Last night Laurel and I ventured out of our own little rabbit hole and went to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D at Fairfax Corner. She had been bugging me for weeks to see this, I had been interested but I had fears of it being like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory^W. Which I did not like…

So which was it? Terrible or Awesome?

Find out more after the break?

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Fade to Black

Beer Review:

Chocolate coffee sweet molassasy thick feel bite of hops. This is a good black ale. You have to be in a dark beer  mood to drink it, but you’ll be rewarded if you do. There’s so much flavor inside this bottle, the smell of dark chocolate, the taste of strong coffee. It has a thick sweet texture with a formidable bite of hops at the end. At 8% ABV it’s pretty strong, so a 6 pack will probably do you in for the night. But the beer is so strong tasting that I’d recommend stopping at 3.  Overall it’s just a good beer that I will seek out again.

Bottle Review:

This may be one of the best designed bottles that I’ve seen in a while. I could be that I’m really into this old english ribbon-y font right now, but I think it’s timeless.  The cut of the label and how it’s just filled with so many details that it almost becomes texture. You kind of just feel like a badass when you’re drinking it. When a beer is called ‘Fade to Black Ale’ you need an awesome bottle to match it.

Schu-Review : 4 out of 5 Schus

I don’t give a shit about 80′s metal and this is still the best documentary I have seen all year. Hell it might be the best movie that I’ve seen all year. I just connected with these guys so much. It’s the reason I love documentaries, these are real people. They aren’t some characters thought up by writers. They have real problems, real emotions, and real heart.

Through the movie you see how much promise and success they had back in the beginning and then they just kind of went nowhere, but they never gave up. Now it’s 30 years later and they’re still trying to make it. The movie focuses on the lead singer and drummer of Anvil. The lead singer ‘Lips’ is the one in the band who won’t let the dream die, he works at a catering company and takes vacation time to play shows. There are people in his life that you can see don’t share his vision and don’t really support him. But his girlfriend and older sister stick with him no matter what. Maybe that’s the part that really resonated personally with me? The other main character is the drummer, Robb Reiner (not the actor/director). He and Lips have this rocky ‘Brothers in Metal’ relationship that creates some intense emotional moments through out the film. When the ending comes you are so emotionally invested in this band that they really feel like family.

I cannot believe that this movie didn’t even get nominated for best documentary in the Academy Awards. The only close competition I would give it was The Cove and that for me is a distant second. Food Inc., the front runner for the award, was NOTHING compared to this movie. ANVIL doesn’t need flashy graphics or voice overs, it thrives on basic human spirit. The story of Anvil provided enough emotion for 10 movies.

If you have a heart and a dream, you will love this movie.

watch the trailer
buy the music

Schu-Review : 5 out of 5 Schus

*UPDATE*
Apparently this movie came out in 2007, but since I just watched it last week. I’m still calling it the best documentary of 2009.

Long name, short number.

Beer Review:

This beer has a very long name, I mean seriously… it’s 7 words long and they aren’t short words either. It’s made in Williamsburg, VA which is about 3.5 hours from my house and always makes me think of being in the 4th grade.  The first thing I thought of when drinking this beer was how thick it was and how much I liked the smell. It has one of those sugary, molassassy, caramely barley wine tastes.  After the first sip you notice the bite of hops. A big bite like a gnarly dog made out of tiny green leaves. the hops sting the nostrils with their pungent aroma. It’s a formidible scent.  After you get that kick of hops the alcohol comes at the end and stomps you in the tounge again. The beer leaves your mouth feeling tight like it was once covered in shag carpeting then ripped out. But this is a good thing! This beer reminds you why your drinking American Craft Beer and not some macro-brew swill.

Bottle review:

Unlike the beer inside the bottle and label are pretty plain. Reminds me of visiting Williamsburg, the people get dressed up as colonial folk, but you’re still aware that they are a dentist from Newport News. The only fun element is the spark in the middle and the ridiculously long name.

Conclusion:

I like this beer. You’re not going to win any hipster friends with the bottle. But the beer inside is what counts anyway. Its a strong thick barley wine in a style that I think Patrick Henry would approve of.

4 out of 5 Schus

Delicious Spicy Pickles

I love pickles. Recently I’ve been indulging more in my addiction to vinegar soaked cucumber slices. I could sit down to watch some tv and eat an entire jar of dill spears. I don’t know if I should be proud of this, but I just love pickles.

I saw this jar in my local pickle isle and I knew that I had to have it. It tastes like pickles soaked in jalapeno juice, which if you don’t like then get the frak off my blog. It’s delicious. when you first bite into it you think to yourself “Man, this is such a waste, it tastes just like a regular pickle” then after a few seconds you start to taste that faint hint of jalapeno and you think… “Now that’s more like it, this is the pickle experience I paid for”. The after taste is ALL jalapeno juice, which is a bit overpowering, but if you eat another one real quick it lessens the pain.. until you run out of pickles and have nothing but your tears to quench the burning.

4 out of 5 Schus

Old Man Winter

First off. I love Southern Tier beers. I’ve been sting that since my first sip of Unearthly Ipa. But I’ve come to think I should be saying,  I love Southern Tier beers that come in big bottles. I like almost every one that comes in the 22ounce bottles, but every time I get a six pack of ST, it’s just so… regular.

Its not like this is a bad beers, it’s just so ordinary. I mean it’s 100 times better than a keystone light, so lets not get crazy. It just has that bitter dry mouth hoppy flavor that is the signature of so many microbrews out there. I’m gonna rate it right in the middle, just average.

2.5 schus