The Matrix - The Beer Thrillers

Downriver Brewing Company Runs into Keanu Reeves

B. Kline — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 02:05:00 +0000

Downriver Brewing Company Runs into Keanu Reeves

Its not every day you run into a celebrity – or a celebrity running into you.

Keanu Reeves, (in the above picture – right), posed for a picture with Steve Brancato, owner of the Downriver Brewing Co. in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Reeves was in Stroudsburg prior to his performance with the [his] band Dogstar at The Sherman Theater.

Downriver Brewing Company posted the picture by Steve Bancato on their Facebook and posted this caption with it:

You just never know who you’re going to run into on Main Street! Have a great show at The Sherman tonight, @dogstarband !
Downriver Brewing Co. – Facebook Post

Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves from 2019 – photo courtesy of Wikipedia

The following comes from Wikipedia:

Keanu Charles Reeves (/kiˈɑːnuː/ kee-AH-noo;^[4]^[5]^[6] born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian^[b] actor and musician. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, he made his acting debut in the Canadian television series Hangin In (1984), before making his feature film debut in Youngblood (1986). He had his breakthrough role in the science fiction comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989), and he reprised his role in its sequels. He gained praise for playing a hustler in the independent drama My Own Private Idaho (1991) and established himself as an action hero with leading roles in Point Break (1991) and Speed (1994).

Following several box office failures, Reeves’s performance in the horror film The Devil’s Advocate (1997) was well received. Greater stardom came for playing Neo in the science fiction series The Matrix, beginning in 1999. He played John Constantine in Constantine (2005) and starred in the romantic drama The Lake House (2006), the science fiction thriller The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008), and the crime thriller Street Kings (2008). Following another commercially down period, Reeves made a successful comeback by playing the titular assassin in the John Wick film series, beginning in 2014. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.^[9]

In addition to acting, Reeves has directed the film Man of Tai Chi (2013). He plays bass guitar for the band Dogstar and pursued other endeavours such as writing and philanthropy.
Keanu Reeves (Wikipedia)

Local Sources

The story was also picked up by some local papers – including PennLive.com, which ran a quick blurb on their page about Keanu Reeves running into Downriver Brewing Company’s owner Steve Bancato.

Keanu Reeves, famous for movies ranging from action-packed franchises like “The Matrix” and “John Wick” to comedies such as the “Bill & Ted” series, was spotted in Stroudsburg, where he stopped for a photo with a few fans.
Keanu Reeves was spotted in this Pa. town: ‘You just never know who you’re going to run into’ – PennLive

Downriver Brewing Company

The following information comes from Untappd. Downriver Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Stroudsburg, PA. They have 78 unique beers and over 7,900 ratings as of 10.7.23. They have a global average rating of 3.66 (as of 10.7.23). Their Untappd description reads: “BEER. FOOD. AXE THROWING. Downtown Stroudsburg’s First Craft Brewery since 1937! Located on Main St. inside the plaza. We have a beer type for everyone and encourage constructive criticism for the betterment of all our taste buds. We source our products from local farmers and reliable partners. Supporting our community is what we stand for. We strive to learn and better our processes to give you the best experience in our area! #takemetotheriver”

You can find them on these social media pages:

Brewery News

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Matrix Monday at Second Sin

BKline — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 11:36:50 +0000

Second Sin’s two beer releases for today – the Red Pils and the Blue Pils

Enter the Matrix

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I’m offering is the truth. Nothing more.
Morpheus – The Matrix

A moment inscribed in all the brains of every 80s and 90s kids / teens growing up. A movie that blew our collective brains clear out of our skulls while we were in high school or middle school. …..And it’s back. This time – for a cash grab. Well, sort of, who knows? Maybe the movie will be fantastic. Maybe it’ll replace how bad the trilogy ended. Who knows. Lets keep our fingers crossed on Wednesday when Matrix Resurrections hits movie theaters and HBO Max that it blows our brains once again.

So… do you want to take the Red Pill or the Blue Pill?

Second Sin’s Matrix Monday

Today, in celebration, anticipation, and hopefully getting all of us 80s and 90s geeks and kids who lost our brains in and because of the Matrix, Second Sin is hosting ‘Matrix Monday’. Announced on December 15th, that they will be hosting Matrix Monday at their brewery today – December 20th, 2021.

Their initial Facebook post showed the poster of the two new Pilsners they are releasing with a brief intro to what the event will be:

Join us at the brewery on Matrix Monday (12/20/21 at 5pm) for this double release and see how deep the Pilsner Rabbit Hole goes.#craftbeer #beer #drinkinbucksco #secondsin #beerstagram #instabeer #visitbuckscounty #visitphilly #breweriesinpa #drinklocal #buckscounty #candrop #matrix #lager #pilsner #thechoiceisyours
Second Sin – Facebook

Second Sin’s Facebook poster

Yesterday they provided a bit more information on today’s event in another Facebook post:

You taste the Blue Pils, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe you had a delicious Italian Pilsner. You taste the Red Pils, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the lager rabbit hole goes.⠀⠀
We’ll be open at 5pm for Matrix Monday. Stop in, enjoy these two releases, and catch up on the original trilogy before the new movie is released. Both beers will be available for preorder starting at noon tomorrow.⠀
⠀#craftbeer #beer #drinkinbucksco #secondsin #beerstagram #instabeer #visitbuckscounty #visitphilly #breweriesinpa #drinklocal #buckscounty #supportlocal #matrix #redpill #bluepill #lager #pilsner #thechoiceisyours #downtherabbithole
Second Sin – Facebook

Second Sin – Facebook’s Matrix Monday event

Both the Blue Pils and the Red Pils is listed already on Untappd. Their descriptions are:

Beer: Blue Pils
Brewery: Second Sin Brewing Company
Style: Pilsner – Italian
ABV: 5.7%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Blue Pils – Italian-Style Pilsner – Unfortunately, no one can be told what an Italian Pilsner is. You have to drink one for yourself…but I guess we can try. This beer starts with a simple, clean Pilsner base that is gently dry hopped twice with Halltertau and Loral, for a lovely floral hop character that is a nice change of pace from our other hoppy offerings.

Beer: Red Pils
Brewery: Second Sin Brewing Company
Style: Pilsner – Other
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Red Pils – American Dry Hopped Pilsner – As unbelievable as some (us included) may find it, there are people out there that don’t like lagers, and more specifically, pilsners. Well this one is for them. We start with a crisp Pilsner and hop it in the kettle and dry hop with Hallertau Blanc, Citra, and Mosaic for a twist on a great style. If you’re a hop head that doesn’t really care for lagers…Drink the Red Pils, and we’ll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Second Sin Brewing Company

Second Sin Brewing Company is a micro brewery located in Bristol, Pennsylvania. According to Untappd they have 196 unique beers and have a total of 16,657 ratings (as of 12.20.21). They have a global average rating of 4.09 and they made the Pennsylvania Top 10 Untappd Breweries for 2021 list. You can find them on Facebook here: Second Sin Brewing Company’s Facebook Profile. Their brewery is located at 1500 Grundy Lane, Bristol PA.

We have reviewed two beers from them in the past:

So What Will It Be?

Will you take the Blue Pill and wake back up in your bed in the morning? Maybe a slight hangover. Maybe not. And go about your day as if nothings ever been changed and not knowing about the true reality behind it all….. or…. do you take that Red Pill and dive deep into the Pilsners, the Lagers, and the myriad of other beers that Second Sin has to offer?

OR…

Do you have both? And then continue to have every other beer Second Sin has to offer at their brewery?

See you today for Matrix Monday at Second Sin to find out!

For More Information

Trailers:

Official Trailer 1:

Official Trailer 2:

The Extended Official Trailer:

Thanks For Reading

This is probably the first post I’ve done with this many YouTube clips or videos embedded. Hopefully all that coding junk and HTML and javascript and WordPress and other high – falutin techy sounding words all work out right. Fingers crossed. Don’t want the Matrix to break down on us now do we? (See…. see what I did there? Get it….?)

Anyway, thanks for reading as always. Always love to hear from you guys. Will you be going to the Matrix Monday event today at Second Sin Brewery?

2021 is just about wrapped up and things are getting a bit busy and hectic around here at The Beer Thrillers headquarters. But 2022 is really looking to be an exciting year. (Finally after the last two years!) Lots of new and exciting things here, and a pretty varied and wide range of things will be happening. (More beer reviews, more beer travels, more travelogues and brewery reviews, podcasts, board game and card game streaming, more video game streaming and meet ups, book reviews, hikes and hike reviews, and lots and lots more beer and brewery news and notes.) We will also be pumping up our home brewing next year and will be doing a lot more articles and news and notes on that as well (with home brewing videos too!). Also hop growing, and all kinds of other things. So 2022 is really looking to be fun and exciting! I can’t wait!

For more links to some of our stuff, check out our archive pages:

As always though, thanks for reading. Let us know what you thought of this article, of Second Sin Brewing, of The Matrix, etc. Are you looking forward to the new movie? What did you think of the original trilogy? Excited for it all or just ‘bleh’ to it? Let us know!

Cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

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

Beer Review: Guava Lemonade Kettle Sour (Newfangled Brew Works)

BKline — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 16:46:47 +0000

A gorgeous Tuesday evening at Newfangled Brew Works

What can you say to a free taco? Plus an excellent (kettle sour) beer? And a good book to read while drinking? And an absolutely gorgeous evening at a wonderful brewery?

Nothing but a GOOD TIME.

I don’t often get to stop into Newfangled Brew Works, despite how close it is, unless hitting the place up with a friend (typically Drew or Richard), but I had seen a ‘promotion’ / ‘coupon’ on their Facebook page, the day before my birthday in fact (while I was waiting to donate blood), where it said all you had to do was send them a Facebook message with your birthdate and they would give you a free taco up to 10$ worth. Well, the coupon was expiring on 9.3.19 and I wasn’t going to let it go to waste (I had yet to eat at their built-in Taco Truck, so figured might as well give it a try since it was free), so following work, I made a detour and stopped by.

Certainly glad I did.

Lets break down what all I got here. In the picture, the taco on display is a quesadilla taco, with bonus (2$, but free due to the coupon) beef meat. Total was 7.42$.

The book is ‘Best. Movie. Year. Ever.’ by Brian Raftery. (Taken out of the Hershey Public Library.)

And the beer is….

Beer: Guava Lemonade Kettle Sour
Brewery: Newfangled Brew Works
Style: Sour – Other
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 10
Untappd Write-Up: A kettle sour with guava and lemon added. The guava gives a cotton candy flavor to mix with the bright lemon flavor.

So as you can see, I had all the makings for a fantastic 30-40 minutes of relaxation. Good food, good beer, good book, good weather, nice outdoors. And I definitely did enjoy it too. Especially after a long day at work, it was very nice indeed.

Firstly, diving into the taco, it was delicious. Very good quesadilla taco, with just a bit of spiceyness but nothing too hot or powerful to kill the senses. Not quite super filling though, but still very excellent. (The 3 for 11$ is probably a fantastic deal, though I don’t believe you can get the quesadilla tacos in that special.)

Moving on to the beer, it is a wonderful light, refreshing sour. The guava is definitely a backburner on this, comparatively to some other guava beers I’ve recently had (namely the Tattered Flag and Abomination Brewing collaboration – Tattered Abomination, which was extremely guava forward; or the Wolf Prints beer by Wolf Brewing Co.). I felt the lemonade came out in this much more pronounced and provided it with a great zest and made it a lot more refreshing and crushable than the previous mentioned.

Aroma is light beer smell, nothing extremely sticking out, the lemon is there, the beer notes of grain and malt is there, with something underneath – most likely the guava. But nothing super stand out.

Appearance is light, light straw getting a little darker, but mostly clear and see through. Had some nice carbonation and some good head to it, especially being on draft.

The taste is simple, nothing show off, nothing drop dead amazing, but not a bad thing at all in this beer. It is just a great beer to sit back, read, and relax, and drink. Could easily have stayed and drank another 3 or 4 before realizing it too. Coming in at 5.6% its very light and doesn’t knock you off your feet. The lemonade is upfront and the most significant taste, there is a slight tartness to it, but nothing ultimately ‘sour’ about it. Almost more kolsch like than sour.

I don’t feel like the guava gives off a ‘cotton candy’ mixture with the lemonade like the Untappd write-up, but mileage may vary on that I suppose., as some previous beers I’ve had with guava – Tattered Abomination and Wolf Prints – were very guava forward and they certainly packed a punch. The Fatum Series Guava that Tattered did a while back I felt was subdued, much like the guava is in this, and thats probably better (as far as my tastebuds are concerned at any rate).

The book is about the year 1999 in Hollywood, and the how all of the movies have made an impact since. And that it could possibly be the best collection of movies in one year. Some classics from 1999 include: Blair Witch Project, Following, Go, Run Lola Run, Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, The Matrix, Cruel Intentions, The Sixth Sense, Fight Club, 10 Things I Hate About You, Varsity Blues, Office Space, Eyes Wide Shut, American Beauty, The Virgin Suicides, Election, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc. (It certainly was a great year for cinema, that can’t be disputed!).

Getting back to beer, definitely take a time to stop in at NewFangled Brew Works. Great spot, pretty good/great beer, delicious food, and just a nice vibe and location. Ultimately not too far from some other Harrisburg related spots like Boneshire Brew Works or Spring Gate Winery & Brewery, or ZeroDay and The Millworks, or even that far from places like Tattered Flag, Troegs Brewery, or Pizza Boy.

And to wrap this bad boy up, my Untappd Rating: ****
Global Untappd Write-Up: 4 (as of 9.5.19)

Keep drinking, keep exploring breweries and craft beer, you Pokemon Go Craft Beer Hipster Millennial Bearded Avocado Loving Beautiful People you!

-B. Kline