There is nothing better than coming home from a seven day road trip to finding a beer mail package on your front step. I want to give a big shout out to Steve Orbanek for the beer mail! Very very very very very grateful and thankful for this.

Being a typical kid of the 80s and 90s I grew up on The Simpsons. Simpsons, Seinfeld, Conan O’Brien, The Angry Beavers, Ren and Stimpy, Rocko’s Modern Life, Animaniacs, were the primary sources of my comedy as a young boy growing up. This has evolved and grown into many more options – from comics like Peanuts, B.C., Fox Trot, to late night talkshow hosts – Conan O’Brien, David Letterman, Johnny Carson, to more shows like Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, BoJack Horseman, Futurama, South Park, Rick and Morty, to stand up comedians like George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Dave Chappelle, Bill Burr, to dark humor writers like Kurt Vonnegut; I could spend all day prattling on with a list of my comedic ancestors and inspirations and roots, but there is probably no bigger defining factor to my humor than The Simpsons. Early season Simpsons. Seasons 1-9 Simpsons. The Conan O’Brien episodes, the Treehouse of Horror episodes, the absurdism, the Sideshow Bob episodes, etc.

When quoting things it will come from one of three sources: 1) Simpsons / Futurama, 2) Seinfeld / Curb Your Enthusiasm, 3) Literature. And in that order. And I know which will be recognized…. and its not when I quote from group three.

Hanging out with friends, drinking at the bars, breweries, or home (especially now – at home) with buddies, the endless quoting of early Simpsons, the “that reminds me of X episode” comparisons, etc. “Remember that time X” or “this could have been something The Simpsons did” or when watching a show or movie “they are clearly ripping that from The Simpsons”, etc.

The Simpsons are a form of cultural identity, especially for people of my age. The mid-late 30s to early 40s. We grew up on a steady diet of Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, Futurama, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, Captain Planet, Rocko’s Modern Life, Ren and Stimpy, Doug, The Angry Beavers, Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill, etc. Our lives were viewed through the prisms of animated comedy and action. Our adolescence we spent learning why yellowed people with spiky hair and only four fingers on each hand were so much funnier than the people around us, their lives wackier, their antics ratcheted up a notch above the normalcy of our boring mundane lives.

As is a common theme on the blog here, if I have access to a pop culture beer to review – you best bet I’ll be reviewing it on here. There’s a long list of them (and I’ll put it at the end), from Star Wars, to Simpsons, to Seinfeld, to Turtles, to even a beer from Space Balls. If I have a chance to drink it, I’ll review it.

Previously I did – I Voted for Kodos, and this is the companion beer to that. I highly recommend giving that a read when you are done here as the two beers are companion beers and are meant to go together.

So, lets discuss KANG. As per the Simpsons Wikia:

“Kang Johnson is one of the two secondary antagonists (alongside Kodos) of the series. He is a Rigellian from Rigel 7. He and his sister Kodos are continuously try to take over Earth and are usually seen attacking Springfield. He usually appears in Treehouse of Horrors but either him or Kodos have been seen in other episodes such as “The Springfield Files” and “Gump Roast” Kang and Kodos have a lot of space weaponry at hand and have their own spaceship. They speak the Rigellian language, which, by coincidence, is identical to English. Although they look identical, Kang has a deeper voice than Kodos. He is the featured character on the on the Season 14 DVD/Blu-ray box set as well as the iTunes cover.”

The Citizen Kang segment from Treehouse of Horror VII is one of the best segments from Simpsons / Treehouse of Horror altogether. Lots of great quotes, lines, gags, and an outright funny segment. And despite being about Bill Clinton and Bob Dole, it still holds up well, especially the jokes about third parties and Ross Perot and people not wanting to vote third party.

It all seems almost prescient of our last two elections, alien vs. alien and still nobody voted third party. Sorry Gary Johnson (2016) and sorry Jo Jorgenson (2020). …or Kanye West (2020)…. seems people rather vote for aliens.

There is one thing though, that I am looking for in a President, and that is his stance on twirling….

Regardless of your political stance, there is one thing we can get together on and agree on – and thats that these beers from Second Sin Brewing Company have been top notch. (Unfortunately) I never had anything from Second Sin Brewing Company before the two beers – I Voted for Kodos and I Voted for Kang. They both absolutely blew me out of the water, and I can see why they are a Top 10 PA Brewery for 2020 according to Untappd. I have quickly added their brewery as a ‘must visit’ on my list of breweries to check out for 2021.

Second Sin Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Bristol Pennsylvania, located at 1500 Grundy Lane, the former site of Broken Goblet Brewing. (Broken Goblet has since moved on to a new location – they are also a very heavy pop culture referencing brewery, with a Gritty beer, several beers about the Eagles, and of course the popular This is the Way – Mandalorian beer). According to Untappd, Second Sin Brewing Company has 138 unique beers, and over 7.5K ratings with a global average rating of 4.07 (as of 12.5.20). (There is no description on their Untappd page.)

Beer: I Voted for Kang
Brewery: Second Sin Brewing Company
Style: IPA – New England
ABV: 6.7%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: I Voted For Kang and I Voted For Kodos, conceptually, are like two peas in a pod. They both started with the same base of 2 row malt, Malted Oats, and light Crystal. Both are supported with Galaxy and Idaho 7 hops to round out their flavor profiles.

However, don’t let anyone tell you that these candidates are the same…oh, no. Kang is primarily hopped with the tropical and fruity Citra, while Kodos is loaded with dank and melony Mosaic.

Appearance looks very similar to that of I Voted for Kodos – a bright orange, hazy, dank, cloudy, opaque New England IPA. Like darker orange juice. This is a beautiful looking beer. Rich foamy head and left lovely lacing on the glass. Great carbonation from the can.

Aroma is a tropical hop blast. Large notes of tropical hop nose on this that you can smell as soon as you crack open the can and start to pour. This has the staple New England IPA hop combo of Mosaic and Citra to give it that punch of tropical, melon, juicy / dank hop aroma. The Galaxy and Idaho 7 hops accentuate this nicely and provides a very hop forward nose.

Taste is where there’s the bigger difference in comparison to I Voted for Kodos. While its similar in taste, there’s a notable difference (for me) – there’s no ‘kick’. I found there was a bit of a kick to the Kodos beer. Almost like a spice kick, but with a hop twist. This is much more smooth, much more juicer, much more dank, and easier drinking, and downright crushable. This is nothing to say against the I Voted for Kodos. That was a terrific beer and I loved it and drank it down just as easily, but I feel that I Voted for Kang is probably smoother, juicier, and therefore more crushable. The mouth feel on this is wonderful too, its heavy but not cloying, its not too heavy, but just right, the silky smoothness of it works well too and makes it an enjoyable drink. There is no hop bite or hop bitterness, and its a typical and well crafted New England IPA in that aspect that its pure flavor and taste. The combo of Mosaic and Citra (see insert of Hallmark meme that has been going around and around and around on beer groups on Facebook lately) works well here. Sometimes you just can’t beat a trusted and well done hop combo, and this proves it. This is tropical, with a bit of zest, some melon, a bit of peach, a good dose of mango, and the wee faintest hint of melon rind, pine, and passionfruit. There is no off flavors, nothing acidic, nothing cloying, no bad or awkward aftertaste, nothing lingering or off putting – this is just a very well crafted, well made New England IPA that goes down easy and smooth and is extremely tasty and drinkable. Both of these beers (I Voted for Kang and I Voted for Kodos) has sold me on Second Sin Brewing Company, and hopefully anyone else who has tried these it has sold them on the brewery as well, because these were phenomenal beers and they certainly deserve the praise they’ve been getting.

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 4.22 (as of 12.5.20)

Out of the two, if hard pressed – I would pick I Voted for Kang over I Voted for Kodos. But thats an extremely close call, and both are extremely delicious beers.

Happy Repeal Day everyone. Make sure you go out and support a local craft brewery and drink some beer!

Cheers!

-B. Kline

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

Star Wars:

• Beer Review: The Pandalorian (Tattered Flag)
• Beer Review: Wookie Monster (Fourscore Beer Co)
• Beer Review: Out of Order: Blue Milk (RAR Brewing)
• Revenge of the Fifth / Cinco de Mayo
• May the Fourth Be With You
• Beer Review: This is Nut the Fluff You’re Looking For (Fourscore Beer Co)
• Beer Review: This is the Way (Broken Goblet Brewing)
• Beer Review: Java the Stout (Jackie O’s Brewery)

Space Balls:

• Beer Review: Moon of Vega (Equilibrium Brewery)

Game of Thrones:

• Beer Review: Game of Thrones: My Watch Has Ended (Omnegang Brewery)

The Simpsons:

• Beer Review: I Voted for Kodos (Second Sin Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: I Voted for Kang (Second Sin Brewing Company)

Back to the Future:

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

Scrooged:

• Beer Review: Scrooge IPA (Iron Hill Brewing)

Pro Wrestling:

• Beer Review: Broken Skull – Stone Cold Steve Austin’s IPA (El Segundo Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Macho Man (Couch Brewery)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

• Beer Review: Terpenes in Time (BAREBottle Brewing Co)

Other:

• Beer Review: Super Villain (Urban Village Brewing Company)
• Beer Review: Pixels (Seminar Brewing)
• Beer Review: Villeinage (Elder Pine Brewing and Blending)

Seinfeld:

• Beer Review: Jon Voight’s Car (RAR Brewing)

Last Thursday I got to have lunch at Tattered Flag, and what a delicious lunch it was. I ordered the Shepherd’s Pie and the Fatum: Member Berry. Both were delicious, both were tasty, both made for an excellent lunch time treat.

This is the final day of October, some may know it as October 31st, or Halloween, or All Hallow’s Eve, or the day before November, or in the case of 2019, the day after the Nationals won the World Series (….ugh….); but it is the final day of October, so I am shooting out a review here in the morning, and then planning (fingers crossed, hopefully… you never know…. life is crazy… yadda yadda yadda, the clam bisk [Seinfeld joke for the win]) another beer review posting after taking the kiddos around for Trick or Treat tonight (…once again, hopefully the storms hold out and we get to do that).

For November though, and in celebration of it being NaNoWriMo, I am tentatively – hopefully – possibly – fingers crossed again – wanting – going to do a post a day. Write a new post, every day, and post it each day; as kind of my nod to NaNoWriMo, so stay tuned for that. Be sure to follow us to stay up to date on that, and to see if I can actually hold myself accountable with that given the hectic life I have.

So moving on from there, lets get down to this.

Beer: Fatum: Member Berry
Brewery: Tattered Flag
Style: Sour – Fruited
ABV: 6%
IBU: No IBU
Untappd Write-Up: This Tart ale was conditioned on Blueberries, Strawberries, and Aronia Berries.

Lets start off with this, its a beautiful beer, and the food to pair with it (Shepard’s Pie) was fantastic and beautiful too. The name is great and perfectly goes with the style and the fact that it uses blueberries, strawberries, and aronia berries. For those of you unfamiliar with the name, its from South Park and one of the better creations they’ve had in recent years. While the show has tailed off a bit in recent years, PC Principal and Member Berries is probably their best newest additions and aspects of the show.

Also, for those of you unfamiliar with them – myself included – aronia berries: “Aronia is a genus of deciduous shrubs, the chokeberries, in the family Rosaceae native to eastern North America and most commonly found in wet woods and swamps. The genus is usually considered to contain two or three species, one of which is naturalized in Europe ” (Source: Wikipedia)

Now that we did our knowledge and information passing on (and knowing is half the battle!) … (thanks GI Joe), we can get get down to the review.

Appearance is a dark purplish hue. It does have a glowy look to it under certain light, but mostly its dark hued, purple, and with an unfiltered look to it. Not thick or smoothie thick or styled, but unfiltered, and with the dark purplish look to it, it is mostly opaque unless a bright light shined on it.

Aroma is very heavy berry, you can pick up all three of the main berries mentioned and used in the beer. You get very powerful notes of blueberry and aronia, you get this slight faint whiff of strawberry at the end that kind of softens the other two berries. I want to guess maybe a possibility of some lactose or vanilla as there is a hint of it, but when drinking, there is no taste of it, so not sure if its included or not.

Taste is very tart, puckable, but not too bad as to be untasty or detrimental. All three berries get equal playing time on this field, with maybe strawberries having the least flavorful impact (probably for the best for me, as I’m not a huge strawberry person). The blueberries are a very nice sweet and tart, not a heavy funky, the strawberries provide a bit of light flavor mostly at the end of the beer, and the aronia berries provide equal measures of sweet and sour, almost making a kind of lemonade-ish taste to add as a backbone to the beer. The three berries combined really makes for an interesting and tasty combination and concoction.

My Untappd Rating: ****.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.81 (as of 10.31.19)

And for those foodies out there wondering, the Shepherd’s Pie was to die for. Wonderful and very tasty (though I was called a lamb murderer quite a bit by my partner at the table).

The Member Berry probably won’t be on tap long at Tattered Flag, so if you want it, make sure you jump on that and stop in and try it out soon!

And as I said, we are kicking off November big here at The Beer Thrillers. To celebrate NaNoWriMo month I am planning on writing an article, blog post, beer review, brewery review, whatever, every day of the month – that means a minimum of 30 new blog posts – and thats just from me. No counting or saying what J. Doncevic will do. I have also reached out to several fellow beer bloggers through WordPress’s Reader and contacted them to see if they would like to do some guest writing (as well as us doing guest writing for them). If there’s one thing craft beer and craft breweries have taught me, is that there’s nothing wrong with collaboration and it just makes the community stronger. So be on the look out for all of that. Also be on the look out soon for me and J. Doncevic’s first joint-post about the 3rd Anniversary party at Boneshire Brew Works.

Also as a note, I walked by the future home of the Rubber Soul building today in Hummelstown. The progress is getting more and more noticeable. Their doing a new roof, their doing the flooring now, after having gutted the building, put up new doors and windows, etc. They also now finally have a banner announcing that it is indeed in fact Rubber Soul Brewing on the fence surrounding the property. According to the Hummelstown’s The Sun newspaper they are looking at a January target date for opening (that seems a bit ambitious with today being Oct. 31st and that giving them only November, December, and January itself to finish the building and brewing, but we’ll see).

Make sure to be like, follow, and subscribe, and do all that fancy stuff here and on all of our social media pages – FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc, so you can keep up to date on our goings ons!

Cheers all!

-B. Kline