Star Wars - The Beer Thrillers

May the Fourth Be With You – From a Non a Star Wars Lover at RAR Brewing’s Star Wars Fest (Amy’s Column)

AmyMWolfe — Sun, 04 May 2025 15:43:18 +0000

May the Fourth Be With You – From a Non a Star Wars Lover at RAR Brewing’s Star Wars Fest

RAR during the Star Wars Festival on May 3rd

I went to the RAR Brewing “May the 4^th Be with you fest but on the 3^rd” but I am not a Star Wars fan. I don’t mean I don’t like Star Wars I just never fell in love with it. I loved watching the 3 OGs that came out years and years ago. I will drop quotes and funny memes. And I am assuming since I am dating the Editor of this blog, I will be forced someday to do an entire streaming of all things Star Wars. I am here for it.

(See our article: RAR Brewing’s May the 3rd Fest)

(See our article: RAR Brewing’s May the Fourth 2025 Beer Can Drop)

I’m a Star Wars….

We arrived on the scene in Cambridge Maryland and scoped out the parking lot. It was small and not surprisingly already full. We drove a couple blocks away to a free street parking spot and pulled in ready for an afternoon of enjoying a fun brewery and street festival. There was a mix of local older aged attendees mixed with Star Wars lovers and some dressed in Star Wars Cosplay. The entire layout of the Festival was welcoming and relaxing.

May the 4^th be with you; and I also with you (sorry, I can’t help it) fest but on the 3^rd was a fun, relaxing afternoon in the quaint town of Cambridge Maryland. There was art, music, beer, lots of beer, merch and good food.

It was a tad bit confusing on how to participate in the tasting tent at first but maybe I also can’t read the instructions. We quickly purchased our bracelets and tickets to sample all the themed beers. It was exciting seeing all the beers available for tasting for some stellar breweries; Bash Bros Collective, Imprint Beer Co, Burlington Beer Co, 2SP Brewing Company, Autodidact Beer, Tripping Animals Brewing, Clag, Spylgass Brewing Company, Maine Beer Company, Movement Brewing Company, Voodoo Brewing Company, Dewey Beer, Frost Beer Works, Four Point and Finback

We started off with the “Cuddle Buddies” 10% ABV Cream Triple IPA from Tripping Animals and 10.1%ABV “Even Fuller Very Circular” Triple IPA W/ Citra and Mosaic by Autodidact. I think you already know The Beer Thrillers come in heavy. These did not disappoint, and we quickly found a spot in the shade to chill and anticipate our next sample tastings.

Then we had to try a flight of the RAR themed beers for the day. Swamp Planet -Hop Saturated Ale 8.5% ABV, Desert Planet -Hop Saturated Ale 8.5%, Deep Fried Porg, College Deep Friend Beers -Hop Saturated Ale 10.1% and the Dark Side DELUXE -4% ABV Blueberry, Cherry, heavy Saber -Toasted Marshmallow, a touch of Roasted Habaneros, and Midnight Pastry. These all killed with Desert being the fav for us.

We were drooling over the food truck offerings of Fried Porg Bucket (chicken tenders with RAR seasoned waffle friends and choice of sauce), Mojo Pork Tacos, Birria Beef Tacos and Chicken tacos. The Friend Porg bucket arrived in a square brown container; we missed the novelty of the Porg bucket offering. The chicken tenders and fries were amazing along with a side of honey mustard. We saw many other attendees enjoying the “deep friend Porg” along with the various taco options.

RAR’s Deep Fried Porgs

Even Fett had to get in on the Galactic Grill. Good thing he removed his helmet before eating the fries.

The second music act Black Dog Alley band provided a very mellow and friendly atmosphere among Fest goers. Most folks walking by were swaying or bobbing their heads to the beat. A few folks were seen dancing together. We listened and relaxed to cover songs by the Beatles, Stevie Wonder and Gnarles Barkley.

The music at the event was wonderful

This dog friendly event gave dog loving fest goers plenty to enjoy. A friendly Pit bull puppy near us enjoyed some leftover Porg and fries. We were immediate friends and shared some cuddles.

We purchased beer to go, some merchandise and some art from a local vendor. We highly recommend checking out this yearly RAR May the 4^th be with you events even if you aren’t a Star Wars fan. We highly recommend checking out the quaint town of Cambridge Maryland and absolutely recommend checking out RAR Brewing company. We can’t wait to visit again!

Drink More Beer!
- Amy

RAR’s Promotional Material For the Event

For More Information on RAR Brewing

The following comes via Untappd.

RAR is a micro brewery from Cambridge, MD. They have 931 unique beers and over 549,000 ratings with a global average rating of 4.01 (as of 5.4.25). Their Untappd description reads: “Based in Cambridge, MD on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay. ”

You can follow them on these social media platforms:

RAR Brewing – Official Website
RAR Brewing – Facebook
RAR Brewing – Instagram
RAR Brewing – Twitter
RAR Brewing – Untappd

Amy’s Column Series

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:

Futurama

Lord of the Rings:

Magic the Gathering:

New Belgium Teams Up with Magic the Gathering for Vastwood Seer IPA

Heroes of Barcadia:

Rollacrit Partners with Voodoo Ranger IPA for New Kickstarter, Heroes of Barcadia: Heroes for Hire Tabletop Game

Zelda:

Rick and Morty:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

The Peanuts:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Philadelphia Eagles:

The Philadelphia Eagles Running Back – D’Andre Swift – Visits Bald Bird Brewing Company

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

Mario:

Beer Review: Level Up (Idiom Brewing)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

The Muppets:

Other:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

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MAPS OF BREWERIES

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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 #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of April 2025.) 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!

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Beer Review: Chewbacca (Rotunda Brewing Company)

B. Kline — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 02:45:07 +0000

Beer Review: Chewbacca by Rotunda Brewing Company

I first had this beer back in October of 2019. (Which feels like ancient history.) And I remember wanting to write a review of it even back then for the site…. and for some reason I never did. Not sure why exactly. Maybe I just didn’t get around to it or something, but I even kept my photo of the beer on my desktop screen this whole time. Ironically, I recently had it again, so what better opportunity to revisit the beer for my second beer review release for Andor: Season 2. Last week I reviewed – Admiral (J Henry Barrel Aged Grand Stout) by Delta Beer Lab – and so this week, we’ll taking a look at a much closer brewery – Rotunda Brewing Company with their Imperial Black IPA (or Imperial Cascadian IPA). This is one of my favorite styles of beer, I love Black IPAs, and Double Black IPAs are event better.

But before we dive in, I want everyone to please take a look at our stream / podcast / video we made on YouTube. It stars myself, Drew of Knights of Nostalgia, and Tim (Aglets). You can view it here:

In the video we cover the first three episodes of Andor. So please be sure to check it out!

And now, onto the review!

Chewbacca by Rotunda Brewing Company (at the Rising Sun in 2019)

The Beer Review: Chewbacca by Rotunda Brewing Company

Beer: Chewbacca
Brewery: Rotunda Brewing Company
Style: Imperial Black IPA / Double Black IPA
ABV: 8%
IBU: N / A
Untappd Description: (Blank)

Let’s check out this Wookie beast (not to be confused with the Wookie Monster by Fourscore). Will someone get this Walking Carpet out of my way so I can type!

Appearance

Chewbacca pours a deep, opaque brown-almost bordering on black-with a creamy, tan head that lingers like a loyal Wookiee companion. The lacing is impressive, clinging to the glass with each sip, leaving behind a trail reminiscent of hyperspace streaks.

Aroma

Right out of the gate, there’s a punch of roasted malt-think dark chocolate and fresh-brewed coffee-balanced by a piney, resinous hop profile. There’s a subtle undercurrent of caramel and a hint of citrus, like orange peel, that peeks through as it warms. The aroma is bold and inviting, promising complexity.

Chewbacca by Rotunda Brewing Company

Taste

The first sip delivers a satisfying interplay between roasted malt bitterness and assertive hop character. Notes of espresso and bittersweet cocoa dominate up front, quickly joined by pine, grapefruit, and a touch of earthy spice. The Black IPA style shines here: the hops never overwhelm the malt backbone, instead weaving together in a harmonious, chewy mouthfeel. The 9.2% ABV is well-hidden, but there’s a gentle warmth in the finish that lets you know this is a beer worthy of a Wookiee.

Mouthfeel

Medium to full-bodied, with a creamy carbonation that lifts the flavors without feeling heavy. The finish is dry, with lingering roast and a pleasant, resinous bitterness that invites another sip.

Overall Impressions

Chewbacca is a robust, well-executed Black IPA that balances dark roast and hop bite with finesse. It’s a bold tribute to its namesake-complex, powerful, and just a little wild. Whether you’re a Star Wars fan or simply a lover of big, hoppy dark ales, this is a beer that deserves a spot in your cantina. Untappd’s 3.8/5 rating feels right, but I’d nudge it a bit higher for the sheer fun and craftsmanship.

Wrap Up

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.8 (out of nearly 1000 ratings) (as of 4.25.25)

May the hops be with you-always.

Chewbacca by Rotunda Brewing Company (RBC) (photo courtesy of Rotunda Brewing Company)

I’m gonna have to check the archives of the site here, or on my computer, to see if I have any notes or anything from the initial first time I drank the beer, if maybe I started a review and then sadly – for whatever reason – never got around to finishing it. Maybe I was waiting for the right chance to post it, and never found it. Who knows, there’s over 70+ articles in my “draft” folder here on the site, some day I’ll get around to posting them…. unfortunately that day is not today though. But be sure to come back to the site, who knows, maybe it’ll be tomorrow…..

And check back next Tuesday for another (hopefully) Star Wars themed beer release. Over the weekened is May the Fourth Be With You, so once again, hopefully I’ll be able to grab some of the RAR Star Wars themed beers and will be able to review them weekly!

Cheers all and thank you for reading!

Chewbacca at Rotunda Brewery

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:

Futurama

Lord of the Rings:

Magic the Gathering:

New Belgium Teams Up with Magic the Gathering for Vastwood Seer IPA

Heroes of Barcadia:

Rollacrit Partners with Voodoo Ranger IPA for New Kickstarter, Heroes of Barcadia: Heroes for Hire Tabletop Game

Zelda:

Rick and Morty:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

The Peanuts:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Philadelphia Eagles:

The Philadelphia Eagles Running Back – D’Andre Swift – Visits Bald Bird Brewing Company

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

Mario:

Beer Review: Level Up (Idiom Brewing)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

The Muppets:

Other:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

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

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.

Beer Review: Admiral (J Henry Barrel Aged Grand Stout) (Delta Beer Lab)

B. Kline — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 02:45:10 +0000

Beer Review: Admiral (J Henry Barrel Aged Grand Stout) (by Delta Beer Lab)

In honor of Andor season 2, (and the fast approaching May the Fourth Be With You), here is a new Star Wars (themed at least) beer review for everyone. Who has gotten to watch the first three episodes of Andor released today? (I did, and in the next beer review, I’ll post our YouTube review of it – involving myself, Knights of Nostalgia, and Aglets.)

Admiral (J Henry Barrel Aged Grand Stout) by Delta Beer Lab

Beer Review

Beer: Admiral (J. Henry Barrel Aged Grand Stout)
Brewery: Delta Beer Lab
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Style: American Imperial Stout (Barrel-Aged)
ABV: 11.1%

First Impressions

If you’re searching for a bold, barrel-aged imperial stout that delivers on both complexity and craftsmanship, Admiral (J Henry Barrel Aged Grand Stout) from Delta Beer Lab in Madison, WI, is a must-try. This limited release is making waves in the Midwest craft beer scene, earning an impressive 4.2/5 average rating on Untappd and a 4.42/5 on BeerAdvocate, signaling its strong reputation among stout enthusiasts.

Appearance

Admiral pours jet black with a dense, mocha-colored head that lingers and leaves elegant lacing down the glass. The viscosity is immediately apparent, hinting at the richness to come.

Aroma

The nose is decadent and layered. Expect waves of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, and molasses, intertwined with notes of vanilla, caramel, and toasted oak from the J Henry bourbon barrels. Subtle hints of dried fruit and a whisper of bourbon heat round out the aroma, inviting you in for that first sip.

Admiral by Delta Beer Lab

Flavor

On the palate, Admiral is a masterclass in balance. The bourbon barrel aging imparts smooth vanilla and caramel undertones, seamlessly blending with the stout’s core flavors of bittersweet chocolate, espresso, and dark toffee. There’s a gentle warmth from the 11.1% ABV – enough to remind you of its strength, but never overpowering. The barrel character is pronounced but not dominant, allowing the base stout’s roasty complexity to shine through. As the beer warms, notes of fig, raisin, and a touch of leather emerge, adding depth and intrigue.

Mouthfeel

Full-bodied and velvety, Admiral coats the palate with a creamy texture and moderate carbonation. The finish is long and satisfying, with lingering chocolate and a gentle bourbon warmth that invites another sip.

Overall Impressions

Admiral (J Henry Barrel Aged Grand Stout) is a standout example of a barrel-aged imperial stout done right. It’s robust, complex, and dangerously drinkable for its strength. Whether you’re a barrel-aged aficionado or just dipping your toes into the world of imperial stouts, this beer is a testament to Delta Beer Lab’s skill and creativity.

Perfect For:

Sipping fireside on a chilly Wisconsin night
Pairing with rich desserts like flourless chocolate cake or blue cheese
Sharing with fellow craft beer lovers looking for something special

Why Seek Out The Admiral?

Delta Beer Lab is known for its innovative, community-focused approach to brewing, and Admiral exemplifies their commitment to quality. If you’re in Madison or exploring Wisconsin’s craft beer scene, this is a barrel-aged stout that deserves a place on your must-try list.

Pro Tip:

If you spot a bottle or tap pour of Admiral, don’t hesitate-this is one of those rare releases that lives up to the hype and will leave you wanting more. For more reviews of standout craft beers in Wisconsin and beyond, follow our blog and discover your next favorite pour.

Ratings

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Rating: 4.21 (out of 250~ ratings) (global average as of 4.22.25)

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:

Futurama

Lord of the Rings:

Magic the Gathering:

New Belgium Teams Up with Magic the Gathering for Vastwood Seer IPA

Heroes of Barcadia:

Rollacrit Partners with Voodoo Ranger IPA for New Kickstarter, Heroes of Barcadia: Heroes for Hire Tabletop Game

Zelda:

Rick and Morty:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

The Peanuts:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Philadelphia Eagles:

The Philadelphia Eagles Running Back – D’Andre Swift – Visits Bald Bird Brewing Company

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

Mario:

Beer Review: Level Up (Idiom Brewing)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

The Muppets:

Other:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

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

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.

Book Review: Star Wars – Most Wanted (Rae Carson)

B. Kline — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 02:01:50 +0000

Star Wars Most Wanted by Rae Carlson

Star Wars: Most Wanted by Rae Carson offers fans of the galaxy far, far away a thrilling prelude to the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story. Set on the gritty streets of Corellia, the novel delves into the early lives of Han Solo and Qi’ra, two characters whose destinies are intricately linked.

Good Reads Back Cover

The back cover synopsis on GoodReads:

Set before the events of Solo: A Star Wars Story! Han and Qi’ra don’t have a lot in common other than not having a lot. They’re street kids on the industrial planet Corellia, doing whatever it takes to get by, dreaming of something more. They each jump at a chance to prove themselves in the perilous world of Corellia’s criminal underbelly, only to discover they are on the same mission for the same unscrupulous boss. When the job goes disastrously wrong, Han and Qi’ra are on the run–from pirates, a droid crime syndicate, the Empire, and their boss–and will have to learn to trust each other if they are going to survive.

GoodReads – Star Wars: Most Wanted

Book Review: Star Wars – Most Wanted by Rae Carlson

(I listened to this on audiobook via Libby. I also then read the in print version as well for comparison’s sake.)

Plot Overview

The story centers on Han and Qi’ra before they became the figures we know from the Star Wars saga. They are both “scrumrats,” orphans who must rely on their wits and street smarts to survive in the criminal underworld of Corellia. Their ultimate goal is to escape their oppressive circumstances and find freedom beyond the stars. But when a heist goes wrong, the two must team up to survive against the odds, racing against time to outmaneuver rival gangs, corrupt officials, and the ever-looming presence of the Empire.

Character Development

One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its portrayal of Han and Qi’ra as complex, multifaceted characters. Han is the scrappy, reckless dreamer we’ve come to expect, but Carson gives him layers of vulnerability and determination that make his journey all the more compelling. Qi’ra, on the other hand, is cunning and ambitious, yet haunted by the harsh realities of her world. The dynamic between them is electric, filled with tension, camaraderie, and a touch of romance.

Themes and Setting

Rae Carson does a masterful job of immersing readers in the seedy underbelly of Corellia. The city is portrayed as a living, breathing entity—grimy, dangerous, and full of opportunities for those daring enough to seize them. Themes of survival, loyalty, and the quest for freedom resonate throughout the novel, making it more than just a simple adventure tale. It’s a story about the choices we make, the people we trust, and the lengths we’ll go to achieve our dreams.

Writing Style

Carson’s writing is brisk and engaging, perfectly suited to the fast-paced nature of the story. She captures the voice of the Star Wars universe with ease, balancing action, character moments, and world-building in a way that feels true to the franchise. Her ability to convey the inner thoughts and emotions of Han and Qi’ra adds depth to the narrative, making their journey not just one of survival, but of self-discovery.

Final Thoughts

Star Wars: Most Wanted is a must-read for fans of the Star Wars saga, particularly those interested in the backstory of Han Solo and Qi’ra. Rae Carson has crafted a tale that is both exciting and emotionally resonant, providing new insights into these beloved characters while staying true to the spirit of the franchise. Whether you’re a die-hard Star Wars fan or just looking for a gripping adventure, this book delivers on all fronts.

My GoodReads Rating: ****
Global GoodReads Rating: 3.76 (as of 7.25.24)
My LibraryThing Rating: ***.5

Other Book Reviews

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:

Futurama

Lord of the Rings:

Magic the Gathering:

New Belgium Teams Up with Magic the Gathering for Vastwood Seer IPA

Heroes of Barcadia:

Rollacrit Partners with Voodoo Ranger IPA for New Kickstarter, Heroes of Barcadia: Heroes for Hire Tabletop Game

Zelda:

Rick and Morty:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

The Peanuts:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Philadelphia Eagles:

The Philadelphia Eagles Running Back – D’Andre Swift – Visits Bald Bird Brewing Company

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

The Muppets:

Other:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, 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!

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

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!

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.

Book Review: Star Wars: Pirate’s Price (Flight of the Falcon, #2) by Lou Anders

B. Kline — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 20:16:39 +0000

Star Wars: Pirate’s Price (Flight of the Falcon, #2) by Lou Anders

Book Review: Star Wars: Pirate’s Price (Flight of the Falcon, #2) by Lou Anders

The other day we reviewed the first book of the series – Star Wars: Lando’s Luck (Flight of the Falcon, #1) by Justina Ireland.

Star Wars: Pirate’s Price is the second installment in the Flight of the Falcon series and is written by Lou Anders. It’s a rollicking, swashbuckling adventure set in the galaxy far, far away, with a particular focus on one of the most notorious scoundrels in Star Wars lore: Hondo Ohnaka, the space pirate with charm, wit, and no shortage of tall tales.

GoodReads Back Blurb

All-new adventures starring Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Hondo Ohnaka aboard the Millennium Falcon!

Hello, my friends! It is I, Hondo Ohnaka, greatest pirate in the galaxy, hero of the Rebellion, and if you believe that Obi-Wan Kenobii guy, a villain, too. But what did he know?

I am here to tell you stories of that most amazing ship, the Millennium Falcon, including my very first time on board and a few occasions when I actually flew the Falcon myself! And I did a great job of it, too. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

Oh, there might be a familiar Wookie in the stories. And that Han Solo guy. He had a way of popping up. And some other people you may know. And some you may not.

So hang on tight, because this adventure is traveling at lightspeed and it’s going to be a wild ride!

Star Wars: Pirate’s Price (Flight of the Falcon, #2) by Lou Anders – GoodReads

Book Review

Plot Summary: The novel revolves around Hondo’s adventures with the iconic Millennium Falcon. Hondo recounts his wild escapades to Bazine Netal, a spy who is seeking to learn more about the Falcon’s whereabouts. Through a series of flashbacks, readers are taken on a ride through time, revisiting different points in the galaxy’s history where Hondo, in true pirate fashion, becomes embroiled in various schemes that involve the famous ship.

Character Focus: Hondo Ohnaka is undoubtedly the star of the show. His humor, opportunism, and rogue-like charm shine throughout the book. Anders nails Hondo’s voice, capturing his eccentricities perfectly—whether he’s boasting about outwitting Imperial forces or narrowly escaping danger through clever trickery. Fans of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels will be delighted by how the character leaps off the page, maintaining the essence that made him a fan favorite.

Although Hondo takes center stage, Pirate’s Price also gives us glimpses of Han Solo, Chewbacca, and the Falcon herself, which is portrayed as a kind of mystical, legendary ship that has lived through countless escapades. There’s even a brief cameo by Rey, linking the story to the sequel trilogy’s timeline, which adds a layer of continuity.

Writing and Pacing: Lou Anders crafts a fun and fast-paced narrative. The story moves quickly from one escapade to the next, almost like a series of mini-adventures tied together by Hondo’s storytelling. The pacing is energetic, which makes the novel hard to put down—perfect for younger readers or anyone looking for a lighthearted romp through the galaxy. Anders’ writing is accessible and full of humor, especially in Hondo’s voice, which is both comical and engaging.

The dialogue is a highlight, with Hondo’s quips and self-serving bravado creating a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. The story structure—being told through Hondo’s unreliable narration—adds a layer of charm, as you’re never quite sure if Hondo is telling the whole truth or embellishing his exploits for dramatic effect.

Appeal for Star Wars Fans: For fans of Star Wars lore, Pirate’s Price serves as a fun side story that enriches the universe’s vast narrative. It doesn’t delve into deep, galaxy-altering events, but it does offer a more intimate look at the everyday chaos of the galaxy, focusing on the smaller, personal adventures of its characters. If you’re familiar with Hondo from the animated series, this book will feel like an extension of his character, and fans of the Millennium Falcon will enjoy seeing the ship woven into another set of stories.

Conclusion: Star Wars: Pirate’s Price is an enjoyable, lighthearted adventure that’s perfect for younger readers and die-hard fans of Hondo Ohnaka. It’s a story packed with humor, charm, and classic Star Wars adventure, though it doesn’t take itself too seriously. If you’re looking for a fun read that celebrates one of the franchise’s most entertaining characters, this book will certainly deliver.

My GoodReads Rating: ***
Global GoodReads Rating: 4.02 (as of 7.16.24)
My LibraryThing Rating: ***.5

Hondo’s larger-than-life personality and the fast-paced storytelling make Pirate’s Price a delightful addition to the Flight of the Falcon series.

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Book Review: Star Wars: Lando’s Luck (Flight of the Falcon, #1) by Justina Ireland

B. Kline — Wed, 10 Jul 2024 19:50:01 +0000

Book Review: Star Wars: Lando’s Luck (Flight of the Falcon, #1) by Justina Ireland

Star Wars: Lando’s Luck (Flight of the Falcon, #1) by Justina Ireland

Star Wars: Lando’s Luck (Flight of the Falcon, #1) by Justina Ireland is the first of two installments on the Flight of the Falcon series. (Look for the book review for the second installment in a bit.)

Star Wars: Lando’s Luck, the first book in the Flight of the Falcon series, brings us on an exciting adventure with none other than the galaxy’s most charming gambler, Lando Calrissian. Written by Justina Ireland, this middle-grade novel is a fast-paced, action-packed story that explores Lando’s life as a rogue pilot, highlighting his wit, cleverness, and occasional brushes with morality.

As the inaugural book in the Flight of the Falcon series, it sets the tone for what readers can expect: engaging characters, high-stakes missions, and the legendary Millennium Falcon at the center of it all.

GoodReads Back Blurb

An all-new adventure starring Lando Calrissian and L3-37 onboard the Millennium Falcon. When Lando Calrissian gets caught smuggling on the planet Hynestia, the queen agrees to let him go if he delivers something called the Solstice Globe to the Empire on her behalf. Lando is relieved that his punishment is a simple delivery mission — but things are not as simple as they seem. The queen’s daughter, Princess Rinetta, has stowed away on the Millennium Falcon and demands that Lando and L3-37 take the globe back to its home planet, which needs the globe to survive. Now Lando has to choose: do what’s right or do what’s best for Lando? If he’s lucky enough, he just might be able to do both…

Star Wars: Lando’s Luck (Flight of the Falcon, #1) by Justina Ireland – GoodReads

Plot Overview:

The story kicks off when Lando, piloting the Millennium Falcon long before Han Solo won it from him, gets roped into a royal mission on the planet Hynestia. His job? Transport a priceless, sacred artifact known as the Solstice Globe to the Empire. However, Lando being Lando, nothing goes quite according to plan. Enter Princess Rinetta, the young, determined heir to Hynestia’s throne, who becomes Lando’s unexpected ally as they work to avoid the Empire and save her people from oppression.

Throughout the book, readers are treated to a series of twists, betrayals, and daring escapes as Lando and Princess Rinetta face peril and moral dilemmas, all while piloting the iconic Millennium Falcon across the stars.

Lando Calrissian: Scoundrel with a Heart

What makes Lando’s Luck shine is the characterization of Lando himself. Justina Ireland captures his charisma and smooth-talking ways perfectly, balancing his opportunistic nature with a deeper sense of loyalty and justice that only emerges when he’s pushed into a corner. He may be motivated by self-interest, but as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that even Lando can’t resist doing the right thing when it really matters.

The banter between Lando and L3-37, his co-pilot droid, adds humor and depth to the story. L3’s sharp wit and rebellious spirit are great counterpoints to Lando’s smooth charm, making their dynamic one of the book’s highlights. If you enjoyed their relationship in Solo: A Star Wars Story, you’ll love how it’s further developed in this book.

Princess Rinetta also plays a pivotal role. Her growth throughout the novel is subtle but important, as she learns to navigate the complexities of leadership, diplomacy, and sacrifice. Together, she and Lando form an unlikely but effective team, and their dynamic is one of the book’s core strengths.

Accessible and Action-Packed

As a middle-grade novel, Lando’s Luck is written in an accessible style that will appeal to younger readers and casual Star Wars fans. The plot moves quickly, with plenty of action sequences, from blaster shootouts to high-speed chases in the Falcon. Justina Ireland keeps the story tight and focused, making sure there’s never a dull moment. The stakes are high, but the tone remains lighthearted and adventurous, perfect for readers looking for a fun, fast read.

At the same time, seasoned Star Wars fans will appreciate the way Ireland weaves in familiar elements of the galaxy without bogging down the story in heavy lore. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or a newcomer to the saga, you’ll find plenty to enjoy, especially when it comes to Lando’s swashbuckling style of problem-solving.

Themes of Choice and Consequence

Though it’s a fun and light adventure, Lando’s Luck subtly explores deeper themes of choice, responsibility, and morality. Lando’s constant tug-of-war between doing what’s easy and doing what’s right serves as a relatable moral compass for younger readers. The narrative doesn’t preach, but it does present tough decisions that the characters must face, making it a story not just about adventure, but also about growth and integrity.

Princess Rinetta’s struggle to save her people and find her own voice as a leader parallels Lando’s journey of self-reflection, showing that even the galaxy’s most charismatic scoundrel is capable of change. This exploration of moral choices elevates the book from simple adventure fare into something with a bit more weight, especially for young readers learning about ethics and personal responsibility.

Verdict: A Fun and Engaging Star Wars Adventure

Star Wars: Lando’s Luck is a fun, fast-paced adventure that perfectly captures the spirit of its titular hero. Justina Ireland does a fantastic job of bringing Lando Calrissian to life, complete with all his wit, charm, and mischief. Whether you’re a young reader or a long-time Star Wars fan, this book offers an enjoyable look into the galaxy’s seedier side, with plenty of heart and humor to balance the action.

If you’re looking for a quick, enjoyable read filled with adventure, moral dilemmas, and a dash of roguish charm, Lando’s Luck is worth adding to your reading list.

My GoodReads Rating: ***
Global GoodReads Rating: 3.47 (as of 7.10.24)
My LibraryThing Rating: ***.5

Lando’s daring escapades, paired with Justina Ireland’s snappy storytelling, make this an absolute must-read for fans of the galaxy’s smoothest gambler.

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Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire Trilogy: The Star Wars Sequel We Almost Got

B. Kline — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 01:32:04 +0000

Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire Trilogy: The Star Wars Sequel We Almost Got

A deep review of Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command

There are books that continue a story, and then there are books that change what people believe a story can become.

Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire trilogy belongs firmly in the second category.

The original Thrawn Trilogy novels and their “Legends” editions.

Published between 1991 and 1993, the trilogy—Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, and The Last Command—was not simply another collection of Star Wars novels. It was the literary bridge between the original trilogy and the enormous Expanded Universe that followed. More importantly, it demonstrated that Star Wars could continue beyond Return of the Jedi without simply repeating the movies.

That achievement is easy to underestimate today.

Modern Star Wars audiences live in a universe where television series, novels, comics, video games, reference books, and films have been telling stories across multiple eras for decades. In 1991, that ecosystem barely existed. Heir to the Empire arrived years after Return of the Jedi, at a time when the future of Star Wars was uncertain and new stories involving Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Leia Organa were comparatively rare.

The book became a New York Times bestseller and effectively kicked open the door for the modern Expanded Universe. StarWars.com has itself described the novel as the work that “jumpstarted” the Expanded Universe publishing program.

And it did so by introducing one of the most enduring characters in Star Wars history:

Grand Admiral Thrawn.

But Thrawn is only part of the reason the trilogy works.

The real achievement of Zahn’s trilogy is that it understands something fundamental about Star Wars: the Empire did not disappear when the Emperor died.

The Death Star was destroyed.

Darth Vader was dead.

Palpatine was dead.

But governments, militaries, ideologies, grudges, economic interests, criminal organizations, old loyalties, and millions of ordinary people remained.

Zahn takes that simple idea and builds an entire post-Return of the Jedi galaxy around it.

And more than thirty years later, the trilogy remains one of the most impressive pieces of Star Wars fiction ever written.

What Is the Thrawn Trilogy?

Timothy Zahn’s original trilogy consists of:

Heir to the Empire (1991)
Dark Force Rising (1992)
The Last Command (1993)

The story begins approximately five years after Return of the Jedi. The New Republic has defeated the Emperor but is still trying to transform a military rebellion into a functioning government. Meanwhile, remnants of the Galactic Empire remain scattered throughout the galaxy.

Into this unstable political situation steps Grand Admiral Thrawn, a brilliant Imperial strategist who has survived the collapse of Palpatine’s regime.

Rather than introduce another Sith Lord or another planet-destroying superweapon, Zahn creates a different kind of antagonist.

Thrawn doesn’t need the Force.

He doesn’t need a Death Star.

He doesn’t even particularly need to hate the heroes.

He simply needs to understand them better than they understand him.

That distinction is the foundation of the entire trilogy.

Why Heir to the Empire Was So Important

Original Heir to the Empire paperback cover

Before discussing whether the trilogy is actually good, it is worth understanding what it accomplished.

Heir to the Empire premiered in May 1991 and immediately reached the top of The New York Times bestseller list.

That is remarkable for a licensed science-fiction novel.

The novel effectively told readers:

The story isn’t over.

Luke Skywalker could still be Luke Skywalker.

Han Solo could still be Han Solo.

Leia could still be Leia.

The Empire could still be dangerous.

And the galaxy could become much larger without becoming unrecognizable.

Zahn’s assignment was enormous. In an interview decades later, he explained that he received the offer unexpectedly in 1989 and had never written a trilogy before. He initially had to figure out how to tell one 300,000-word story across three books.

The result became the foundation for what would eventually be called the Star Wars Expanded Universe, later reclassified as Star Wars Legends.

That historical distinction matters.

Today, the original Zahn trilogy is officially part of Star Wars Legends, rather than the current Disney-era continuity. But its influence did not disappear when the continuity label changed.

Thrawn survived.

Mara Jade survived.

The idea of the post-Endor New Republic survived.

And, eventually, Thrawn himself returned to modern Star Wars canon.

The Most Important Thing Zahn Understands About Star Wars

Timothy Zahn (juxtaposed by Grand Admiral Thrawn)

The easiest way to write a bad Star Wars sequel is to assume the only thing people want is another Star Wars movie.

Zahn doesn’t make that mistake.

Instead, he asks:

What happens after the heroes win?

That is a much more interesting question.

The original trilogy is fundamentally a story about overthrowing tyranny.

The Thrawn trilogy is partially about discovering that overthrowing tyranny is much easier than replacing it.

The New Republic has inherited a galaxy that has been ruled by the Empire for decades.

It has to govern.

It has to negotiate.

It has to rebuild.

It has to convince former Imperial citizens that it isn’t simply another temporary government.

It has to deal with military commanders who don’t want to surrender.

It has to manage rival political factions.

It has to figure out what happens to the Imperial military.

And all of that has to happen while an enemy is actively trying to destroy it.

This makes the trilogy feel surprisingly mature.

The heroes aren’t simply fighting evil.

They’re trying to build something.

Heir to the Empire: The Perfect Introduction

The original Thrawn trilogy covers

The first novel is easily the most iconic of the three.

It introduces the central conflict, establishes the new political landscape, introduces Mara Jade and Talon Karrde, brings Thrawn onto the stage, and establishes the trilogy’s larger mythology.

Most importantly, it doesn’t waste time explaining things the reader already knows.

Zahn assumes you know who Luke Skywalker is.

You know Han Solo.

You know Leia.

You know Chewbacca.

You know the Millennium Falcon.

You know what the Empire is.

That allows him to spend his pages expanding the universe rather than rebuilding it.

And the expansion is considerable.

Grand Admiral Thrawn

Thrawn is the character who immediately grabs the reader’s attention.

He is one of the best villains ever created for Star Wars, largely because Zahn understands that villainy does not have to mean theatrical evil.

Darth Vader is terrifying because he is physically imposing, emotionally damaged, and nearly supernatural.

Palpatine is terrifying because he is manipulative, sadistic, and politically brilliant.

Thrawn is terrifying because he is competent.

That sounds simple.

It isn’t.

Competent villains are difficult to write because a writer must convince the audience that the villain is genuinely smarter than the heroes without simply making everyone else stupid.

Zahn generally succeeds.

Thrawn studies art.

Not because he is trying to become cultured.

Not because he wants to impress people.

He studies art because he believes artistic expression reveals the psychology and worldview of a civilization.

If he understands how a culture thinks, he can anticipate how its military leaders might behave.

That gives his military genius a distinctive intellectual foundation.

Thrawn doesn’t merely ask:

“What will the enemy do?”

He asks:

“Why does the enemy think the way it does?”

That is much more interesting.

Thrawn Is Not Darth Vader

One of Zahn’s smartest decisions was refusing to turn Thrawn into Vader 2.0.

There is no lightsaber.

No Force lightning.

No helmet.

No melodramatic breathing.

No attempt to recreate the emotional relationship between Luke and Vader.

Thrawn is an entirely different kind of antagonist.

In fact, one of the trilogy’s greatest strengths is that Thrawn can respect his enemies.

He doesn’t necessarily hate Luke.

He doesn’t need Han to suffer.

He doesn’t spend his time talking about how evil he is.

He is an Imperial because he believes in order, hierarchy, and the effectiveness of the Imperial system.

That makes him much more intellectually interesting.

And Zahn creates a fascinating contradiction in him:

Thrawn is often more honorable than the system he serves.

He can respect competence even in an enemy.

He can reward creativity.

He understands military discipline.

His subordinates generally respect him rather than merely fearing him.

That creates a very different atmosphere from Palpatine’s Empire.

It also makes Thrawn’s eventual defeat considerably more satisfying.

The Problem With Thrawn

Thrawn is not perfect as a character.

The biggest criticism of the character is that Zahn sometimes makes his genius feel almost supernatural.

The famous art-analysis concept is clever, but the novels occasionally push Thrawn’s predictive abilities so far that it can feel as though he is solving the plot because the author has given him an exceptionally powerful analytical ability.

There is a fine line between:

“This character is incredibly intelligent.”

and

“This character is always correct because the story needs him to be.”

Zahn occasionally crosses that line.

Still, Thrawn works because his intelligence is usually presented through action rather than endless declarations about how brilliant he is.

We see him analyze.

We see him make decisions.

We see the consequences.

And we see other characters struggle to figure out what he is doing.

That is far more effective than simply having characters constantly announce:

“Thrawn is a genius!”

Mara Jade: The Other Great Invention

If Thrawn is the trilogy’s greatest villain, Mara Jade is arguably its most important original character.

Mara enters the story with one of the most immediately compelling premises imaginable:

She has been ordered to kill Luke Skywalker.

Not because Luke personally wronged her.

Not because she is a Sith.

But because she was once the Emperor’s Hand.

She served Palpatine directly, and the Emperor’s death destroyed the structure around which her identity had been built.

That makes Mara more than an assassin.

She is a person trying to figure out who she is after the person who defined her life has died.

This is one of Zahn’s strongest character concepts.

Mara Jade and the Question of Identity

The original trilogy contains a great deal of mythology about destiny.

Luke is Vader’s son.

Leia is Luke’s sister.

Vader is redeemed.

The Jedi return.

The Sith fall.

Zahn approaches identity from another direction.

What happens to someone whose entire identity was created by an authoritarian regime?

Mara has to confront that question.

She knows herself as the Emperor’s Hand.

Then the Emperor dies.

What is she now?

Her hatred of Luke is therefore partly personal, but also existential.

Luke represents the end of the world that created her.

Killing Luke would, in her mind, somehow restore meaning to her life.

That makes her eventual relationship with Luke much more interesting than a simple enemies-to-friends storyline.

It is about learning to redefine oneself.

Mara’s Relationship With Luke

One of the trilogy’s best long-term ideas is that Luke and Mara don’t immediately become friends.

Their relationship is antagonistic, uncomfortable, distrustful, and occasionally hostile.

That is exactly how it should be.

Mara has legitimate reasons to hate Luke from her perspective.

Luke has legitimate reasons not to trust her.

Neither character can simply flip a switch.

Instead, their relationship evolves through repeated encounters.

Mara gradually discovers that Luke is not the monster she imagined.

Luke gradually discovers that Mara is not simply an Imperial assassin.

That relationship became enormously important to the subsequent Legends continuity, eventually leading to Luke and Mara marrying and having a son.

Even if a reader knows where the relationship ultimately goes, the trilogy’s handling of their initial dynamic remains effective.

Talon Karrde and the Criminal Underworld

Another excellent decision is Talon Karrde.

Karrde is not a Rebel.

He isn’t an Imperial.

He isn’t a traditional hero.

He’s a smuggler.

And he is exactly the kind of character a post-Return of the Jedi galaxy needs.

The movies give us the impression that the galaxy consists largely of two sides:

Empire vs. Rebellion.

Zahn realizes that this isn’t how a functioning galaxy would actually work.

There are people who simply want to make money.

There are criminals.

Traders.

Smugglers.

Mercenaries.

Neutral systems.

Local governments.

People who don’t care who wins so long as they survive.

Karrde represents that middle ground.

And Han’s interactions with him allow Zahn to explore something particularly interesting:

Han Solo is no longer the galaxy’s most important smuggler.

That’s a subtle but important evolution.

Han has become a political figure.

He is married to Leia.

He is connected to the New Republic.

His old world hasn’t disappeared, but he has moved beyond it.

Han Solo Gets to Be Han Solo

This is one of the areas where Zahn deserves enormous credit.

Han is difficult to write.

Too serious, and he stops being Han.

Too jokey, and he becomes a parody of himself.

Zahn finds a surprisingly good balance.

Han is older.

More responsible.

More politically important.

But he is still sarcastic, impulsive, stubborn, and occasionally reckless.

The same applies to Leia.

Zahn doesn’t freeze the original characters in carbonite.

They have changed.

But they haven’t become different people.

That distinction is crucial.

Leia Organa Is Perhaps the Trilogy’s Most Underrated Character

Leia may actually benefit more from the trilogy than any other member of the original trio.

She isn’t simply “Han’s wife.”

She isn’t simply “Luke’s sister.”

She is a political leader.

She is an ambassador.

She is pregnant with twins.

She is connected to Vader.

She is trying to help establish the New Republic.

And she becomes deeply involved with the Noghri storyline.

Zahn gives Leia something the films sometimes struggle to provide:

a sustained political role.

She isn’t merely fighting battles.

She’s helping determine what the post-Imperial galaxy will look like.

That makes her character feel like a natural evolution of the woman who stood up to Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin in the original trilogy.

The Noghri Storyline

The Noghri are one of the trilogy’s most effective additions to the Star Wars universe.

They are a species whose homeworld was devastated during the Galactic Civil War.

The Empire, through Darth Vader, exploited their loyalty by presenting itself as the savior of their people.

The Noghri subsequently became elite Imperial assassins.

The brilliance of the storyline is that it isn’t simply about defeating an enemy.

It is about uncovering a lie.

Leia discovers that the Empire’s relationship with the Noghri is built upon manipulation.

That storyline reinforces one of Zahn’s central themes:

Empires survive through stories as much as through armies.

The Noghri believe the Empire saved them.

Once that belief collapses, the political relationship collapses with it.

This is an unusually sophisticated idea for a Star Wars novel.

The Katana Fleet and the Mythology of Lost Power

The second major piece of mythology is the Katana fleet, often called the Dark Force.

The concept is simple and wonderfully Star Wars:

A massive fleet of powerful warships disappeared decades earlier.

Now someone has found it.

Whoever controls it could dramatically alter the balance of power.

This is essentially a treasure hunt mixed with a military arms race.

But it also serves another purpose.

The Katana fleet demonstrates that military power is not the same thing as political legitimacy.

The New Republic is trying to build a government.

The Empire is trying to rebuild its military.

The smugglers want to survive.

And everyone wants access to the same strategic resource.

That gives the second book a more political and economic flavor than the first.

Dark Force Rising: The Middle Chapter That Actually Works

The middle book of a trilogy is often the weakest.

It has to expand the story without resolving it.

It introduces complications.

It shifts characters around.

It creates a bigger climax that someone else gets to finish.

Dark Force Rising avoids many of those problems.

It feels like a genuine escalation rather than filler.

Thrawn becomes more dangerous.

The New Republic becomes more unstable.

The mystery surrounding the Katana fleet develops.

Luke’s Jedi storyline becomes increasingly important.

Mara continues her complicated relationship with Luke.

And the political situation becomes increasingly tangled.

One of Zahn’s strengths throughout the trilogy is his ability to make multiple plotlines eventually collide.

The story can jump from military strategy to political negotiations to smuggling operations to Jedi mythology without feeling as though you’re reading four unrelated books.

Joruus C’baoth: The Trilogy’s Most Interesting Weakness

If Thrawn is the trilogy’s greatest strength, Joruus C’baoth is probably its most divisive element.

C’baoth is a dark mirror to the Jedi ideal.

He has immense Force abilities, but his understanding of the Jedi is warped by arrogance, obsession, and authoritarianism.

He doesn’t merely want to teach Luke.

He wants to control him.

That distinction matters.

C’baoth believes that the Jedi should rule because they possess superior power.

This creates an ideological counterpoint to Luke.

Luke is trying to rebuild the Jedi Order.

C’baoth represents what happens when Jedi power becomes separated from humility.

C’baoth vs. Thrawn

The relationship between Thrawn and C’baoth is one of the trilogy’s most enjoyable elements.

They are both intelligent.

They are both ambitious.

They are both dangerous.

And they fundamentally do not trust one another.

Thrawn believes in calculation.

C’baoth believes in power.

Thrawn manipulates systems.

C’baoth manipulates minds.

Thrawn wants the Empire restored.

C’baoth wants something much more personal.

Their alliance therefore feels inherently unstable.

It is essentially two predators temporarily hunting the same prey.

Eventually, one will turn on the other.

The reader knows this.

The characters know this.

And that makes their scenes crackle.

The Last Command: Bringing Everything Together

The final novel is where Zahn’s long-form plotting pays off.

The trilogy’s various elements finally converge:

Thrawn’s military campaign
Mara’s personal conflict
Luke’s Jedi development
Leia’s political role
Han’s efforts to build alliances
The Noghri
The Katana fleet
C’baoth
The New Republic
The Imperial remnants

That is a lot of moving parts.

Yet Zahn largely keeps the machine running.

The final book feels like a genuine conclusion rather than simply the third installment.

Thrawn’s Greatest Strength Becomes His Greatest Weakness

One of the smartest things about the trilogy’s ending is that Thrawn does not lose because someone suddenly becomes smarter than him.

He loses because his worldview has a blind spot.

Thrawn is exceptionally good at analyzing cultures, militaries, and individual behavior.

But his dependence on his own analytical framework creates vulnerabilities.

The Noghri storyline becomes particularly important here.

Thrawn’s problem isn’t that he lacks information.

It’s that he misunderstands the significance of the information he possesses.

That is much more satisfying than defeating him through a bigger explosion.

Thrawn’s Death Is Surprisingly Anti-Hollywood

One of the most memorable things about The Last Command is that Thrawn’s ultimate defeat is not some giant lightsaber duel.

There is no dramatic showdown between Thrawn and Luke.

No Force battle.

No heroic speech.

No gigantic explosion that kills him.

Instead, his death is connected to the Noghri and the betrayal of the relationship the Empire believed it controlled.

That is perfectly appropriate.

Thrawn is defeated not because he isn’t intelligent.

He is defeated because intelligence cannot compensate for every blind spot.

His final words are famously understated.

And that is exactly right for the character.

The Trilogy’s Real Subject: The End of an Empire

Despite the spaceships, lightsabers, blasters and military campaigns, the trilogy isn’t really about whether the Empire wins.

It’s about what happens when an empire dies.

That’s why the books remain interesting.

The Galactic Empire wasn’t simply Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine.

It was millions of bureaucrats.

Soldiers.

Officers.

Politicians.

Businesses.

Governments.

Citizens.

Propaganda systems.

Economic structures.

And cultural assumptions.

Destroying Palpatine does not destroy all of that.

Zahn understands this.

The New Republic therefore has a much harder task than simply defeating the remaining Imperial fleet.

It has to convince people that the Empire’s worldview is no longer inevitable.

Order vs. Freedom

This leads to one of the trilogy’s most interesting philosophical themes.

What is preferable: order or freedom?

The Empire offers order.

The New Republic offers freedom.

But freedom is messy.

Democracy is inefficient.

Coalitions argue.

Politicians compromise.

Military decisions take time.

People disagree.

The Empire can simply issue an order.

That makes Thrawn’s argument more compelling than a cartoonish “Empire bad, Republic good” interpretation would allow.

The trilogy doesn’t seriously argue that authoritarianism is morally superior.

But it does acknowledge why authoritarian systems can appear attractive.

Especially after years of chaos.

That is a mature observation.

The New Republic Is Not Automatically Competent

Another excellent feature of the trilogy is that the heroes don’t suddenly become perfect because they won.

The New Republic has problems.

Lots of them.

There are political divisions.

Military disagreements.

Competing interests.

People who served the Empire and now have to live under the new government.

People who fought the Empire but don’t necessarily agree about what comes next.

This is exactly what a realistic postwar government would look like.

And it gives the story stakes beyond:

“Can Luke beat the bad guy?”

The question becomes:

Can the New Republic survive long enough to become a real republic?

Luke Skywalker Has a Different Problem

Luke’s central challenge isn’t defeating Vader anymore.

It’s figuring out what comes next.

At the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke is essentially the last known Jedi.

That’s an enormous burden.

He knows almost nothing about rebuilding the Jedi Order.

He has limited training.

He has no established institution.

No senior Jedi Masters.

No library.

No functioning temple.

No tradition he can simply inherit.

So Luke has to become both student and teacher.

This is one of the trilogy’s strongest character ideas.

Luke isn’t merely trying to become a better Jedi.

He is trying to determine what the Jedi should actually be.

Zahn’s Understanding of the Force

Zahn’s treatment of the Force is less mystical than some later Star Wars storytelling.

He is interested in the Force as a discipline.

Something that requires training.

Control.

Knowledge.

Self-awareness.

C’baoth represents the danger of power without emotional restraint.

Luke represents the possibility of rebuilding the Jedi around a healthier philosophy.

That makes the Force storyline feel connected to the trilogy’s larger political themes.

The Empire abuses political power.

C’baoth abuses Force power.

The New Republic is attempting to create a healthier political system.

Luke is attempting to create a healthier Jedi system.

The parallels are deliberate and effective.

Zahn’s Writing Style

One reason the trilogy remains readable is that Zahn writes with considerably less ornamentation than some modern fantasy and science-fiction authors.

His prose is functional.

Clear.

Fast.

Sometimes almost aggressively efficient.

He is interested in:

dialogue
strategy
character interaction
information
cause and effect
plot momentum

That makes the books extremely approachable.

You don’t have to be a hardcore Star Wars fan to understand what is happening.

At the same time, there is enough technical and political material to reward longtime fans.

This is probably one reason the books have remained so accessible.

They are nerdy without requiring the reader to be a nerd.

The Dialogue

Zahn’s dialogue is one of his strongest tools.

Han sounds like Han.

Leia sounds like Leia.

Luke sounds like Luke.

Lando sounds like Lando.

But Zahn also creates distinct voices for his original characters.

Thrawn speaks with controlled precision.

Mara is guarded and aggressive.

Karrde is charming, pragmatic, and slippery.

C’baoth speaks with increasingly disturbing certainty.

Pellaeon serves as an excellent audience surrogate for Thrawn.

That last point is particularly important.

Captain Gilad Pellaeon is often the person standing next to Thrawn while Thrawn explains what he is thinking.

This could easily become clumsy exposition.

Instead, Pellaeon provides the reader with someone who is intelligent enough to understand Thrawn but not so intelligent that he immediately understands everything.

In effect:

Pellaeon is the bridge between Thrawn’s brain and the reader’s brain.

The Trilogy’s Greatest Structural Strength: Everyone Has a Job

A common problem with ensemble stories is that characters become redundant.

Zahn avoids this surprisingly well.

Luke is the Jedi.

Leia is the diplomat.

Han is the improviser and military operative.

Lando is the entrepreneur.

Mara is the outsider with intimate knowledge of the Imperial system.

Karrde controls the criminal and smuggling network.

Thrawn is the strategist.

Pellaeon is the military subordinate and interpreter.

C’baoth is the Force-based wild card.

Each character occupies a different functional role.

This is why the story can become large without becoming completely incoherent.

The Galaxy Feels Bigger

Perhaps the greatest compliment one can give Zahn is that he makes the Star Wars galaxy feel significantly larger.

The original films give us glimpses of an enormous universe.

Zahn starts filling in the blank spaces.

There are worlds with their own political concerns.

Smuggling organizations.

Species with complicated relationships to the Empire.

Imperial factions.

New Republic bureaucracies.

Military strategists.

Old Jedi secrets.

Lost fleets.

Ancient history.

The universe suddenly feels like a civilization rather than a movie set.

That was arguably the Expanded Universe’s greatest accomplishment.

And Zahn was the person who demonstrated how to do it.

Where the Trilogy Shows Its Age

A serious review shouldn’t treat these books as flawless.

They aren’t.

The trilogy is more than thirty years old.

Some of its assumptions, terminology, pacing, and characterization reflect the science-fiction publishing culture of the early 1990s.

There are also moments when Zahn’s prose becomes repetitive.

Thrawn’s genius can occasionally feel overstated.

Some supporting characters are more functional than fully developed.

The political material sometimes moves in dense blocks.

The trilogy also has the characteristic problem of many long-form science-fiction series:

there is a lot of information.

If you’re coming directly from the movies, the sheer number of names can be intimidating.

There are new planets.

New species.

New ships.

New organizations.

New political figures.

New Imperial officers.

New Force concepts.

And new historical references.

The books expect you to keep up.

Fortunately, once you get into the rhythm, the information becomes part of the fun.

The Trilogy’s Relationship With the Original Films

The best thing Zahn could have done was not try to rewrite the original trilogy.

He doesn’t.

Instead, he treats the films as historical events.

That sounds obvious, but it is actually an important distinction.

The Battle of Yavin happened.

The destruction of the Death Star happened.

The Battle of Endor happened.

Vader’s redemption happened.

The Emperor died.

Now everyone has to live with the consequences.

This approach makes the trilogy feel like a genuine sequel rather than a reboot.

Why the Books Don’t Feel Like Fan Fiction

There is a particular danger with writing a licensed continuation.

You can become so obsessed with the original material that every chapter turns into a greatest-hits collection.

Zahn largely avoids that.

The original characters are important, but the plot isn’t dependent upon nostalgia alone.

Thrawn could not have existed in the original trilogy.

Mara could not have existed.

Karrde could not have existed.

The Noghri storyline could not have existed.

The Katana fleet could not have existed.

And yet all of these elements fit naturally into the universe.

That is the mark of successful world-building.

The Biggest Question: Is It Still Good?

Yes.

But perhaps not for exactly the reasons it was good in 1991.

If you read Heir to the Empire today expecting it to function as the secret fourth Star Wars movie, you may occasionally be disappointed.

The technology has changed.

The franchise has changed.

The Expanded Universe has been reorganized.

Some of the lore has been superseded.

And Thrawn himself now exists in multiple versions.

But read the trilogy as what it actually is—a tightly constructed science-fiction adventure about the collapse of an empire and the struggle to build a new government—and it remains remarkably effective.

The books are entertaining.

They are intelligent.

They are ambitious.

And, importantly, they understand the characters.

The “What If?” Factor

Of course, no discussion of the Thrawn trilogy can avoid the alternate-history question:

What if these books had become the basis for the Star Wars sequel films?

It is an irresistible thought experiment.

The trilogy already has:

Luke rebuilding the Jedi
Leia and Han as a married couple
A new generation of Force-sensitive children
An Imperial remnant
A major Imperial villain
Political instability
New worlds
New characters
A mystery surrounding the future of the Jedi
A conflict over the legacy of the Empire

That sounds remarkably similar to the ingredients a sequel trilogy would eventually need.

But the books were never written as movie scripts.

And turning them directly into films would not necessarily have worked.

The trilogy is too dense.

There are too many characters.

Too many subplots.

Too much political material.

Too much internal exposition.

A cinematic adaptation would have needed enormous restructuring.

The better way to think about it isn’t:

“These books should have been Episodes VII–IX.”

It’s:

“These books demonstrated that Episodes VII–IX could exist.”

That is a much more important achievement.

Legends vs. Canon

The Disney-era restructuring of Star Wars continuity in 2014 changed the status of Zahn’s original trilogy.

The books are now categorized as Legends.

That means they are no longer part of the primary continuity established by the post-2014 canon.

But “Legends” doesn’t mean irrelevant.

Quite the opposite.

Thrawn eventually returned to the modern canon, beginning with Zahn’s 2017 novel Thrawn. Official Star Wars material continues to identify the character as one of Zahn’s most enduring creations.

And this is one of the strangest and most satisfying things about the trilogy’s legacy:

The story that was removed from canon produced a character who was brought back into canon.

That is a testament to the character’s staying power.

Thrawn’s Legacy

Thrawn is no longer simply a character from a 1990s novel trilogy.

He has become one of the defining antagonists of Star Wars.

His influence extends into modern books, animation, and live-action storytelling.

But there is an important distinction between modern Thrawn and the original Thrawn.

The original character was introduced almost fully formed.

There was no elaborate origin story.

He arrives as an established Imperial Grand Admiral.

We don’t need to know everything about him immediately.

That mystery is part of his appeal.

Later stories naturally complicate the character.

But the original trilogy remains the purest expression of the concept:

What if the Empire had a military genius who wasn’t a Sith, didn’t need the Force, and wasn’t interested in theatrical villainy?

That question produced one of the best villains in the franchise.

What Makes the Trilogy So Re-readable?

The trilogy rewards rereading because the story isn’t only about what happens.

It’s about why things happen.

The first time through, you’re watching Thrawn’s plans unfold.

The second time, you notice the setup.

You see why certain characters are introduced when they are.

You notice the importance of Mara’s relationship with Luke.

You understand the significance of the Noghri.

You see how the political pieces are positioned.

You recognize the Katana fleet’s function in the larger conflict.

And you begin to appreciate how carefully Zahn moves pieces around the board.

That is one of the best compliments you can give a long-form adventure novel.

The story becomes more interesting when you already know the ending.

My Biggest Criticism

If I had to reduce my biggest criticism of the trilogy to one sentence, it would be:

Zahn occasionally trusts Thrawn’s brilliance more than the reader needs him to.

The character is so obviously intelligent that the narrative sometimes over-explains his intelligence.

There are moments where the mystery would actually be stronger if Thrawn simply made a brilliant decision and moved on.

We don’t always need to know exactly how many layers of strategy he has considered.

Sometimes letting the reader wonder is more powerful.

Similarly, C’baoth occasionally becomes so unhinged that he moves from fascinating psychological antagonist to fairly conventional madman.

Neither problem destroys the trilogy.

But both keep it from being quite as perfect as its reputation sometimes suggests.

My Biggest Praise

My greatest praise is almost the opposite:

Zahn respects consequences.

The original trilogy ended with the Emperor’s death.

Zahn asks what that actually means.

The Empire fragments.

The New Republic struggles.

People who served Palpatine have to decide what comes next.

People who fought the Empire have to figure out how to govern.

Luke has to figure out what the Jedi should become.

Leia has to figure out how to use her political power.

Han has to reconcile his old identity with his new life.

Mara has to discover who she is without the Emperor.

Thrawn has to figure out how to defeat an enemy that is politically different from the Empire he understands.

These are consequences.

And consequences are what make a fictional universe feel alive.

Ranking the Trilogy

1. Heir to the Empire

10/10

The most iconic book and probably the most immediately entertaining.

It introduces Thrawn, Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, the Noghri, and the post-Endor political landscape while bringing back the original heroes.

It feels like discovering another chapter of Star Wars.

2. The Last Command

9.5/10

The most satisfying payoff.

All of Zahn’s major pieces finally collide, and Thrawn’s campaign reaches its conclusion.

The final confrontation between Luke, Mara, C’baoth and Thrawn’s forces gives the trilogy the conclusion it needs without simply repeating the climax of Return of the Jedi.

3. Dark Force Rising

9/10

Probably the most underrated installment.

It doesn’t have the novelty of Heir or the payoff of The Last Command, but it does the difficult middle-book work extremely well.

The Katana fleet, political intrigue, Imperial maneuvering, Mara’s development, and Luke’s Jedi storyline make it essential rather than transitional.

Overall Rating

9.5/10

Timothy Zahn’s Heir to the Empire trilogy is one of the rare licensed-fiction series that transcended its original purpose.

It isn’t merely good Star Wars.

It is good science fiction.

It understands military strategy.

It understands political instability.

It understands character development.

It understands the importance of consequences.

And most importantly, it understands that the best way to expand a fictional universe is not necessarily to make everything bigger.

Sometimes you make it deeper.

Final Verdict: The Empire Strikes Back—Again, But Differently

The greatest achievement of the Thrawn trilogy is that it doesn’t try to replace the original Star Wars trilogy.

It continues it.

That’s a subtle difference.

The original films are fundamentally mythological.

Luke becomes a Jedi.

Vader is redeemed.

The Emperor falls.

Good triumphs over evil.

Zahn’s trilogy begins after the myth has ended.

Now comes the hard part.

What do you do with the galaxy you just saved?

That is why Heir to the Empire remains so compelling.

The Death Star is gone.

The Emperor is gone.

Vader is gone.

But the Empire is still there.

And somewhere in the Unknown Regions, a blue-skinned Grand Admiral is studying paintings and quietly figuring out exactly how to destroy the New Republic.

That is a fantastic premise.

Thirty-five years later, it is still a fantastic premise.

Timothy Zahn didn’t simply write a sequel to Return of the Jedi.

He proved that the galaxy could keep going.

And for an entire generation of Star Wars fans, that galaxy became every bit as real as the one they had seen on the screen.

The Thrawn Trilogy isn’t merely one of the best pieces of Star Wars Legends. It is one of the foundational works of Star Wars outside the films—and arguably the book series that taught an entire generation how big the Star Wars universe could actually be.

On a Personal Level

In 2013 with my third daughter on the way, my wife gave me full blank check on naming her. First name at least anyway. Wanting to pay homage to my love of Star Wars, but not wanting to be “obvious” in my name choice with LEIA or PADME or even MON MOTHMA (can you imagine that?), and having loved this trilogy so much in High School, I decided on naming her MARA. Same spelling obviously (as we have come across a few MAURAs over the years). Of course soon after this, Disney buys out Star Wars from George Lucas and un-writes the entirety of the Bantam and Del Rey continuities, removing the EU (Expanded Universe) and removes the existence of Mara Jade. Thrawn has made it to the screen and other books, some of the side stuff has as well, (like Rukh, dreadnaughts, etc.), but Mara Jade has yet to come back into the new continuity and its looking less and less likely. These things happen, but I’ll still always enjoy these books and what they have meant to me and millions of others around the world throughout the 30 some years. Cheers all!

-B. Kline

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New Belgium Teams Up with Magic the Gathering for Vastwood Seer IPA

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Rollacrit Partners with Voodoo Ranger IPA for New Kickstarter, Heroes of Barcadia: Heroes for Hire Tabletop Game

Zelda:

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Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

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A Christmas Story:

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Pro Wrestling:

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World Cup:

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The Philadelphia Eagles Running Back – D’Andre Swift – Visits Bald Bird Brewing Company

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Matrix Monday

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Mario:

Beer Review: Level Up (Idiom Brewing)

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Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

The Muppets:

Jason Voorhees / Friday the 13th:

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Cheers.

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May the Fourth Be With You (2023)

B. Kline — Thu, 04 May 2023 13:30:00 +0000

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:

Out of Order: Sith Sauce (new)
Out of Order: Going Somewhere, Solo? (new)
Out of Order: Blue Milk (returning)
Out of Order: Droid Juice (returning)
Out of Order: Who’s Scruffy Looking? (new)

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:

Beer Review: Vader (Mispillion Brewing Company)

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 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 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 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 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 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 Lager – Other

4.5% ABV

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

11oz $6.00

32oz Crwl $14.00

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 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 champion – Allusion 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:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Drunk Phils Fans and Rotunda Brewing Company Collaborate Together on Jam the Batter sWheat Tart

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

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!

Cheers All!

-B. Kline

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, 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!

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!

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.

RAR Star Wars Can Drop (2023)

B. Kline — Wed, 03 May 2023 23:50:00 +0000

RAR Star Wars Can Drop – May The Fourth Be With You – 2023

May the Fourth Be With You

Its that time of year again – when all the Star Wars nerds and geeks can come out and celebrate. Its also the time when certain breweries are known for their Star Wars themed beer releases.

RAR Brewing is notable for their ‘Out of Order’ series and their yearly Star Wars can drop.

(See 2022’s RAR Brewing’s Star Wars Can Drop.)

RAR Brewing waited a bit on their announcement, only announcing the five beers that would make up their Star Wars drop this year a little bit ago (6:54 PM EST on Facebook). In past year’s they announced it early in the week and did the drop on a Saturday. This year the drop is on May the Fourth – Thursday. (ie. Tomorrow.)

RAR’s Star Wars Can Drop

RAR Brewing’s Star Wars Drop

So tomorrow is Thursday, May 4th, 2023, and that means its “May the Fourth be With You” day. Or “Star Wars Day”. RAR Brewing in the past has done their Star Wars themed Out of Order series drop on the Saturday closest to it, but this year they are doing their drop and release right on May 4th.

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:

Out of Order: Sith Sauce (new)
Out of Order: Going Somewhere, Solo? (new)
Out of Order: Blue Milk (returning)
Out of Order: Droid Juice (returning)
Out of Order: Who’s Scruffy Looking? (new)

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

RAR Brewing’s Facebook announcement of their drop tomorrow:

FIVE NEW OOO’s AVAILABLE TOMORROW AT 11AM May The Fourth

“SITH SAUCE”

– Our lactose-infused sour base conditioned over Raspberry Puree, Strawberry Puree, and Sweet Cherries. We then blended the finished product with our House Pastry Cream.

“GOING SOMEWHERE, SOLO?”

– Our lactose-infused sour base conditioned over Double-Banana Puree, Lime Juice, and a Hint of Fresh Mint.

“BLUE MILK”

– Our lactose-infused sour base conditioned over Bantha Milk.

“DROID JUICE”

– Our lactose-infused sour base conditioned over Strawberry Puree, Guava Puree, Loads of Cake Batter, and Fresh Hydro-Glycolic Fuel straight out of a Droid.

“WHO’S SCRUFFY LOOKING?”

– Our lactose-infused sour base conditioned over Black Cherry Puree, Strawberry Puree, Bing Cherry Puree, Graham Crackers, and Vanilla Ice Cream.

Local release begins tomorrow, May the 4th at RaR. Outside distribution will begin now, and over the coming weeks to these areas:

– Delaware

– Montgomery County, Maryland

– Arizona

– California

– Las Vegas, Nevada

– Ohio

– Georgia

– New York

– Wisconsin

– Coastal North Carolina

– Oregon

– Washington State

United Kingdom jumped on this release as well if you’re across the pond. For those of you enjoying the availability on Tavour you’ll get some of the goods like always. We offer these up in advance to our distribution partners, and it’s first come first served just like retail sales. Beyond that we have little control over where these products land once they leave our warehouse. Just wanted to clarify that to avoid any further confusion or ill will.

Mood Mats $40/ea (huge at 17”) will be available and limited to (3) per person. Glassware $12/ea are the same at (3) pp. Allotments are looking really solid as of this evening. Lots of product for walk-ups. We’ll update tomorrow morning as things progress!

RAR Brewing – Facebook Post

RAR Brewing’s 2022 Star Wars Drop

(Read more here – RAR Brewing’s Star Wars Can Drop this Saturday.)

Last year’s can drop:

Out of Order: Blue Milk
Out of Order: Green Milk
Out of Order: As You Wish
Out of Order: Shooting Womp Rats

RAR Brewing’s 2021 Star Wars Drop

Two years ago the Star Wars (Out of Order) series drop included:

RAR Brewing

RAR Brewing is out of Cambridge Maryland. Down at the very bottom of Maryland (well, now VERY VERY bottom, but near the bottom, especially if you’re like me and traveling from Harrisburg). (Google Maps says its currently a 2 hour and 57 minute drive from my house.)

You can find out more about RAR Brewing and the drop at their Instagram page: RAR Brewing (Instagram) and their Facebook page: RAR Brewing (Facebook).

The following comes from Untappd. RAR Brewing is a micro brewery from Cambridge, MD. They have 734 unique beers, and over 450,000 ratings, with a global average rating of 4.00 (as of 5.4.23). Their Untappd description reads: “Based in Cambridge, MD on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay.”

You can find them on the following social media:

Our articles about RAR Brewing:

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:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Drunk Phils Fans and Rotunda Brewing Company Collaborate Together on Jam the Batter sWheat Tart

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

Other:

Thank You For Reading

Thank you everyone for checking this out. Tomorrow being May the Fourth / Star Wars day, I will do my annual “May the Fourth Be With You” post. I’ll be highlighting the different breweries doing special can drops (there is some real notables this year – like Second Sin Brewing, J Wakefield Brewing, RAR Brewing, Bottle Logic Brewing, etc.), as well as highlighting our past beer reviews and such.

So be sure to check that out.

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

Tomorrow 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? I know Bottle Logic is releasing some Star Wars beers. RAR Brewing has hinted that they are doing a Star Wars Out of Order drop soon. (But haven’t given any details as of this morning.)

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!

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!

Cheers All!

-B. Kline

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, 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!

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!

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.

Beer Review: The Phantasm Menace (Second Sin Brewing Company)

B. Kline — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 00:38:02 +0000

The Phantasm Menace by Second Sin Brewing Company

Hop Harvest

First, let’s jump back a couple of weeks (alright… all the way back to Tuesday July 26th), and a fantastic package came from our friends at Second Sin Brewing Company while I’m cutting and picking a few of my Chinook hops here at The Beer Thrillers Headquarters (or Bender Braus Brewery). Wasn’t a full hop harvest day, was just a gentle pickings and cuttings of some of my Chinook and Cascade Hops and getting a gallon bag of Chinook hops. But it was the first of the year and the start for the year for my hop harvest.

Second Sin Delivery

There is absolutely nothing better than beer mail. Especially when it comes as such a great gift from Second Sin Brewing Company! They had just announced the release of The Phantasm Menace, a Star Wars themed IPA using Phantasm powder, and I knew I was going to need it for 1) drinking reasons, 2) for Star Wars reasons, 3) for blog reasons, and 4) for Star Wars TV show day beer drinking and reviewing reasons on the blog…… ok, let’s just be honest with ourselves here — for drinking reasons that I could justify by saying “I’ll review it for the blog”.

Since I wouldn’t be able to get out to Bristol Pennsylvania before they sold out of it, I reached out to the devoted fans of Second Sin Brewing at the Facebook group – Disciples of Second Sin – and asked if anyone could hook a Star Wars beer loving nerd up with a can or more, either for trade or for sale (on the down – low if for sale of course). Thats when Mike Beresky personally reached out to me.

Mike Beresky is one of the owners of Second Sin Brewing Company and went out of his way to not only hook me up with a sweet package, but all on their own dime, initiative, and care. Completely above and beyond and totally unanticipated but very (very, very, very) much appreciated!

Second Sin Brewing Company Beer Delivery

So needless to say I was completely ecstatic while out trimming, cutting, and picking hops when this fantastic delivery gets dropped off here at Casa De Kline (or The Beer Thrillers HQ). Not only did he hook me up with two ‘The Phantasm Menace’, but also two of their ‘Kolsch’ and two of ‘Dragged into Sunlight’ (both of which have reviews that are getting published shortly), as well as a sweet glass to top it all off.

Once again then, let me give a huge shout out to Mike Beresky and Second Sin Brewing Company. I can’t wait to get out to the brewery and give them a huge thanks, hopefully it’ll be by the end of the year (which means hopefully before the end of November, because most likely after Scarlet Emma is born, the traveling to breweries will slow down for a bit).

Second Sin Brewing Company

Speaking of Second Sin Brewing Company, let’s talk about the brewery itself before we get into the beer review. From Untappd:

Second Sin Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Bristol, Pennsylvania. They have 244 unique beers with 22, 393 ratings and a global average rating of 4.09 (as of 9.21.22). There is no description of the brewery listed on Untappd.

Their social media pages are:

Their brewery location on Untappd: Verified Venue – Second Sin Brewery.

Other Second Sin Brewing Company articles we’ve written are:

Star Wars Day

While of course its not THEE Star Wars Day (May the Fourth), it is a “Star Wars Day” here on the blog. Which means – its the day of a new episode of Star Wars TV released. We’ve done in the past, a new beer on each episode’s release of The Book of Boba Fett and the Obi-Wan Kenobi shows. Today is the premier of Andor (the Cassian Andor show) on Disney+.

Unlike in the past where I did a separate beer review for each episode, I’m going to do just one for today despite Disney+ releasing the first three episodes of Andor today (9.21.22). (One, it would be a bit much to do and have three different beer reviews to go today – and secondly, I would run out of Star Wars themed beers in no time.)

My understanding of the Andor show is that its a full season, but kind of broken up in three episode arcs. Which kind of explains why they decided to release the first three episodes as a bundle on the day of the premier. (They did this similarly with the Obi-Wan Kenobi show, which they released the first two episodes at once. Although, that was slightly different, and was a direct straight run of a show.)

I will come back to discussing the show, with spoilers and such after the full beer review. If you wish not to be spoiled, make sure to skip that area of this beer review blog post. And now, without further delay, lets get to the beer review……..

Beer Review: The Phantasm Menace

The Phantasm Menace by Second Sin Brewing Company

Now that we’re finally at the beer review, let’s dive right into this delicious juicy beer!

Beer: The Phantasm Menace
Brewery: Second Sin Brewing Company
Style: IPA – New England / Hazy
ABV: 6%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: This beer is our first foray into using the new hotness in brewing – Phantasm. Phantasm is a powder made from dried wine grapes that are high in a chemical compound called thiols. There’s not enough room to go into it here, but suffice it to say thiols can be transformed by yeast into fruity, tropical flavors and aromas.

We paired that with some high thiol hops – Blanc, Crystal, Chinook, and Ekuanot – to amp things up and see what this new product can do in our Hazy IPAs.

The Phantasm Menace by Second Sin Brewing Company (post hop picking)

Let’s start with the coloring of this beautiful beer. Golden hue, hazy, definitely a New England IPA through and through. It has a warm golden straw coloring that is opaque and looks beautiful. This is a wonderfully beautiful looking beer, keeping with the style completely. A great pillowy light, airy foamy head, left great lacing on the glass, and maintained its coloring throughout. Little to no sediment on the bottom with the entire beer poured into the glass. As you can see in the first pic it looked good during the day, and then when I had the second one later in the evening, it looked just as good at dusk and evening.

Aroma is fantastic as well. That great hop aroma that is so lovely and inviting with New England IPAs. It has that “just picked right off the hop vine” smell to it. The Chinook hops are the powerhouse of the aroma with this beer and I feel that the phantasm powder is just such a major boost to it, like steroids or hops on crack. Just lifts and boosts the hops aroma and flavor so much more. This has a great pine resin, woodsy, earthy aroma that gets added to it by a grapefruit and even grape fruit nose. The chinook and the crystal hops are certainly the leaders here, with the blanc hops adding their own distinct aromas as well.

Ok… time to put it all together and the true test of a beer…. and …. (sips… followed by deep sip….) wow – this is a delicious beer! When I want to describe a quintessential New England IPA to someone, this would be the beer I would give them to drink. This has everything you could ask for in a New England IPA; and probably even more. I am becoming more and more addicted to that phantasm powder in beers. Amy and I were even discussing it with the Fourscore Beer she reviewed – Phantomania (Beer Review: Phantomania by Fourscore Beer Company) – back in February before she became pregnant. We were looking at other beers that have used the phantasm powder and to do an article on that. The powder really brings out the smells, tastes, the flavors, the aromas, all of what makes hops… well… hops, but pumps them full of steroids basically. Its like taking the 120 lb kid in middle school and getting him pumped up and letting him loose in the WWE as a 280 lb monster of a wrestler. As for the hops, it has an earthy, woodsy, pine, pine resin, somewhat west coast IPA like taste; but it does get a drier finish most likely from the blanc hops (possibly because of the phantasm powder, but I contribute it to the blanc hops). There is certainly fruity notes and flavors, namely grapefruit, grape skin, there is a light lime lemon touch to it. There is a bit of a tropical hint to it all, I don’t think its super strong or overpowering, but its certainly there and noticeable, this could be from the yeast and thiols, from the Eukanot hops, and all in all the combination therein is probably the answer. I will just repeat that I absolutely loved the beer, it was downright tasty, delicious, quenched my thirst, and certainly made me want to go for the second can. The 6% low level ABV for the beer also makes it a nice steady day beer, not super sessionable or crushable but certainly not knocking you off the bar stool either.

Last but not least, we can discuss the can art. A simple red can art with a nice drawing of Darth Maul, and a great pun of a name (The Phantom Menace to The Phantasm Menace).

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 4.1 (as of 9.21.22)

Andor

Spoilers alert. Klaxon sirens. Spoiler alert. I will be discussing some spoilers after this.

Disney+ released the first three episodes of Andor this morning (Wednesday, September 21st, 2022). And I am absolutely over the top about the show. If you squint… it looks and feels like Star Wars. Its refreshing, promising, and nice to see; a change of pace really. Unlike Obi-Wan Kenobi and The Mandalorian and the horrid ‘The Book of Boba Fett’, this feels like a gritty, adult, sci – fi show that happens to be set in the Star Wars universe. Its nice seeing that the only characters who have appeared before in Star Wars films will be – Cassian Andor (Rogue One), Saw Guerra (Rogue One, The Clone Wars, Rebels), and Mon Mothma (Return of the Jedi, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, The Clone Wars, Rebels).

Star Wars Explained – Is Andor The Best?

Its almost like a William Gibson version of what Star Wars could be. Its gritty. Its dark. Its real. Its beautifully shot. But all in a different way to how other Disney offerings have been. Where the sequel trilogy felt like a bad version of new Star Wars, like an addition, a poor man’s add on to the Star Wars universe; or The Mandalorian which feels like its a love letter written by fanboys to other fanboys; or The Book of Boba Fett which was just a horrible show through and through; to Obi-Wan Kenobi which was a hit or miss interesting take on an intimate drama set in Star Wars but also felt… somewhat unnecessary and with some poor scenes that didn’t make sense.

This, feels like its Star Wars, but NOT Star Wars. There’s no lightsabers. There’s little connection to other source materials, but all in a good way. (At least to me anyway.) These three episodes were done very well, with a tightly woven story arc. Which is what the season / series seems to be aiming for – three episode arcs that will tie together as a full story leading up to Rogue One; leading up to the Rebellion’s beginnings; leading to in essence to A New Hope.

Star Wars Explained – Andor Review

Be sure to check back here with the blog next Wednesday for another Star Wars themed beer review, and more discussion about Andor!

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:

Beer Review: Peace Among Worlds (Cushwa Brewing Company)

Space Balls:

Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Beer Review: Back to Reality (Three 3s Brewing Co)

Scrooged:

Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

Pro Wrestling:

Phillies:

Drunk Phils Fans and Rotunda Brewing Company Collaborate Together on Jam the Batter sWheat Tart

Matrix:

Matrix Monday

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Beer Review: Azathoth (Edmund’s Oast Brewing Company)

Seinfeld:

Other:

Thanks For Reading

As always, let me say thank you everyone for reading. Also, a huge (HUGE!) shout out to Mike Beresky of Second Sin Brewing Company for the great package and beers! Thanks so much!

Sorry for getting this review out late in the day, but time runs out on us all. Worked yesterday 11 to 7, and was hoping to have most of this finished (writing over from my beer notes, adding things, discussions, etc.) so I could just add the Andor parts in the morning. But post work, we stopped at Home Depot to pick up supplies for the baby room (Scarlet Emma will be here before we know it!) as well as everything I need to finish the back patio. Then when I got up this morning at 5AM to watch the show, time slipped away, and had to do a lot of chores about the house and only got two episodes of the three finished, and didn’t get to finish up the article. Then I worked 10 – 6 today at the casino, and we stopped for groceries afterwards, and now I’m finally got episode three watched and got to finish the article.

I hope you all enjoyed it. And can’t wait to look forward to seeing you guys here at the blog for our Game of Thrones Sundays as well as our Star Wars Wednesdays. Please be sure to check out the site and leave us any feedback or comments you have.

Cheers All!

-B. Kline

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