Hutt - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com Central PA beer enthusiasts and beer bloggers. Homebrewers, brewery workers, and all around beer lovers. Fri, 09 Aug 2024 02:33:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.2 https://i0.wp.com/thebeerthrillers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cropped-The-Beer-Thrillers-December-2022-Logo.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Hutt - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com 32 32 187558884 Book Review: Star Wars – Most Wanted (Rae Carson) https://thebeerthrillers.com/2024/07/25/book-review-star-wars-most-wanted-rae-carson/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=book-review-star-wars-most-wanted-rae-carson Fri, 26 Jul 2024 02:01:50 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=15399

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:

Heroes of Barcadia:

Zelda:

Rick and Morty:

Space Balls:

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Scrooged:

Groundhog Day:

A Christmas Story:

The Peanuts:

Pro Wrestling:

Soccer:

World Cup:

Phillies:

Philadelphia Eagles:

Matrix:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

HP Lovecraft / Cthulhu:

Seinfeld:

The Muppets:

Other:

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]]> 15399 Beer Review: Out of Order: Tatooine Tart (RAR Brewing) https://thebeerthrillers.com/2022/01/05/beer-review-out-of-order-tatooine-tart-rar-brewing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beer-review-out-of-order-tatooine-tart-rar-brewing Thu, 06 Jan 2022 03:52:14 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=8527
Out of Order: Tatooine Tart (by RAR Brewing) – Part of their Star Wars Out of Order Series.

Out of Order – Star Wars Series

While, this might not be as popular as RAR Brewing’s Out of Order Blue Milk, this was still a very good beer. That has become one of the most popular beer reviews I’ve done here on the blog. They initially released it as a solo beer release, and then included it again in their Star Wars series of Out of Order beers. (Don’t worry, I’ll be doing all of the Star Wars series as reviews here.)

The others in the RAR Out of Order Star Wars drop include: Blue Milk, Tatooine Tart (both mentioned here), Green Milk, Droid Juice, Yub Yub, RarwgWawggr, and Dark Side. The drop was a big deal and event at RAR Brewing back over the summer when they did it. I made sure to get my hands on the full drop (had a proxy there to get me the beers). Glad to be now getting to drink through the series.

The Book of Boba Fett

I’ll cover this more later, but as I did with last week, I’ll be releasing a weekly Star Wars themed beer review every Wednesday to coincide with the release of a new episode of ‘The Book of Boba Fett’. Last week I traveled to New Jersey to go to Bolero Snort Brewery to pick up a crowler of BoBull Fett just to review for the premier. You can read the review here: Beer Review: BoBull Fett (Bolery Snort Brewery).

I’ve already watched episode two this morning (just finished it actually), and so will give my thoughts on it at the end of the beer review. In the meantime, you can check out this interesting YouTube video by the Templin Institute:

Make sure you come back to the blog (of course!) after watching it.

Now… onto the beer review!

Beer Review

Out of Order: Tatooine Tart by RAR Brewing

Beer: Out of Order: Tatooine Tart
Brewery: RAR Brewing
Style: Sour – Fruited
ABV: 6%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Our lactose sour base conditioned on Passionfruit, Limes, Simple Syrup, and a splash of our House Pastry Cream.

RAR Brewing is a brewery out of Cambridge Maryland, which I got to visit late last year. (Check out my travelogues through Maryland to read all about it.) It is a very hipster vibing place, very cool, sleek, and I absolutely loved it. There’s a Fett on the wall that looks spray painted (made to look that way), and several other nerdy nods. The laboratory add on is really neat and a great taproom sitting area. According to Untappd they are a micro brewery, with 630 unique beers and 403 thousand ratings. They have a global average rating of exactly 4 bottle caps as of 1.5.22. Their Untappd description reads: Based in Cambridge, MD on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay.

Cracking this one has a wonderfully sweet aroma, a nectar like sweetness to it. It smells sweet, like a juicy syrupy sweetness, almost perfume like in a way. Sniffing close hand in the glass I get hints of the passionfruit and the limes like the description says, with kind of a soft vanilla to it.

Appearance is very mellow juicy overlook to it. It looks like a more darker, moodier version of pineapple juice. Like a darker, not quite cloudy, but heavier looking fruit juice – some kind of organic juice (maybe like a pineapple or passionfruit looking dark juice). It definitely gives off ‘sweet’ vibes from the look of it.

This is a very sweet, juicy beer. There’s a slight tartness to it, but its so remote that I feel like its barely perceptible and its probably more a case of a ‘mileage may vary’ type of thing. It is a syrupy juicy. Borderlining too sweet, but not out of the realm of being completely too sweet (and definitely not near ‘undrinkably too sweet’). I get strong notes of passionfruit, a citrusy lime or zest, a syrupy juice, and a creamy, vanilla, undercurrent to it. It has a bit of a bite at the end, with just a hint of tart at the beginning, and mostly a very juicy middle, with each sip. It kind of rolls with your tongue on a sweet and then hits you with a bit of a sucker punch of sour / tart / pucker. I can see this possibly being ‘too sweet’ from some, especially those who might be hoping for or expecting some sour or puckering tartness, which they might feel is underwhelmed with this, but I think that sample size will be smaller. I think the Out of Order series is a bit of a niche market, and not true or genuine of beer consumption or drinkers overall. Its a bit of following the hype machine to some extent, but not 100%. There is definitely some leaning on the market and branding and cache of the namesake and series (ie. going from a Sandlot Out of Order series to a Star Wars Out of Order series to a Halloween Villains Out of Order series to a Christmas Movie Out of Order series, etc). There is some good flavors to this, and in comparison to the Out of Order Blue Milk, this is far more of a normal beer, but still pretty far from ‘normal beer’ if that makes any sense. You get some distinct flavors here, but they also tend to blur and blend together and make for a melting pot of flavors as well. Out of the two Out of Order beers so far, I want to say I like the Blue Milk one more, maybe more for novelty’s sake, but also more for distinctiveness too. This blends a bit too much with other similar beers to be somewhat completely distinguishable other than being able to say ‘it was tasty’ and ‘a good beer of its style’. Which it is all of that. There is nothing wrong with this beer, nothing is made off flavored, and no bad aftertaste, and nothing is wrong in its production or craft either. So in those aspects its what you want out of it. I certainly enjoyed this and it made for a great sipper while watching the second episode of The Book of Boba Fett.

My Untappd Rating: ****
Global Average Untappd Rating: 4.16 (as of 1.5.22)

Posting This Article

So… I woke up today at 4AM to be able to watch the episode and do this article. I wanted to write up most of it the night before, but went to Tattered Flag, had a few, and got home super late, and a bit too tired to write. So I woke up early to tackle it. Got to watching the new episode as I started working on this, and couldn’t finish in time before heading to work. I clocked out of work at 6PM, and was hoping to go home and get to finish this before 8PM and upload it… but my mom asked me to meet her at Rubber Soul, since my dad had a meeting. So who was I to say no to my mom? So, I met my mom at Rubber Soul, had dinner, and a few drinks, and then walked home (won’t lie… it was a bit chilly for a walk home tonight), and only at 8:45PM when I got home, did I get to start to finish this. (Well, I got home at 8:45… but then I had to clean up after my dog, who decided she would “go” in the kitchen while I was gone…. *shakes his fist at Leela*…).

But anyway, here I am getting to finish this up. Been a long day, and nearing 10PM, but its getting done. Hopefully next week’s article will be done before I go to work so I can upload it early.

The Book of Boba Fett – Episode Two

So, if you don’t want to read any spoilers for Episode 2 (and Episode 1 if you haven’t watched that), skip down a few sections. Because here I am going to give my thoughts on Episode Two – and by extension my thoughts on the show so far. I had actually written this all up this morning after watching the episode, and which is primarily why I didn’t get this article done until now. So, without further adieu, here’s my thoughts.

The Book of Boba Fett – Episode Two – The Tribes of Tatooine

Boba Fett

Is your typical “train the village” episode (in the flashbacks). The idea of “a little of the present” with a lot of the past (via dream/flashback) to show how he went from “Fett” to “New Fett” is an interesting storytelling model for Star Wars – albeit cliche in regular storytelling. I’m not so sure it works here with Star Wars/Fett/this story though. Mainly because their doing it with a character that people didn’t really want to see change. I might be speaking for too general a base here, but I feel like, most Star Wars fans wanted to see Fett be Fett. The old Legends Fett while not perfect, at least was still a Bounty Hunter, was what we saw on screen… didn’t take a complete 180 and went in a different direction of his character.

They even end it with a peyote / spiritual quest style ending.

I enjoyed the episode for what it was… and what they were going for. But… I dunno, I just don’t ‘want’ it. I guess is the best explanation for what I can give to this. We’ve seen a “train the villagers” episode in Mandalorian, we’ve seen it (a few times I think) in the Clone Wars show, we’ve seen it done on Rebels…. and… so this makes it roughly the 4th or so time its been done in Star Wars. The Ewoks/Rebels were kind of a shortened version of it too, to some degree. Its a trope, and a Star Wars/Western trope, thats becoming quite overused I think.

And I get that its integral to Boba Fett’s character, and his transformation from Bounty Hunter to Survived Man, to Respectful leader….

…but again, for lack of better explanation…. its just something I don’t want, and thats why I don’t like or care for it/about it.

When I think of Fett’s character, I don’t want to think of “Most Feared Bounty Hunter” “nearly dies stupidly” “resurrects himself as the Outsider coming in, and revamping the Natives and becoming Respectful Leader” type…..

Maybe that’s me? Maybe others will enjoy this ride. I hope they do, and I’m certainly going to finish out the show (there’s 5 more episodes). But so far, its not my cup of tea.

I also don’t feel like the writers/creators quite get logistics of things. Like how a planet with two suns and all desert, would be, ecologically, at night, at full day, etc. The things Fett survives through in Episode 1 is pretty…. uhh, lets just call them miraculous, and the way they depict people traversing the ground no problems, or walking through sandstorms, or just being outside in the desert at night (which would become absolutely freezing, especially on a twin sun planet that shows no moon and both suns are set)….. all of this just really makes me feel like they are going 100% for storytelling over logistics, rationality, etc.

Getting to the present day stuff…. I did ‘mark out’ / ‘geek out’, etc, over the Hutts appearing, and thought that was pretty cool. I wanted a lot more of the present day stuff in this episode (whereas last week, I thought the present day was a lot more weaker). Fett still comes off as comically naieve though in his interactions with EVERYONE. From the Hutts, to the Twi’lek bar owner, to the Mayor, to the Ninja himself, etc. The opening scene in Jabba’s Palace was also predictable and borderline ‘fan fiction’ level writing. “We want to show the Ninjas as being crazy, but … we still need him to give up the information…. so here we go”.

I am also seeing zero reason why Fett isn’t killed. Why isn’t the Mayor killing him? Or the Hutts? Or anybody else? Hes dispensable. Its not like he’s some kind of irreplaceable piece, or cog in a wheel. He has no real powerbase. All they show him to have is Fennec Shand, and two Gamorrean Guards, and 8D8 (the droid). So what retaliation happens from killing him? None it would seem. The Mayor could pinpoint kill the Ninja, why not have done that to Shand and the guards and attacked Fett? Why not have done all this in the street?

Which then begs the question, what was even the purpose of the street ambush last week? If it wasn’t just to further the plot along? We need Fett to come into contact with the Mayor in an adversarial way, here it is, and we need the Mayor to be the smaller fish to the bigger fish (ie. the Hutts). So lets do that. Fett gets ambushed, captures guy, guy gives intel, Fett goes to Mayor, Mayor gives intel on the bigger fish. Problem solved.

But none of that really makes sense. Especially given how easily Fett could be removed if they really wanted to. And they’ve shown us no reason why they SHOULDN’T do it.

Same as the past thing. The logistics of the train and everything makes no sense. So… they are bringing in Kessel Spice to Tatooine via the Syndicate. The Syndicate lands somewhere in Mos Eisley, Mos Espa, Anchorhead, wherever. And are train hovering it to somewhere else… most likely Jabba’s Palace for Bib Fortuna whose attempting to run Jabba’s old empire.

Why? Why do it in such a circuitousness way? And why provoke Natives just out there? For the * and giggles of it? Which also brings up the Biker Gang bit. So Fett attacks a Biker Gang that just happens to be in the area being all “Biker Gang from the 80s Cop Shows” and attacking local citizens, and Fett waltzes in, kills them/injures them, and steals their bikes, just to bring down this train.

If the train could be taken down this easily…. why was the Syndicate using it this way? There had to be a better way for them to do what they did.

I really did want to enjoy this episode, and what they are trying for this show, and I’ve loved Fett’s character in the past (…which might be the bigger problem here). But…. how they are doing it, and the logistics and rationality of what they are trying to do…. seems almost Sequel Trilogy level of poor planning, or skimming the surface level of storytelling.

As if they said to themselves:

  • We want to make a show about X (in this case – Criminal Underworld in Star Wars)
  • We want to use a main character people are riveted about
  • We want to use Boba Fett because we have been off/on planning on using him since we bought the property
  • We need to set it in a way that all people will be familiar with it (ie. set it on Tatooine, set it with Jabba’s Palace, use Boba Fett)
  • Lets combine all the above into one thing – so we’ll take the character (Fett) and making him a Godfather esque criminal lord (not quite a 1 for 1 apt analogy though), and do it based on his surviving the Sarlaac and doing it on Tatooine

Boom, thats what we got here. It feels surface level storytelling. Like their just not thinking everything out. Why wouldn’t character X do this? Why would Character Y do that? Why don’t they just do -this-? Why aren’t they just doing -that-? Etc.

I feel like I’m kicking it too hard here, because it looks like a lot of people love it, and enjoying it. And I do find it somewhat bare bones enjoyable. But I feel like there’s just no depth, and no real understanding to the material underneath it. As much as we want it to be. As much as we say “their doing so much Star Wars world building”… it feels like their not REALLY doing that. Their doing ‘member berries’ type world building for our own head enjoyments. “Remember Max Rebo… here he is…. again in a new cantina!” That one person’s long winded post on the TFN Jedi council forums about world building and stuff… all feels superficial here, even moreso. “Omg, they kept the same architectural structures of Tatooine buildings”…… well yea…. of course they would. Why wouldn’t they? Thats not so much as paying attention to detail, as just being smart. I don’t buy that as huge world building. Having Max Rebo there is not world building either — he was afterall on the giant barge that just FREAKING BLEW UP — but it all feels surface level storytelling stuff. Like what they did with the sequel trilogy. And I think thats where my annoyance level is here.

At the end of this, we might look back and go “this is similar to the ST” where it started off decently well, and they did some things like “remember that one guy…” but at the end of it, the pieces just don’t line up. That was part of my issue with Episode 1 of this… it felt not like a fluid, congruent thing, it felt like little veneer cracks, and things just didn’t align up, like pieces didn’t fully form together or fit. Like a puzzle where you purposefully manipulate the pieces to fit together rather than how their supposed to.

Ehh….. I’ll stop rambling here.

Whew…. that was long winded, and probably longer than the actual beer review, and completely altered and changed this entire article, hahaha. (I think I was under compliance for the grammar, SEO, and other algorithm things, until I posted that whole block in here).

Let me know what your thoughts are in the comments section, would love to hear what everyone else thinks of the show so far. Am I over analyzing it? Am I being too critical? Am I not being a fanboy enough? Let me know what you think!

Some Discussion Forums

For some more discussion on The Book of Boba Fett, you can read these discussion forums:

More Star Wars Fun

Well, just had a delivery van drop off my Lego.com order. On January 1st, they dropped several new Star Wars sets, (amongst lots of other new sets), and several were Hoth themed sets. So I picked up the Hoth AT-ST (Blizzard Scout 1) and the Hoth Battle Pack. Super excited to put these together in the near future!

For More Reading

If you are interested in our other nerdy, pop culture, and branded beer reviews, you can check out the following:

Star Wars:

Rick and Morty:

Space Balls:

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Scrooged:

A Christmas Story:

Pro Wrestling:

Matrix:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Seinfeld:

Other:

Thanks for Reading

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

If you like Star Wars and like our Star Wars themed beers, be sure to check out every Wednesday while The Book of Boba Fett is airing, as I will do a new Star Wars themed beer each week!

Thanks for reading, and cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

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

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]]> 8527 Beer Review: Java the Stout (Jackie O’s Brewery) https://thebeerthrillers.com/2020/11/28/beer-review-java-the-stout-jackie-os-brewery/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=beer-review-java-the-stout-jackie-os-brewery Sun, 29 Nov 2020 01:25:00 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=6049
Java the Stout Can Art

What better beer to review on Black Friday than a stout, and a Star Wars related / themed stout at that! There is a long history of Star Wars themed beers on the blog, you can find them if you use our search feature and type in STAR WARS, or see the list below:

I love doing pop culture related and themed beer reviews. Its much more fun than just doing a review of IPA #29292821 or Pale Ale #TK-422 (…do any of my Star Wars fans get that reference?). I have done quite a few to say the least; stemming from Back to the Future, to Spaceballs, to Scrooged, to Simpsons references, to Star Wars, to pro wrestling… to just about everything under the sun (or suns if you live on Tatooine). I’ll provide a link to most at the end of the review here.

There is always a bevy of pop culture related beers in the craft beer industry. From can art to names to logos, to even brewery names, they are often puns or quotes or pictures of different movies, characters, etc. Just this month alone I did a review with a Godfather pun (The Growfather), a Panda / Mandalorian cross review (The Pandalorian) and a Simpsons beer – I Voted for Kodos (and soon to be reviewed – I Voted for Kang).

As always, if you know of any Star Wars, or pop culture themed beers that you know of, or would like to see me review, or have access to, always get ahold of me, and I will gladly do a trade, or buy, or try to find said beer to review here on the blog.

For this beer, we have quite a bit to break down I think. First, lets start with the can art:

Java the Stout (by Jackie O’s) can art

There is a LOT going on here in this picture. Obviously, front center is Jabba the Hutt flying in / on Vader’s Advanced Tie X1 (oh yea… I went full nerd on that). In the background you have a ton of TIEs (TIE LN – the generic TIE Fighters from A New Hope) and X-Wings and lots and lots of lasers. You also have a Star Destroyer being blown up, as well as the Death Star II being blown up. There is also the Cloud City from Bespin (Empire Strikes Back) with what I assume is Godzilla or some other kind of giant reptile creature scaling it. The Milenium Falcon can also be seen in the background near the Death Star. I also spy a giant Moth / butterfly creature, I’m not sure what this is or what its a reference too, so I am a bit fuzzy and curious about that one. Apparently the lasers that are destroying the Star Destroyer stem straight from the eyes of the moth / butterfly creature, so maybe there’s some kind of reference out there that I’m missing (most likely).

Now, lets move onto discussing just who the “Java” is in reference too…

Jabba the Hutt (from Wookiepedia)

To quote the Wookiepedia:

“If I told you half the things I’ve heard about this Jabba the Hutt, you’d probably short-circuit!“―C-3PO[src]

Jabba Desilijic Tiure, more commonly referred to as Jabba the Hutt or simply Jabba, and formally styled as His Excellency Jabba Desilijic Tiure of Nal Hutta, Eminence of Tatooine, was a Hutt gangster and crime lord, as well as a member of the Grand Hutt Council, who operated and led a criminal empire from his palace on the Outer Rim world of Tatooine. Jabba was a major figure on Tatooine, where he controlled the bulk of the trafficking in illegal goods, piracy and slavery that generated most of the planet’s wealth. He was also highly influential in the entire Outer Rim as one of its most powerful crime lords.

During the Clone Wars, Jabba’s influence and power over the Outer Rim, specifically its hyperlanes, was sought by both the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, who both courted Jabba’s approval. When Rotta, Jabba’s son, was kidnapped, the crime lord promised his support to whoever returned his son. When the Separatists were revealed to have orchestrated Rotta’s kidnapping, Jabba pledged his support to the Republic.

Jabba continued to operate in the Outer Rim after the end of the Clone Wars and the rise of the Galactic Empire, preserving his power base, despite the interference of Darth Sidious, the Galactic Emperor. After the destruction of the Death Star by the Rebel Alliance, the Emperor sent Darth Vader to negotiate a deal with Jabba to secure raw materials for Imperial military production. Jabba’s alliance with the Empire allowed him and the Hutts to survive the Imperial crackdown against criminal elements in the Outer Rim, as well as rid the Hutt of his competitors.

After the smuggler Han Solo failed to repay him for lost cargo, Jabba placed a high price on his head. Solo was eventually delivered to him by one of his bounty hunters, Boba Fett, as a gift from Darth Vader. However, this capture brought him to the attention of Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, who sought to rescue his friend from Jabba’s imprisonment. As he attempted to execute the Jedi and his allies in the Great Pit of Carkoon, Jabba was choked to death by Leia Organa. With the Hutts unable to decide who would inherit Jabba’s criminal ventures, many of his slaves, including the Niktos, were free, and his palace was abandoned after the droid pool was deactivated.

Source: Jabba the Hutt – Wookiepedia Page

And that was just the brief of him, not the entirety of the article. Click the link above (at the source) to read his full entry! But, for a quick gist of him – Jabba the Hutt is the one who had Boba Fett capture Han Solo and with Darth Vader using Han Solo as a trap for Luke, got him frozen in carbonite, and then delivered to Jabba where he kept him as a ‘prize’ in his audience chamber. This set off the key events of the end of Empire Strikes Back and the beginning of Return of the Jedi. Jabba the Hutt was also the one who sent Greedo after Han Solo in A New Hope. (He’s also the feature of the full length Clone Wars movie, as well as makes an appearance in The Phantom Menace, as well as in several other mediums and stories in Star Wars EU [Expanded Universe]. To sum him up – he is the ‘Don’ or ‘Godfather’ or ‘Capo’ of his crime family.)

Ok, whew, that was all a lot to digest; especially if you’re not a nerd. (And really, if you’re not, why are you still reading all this gibberish? Its gotta be pretty much nonsensical to you by this point!) I think we have a good basis now, from the can art, to the backstory of Jabba the Hutt, so lets move on to the beer and the brewery.

Jackie O’s Brewpub

On my trip out to Indianapolis and back, on Day Six of my trip, I stopped at Jackie O’s Brewpub outside of Athens Ohio. Everything being different due to COVID-19 and the pandemic, only the beer garden outside was used for drinking and sitting. I got a flight while there, as well as picked up the mix – a – six to take home (which this was a part of).

Untappd has this to say about Jackie O’s: Jackie O’s Brewery is a micro brewery from Athens Ohio, established in 2005, and has 675 unique beers and 738K+ ratings, with a global average rating of 4.02. The Untappd description reads: Established in 2005, Jackie O’s Brewery has evolved over the years to include an experimental Brewpub, Public House Restaurant, Production Brewery & Taproom, Bake Shop and the Barrel Ridge Farm – all of which are located in Athens, Ohio / Southeastern, Ohio. Jackie O’s specializes in brewing techniques that revive traditional methods and also incorporate contemporary elements and influences. We strive to brew one of the most diverse beer portfolios in the country, with a detailed and unique focus on barrel & wood aged beers, wild ales, and blending. It is liked by 17K+.

This was one of the top recommended breweries for me to visit on my trip, alongside Sun King Brewery in Indianapolis, Levity Brewing in Indiana Pennsylvania, and Urban Artifact in Cincinnati. The flight of beers I had at the brewpub didn’t disappoint, neither did any of the beers I took home (including this one).

So… we discussed the can art… the legacy and origins and reason for the “Java the Stout” (Jabba the Hutt), the brewery – Jackie O’s, whats left to discuss before actually reviewing the beer?

Ah…. the when / where I drank it. So Wednesday, the night before Thanksgiving, due to the mandate that no on-site alcohol sales could be made at bars and breweries in Pennsylvania after 5PM by Governor Wolfe, I met my friend Drew at his place to do some Friendsgiving Drinking. We also did a stream for the night for his streaming page – Knights of Nostalgia. We streamed Secret of Mana on…. his brand new Playstation 5. Yes, this was the first time he was getting to play the system (as well as myself), and… the first game we test drove it with was an old SNES remastered game. Ironic? Or just funny? I’ll let you be the judge. But, I will say, the controller for the PS5 was very cool, and the game was a lot of fun (this was the second part of our series of playing the game, as its a long RPG, it will take us several sittings and streams to beat it).

During the stream – I started with Java the Stout, progressed to a blueberry pancake Double IPA (DIPA) by Decadent Ales, and finished off the night with a bottle of Yuengling’s Hershey’s Porter.

Finally… ok… finally… I think we have all of our Padawans in a row… I think we can get on to reviewing the beer!

Java the Stout by Jackie O’s Brewery

Beer: Java the Stout
Brewery: Jackie O’s Brewery
Style: Stout – Coffee
ABV: 6.5%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: A caramel centered Stout accentuated by Ridge Runner coffee. Instead of simply adding coffee to a stout, we build a stout around the coffee. Course ground coffee beans are added in the conditioning tank. The beans add a robust roasted character and turn this Stout fully opaque. Our best selling seasonal since 2008!

Oh gorgeous, beautiful stouts, how I love thee. Dark and black as my soul and heart, yet so inviting… as … not my soul. Java the Stout is typical in that its like most other stouts; dark black – Razor Ramon hair black, but with a beautiful creamy off-white foamy head. Great carbonation on the beer, and nice lacing on the glass. This is ‘typical stout black’ but as always – thats a good thing here. The foam head is almost more brown than white, but I would still probably label it as ‘off white’, but the bubbles are varied and different size, always a sign of a quality crafted beer.

Aroma is a dark, roasted, coffee heavy, caramel, chocolate, heavy hard hitting powerful… the list of descriptors can almost go on and on here. This is pound for pound one of the best (non – pastry stout) smelling stouts I’ve had in a long time, if not ever. And I’m not even a coffee fan. Maybe its just the ‘hotness’ of drinking coffee, I dunno, but I do not like coffee, but I don’t mind coffee in my beers one bit (in fact, I tend to love coffee stouts). Coffee is pound for pound what you get most out of the nose on this, but there is notes of caramel malt, chocolate, roasted malts, and the faintest hint of vanilla.

From first sip to holding the glass (or can) over your mouth to make sure every last drop falls into your gullet, this is one fantastic beer. Every drop is to be savored, just like its color, its black gold. I’ll be like one of those millennial Instagrammers “this is fire” with lots of fire emojis and beers, or fire – beer – fire alternating emojis… or whatever. But this is just an amazing, fantastic beer. You got a fair bit going on, but its pretty straight forward too. This is a coffee stout. A coffee beer, through, and through, and through. The coffee is very good, and strong, but there are also other notes hiding around the edges of the coffee too that can’t be ignored. The roasted malts provide a strong backbone to the beer, giving it a strong caramel note and finish to it, and helps take off some of the edge of the coffee flavor without removing the coffee flavor. More like melding it together, taking a frayed edge and making it smooth and run seamlessly into the next. The malt backbone is strong and gives a wonderful, full heavy mouthfeel, with no off flavors, no cloying, no clingyness, nothing to detract or take away from the beer. There is some notes of chocolate as well, in my tastes, though I think it becomes more milder as you drink, and this could be from the malt, but not 100% sure. There is also a bit of smoothness to it, possibly vanilla, but again, not 100% sure. Regardless, the flavors that surround the coffee flavor works together well, and lifts up the coffee notes, not detracts from, or over complicates the beer. I really like the way the malt and the coffee work in this beer and I think thats the strongest reason why the beer is just so good, everything accentuates / accompanies / emphasizes and works together to attain a great tasting beer. Also at 6.5% its strong in taste, but not strong in ABV or alcohol, so it doesn’t taste boozy or overpowering, and won’t leave you drunk or getting there by the end of the first can. Perfect campfire beer, or perfect Netflix and chill, or Disney+ and watching The Mandalorian beer….

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.93 (as of 11.28.20)

Ok, lets break down some of the nerdy pop culture beers I’ve reviewed:

Star Wars:

Space Balls:

Game of Thrones:

The Simpsons:

Back to the Future:

Scrooged:

Pro Wrestling:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

Other:

Search for ‘Star Wars’ on The Beer Thrillers

Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

-B. Kline

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