Black Flag Brewing Co. - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com Central PA beer enthusiasts and beer bloggers. Homebrewers, brewery workers, and all around beer lovers. Mon, 08 Jan 2024 19:36:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://i0.wp.com/thebeerthrillers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cropped-The-Beer-Thrillers-December-2022-Logo.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Black Flag Brewing Co. - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com 32 32 187558884 Zelda and Craft Beer https://thebeerthrillers.com/2023/05/12/zelda-and-craft-beer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=zelda-and-craft-beer Fri, 12 May 2023 20:35:00 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=11423 Zelda

Well happy release day everyone! It’s Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release day (5.12.23). Did everyone get it already? Physical copy or download?

Earlier in the day I covered Black Flag Brewing Company’s latest release – Motueka’s Mask; in honor of Majora’s Mask. You can find that beer review here:

Was a wonderfully tasty New England IPA released just in time for Zelda day. (I guess we can call today Zelda day can’t we?)

Just like Star Wars – which we cover every year with our May the Fourth articles (May the Fourth 2022 and May the Fourth 2023), this article is going to take a look at Zelda and Craft Beers designed to celebrate the Legacy of Zelda.

There is certainly no shortage of craft beers that illustrate the influence Zelda and the franchise has had on the brewers, creators, and owners of breweries. So let’s celebrate Zelda!

Zelda and Craft Beer

Motueka’s Mask by Black Flag Brewing Company

Craft beer and video games might seem like two completely unrelated topics, but in recent years, many breweries have been releasing beers inspired by popular video games. One of the most popular franchises for video game-inspired beers is the Legend of Zelda series. Fans of the series can now enjoy a delicious brew while they embark on their next quest.

Deviate Brewing, based in Indianapolis, has created a beer that pays homage to one of the most iconic items in the Legend of Zelda series – Lon Lon Milk. Their Lon Lon Milk Stout is brewed with lactose and coffee beans, and it delivers a rich and creamy flavor that would satisfy any adventurer’s thirst.

Another popular Zelda-inspired beer is The Legend of Kolsch by Fifth Hammer Brewing. This light and refreshing German-style Kölsch features notes of honey and biscuit malt, with a crisp and clean finish. It’s the perfect brew to enjoy after a long day of dungeon crawling.

For those who prefer hoppy beers, Schilling Beer Co. has created an IPA that references a famous line from the original Legend of Zelda game – “It’s Dangerous to Go Alone”. Their It’s Dangerous to Go Alone IPA is brewed with Amarillo, Cascade, and Simcoe hops, giving it a bold and bitter flavor that is sure to satisfy any hophead.

Woodland Empire Ale Craft’s Majora’s Mango Wheat is a light and fruity wheat beer that is perfect for those hot summer days. Brewed with mango puree, it’s a delicious and refreshing beer that pays tribute to the Majora’s Mask game in the Zelda franchise.

Last but not least, Hop Butcher for the World has released a beer that is inspired by one of the most famous weapons in the Legend of Zelda series – the Master Sword. Their Master Sword IPA is brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops, delivering a hoppy and flavorful brew that would satisfy any beer enthusiast.

The popularity of video game-inspired beers has been on the rise in recent years, and it’s easy to see why. Not only do these beers offer a fun and unique way to pay tribute to beloved games, but they also provide a new way for breweries to get creative with their flavor profiles and brewing techniques.

One reason why the Legend of Zelda franchise is such a popular source of inspiration for brewers is the rich and immersive world that it creates. From the lush forests of Hyrule to the mysterious temples and dungeons, the Zelda games offer a wealth of ideas and themes for brewers to draw from.

In addition to the Lon Lon Milk Stout, Deviate Brewing has also released a beer called Cucco Attack. This hoppy and citrusy IPA is named after the infamous Cuccos (or chickens) in the Zelda games, which can quickly turn on players if they attack them too many times.

Fifth Hammer Brewing has also released another Zelda-inspired beer called Clock Town Lager. Named after the bustling town in Majora’s Mask, this light and refreshing lager features notes of biscuit and honey malt, with a crisp and clean finish.

Meanwhile, Black Bottle Brewery has created a beer that pays tribute to one of the most iconic characters in the Zelda series – Link. Their Link’s Liquid Courage is a barleywine-style beer that is aged in bourbon barrels, giving it a bold and complex flavor that is sure to impress.

Another brewery that has gotten in on the Zelda-inspired beer trend is Burial Beer Co. Their Skorn of Ganon is an imperial stout that is aged in bourbon barrels and features notes of dark chocolate and coffee. It’s a rich and decadent beer that is perfect for sipping on a cold winter’s night.

Overall, the Legend of Zelda franchise has inspired some truly fantastic craft beers that are sure to please both gamers and beer enthusiasts alike. Whether you’re a fan of stouts, IPAs, lagers, or barleywines, there’s a Zelda-inspired beer out there that is sure to satisfy your thirst. So grab a cold one, sit back, and prepare to embark on your next epic quest!

Some Zelda Themed Beers

Lon Lon Milkshake IPA

There are several craft beers with a Zelda theme that have been produced by various breweries. Here are a few examples:

  1. Lon Lon Milk Stout by Deviate Brewing – This beer is a rich and creamy stout brewed with lactose and coffee beans, inspired by the iconic Lon Lon Milk from the Legend of Zelda games.
  2. The Legend of Kolsch by Fifth Hammer Brewing – This is a light and refreshing German-style Kölsch beer named after the iconic video game franchise. It features notes of honey and biscuit malt, with a crisp and clean finish.
  3. It’s Dangerous to Go Alone IPA by Schilling Beer Co. – This beer is a hop-forward IPA brewed with Amarillo, Cascade, and Simcoe hops. The name is a reference to a famous line from the original Legend of Zelda game.
  4. Majora’s Mango Wheat by Woodland Empire Ale Craft – This beer is a light and fruity wheat beer brewed with mango puree. It is named after the Majora’s Mask game in the Zelda franchise.
  5. Master Sword IPA by Hop Butcher for the World – This beer is an intensely hoppy IPA brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops. The name is a reference to the legendary Master Sword in the Legend of Zelda games.

These are just a few examples of the many Zelda-themed craft beers that have been created. If you are a fan of the franchise, you may want to check with your local breweries to see if they have any Zelda-inspired beers on their menu.

Craft Beer Brewers Are Just as Enthusiastic About Zelda

Craft Beer Brewers are just like Craft Beer Drinkers… kinda nerdy, kinda hip, kinda cool, kinda uncool. And that means they are just as enthusiastic about Zelda too. So thats why theres so many pop culture themed beers, like Zelda beers, Star Wars beers, etc.

Calling all Zelda fans and craft beer enthusiasts! The Legend of Zelda franchise has inspired a wave of creative and delicious craft beers, and we’re here to explore some of the best brews that pay homage to this beloved series.

First up on our list is Lon Lon Milk Stout from Finkel & Garf Brewing in Boulder, Colorado. This sweet and creamy milk stout is named after the iconic Lon Lon Ranch from Ocarina of Time and features notes of chocolate and roasted malt. It’s a deliciously smooth and comforting beer that’s perfect for sipping on a chilly evening.

Another standout Zelda-inspired beer is Tears of the Goddess from Red Castle Brewery in Portland, Oregon. This Belgian-style golden ale is brewed with chamomile and honey, and is named after the tears of the goddesses that play a crucial role in the series’ lore. The beer is light and refreshing, with a sweet floral aroma and a crisp finish.

If you’re looking for something a bit hoppier, check out Cucco Attack IPA from Deviate Brewing in Indianapolis, Indiana. This citrusy and hoppy IPA is named after the infamous Cuccos (or chickens) that can wreak havoc on unsuspecting players in the Zelda games. With its bright and refreshing flavors, it’s a great beer to enjoy while embarking on your next epic quest.

For a darker and more decadent option, try Skorn of Ganon from Burial Beer Co. in Asheville, North Carolina. This imperial stout is aged in bourbon barrels and features notes of dark chocolate and coffee. It’s a rich and complex beer that’s perfect for sipping by the fire while reflecting on your latest adventure.

Finally, we have Clock Town Lager from Fifth Hammer Brewing in Queens, New York. This light and refreshing lager is named after the bustling Clock Town from Majora’s Mask and features notes of biscuit and honey malt. It’s a clean and crisp beer that’s perfect for pairing with a hearty meal after a long day of adventuring.

Whether you’re a diehard Zelda fan or just a beer enthusiast looking to try something new, these Zelda-themed craft beers are sure to delight. With their unique flavor profiles and creative names, they’re a testament to the enduring legacy of the Legend of Zelda franchise. So grab a cold one and let the games begin!

Twenty Zelda Themed Beers

Here’s twenty more Zelda themed beers:

  1. Lon Lon Milk Stout from Finkel & Garf Brewing in Boulder, Colorado
  2. Tears of the Goddess from Red Castle Brewery in Portland, Oregon
  3. Cucco Attack IPA from Deviate Brewing in Indianapolis, Indiana
  4. Skorn of Ganon from Burial Beer Co. in Asheville, North Carolina
  5. Clock Town Lager from Fifth Hammer Brewing in Queens, New York
  6. Triforce IPA from Noble Ale Works in Anaheim, California
  7. Heart Container Hefeweizen from SanTan Brewing in Chandler, Arizona
  8. The Legend of Hefe from 11 Below Brewing in Houston, Texas
  9. Majora’s Mask Ale from Fiddlehead Brewing in Shelburne, Vermont
  10. Master Sword IPA from Brew Link Brewing in Plainfield, Indiana
  11. Kokiri Forest Ale from White Lion Brewing in Springfield, Massachusetts
  12. Zelda’s Potion from Seabright Brewery in Santa Cruz, California
  13. Great Deku Wheat from AleSmith Brewing in San Diego, California
  14. Hylian Rye from 18th Street Brewery in Gary, Indiana
  15. Red Potion Ale from Three Heads Brewing in Rochester, New York
  16. Octorok Saison from Side Project Brewing in Maplewood, Missouri
  17. Shadow Temple Stout from The Unknown Brewing Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina
  18. Link’s Lemonade from Blackstone Brewery in Nashville, Tennessee
  19. Dark World Black IPA from Urban Artifact in Cincinnati, Ohio
  20. Spirit Temple Brown Ale from La Cumbre Brewing in Albuquerque, New Mexico

These are just a few examples of the many creative and delicious Zelda-themed craft beers out there. Each beer pays tribute to different aspects of the franchise, from iconic locations and characters to key gameplay elements and lore. So if you’re a fan of both craft beer and the Legend of Zelda, be sure to check out some of these brews and raise a glass to your favorite game series!

The Legend of Zelda Franchise

The Legend of Zelda – Opening Screen

The following comes from Wikipedia, and provides a quick summary of The Legend of Zelda franchise:

The Legend of Zelda[a] is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-releases have been outsourced to Flagship, Vanpool, and Grezzo. The gameplay incorporates action-adventure and elements of action RPG games.

The series centers on the various incarnations of Link, a courageous young man of the elf-like Hylian race, and Princess Zelda, a magical princess who is the mortal reincarnation of the goddess Hylia, as they fight to save the magical land of Hyrule from Ganon, an evil warlord turned demon king, who is the principal antagonist of the series. Ganon wishes to use the Triforce, a sacred relic left behind by the three goddesses that created Hyrule, to remake the world in his own dark image. When gathered together, the power of the Triforce can grant any wish its user desires; however, if someone with a heart that does not possess a balance of the three virtues of Power, Courage, and Wisdom attempts to touch the Triforce, it will split into three triangles and bond with three people whose hearts embody the required virtue.

Although their personalities and backstory differ from game to game, the incarnations of Link and Zelda often have many traits in common, such as Link often being left-handed and clad in green, and Zelda being associated with wisdom, light, and prophesy. While the conflict with Ganon serves as a backbone for the series, some games have featured other settings and antagonists, with Link traveling or being sent to these other lands in their time of need.

Since the original Legend of Zelda was released in 1986, the series has expanded to include 19 entries on all of Nintendo’s major game consoles, as well as a number of spin-offs. An American animated TV series based on the games aired in 1989 and individual manga adaptations commissioned by Nintendo have been produced in Japan since 1997. The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo’s most successful franchises; several of its entries are considered among the greatest video games of all time.

The Legend of Zelda – Wikipedia

Not going to go into the full timeline or gameplay, or every little nook and cranny of the entire 20+ game series, but I think the above does a pretty good job at being a quick summary, and I think the following gives you a good jist of the story.

According to the in-game backstories, the world of Hyrule was created by the three golden goddesses: Din, Farore, and Nayru.[28] Before departing, the goddesses left a sacred artifact called the Triforce, which could grant powers to the user. It physically manifests itself as three golden triangles in which each embodies one of the goddesses’ virtues: Power, Courage, and Wisdom.[29] However, because the Triforce has no will of its own and it can not judge between good and evil, it will grant any wish indiscriminately.[30][31] Because of this, it was placed within an alternate world called the “Sacred Realm” or the “Golden Land” until one worthy of its power and has balanced virtues of Power, Wisdom, and Courage in their heart could obtain it, in its entirety. If a person is not of a balanced heart, the triforce part that the user mostly believes in will stay with that person and the remainder will seek out others. In order to master and control the triforce as a whole, the user must get the other parts found in other individuals and bring them together to reunite them. The Sacred Realm can itself be affected by the heart of those who enters it: those who are pure will make it a paradise, while those who are evil will transform it into a dark realm.[32]

In Skyward Sword, the Triforce was sought by the Demon King Demise,[33] an eternal being that had conquered time itself.[34] After a long battle against the goddess Hylia, guardian of the Triforce, Demise was sealed away within her temple.[29][35] Hylia, placing the Hylians on a floating island (called Skyloft) in the sky to protect them, orchestrated a means to stop the demon from escaping: creating the Goddess Sword (later becoming the Master Sword) for her chosen hero[36] and discarding her divinity to be reborn among the people of Skyloft.[37] In time, Zelda and Link (the reborn Hylia and her predestined warrior) enacted the goddess’s plan and Demise was destroyed, but he vowed that his rage would be reborn and forever plague those descended from Link and Zelda.[38] Following the establishment of Hyrule Kingdom, Demise’s prophecy came to fruition in Ocarina of Time, when Ganondorf’s attempt to get the Triforce scattered it with him gaining the Triforce of Power. The Triforce of Wisdom ended up with the Hylian princesses descended from Zelda, each named after her, while the Triforce of Courage is passed to a youth named Link across generations. While the Triforces of Power and Wisdom have been part of the series since the original The Legend of Zelda, it was only in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link that the Triforce of Courage was first introduced, being obtained by Link at the end of his quest. The Triforce, or even a piece of it, is not always distributed as a whole. Such as in The Wind Waker, Link must find all the pieces (called Triforce Shards) of the Triforce of Courage before he can return to Hyrule. Even in the original The Legend of Zelda, Zelda breaks her Triforce of Wisdom into 8 pieces for Link to find, before she was captured by Ganon.

The Legend of Zelda – Wikipedia

If you want a more thorough read make sure to read the full Wikipedia article or read the book ‘Hyrule Historia‘.

Top Zelda Games

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time box art

Here are the Metacritic rankings for the mainline Legend of Zelda games as of my knowledge cutoff date of September 2021. Note that these rankings are subject to change as new reviews are added to the site:

  1. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64) – 99
  2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo Switch/Wii U) – 97
  3. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Super Nintendo) – 95
  4. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (GameCube) – 94
  5. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Wii/GameCube) – 95 (Wii), 96 (GameCube)
  6. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Nintendo 64) – 95
  7. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) – 93
  8. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons (Game Boy Color) – 91
  9. The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX (Game Boy Color) – 91
  10. The Legend of Zelda (NES) – 90
  11. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo DS) – 90
  12. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (Game Boy Advance) – 90
  13. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Nintendo DS) – 87
  14. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (GameCube) – 81

Keep in mind that these rankings are based on the average of professional critics’ reviews and do not necessarily reflect personal opinions or preferences.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Widely considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time, Ocarina of Time was released for the Nintendo 64 in 1998. It was praised for its innovative gameplay, immersive story, and stunning graphics, and introduced many of the mechanics and themes that have become staples of the Zelda franchise.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Released in 2017 for the Nintendo Switch and Wii U, Breath of the Wild revolutionized the Zelda formula with its open-world exploration, non-linear gameplay, and survival mechanics. It was praised for its gorgeous visuals, engaging story, and sense of discovery, and is widely considered to be one of the best games of the modern era.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Originally released for the Super Nintendo in 1991, A Link to the Past is widely regarded as one of the greatest 2D action-adventure games ever made. It introduced many of the gameplay mechanics and design elements that have become hallmarks of the Zelda franchise, including the Light and Dark Worlds and the Master Sword.

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

Released for the GameCube in 2002, The Wind Waker was initially controversial for its cel-shaded art style and lighter tone, but has since become a fan favorite. It was praised for its engaging story, memorable characters, and innovative use of sailing mechanics, and is considered one of the most visually striking games in the franchise.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Released for the Wii and GameCube in 2006, Twilight Princess was praised for its immersive world, engaging story, and darker tone. It introduced several new gameplay mechanics, including the ability to transform into a wolf, and is notable for being one of the few Zelda games to receive a T rating from the ESRB.

Some Fun Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom YouTube Vids

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdVO_fYoF5g
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Review
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UHacX6tuMM
14 Things to Know about Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (GameSpot)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR_B3xoLIFk
Improved Building Vehicles and Traps
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsJbdggGyM0
15 Early Game Tips and Secrets – Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Zeltik)

Some Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Related Links

I always find it funny and ironic mentioning Links on websites with discussion about LINK the character…. but here we are. Here’s some fun links to look up when you have time:

Discord

You can now find us on Discord. Its a fun server for us all to hang out on and discuss craft beer, books, video games, movies, and much more. Check it out here:

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

Lord of the Rings:

Zelda:

Rick and Morty:

Space Balls:

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Scrooged:

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

The Peanuts:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Matrix:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Seinfeld:

Other:

Thank You For Reading

Thank you all very much for reading. Been a busy week! We always appreciate having you here at the blog, make sure to check out our other articles!

Thank you for reading, I know this was a very long article, and it took me quite a while to do. So I appreciate everyone who read the article, who comments, who shares it, etc. Thank you very much!

In just a bit we are going to be starting up a live stream tonight at Drew’s for Knights of Nostalgia. You can find Josh (MasterMind X Studios), Drew (Knghts of Nostalgia) and myself (The Beer Thrillers) streaming tonight – here: Knights of Nostalgia | Facebook.

Whats your favorite Zelda game? Ocarina of Time? A Link to the Past? The original? Breath of the Wild?

How do you think Tears of the Kingdom will hold up?

Have you gotten to play Tears of the Kingdom yet? Enjoy it?

 

Cheers!

-B. Kline

Like I always say at the end of these articles — thanks for reading. We appreciate all the views and visitors! Let us know what you think of the site and the blog, and how we could improve it!

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

 

 

 

 

]]>
11423
Beer Review: Motueka’s Mask (Black Flag Brewing Company) https://thebeerthrillers.com/2023/05/12/beer-review-motuekas-mask-black-flag-brewing-company/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beer-review-motuekas-mask-black-flag-brewing-company Fri, 12 May 2023 12:23:00 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=11415
Motueka’s Mask by Black Flag Brewing Company
(You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?)

Majora’s Mask

A legend held dearly by the Royal Family tells of a boy… A boy who, after battling evil and saving Hyrule, crept away from the land that made him a legend… Done with the battles he once waged across time, he embarked on a journey.

Zelda: Majora’s Mask (N64)

And so begins Link’s tale in Majora’s Mask for the N64, (released April 27th, 2000). I remember getting the game that Halloween, I was 14, and black Mountain Dew just came out. I “manned the door” on Halloween night, handing out candy, while I played Majora’s Mask and drank probably an entire case of Black Mountain Dew.

Oh… what a glorious time.

Ocarina of Time for the N64 is still considered one of the best games ever, but Majora’s Mask was such an amazing follow up sequel to it. It was dark, it was gloomy, it was brooding, it felt new, unique, and it felt awesome.

Its a Top 5 game for me of all time, right up there with Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy 3 / 6, GoldenEye 007, etc. (I dunno if I could honestly pinpoint a Top 5 list of video games, with all the different genres, and different eras of games, etc, but I would think rotatingly Majora’s Mask, Ocarina of Time, GoldenEye 007, and Final Fantasy 3 / 6; would all be in that list at different points of you asking me.)

And here, on the release of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Black Flag Brewing Company asks:

You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?

Beer Review: Motueka’s Mask

Motueka’s Mask by Black Flag Brewing Company

Beer: Motueka’s Mask
Brewery: Black Flag Brewing Company
Style: IPA – New England / Hazy
ABV: 7%
IBU: 35
Untappd Description: An ode to Zelda, the otherworldly hop profile of Motueka, Mosaic, and El Dorado will transport you to Termina as the subtly dank hop characteristics blended with mellow flaked oats and tropical haze will have even the staunchest anti-hoppers doing a double take.

Just like the game this beer is based on – Majora’s Mask – this beer (Motueka’s Mask) is a beautiful looking beer. This is about as hazy as hazy can get, but not with a ton of floating sediment, or chunks, or looking ugly. This is on the lighter scale of coloring, but it is definitely a hazy IPA, just more of a lighter straw yellow color rather than a darker yellow to orange coloring.

First whiff…. woo thats some hops you got there Link! You can smell the dankness, the hops, the floral notes, the sticky hops, and the wee bits of candy stonefruit popping your nostrils between all the other strong aromas. This smells just as a wonderful as it is beautiful. Certainly doesn’t smell like the Deku Deku bogs!

Now lets take a deep Zora dive into the beer. Light, almost pillowy body. It takes a few moments after a sip, then a blast of stonefruit candy flavor. Very sticky and drying. Floral flavors upon warming. Overall, a soft, lightly hazy beer with a pleasant bouquet of flavors all artfully arranged like a Hyrulian map for you to explore. The flavors of this is as deep as a Goron forge but as vibrant as a map drawn by Tingle. There is a slight greenness to it yet; a little grass taste, a bitter citrus, and a little light. It is soft and the mouthfeel is a little bit light, would have kinda liked a bit more body from this, but there is certainly no off flavors, nothing detracting from the beer. The 7% ABV isn’t on the high end of beers (for example – Troegs Brewing Perpetual IPA is a 7.5%) but its not exactly a crushable beer as well, a four pack of this will carry you through a good solid session of Tears of the Kingdom or through a play through of Majora’s Mask; but you’ll certainly be feeling it at the end. Its a nice hazy, juicy IPA that will serve you well while hunting shrines and koroks in the vast Hyrule world of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. So grab a pint, get your Ultrahand ready, and tackle the game and this delicious beer!

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Average Untappd Rating: 3.98 (as of 5.12.23)

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – the long awaited sequel to Zelda: Breath of the Wild comes out today.

And with that, we’re taking a deep dive of looking at Zelda and Craft Beer. You can find that article here:

  • Zelda and Craft Beer

Also, Drew (Knights of Nostalgia), Josh (Mastermind X Studios), and myself will be on Drew’s Knights of Nostalgia streaming page tonight playing the game. You can find his page here:

Discord

You can now find us on Discord. Its a fun server for us all to hang out on and discuss craft beer, books, video games, movies, and much more. Check it out here:

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

Lord of the Rings:

Zelda:

Rick and Morty:

Space Balls:

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Scrooged:

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

The Peanuts:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Matrix:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Seinfeld:

Other:

Thank You For Reading

Thank you all very much for reading. Been a busy week! We always appreciate having you here at the blog, make sure to check out our other articles!

Have you gotten to play Majora’s Mask? Or Tears of the Kingdom? Let us know what you thought about either game!

Cheers!

-B. Kline

Like I always say at the end of these articles — thanks for reading. We appreciate all the views and visitors! Let us know what you think of the site and the blog, and how we could improve it!

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

]]>
11415
May the Fourth Be With You (2023) https://thebeerthrillers.com/2023/05/04/may-the-fourth-be-with-you-2023/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=may-the-fourth-be-with-you-2023 Thu, 04 May 2023 13:30:00 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=11261 May the Fourth Be With You

Yes, its that time again! Fourth year running of us mentioning it. (We started the blog in late May of 2019, so we’ve only gotten to tackle May the Fourth in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 now.)

Its that day again. A nerd day of celebratory and galactic proportions. A day to jump on Nintendo Switch Online, on LEGO.com, on Star Wars.com and who knows how many other fan sites and branding sites to get tons of Star Wars related deals.

By now I’m sure you’ve seen it all over Facebook already, every brewery from near and far posting a picture of their workers in costume or a Star Wars movie still with a beer on the picture, usually with the branding of “May the Fourth Be With You” somewhere on the image.

I bet you are probably even within about a 20 mile radius of a brewery or bar doing “Star Wars trivia” tonight.

Its also a day here to celebrate Star Wars in general, and on The Beer Thrillers we are definitely doing that! We definitely love covering Star Wars here on The Beer Thrillers, and I think it shows with our sheer number of Star Wars themed beer reviews, Book of Boba Fett review, and even Star Wars book reviews. On our Facebook page you can find us often linking and sharing to various new beer releases by different (somewhat nearby for me) breweries that are Star Wars themed.

So with the idea of the fact that nearly every brewery is doing some kind of Star Wars themed day or releasing a Star Wars themed beer, I’m going to present a small list of near – ish to me places doing Star Wars beer released themed for this year’s May the Fourth Be With You. (I’m not going to run down a list of every place doing just Star Wars trivia, but the breweries that are at least doing a Star Wars themed beer release, or have a Star Wars themed beer on their menu. And of course, if I miss any, be sure to mention it in the comments section.)

May the Fourth Beer Releases

Star Wars meme our friend Josh at Master Mind X Studios made up for us.

Yes, its that time of year when brewers take their beers they’ve made, and decide to give it a Star Wars themed pun and shoot it out on May 4th or nearby arounds to great critical acclaim (and for people like me, who love Star Wars, to grab up and drink up).

(This is also when the mulers come out in droves, charging you 80$ for two four packs that are being sold for 22$, and willing to ship. I have stretches of DMs from yesterday of Floridians telling me “its totally the acceptable price to sell 40$ for a 4 pack”, and even though S&H doesn’t go up if you ship 4 or if you ship 8, still charging 40$ per pack, so 80$ for 8 beers.

Yea, actually, don’t get me started about the insane DMs I got from mulers and re-flippers specifically from the Miami area, trying to get me J. Wakefield Beers of their Star Wars release. I even had one guy DM and tell me that 105$ for a mixed four pack [two of one beer, two of the other], is a very generous offer.)

(Various Facebook posts about Star Wars themed beer releases.)

Star Wars Day Beer Releases

There is a lot of Star Wars day beer releases for today, the biggest notable one is typically RAR Brewery. Who does a Star Wars themed Out of Order beer release every year. This year they are releasing five Out of Order Star Wars themed beers.

RAR Brewing – Out of Order Star Wars

The RAR Brewing Company Out of Order series is one of their most notable series, and they typically do thematic four, five, six pack releases.

(For the full article click here: RAR Star Wars Day Drop)

This year is a five – pack (not a typical four pack or six pack) that contains two old favorites as well as three new ones; also a new glass and a new ‘mood mat’.

The beers in this year’s drop are:

We have reviewed both the Blue Milk (first batch) and the Droid Juice before. You can find those reviews here:

Mispillion Brewing – Vader

Mispillion Brewing Company is re-releasing Vader for May 4th.

You can find our review here:

Neshaminy Creek Brewing – Bantha Fodder

Neshaminy Creek Brewing is releasing a Vienna Lager (German Style Lager) called Bantha Fodder today.

It’s time for MAY THE 4TH STAR WARS TRIVIA NIGHT! We’re pre-gaming our Revenge of the Sixth festivities with a night to flex your intergalactic intellect TONIGHT at 7pm. We’re also tapping Bantha Fodder – our new Spring Bock that is a Croydon Taproom exclusive.

There will be 3 rounds of 10 questions sure to test all you moof milkers out there! Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 teams and the team with the best name so you better come correct. Don your best Star Wars gear and enjoy the soothing sounds of the Cantina Band on repeat! Our friends from the Moocheeze Food Truck will be here all night with a menu full of galactic goodies too. This IS the event you’re looking for.

And tickets are still available for Saturday’s Galactic Empire show – fulfill your destiny and get yours today: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/569816385147

Neshaminy Creek Brewing Company – Facebook Post

Magnify Brewing – Blue Milk

Magnify Brewing Company is releasing their Blue Milk (Smoothie Sour Ale).

Black Flag Brewing Company – Nerf Herder

Black Flag Brewing Company is re-releasing Nerf Herder (as well as also releasing a Zelda themed beer called Mouteka’s Mask, a parody of Majora’s Mask.)

Bolero Snort Brewing Company

Bolero Snort Brewing Company is going all out. They are releasing in cans – Rancow Attack and Ahsocow. They are also having the following on draft:

New To The Taps

Never Tell Me the Odds

 

Never Tell Me the Odds Sour – Fruited

6.1% ABV

Zoochberry Surprise inspired Sour Ale with Blueberry, Strawberry, Raspberry, Lemon, Graham Cracker, Cheesecake and Vanilla

12oz Draft  $8.50

4pk 16oz To Go  $20.00

Try Not Do Or Do Not There Is No Try

 

Try Not Do Or Do Not There Is No Try Sour – Fruited

5.8% ABV

Cliff Dweller inspired Sour Ale with Ginger Ale, Orange, Pineapple, Coconut Cream and Lime

12oz Draft  $8.50

4pk 16oz To Go  $20.00

Rancow Attack

 

Rancow Attack IPA – New England

6% ABV

Thiol Amplified Hazy with Phantasm, Galaxy and Strata fermented with some sleek new thoil enhancing yeast! Watch out for an attack on your taste buds!

8oz Draft  $5.00

16oz Draft  $8.00

4pk 16oz To Go  $18.00

Coruscant Crusher

 

Coruscant Crusher Gluten-Free

4.5% ABV

AKIRAN INSPIRED VIOLET SELTZER WITH LAVENDAR, ORANGE ZEST, CLOVE AND GRAINS OF PARADISE

12oz Draft  $8.50

32oz Crwl  $15.00

I Have Spoken

 

I Have Spoken Stout – Imperial

11.3% ABV

Mando Uj’alayi Cake inspired barrel aged Imperial Stout with Toasted Walnuts and Hazelnuts, Cinnamon, Black Peppercorns, Dried Currant and Orange Zest

5oz Draft  $5.00

500ml To Go  $19.00

Maz Kowata's Watering Hole Crispy Fizz

 

Maz Kowata’s Watering Hole Crispy Fizz Lager – Other

4.5% ABV

PHOTON FIZZ INSPIRED AQUA LAGER WITH GINGER BEER, LIME, ROSEMARY

11oz  $6.00

32oz Crwl  $14.00

Dagobah Downpour

 

Dagobah Downpour Sour – Other

6% ABV

BLURRGFIRE INSPIRED SOUR ALE WITH LEMONADE, LIME, POMEGRANATE AND HABANERO

12oz Draft  $8.50

32oz Crowler  $16.00

Ahsocow

 

Ahsocow Sour – Fruited

5.8% ABV

Sour Ale with Orange, White Chocolate and Vanilla Beans

12oz Draft  $8.50

4pk 16oz To Go  $20.00

Bolero Snort Brewing Company – Now on Tap

Second Sin Brewing Company – Obi Wan Jabroni

In probably my favorite mash up; Second Sin Brewing Company (Bristol, PA) is releasing Obi Wan Jabroni. A mash up of The Rock and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Crooked Crab Brewing Company – Crabdalorian

Always enjoy the pun twists like this one – Crooked Crab is releasing the “Crabdalorian” today in celebration of Star Wars Day / May the Fourth Be With you. (Similarly, Tattered Flag in the past released “The Pandalorian“.)

Brewery Fire – Hoth: Mangalorian

We’ve covered Brewery Fire’s “The Mangalorian” before, but this is a new take on it. A Cold IPA version of it, appropriately titled: Hoth: The Mangalorian.

Allusion Brewing Company – Stay on Target

Our Battle of the Breweries 2023 championAllusion Brewing Company – still has their “Stay on Target” on draft.

Divine Barrel – I Did It For the Wookie

Divine Barrel has a re-release of their “I Did it For the Wookie” beer.

Bottle Logic – Three Releases

Bottle Logic Brewing Company is releasing three beers for today, but as of time of writing, they have only announced two. “Tatooine Sunset” and “Unlimited Power”.

J. Wakefield Beer

The last I’m gonna highlight here is J. Wakefield Beer’s two releases for today. Dagobah Downpour and Max Rebo’s Sour Ale. Who doesn’t love Max Rebo? Honestly. Coolest musician ever. Other than maybe Droopy McCool who was a Jizz Whailer. (And yes… thats a real term in Star Wars before you get mad at me!)

Help A Brother Out

Here’s gonna be my call out. Help a Brother Out! If you ever see a Star Wars themed, Futurama themed, Zelda themed, Lord of the Rings themed, Seinfeld themed, Simpsons themed, pretty much anything nerdy pop culture themed, beer, shoot me a message. Maybe we can work out a deal or sale or trade or something.

Always looking to get my hands on Star Wars and other nerd themed beers to review for the site / blog. So if you know of any – let me know! I wanna check them all out!

(An incomplete list of beers I’m looking for on BeerAdvocate – ISO – Star Wars Themed Beers.)

Star Wars Timeline

Just a quick fun video, if you are interested in the complete timeline of Star Wars up to this date, here you go.

https://youtu.be/BvL68ZwWIHQ

A Highlight of Our Star Wars Beer Reviews

May the Fourth be full of memes

(Some of the following comes from my “May the Fourth Be With You” 2022 article and 2020 articles.)

In this article, I broke down what Star Wars Day is (May the Fourth) and discussed what Star Wars articles I had written up to that point. (Don’t worry, there have been PLENTY of new Star Wars content since then.)

Beer Review: This is the Way (Broken Goblet)

This is the Way by Broken Goblet

One of the first Star Wars themed beers I reviewed here on the blog, and one of our most popular beer review articles. A good friend (Roy Ge) picked it up for me and Drew to drink at his place while we did a podcast about The Mandalorian. Was an absolutely wonderful beer. They have released a few variants since. One of which I am covering in the upcoming weeks with the Obi-Wan Kenobi show.

Beer Review: This is Nut The Fluff You Are Looking For (Fourscore Beer Co)

This is Nut the Fluff You Are Looking for by Fourscore Beer Co.

Picked this big bad boy of a bottle up when I was in Gettysburg with Ming and Don and brought it back to drink with Drew. As you can see on the blog, you’ll be able to find several Fourscore Beer Co reviews (you can even find Amy’s latest beer review right here – Phantomania). They are a phenomenal brewery that loves delving into Star Wars themed beers. We just picked up a four pack of soft swerves from them that were Star Wars themed, and can’t wait to dive into them here for the blog.

Beer Review: Out of Order – Blue Milk (RAR Brewing)

Out of Order: Blue Milk by RAR Brewing

One of our most popular articles on the blog (right up there with our yearly March Madness tournament posts, our review of Yuengling’s Hershey Porter, and with the Broken Skulls IPA by Stone Cold). This was the first of the Out of Order series I’ve reviewed, and it was a solo one they originally did, but then brought back when they did their Star Wars release in 2021. You’ll find others from that series down below.

Beer Review: Wookie Monster (Fourscore Beer Co)

Wookie Monster by Fourscore Beer Co

Another excellent beer, and another Star Wars themed beer by Fourscore Beer Co. Had to work to get this one because I missed out on their initial release and it sold out quickly. Got it through a trade chain through the Central PA Whalerz group, and was I ever so grateful. Delicious beer.

Beer Review: The Pandalorian (Tattered Flag)

The Pandalorian by Tattered Flag

From our good friends at Tattered Flag comes this mash-up parody beer called The Pandalorian. This is a very juicy, tasty New Engand IPA that hit the spot on a warm sunny day in November. Soon after my trip back from Indianapolis, (as you can tell by the Vonnegut glass), I got lucky and still had some nice warm November days, and I took full advantage of it laying out and drinking in the sun while reading.

Beer Review: Java the Stout (Jackie O’s Brewery)

Java the Stout can art by Jackie O’s Brewery

One of the beers I picked up on my trip to and from Indianapolis was Java the Stout by Jackie O’s. It was a delicious stout that “lived up to its name”. Also, the can art is absolutely phenomenal. Its worth checking out just for that.

Beer Review: This is the Whey (Bolero Snort)

This is the Whey by Bolero Snort

One of the first Star Wars themed beers I’ve reviewed by Bolero Snort, and a fantastic beer. The other was BoBull Fett and I reviewed that for the premier episode of ‘Book of Boba Fett‘.

Beer Review: The Mangalorian (Brewery Fire)

The Mangolorian by Brewery Fire

In early January I hiked with Ming in the Catoctin Mountain area of Maryland. Afterwards we stopped at Brewery Fire and I picked this up to go. This was my May the Fourth review last year. Wonderful beer, and a great brewery that loves their nerd and pop culture references.

Beer Review: BoBull Fett (Bolero Snort)

BoBull Fett by Bolero Snort

Another beer review from Bolero Snort, and this time a crowler. We traveled out to New Jersey to pick this up the day of the premier for Book of Boba Fett and then reviewed it for the show as our first of the weekly beer reviews for our “Star Wars Wednesdays”. A fantastic beer.

Beer Review: Out of Order – Tatooine Tart (RAR Brewing)

Tatooine Tart by RAR Brewing

Back to RAR Brewing and their Out of Order series. Part of their Star Wars batch of the Out of Order series (along with Blue Milk making its return). Jabba’s Palace scene on the background on the computer from Return of the Jedi. As you can also see with the BoBull Fett beer review, the beginning of all the Star Wars LEGOs being shown in the beer pics.

Beer Review: Out of Order – RAWRGWAWGGR (RAR Brewing)

Out of Order – RARWWARRGGRGR by RAR Brewing

On a cold wintery snowy day in January (January 19th), and another Star Wars Wednesday, I took this Hoth like scene pic with another great Out of Order series beer from RAR Brewing.

Mead Review: The Meadalorian (Space Time Meadery and Cidery)

The Meadalorian by Space Time Meadery and Cidery

Our first Mead review on the blog, and it was a fantastic mead. Check out Space Time Meadery and Cidery if you are in the Scranton PA area. You won’t be disappointed.

Beer Review: Let the Haze Flow Through You (Black Flag Brewing Co.)

Let the Haze Flow Through You by Black Flag Brewing Co.

One of several Black Flag beers we’ve covered on the blog. A top notch brewery we love to hit up whenever we’re able to in the Maryland area. (Its about an hour and a half – plus – drive from our location near Harrisburg.) It has quickly become one of Amy’s favorite breweries. In the background you an also see Troeg’s Double Nugget Nectar which we have reviewed as well.

Beer Review: Wookies and Cream (Tall Tales Brewing Co.)

Wookies and Cream by Tall Tales Brewing Co.

On another of our brewery trips (this time making our way from Burley Oak over to Cushwa for their 5th Anniversary Brewfest) we stopped at Tall Tales Brewing Co, where I couldn’t help trying out a Star Wars themed beer… especially a stout!

Beer Review: Out of Order – Droid Juice (RAR Brewing)

Out of Order – Droid Juice by RAR Brewing

Back to RAR Brewing’s Out of Order series for our next Star Wars beer review, another of our weekly Book of Boba Fett “Star Wars Wednesdays” beer reviews. A wonderful sour from RAR in line with their others from the series (and their Out of Order series as a whole).

All of Our Nerd Content

Here’s all of our nerd content, served up best in one single place. Enjoy!

I know ya’ll here for the nerd reviews. So check out our other nerd reviews below:

Star Wars:

Lord of the Rings:

Rick and Morty:

Space Balls:

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Scrooged:

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Matrix:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Seinfeld:

Other:

Thank You For Reading

Seeing all the different brewery releases everywhere on a day like this always gives me big time FOMO feelings. Like I’m missing out on a ton of beer. I have reigned that in a lot in my older years, I no longer due to line waiting, and I tamper down mule buying too much (doing more per cost, not willing to give mules a ton of extra money, etc.). Because deep down we all know – beer is beer. As long as you enjoy the beer, it could be called “Zapp Branigan’s Fart” or it could be called “The Death Star IPA” or “IPA”, and it would all taste the same. I think its good to keep that all in perspective when getting that “FOMO” feeling.

Thank you everyone for checking this out.

Also, make sure you stay up to date on the latest of the Founders Brewing Company’s current ‘saga’:

Today (obviously) is May 4th. “May the 4th Be With You.” Anyone planning on doing any fun silly Star Wars stuff? Any breweries you are hitting up for some fun beer releases?

Lots of places are turning their normal Thursday night trivia into “Star Wars Trivia” nights.

So what all are you getting into?

Then, Friday is Cinco de Mayo (May 5th). And THEN – its the Craft Brewers Conference May 7th – May 10th. What a busy grouping of days!

Thank you for reading everyone. We are gearing up for the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC) this upcoming week. We are traveling down Saturday and Sunday, and going to be at the conference late Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

We are totally psyched and cannot wait.

Will you be there? What do you hope to see, learn, do? Anything cool we should check out? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

Cheers All!

-B. Kline

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #7 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #8 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2023.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

 

 

]]>
11261
Beer Review: Let the Haze Flow Through You (Black Flag Brewing Co.) https://thebeerthrillers.com/2022/01/26/beer-review-let-the-haze-flow-through-you-black-flag-brewing-co/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beer-review-let-the-haze-flow-through-you-black-flag-brewing-co Wed, 26 Jan 2022 12:53:50 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=8613
Let the Haze Flow Through You by Black Flag Brewing Co. (with collaboration from Pherm Brewing)

So We Find Ourselves Here Again

So, we find ourselves yet again here at another Wednesday (well, technically its 11:45PM on Tuesday night and I am writing this up to start it up to finish early in the morning on Wednesday before I go to work) – and so – that means its time for another Star Wars beer review.

I debated which one to pick for this week’s episode. I was going to originally do Tall Tales Brewery’s ‘Wookies and Cream’ that we just recently had our on trip through Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia. (Which you can read in the following: Big 3 Day Weekend, Big 3 Day Weekend: Friday Recap, Big 3 Day Weekend: Saturday Recap, Big 3 Day Weekend: Sunday Recap). But I decided on this… primarily though so I could get my Legos out again for a fun little photoshoot.

I do wish I had the Duel Aboard the Death Star II set, but sadly I don’t. It is one I’m looking to get soon. So this smaller Cantina set that they released, and the Desert Skiff with Sarlacc set will have to do for the photoshoot unfortunately.

Star Wars Wednesday

Since December 29th (2021), when the first episode of ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ premiered, I have been doing a Star Wars themed beer every Wednesday to review. Starting with BoBull Fett by Bolero Snort, which included us driving all the way out to New Jersey to pick it up that day.

You can read the past Star Wars Wednesday Beer Reviews here:

“Thank The Maker” (please hear that in Anthony Daniels’ C-3PO voice) that plenty of brewers seem to be nerds and Star Wars geeks too, so there is no shortage of Star Wars themed beers. You can check out the end of this article to see the full multitude of nerdy beers we’ve reviewed, as well as some book reviews, and other articles also.

And as per tradition with some past articles, I will present here a few YouTube video tie-ins with the show for everyone’s interest (and if there is anyone out there that cares about the show and wants to know a bit more about them). These videos are not mine, but I think some might find them worth the small time spent to watch them.

Star Wars Explained: Episode 4 Easter Eggs
The Danish National Symphony plays The Mandalorian Theme Song
Star Wars Explained: Who Else Might Appear in The Book of Boba Fett?

The Book of Boba Fett

I’m not going to go too heavy into thoughts and opinions and comments I want to make on ‘The Book of Boba Fett’ this week. (Or for this beer review anyway.) I started this article rather late on Tuesday. Had a friend over, had dinner, spent some time, and had some beer (Double Nugget Nectar and F*ck 2021 as Well), then after my friend left, I cracked a can of this for the review. Typically I write these articles up for the most part on Tuesday nights, wake up early (like 4-5AM) to watch the episode (it always drops at 3AM EST on Disney+), and then finish up afterwards.

And yes, I just finished watching the episode. But… I don’t really want to go into it, because I do kinda want to watch it again before making some comments on here, instead of just my gut reaction thoughts on it.

So lets move on and get to the beer review:

Beer Review

Beer: Let the Haze Flow Through You
Brewery: Black Flag Brewing Co.
Collaborator: Pherm Brewing
Style: IPA – New England / Hazy
ABV: 7.1%
IBU: 35
Untappd Description: This Citra, Mosaic, Amarillo, Idaho 7 hopped hazy IPA is a collab with our good friends Pherm Brewing! Soft grassy melon is complimented by the oat heavy body and Idaho 7 dankness. Expect a cloud of haze to carry you home on this one!

Lets start with some background information on Black Flag Brewing Co. They are firstly a top tier brewery in Columbia MD that is a blast to visit and have been quickly moved up to the top of my list. They also lean in heavy on the nerd brand and do a lot of nerdy themed beers and beer names. According to Untappd they are a micro brewery and have 443 unique beers with over 160,000 ratings (as of 1.26.22) and have a global average rating of 3.87.

Their collaborators on this beer is Pherm Brewing. According to Untappd they are a microbrewery from Gambrils MD. They have 93 unique beers and just over 15,000 ratings and a global average rating of 3.95 (as of 1.26.22). Their Untappd description reads: Pherm Brewing Company was founded by friends based on their love of art, live music, and quality beer. We are beyond excited to have you all out for a beer and to enjoy our unique event space. Our Intent Is For Your Delight!

First had this on a trip to Columbia MD a while back and stopping in at the Black Flag brewery as part of a flight. Picked up a four pack of it to go. Glad to be able to try it out of the can as well.

Right from cracking open the can, this is a citrusy, juicy smelling beer. This is a wonderful smelling New England IPA. Soft aromas, no hop bitterness on the nose, you get gentle soft notes of citrus, melon, rind, and a bit of tangerine.

Appearance is a pretty slightly less than bright orange New England IPA look. Hazy, turbulent, but not sediment heavy. While definitely not see through, it’s nothing like a frothing storm, just cloudy and a bit hazy (with… a side of force lightening?). Also just look at that great head in those photos. Big soft pillowy cloudy head.

Oooh boy…. the haze does flow through you on this bad boy. With just a hint of crackling evil and talk of unlimited power, this New England IPA is completely on point and delicious too. It is juicy, it is fruity, it is soft, and it is delicious. This is enough to turn anyone to the Dark Side and get them force choking people and force lightening your number two’s son. (Especially if it came with a kick ass dark cloak and robe.) Immediate notes of citrus hit you as you take your first sips of this, followed by notes of melon, rind, and a wee bit of tangerine. Some soft notes of slight earthy hops, a small bit of grass and pine, give it a soft balance around all the fruit tastes. Big time fan of Black Flag’s IPAs, and this is proof why. Just tremendous flavor and a very robust and full IPA. Knocking the New England style right out of the Death Star on this one. This is worth having clones of your body left over on Exegol for a stupid future storyline involving your clone kid’s daughter that was hidden from you and trained by Luke… oh…. I went off on a tangent there…. my apologies…. Moving along….. This is very soft, tasty, nothing bitter, nothing cloying, a really good mouthfeel, and a wonderful smelling beer. The carbonation, the head on the beer, the lacing on the glass, and the look of the beer are all great. Big taste and big flavor, nothing off putting, nothing off the flavor profile, and no horrific aftertaste. Just a great brew all around.

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Average Untappd Rating: 3.98 (as of 1.26.22)

So Your a Nerd Huh?

So…. your a nerd huh and love to read about nerd and pop culture themed beer reviews do you? Well, we got the beer reviews for you then. Check them out here:

Star Wars:

Rick and Morty:

Space Balls:

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Scrooged:

A Christmas Story:

Pro Wrestling:

Matrix:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Seinfeld:

Other:

Book of Fett Man

So whats everyone’s thoughts on the show so far? Five episodes down, and only two to go. Are you enjoying it? Living up to expectations? Big fan or disappointed? Let me know in the comments or on our social media platforms!

Mara’s Birthday

I’d like to close with a quick shoutout to my youngest daughter turning 9 years old today. Mara Ariel was born in a blizzard but with a warm heart that has been a love-bug and a social butterfly ever since. Named after Mara Jade from the old Star Wars EU canon (first Hand of the Emperor, and later Luke’s wife). You can actually see her in the background of the photo on my beer review for Sunburst by Boneshire.

Thanks For Reading

Thanks for reading everyone. Hope you all enjoyed reading this review and I hope the cold months find you all staying warm. Until next time,

Cheers!

-B. Kline

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you!

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

]]>
8613
Beer Review: Airing of Grievances (Black Flag Brewing Co.) https://thebeerthrillers.com/2021/12/23/beer-review-airing-of-grievances-black-flag-brewing-co/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beer-review-airing-of-grievances-black-flag-brewing-co Thu, 23 Dec 2021 16:52:10 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=8474
Airing of Grievances by Black Flag Brewing Company in Columbia Maryland

Happy Festivus

Happy Festivus everyone! Its finally here!

Happy Festivus

Its always a joyous time of year, to get together with friends, and family, and celebrate Festivus! December 23rd is the day to honor the rest of us, with the best holiday thats ever happened – Festivus. Its the time to spend with family, friends; to gather around your table and enjoy a small feast, set up an aluminum pole with a good strength to weight ratio, and to air all of those grievances you’ve had with everyone… before you select one person for your feats of strength.

So grab your aluminum pole, get your friends together, air your grievances, call H&H Bagel and tell them you’re on strike, and await a Festivus miracle – because who knows, you might be called out for the feats of strength and you might need it.

Airing of Grievances

What are some of your grievances you need to air? With family and friends? Or with the beer industry? Or with life in general? COVID-19 is still getting a large share of my grievances in 2021. Especially this new Omicron variant. Human beings are definitely getting a large amount of my grievances as well. The craft beer’s misogynistic worldview that is slowly changing (but not fast enough) is a large grievance for many in the industry (myself included). The lack of diversification. Etc. Etc. Etc.

So what are yours?

Black Flag Brewing Company

Black Flag Brewing Company has been on my radar for a long time now. Known for using pop cultural and nerd culture references for a while, they first hit my radar when they did a Final Fantasy series a while back, particularly their ‘Black Mage’ beer. We first got to check them out back in October when we did our travels through Columbia Maryland after the Brewfest for MS.

You can read more about our travels that day here: Going Hysteric Through Columbia Maryland – Brewfest for MS, Hysteria Brewing Company, Sapwoods Brewing, and Black Flag Brewing.

So leading up to this week, we had a couple of choice places to go and get some ‘Festivus’ or ‘Seinfeld’ style beers. Second Sin Brewing in Bristol released a Seinfeld themed beer – “Cherry Seinfeld”. And Icarus Brewing released a Feats of Strength stylized beer called ‘Treats of Strength’. And of course, Black Flag released ‘Airing of Grievances’. I did the online ordering of Icarus Brewing Company’s ‘Treats of Strength’ along with their Festivus glass – and it got delivered to a friend’s cousin’s house. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to get it from them until after Christmas break. But don’t worry – we’ll definitely be doing a review of it.

What we decided to do, was go do a tour of Maryland again. Which you can read here: Ambling Around Annapolis Rocks, Frederick, and Columbia Maryland: Annapolis Rocks, Attaboy Beer, Idiom Brewing, Steinhardt Brewing, Smoketown Creekside, The Brewer’s Art Tavern, and Black Flag Brewing.

I also got to pick up the new Star Wars themed beer – “Let the Haze Flow Through You” while at Black Flag as well (though, the other Star Wars themed beer – “This Isn’t the Haze You’re Looking For” was sold out), so it was certainly a double win, and a wonderful trip. (I can guarantee you will see a beer review of that on the blog as well, don’t you worry.)

But enough preambling, let’s discuss the brewery itself.

The back wall at Black Flag Brewing Company

Black Flag Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Columbia, Maryland. (An hour and 30 to hour and 45 minutes south of Harrisburg Pennsylvania.) According to Untappd it has 432 unique beers with a total of 157,180 ratings, and a global average rating of 3.87 as of 12.23.21. They have no brewery description listed on Untappd.

They are known for a lot of unique and nerdy beer names, such as ‘Nerd Herder’, ‘Black Mage’, ‘Airing of Grievances’, ‘Z. Morris’, ‘K. Kapowski’, ‘Let the Haze Flow Through You’, etc. They definitely have a ‘geeky’ or ‘nerd – chic’ (or ‘geek – chic’ or whatever cool modern hipster naming they use nowadays) vibe to their brewery. I’ve gotten to get to the brewery twice now, and have enjoyed all of the beers, and definitely dig the vibe. The first time we went was a late Saturday night, and loved sitting at the bar, and the second time we went was on a Thursday during the dinner hours and got a table and it was a jumping full bar. Both were great experiences, and both times we left with beer to take back to PA.

Beer Review

Alright, alright, arlight. Lets finally get to the beer review… its why you’re probably here anyway right?

So lets do it then!

Airing of Grievances by Black Flag Brewing Co.

Beer: Airing of Grievances
Brewery: Black Flag Brewing Co.
Style: Stout – Imperial / Double
ABV: 9%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: This amped up version of our classics gingerbread stout features deep chocolate and coffee notes inherent to the malt build with a robust addition of nutmeg, gingerbread, and milk sugar to give ample flavor.

This smells like you just kicked over and stomped on some poor little kid’s gingerbread house. Or you just bit the head off your little sister’s gingerbread man and play – acted like it had no head and was now a headless zombie wandering around the countryside looking to zombify the townsfolk on Christmas morning…. ….not that I would ever have done anything like that. Just saying…. But anyway, yes, the aroma on this bad boy is strong nutmeg, strong cinnamon, strong stout notes,

Appearance is a dark black, a Nietzsche ‘staring into the void’ black, a ‘Razor Ramon hair’ black. Black as my ex-wife’s soul black. (Oooh… that might be a bit too dark, huh? Maybe thats somebody’s grievance to air this year… aha! See how I segued that right back to the beer? Boom! Nailed it…. moving on….) This is a dark, creamy looking stout, with a very full heavy brown to tannish head. The bubbles are varied and interspersed, and it left lovely lacing down the glass. Even when I had it as a taster in the brewery it had a lovely head to it, and looked overall creamy.

This one is gonna hit you strong and hard and fast with that nutmeg and ginger and cinnamon. You are getting a hammer to the face Thor style with strong waves of gingerbread house goodness. It might be a bit too intense for some, and it is a bit heavy. There’s also a bit of a coffee bitterness to this that underlies it all as well, so that really seems to kick up the ante on the ginger and cinnamon and nutmeg, making this a bit strong for some. The milk sugar does add a creaminess to this, a light, softening to it, but the nutmeg, ginger, and coffee really hits hard and strong and powers through it. The stout base is very good, its strong, and its a heavy hitter, but at 9% its not too powerful as to kill you on the booziness or make your head swim. There is nothing cloying or too sweet, nothing off putting, and the mouthfeel is just right, a heavy dense beer with no papery watery-ness to it. There’s no off flavors or anything off putting. No horrible aftertaste, but you will get strong ‘ginger burps’ from this (and possibly even hiccups as my friend did). This is the perfect beer to cozy up to on a cold Festivus night after you’ve defeated the weakest family member in a feat of strength, and you’ve aired all of your grievances with everyone, and finally kicked them all out of your wretched home, to get to sit down and relax. Possibly watch the newest Matrix movie on HBO Max (which will most likely get added to your grievance list for 2022), or watch the Thursday Night football game, or just avoid all human contact due to the Omicron variant running rampant. No matter how you celebrate Festivus this year, this would be a welcomed addition to it, as its a terrific and wonderful stout. I imagine it would pair perfectly with cookies and hurt feelings (due to the grievances being aired). Just make sure that pole has a strong strength to weight ratio. As you might need it if you kill a four pack of these bad boys on your own.

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Average Untappd Rating: 3.79 (as of 12.23.21)

Lets Celebrate

So what’s everyone doing today to celebrate Festivus? I’m wrapping this article up (11:29AM), and will soon be heading out to finish getting the last second stuff for my daughter’s stockings. (Already got their gifts, have no fear, I won’t be reaching for a doll, and fighting a man for it, and coming to the conclusion that there has to be another way…). What brewery or beer shenanigans is everyone getting up into?

In the meantime, enjoy some of these Festivus related GIFs. (I had to include them in the article. Had. To. Just. Plain. Out. Had. To. Its like a law or something. Seinfeld and Festivus by extension was made for GIFs at a time when there really wasn’t even GIFs. Oh, to go back to the 90s and watch Seinfeld again as a young teen and fall in love with it, before the internet was what it is now. Back in the days of AOL dial-up sounding like a beached whale getting stepped on, or before AIM and leaving some kind of ridiculous ‘BRB’ message, etc.)

Anyway, I present to you some Festivus GIFs:

Icarus Festivus

For those curious about the Icarus Festivus beer I mentioned earlier – Treats of Strength – my friend’s cousin has picked it up, along with the Festivus glass. They will be returning after Christmas, so I should be able to get my grubby little hands on it sometime before the new year, and will hopefully have a review of it up before then. (Crazy to think that just tomorrow will be December 24th – Christmas Eve – already, and after that Christmas, then a week until News Year Eve / New Years Day).

Anyway, here is a picture Icarus Brewing posted today to celebrate Festivus:

Icarus Brewing – Treats of Strength

Want More Seinfeld?

Want more Seinfeld? (Don’t we all! And obviously Netflix did considering the huge deal they signed just to have it on their network!) Want to know some background history on Festivus? Well here you go.

This is an article from Mental Floss about 9 things you didn’t know about Festivus:

Our review of a Seinfeld related beer:

Happy for Christmas, or are you a Scrooge? Here’s two more Christmas themed beers we’ve reviewed:

For More Pop Culture / Nerd Culture / Popular Beer Names

Looking for more interesting beer names? References to something obscure and different? Well, we’ve covered plenty here on The Beer Thrillers. Check them out below:

Star Wars:

Rick and Morty:

Space Balls:

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Scrooged:

A Christmas Story:

Pro Wrestling:

Matrix:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Seinfeld:

Other:

Thanks For Reading

As always, thank you everyone for reading. Do you have comments, suggestions, questions? Airing of grievances? Issues with the blog? Is the site working good? Something you’d like to see us review, write about, read, etc? Let us know in the comments section here on the blog. Also be sure to check out all of our social media pages (listed below).

I’m heading out to do some last second Christmas shopping, and to celebrate Festivus. I would like to wish everyone a very happy holidays, a wonderful Happy Festivus, a Merry Christmas, and everything else. I should have a post tomorrow night that will be Christmas related (you’ll have to wait and see!). And I’m back to work on Christmas day, but I might be posting something in the morning. Who knows. We’ll see.

Until then, I hope you are able to defeat your challenger(s) in the feats of strength today, so you can end Festivus.


Cheers!

-B. Kline

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

]]>
8474