothing.

Final Thoughts: A well balanced and good tasting brew that's uneventful and leaves no real lasting impression on this here guy. Apparently this beer won the 2006 Great American Beer Festival for Märzen (a year after Michelob won [which then lost to this the next year - and out of 45 total entries(!)]. Either Märzen just really ain't my thing or... well, I don't know. For me the Oktoberfest stuff I've recently tried has been split into three categories: German, USA and Red Lagers, resulting in a bit of compare and contrast difficulty. Though German beer has always been of an acquired taste to me, it has grown on my senses and now I'm coming across this strange stateside beast. Not that I mind finding out what I like or what's the best stuff out there (in limited testings of course as there's no way I can try them all for whatever reasons). But, this brew is OK. Not more OK than some of the others, but still good.

Magic Hat Hex Ourtoberfest

Magic Hat Hex Ourtoberfest (2011)
Autumn Seasonal - August 1'st thru October 15'th (Limited Release)
12 fl. oz. / $1.75 USD / 5.4% ABV

Specs: "A malty amber ale with hints of toffee and caramel and a slightly smoky finish." YEAST: German Ale / HOPS: Apollo, Hallertaur / MALTS: Pale, Vienna, Crystal, Cherry Wood Smoked Malt, Malted Rye.
    Look: Poured out a hazy golden orange, like honey, with a dark bubbly head that didn't entirely fade. Something weird is happening in the bubbles. They're clumping together in some spots. I'll blow on em and they'll dissipate then form in other areas. What the fuck!?

    Scent: Smells different from the rest straight off. Not really like a  märzen at all, which as I hold it in front of my computer monitor just now and see, oh of course, it's a red ale like Freaktoberfest. The scent has a very caramel undertone to it.

    Taste: Bitter toffee. Coffee notes. Cherries and light toasty bread.

    Feel: Medium bodied. Leaves an astringent feeling, and it's a bit drying.

    Final: This one's not bad. It's a bit malty though, and there's not much going for it in terms of special recognizable qualities.  Wish there was more to say about this one, aside from that it tastes pretty good, but it was somewhat plain. It's their highest ABV from their seasonals, and has the coolest artwork, but I'm not really feeling the brew all too much and that's what matters most. I don't dislike it, but it just didn't live up to that wicked image.

    November 9, 2011

    Shmaltz Coney Island Freaktoberfest Ale

    Shmaltz Coney Island Freaktoberfest Ale (2011)
    Autumn Seasonal (Limited Release)
    Brewed and Bottled by Shmaltz's Brewing Co., in Brooklyn, NY. USA
    12  fl. oz / $2.99 USD / 6.66% ABV

    Check out that pink head, eh!?
    About the Brew: "Beer creeps and lager freaks! Arise and taken possesion of this bewitched offering of the season crafted to lure your spirit’s deepest rapture. Conjured to exorcise the grim horrors of the armies of soulless drafts everywhere. Malts: 2-Row, Munich, Rye, Wheat, Dark Crystal, and CaraMunich 40. Hops: Columbus, Northern Brewer, Crystal, Willamette, Fuggle and Centennial."

    Appearance: This weird ass beer poured redder than the devil's dick(!), with a light pink head that was frothy as hell and stuck around to taunt me.
     
    Aroma: Strange brew. The smell reminds me of the taste of this pistachio ice cream I once had that was primarily vanilla and had no mention of cherries anywhere on the label, yet tasted just like cherries. After the beer warmed I got an alcoholic strawberry-banana smoothie type deal.

    Taste: Malts and hops with some dried no-sugar-added cherries. Wheat. Hints of sweet creamed corn. Overall it's sweet but not too sweet, bitter but not too bitter. The sweet and bitter seem to be battling it out here. The bitterness is coming out on top, but not by much... it's still pretty damn sweet.

    Mouth-Feel: Little foamy with a smooth yet tingly flow.
     
    Finish and Overall: Aftertaste is like a cherry cough syrup. It's a gimmicky beer, but I like it. The color really impressed me and frightened me at the same time. But it had a certain taste that I was looking for at the moment, not funky at all, nor too fruity. It may look weird and act weird, but it's decent enough and kinda cool looking. I just hope it's not poisonous. Or do I? Muahaha...

    My words are my own and as of posted from their creation forward I hereby claim originality to them. Pictures may prove to be promotional items and are the sole possessions of their respectful owners and/or companies. I do not sell, nor do I buy. I only rent, so therefore, nothing I own is truly mine.