Beerbrotha Movie Review: New Moon = FAIL

So the wife just came back from a trip to the Motherland on business. It's Date Night so we debate between the Saint Arnold Pub Crawl, and checking out a movie at Alamo Drafthouse. We're both a little tired, so Alamo it is. At first we were set to see the new Christmas Carol CGI movie and I get in my head that that movie New Moon will probably be pretty good.

Like Pokemon and The Chappelle Show, I came on this whole Twilight series very late, and just like those other two things, I figure that since it's amazingly popular it's worth a try. I was even thinking I could be drinking Blue Moon at New Moon. Get it? Not to mention the trailer had all kinds of special effects and vampire/werewolf whoop-ass. I'm thinking this will just be Underworld for a less goth crowd. And it had enough young hot half-naked men that I figured the wife may just get a fired up and we can come home and make sweet sweet love. Instead the wife is upstairs stone asleep, and I'm downstairs watching Strikeforce and drinking a bomber of Ruination straight out the bottle like a homeless man.

Well I should have skipped the beer and went straight to Everclear and Cocaine, because this was the WORST MOVIE I'VE EVER SEEN. I guess I should have noticed something was up, when my beloved "21 and up" Alamo Theatre was chock-full of 10-14 year old girls. I think I was the only son of a bitch in the whole theatre that ordered a beer. Those girls were hooting and hollering like we do at the strip club. That's not cool. Is nothing sacred?

And let's be clear, I'm not going to out-and-out dismiss a teeny-bopper chick flick b/c I'm a 29 year old 6' 2" 210 lb black man that loves watching random violence. Bring It On wasn't that bad. It had conflict-resolution, and kinda cute. I'm all over the Harry Potter. Hell, I like Grey's Anatomy (Izzy could get it).

It took all of 1 hour before there was any action at all in New Moon, and that was with the black Jamaican vampire with dreds getting jacked up by the werewolves. There was all of 15 minutes of action in a 2 hour movie. I had to sit there watching this flat-chested brooding-ass Wednesday Adam chick spending 80% of the movie crying over Cedric Diggery leaving her, or the Native American dude leaving her. It wasn't even a good love story. No flow to anything. No rhyme or reason. Just 90210 for douchebags. And what the hell was up with this Italy crap near the end? And what the hell happened to the smoking hot redhead vampire the werewolves were chasing? Can we learn more about her? What were her feelings, her needs? How could I help?

I was able to try the very nice Beck's Oktoberfest and the New Belgium 2 Deg Below. Both were fine. But in reality, I needed something with a kick to it, like heroine. And to think, sooner or later I'm going to have to see The Birth of Nation Part 2, also known as Precious.

Sorry for not blogging

Apologies to the BeerBrotha Nation, all three of us. I have been uber busy as I've just been approved for a transfer to an onshore position, which means I'll be home every night and still doing what I like to do. Fantastic! But that means I'm working like crazy to wrap up my projects before I transfer. We're also doing a lot of research to revamp our investment club to investing in business ventures as opposed to just stocks. Lots more work involved deciding to be a major investor in a small company than a minor investor in a large company.

Not to mention I've just got the greenlight to give a presentation on the Energy Sector at a conference in Tulsa, OK (Pass the Choc Beer) this Halloween weekend. And the people of OK think they are just as big in this business as those of us in Texas, so I got to be on my stuff.

Somewhere in there I have my daughter's birthday today (2 Years old) and a little trip to OKTOBERFEST in Munich.

Anyway, how about a little month old review:

Beer Log: August 22, 2009
State: At the Alamo Drafthouse

Real Ale Phoenix Double ESB
Like Dave Chappelle said: "It's too real for ya!". Nothing like some good old ESB on a summer day at the old movie house. Light malt smell, copper color with thin lasting white head. Served pretty cold with a light malt/chocolate thing going on with the taste in the middle-back of the tongue. 2nd draught is just moderate grassy hops. 3rd draught is a little buttery and kinda chalky. Not sure how that happen in three separate gulps, but whatever. No rating just yet. Looking forward to this one again.

Turns out I only have one more beer to go before getting an Alamo Beer Hunter Beer Stein. Hellz yeah. It takes 30 beers on draft at the Alamo to make this happen, and after some hardwork and movie going, we're almost there. Holla.

British Random Beering, Just call me the Black Knight

I don't know what happened, but I had a whole British beer post set up. I post the damn thing, and it comes up empty. Let me try an abbreviated version, b/c I don't feel like retyping all of that.

Drafthouse ESB
From Alamo drafthouse. Malty nose, tastes a bit hop heavy. 3 Star.

Snake Dog IPA
Flying Dog brewery getting 'er done. Balanced heavy malt and hops. Low carbonation. Loving it.

Later on at the Flying Saucer

Monty Python Holy Grail Ale
Name is better than the beer, coming out of Black Sheep. Complex nose (all different versions of malt) but a touch sour and a little velvety on the mouthfeel. Low 3 Stars

Samuel Smith IPA
Smells like bubblegum. Rather hop-forward IPA with some sweet malt in the background. I was eating some kind of smokey cheese and it gets more malty. Looks like the Brits are trying to get all American-like with the hops. 3 Stars.

Lagunitas Pale Ale
Grassy/malty nose. Clear straw color. Taste is hop heavy once again, like the Smith. The malt is just plain missing. Low-med body. 3 Star.

You Guys can go to Hell, I'm going to Texas!

June 21, 2008

State: Hungry, watching a movie.

Ah the Alamo Drafthouse http://www.drafthouse.com/. Is there anything better than drinking craft beer while watching a movie? I don't know if I'll EVER go to a different theater in the city. For one, NO ONE under the age of 21 is even allowed anywhere near the theater, so you don't have to worry about teenyboppers talking all through the movie. What's better is that this is only slightly stadium seating, which means all the guys who take movies too seriously will not show up either, as they can get better seat styles at other regular theaters. The wife and I checked out the New Incredible Hulk movie and I down three new beers.

First off, what in the hell are they doing with another Incredible Hulk movie. The first one just came out like 5 minutes ago. Granted this new one was a shyteload better, but still. Keep in mind, this is not a sequel, just a new introduction to the Hulk. I do love how they spun this Hulk to have something to do with the Captain America super soldier formula. So many plotlines can come from that Super Soldier formula. But on to the beer.

Drafthouse Amber

This one is brewed in Austin, TX at the original Alamo Drafthouse. Nice. Don't worry, I got this one before the movie started, so I could see the beer. A little dark brown. Smell has a little bread and butter, with a slight malt, true to amber form is such a thing exists. Low malt with a quick finish, balanced hops. Medium carbonation and moderate drinkability. This is what I expect from an amber. Nice stuff. Head has some lace with a medium body. Oh yeah.

Stone IPA

Finally I'm getting a Stone, which the west coast guys all rant about. Straw color and clear. A good finger of head. We got it on draft, so the head had some time to die down before the waiter brought it to me. Oh yes, they have waiters in the theatre, so you can order beer without having to miss any of the movie. Scrong hops smell, but not all Cascade. Tastes of very high hops with high malts to balance, very smooth. Low carbonation and low bitterness on the aftertaste. Light to medium body with maybe a little citrus coming through as it warmed up. I can see I'm going to have to clone this one.