Star Wars craze is exploding everywhere, like X-wing fighters searing the air and the Death Star blowing up. With every self-respecting theater showing the new movie every hour, every store stocking its shelves with bold plastic figurines of a new generation of heroes, and every one as excited and spastic as Jar-Jar Binks about this classic phenomenon reborn (ahem, reawakened), it’s hard not to catch the fever. Like, for instance, my name is Hannah. And I’m alone. So, I’m Han, solo. Haha.
And speaking of fevers, beer is in on the excitement. Craft brewers are an excitable bunch, and never miss the opportunity to be punny or sassy in their work. And that brings me to the Star Wars Beer.
Star Wars beer is Star Wars Beer in name only. It’s not made with Ewoks boiled into the wort, or the blood of Darth Vader providing any intrigue to the flavor profile. But the craft brewers are having fun with the trend, and making puns galore. And if you’ve been looking for good beer in Alderaan places, or just really, really want a rich, darth porter to drink while you stand in line with hundreds of other fans waiting to watch The Force Awakens, then drink this!
The Imperial Stout Trooper Stout from New England Brewing Company is one such beer that will get you excited about the movie, beer, your future, and Life in general. It’s a Russian style Imperial Stout, which means it’s thick like Jabba and as rich and dark as Darth Vader with money. The bottle features the iconic face of the storm trooper mask, but the real treat is the flavor. Notes of molasses and licorice give it a heady twist, and the “93 out of 100” rating on Beeradvocate.com, “outstanding”, is no joke.
Revelation Cat Craft Brewing brewed Death Star, a “syrupy” oil black concoction as dark and deep as Emperor Palpatine’s soul and as exciting as the lightning from his fingertips. Vanilla and licorice notes accent the roasty dark flavor of this imperial stout, which earned a 99 overall from Ratebeer.com.
Maybe the best named beer that I’ve seen today, Java the Stout from Jackie O’s Brewery also delivers great flavor for this festive time. Beeradvocate.com gave it an enviable 92, “outstanding” for it’s sharp hop bite and complimenting toasty coffee flavor. The 6.50% alcohol by volume (ABV) might ensure that drinking too much of this beer will give you the articulation and sexiness of the Star Wars creature for which it’s named, but don’t worry. You’ll feel great, like you’re wearing a gold bikini.
Now here’s a beer that might offer ‘a new hope’ (haha) to wheat beer fans…HaandBryggeriet’s Dark Force is a Russian Imperial Wheat stout. The Norwegian brewing company has done what many have found to be the unthinkable, brewing a stout with wheat malt and wheat yeast. It’s received mixed reviews from drinkers, who report the wheat “adds an interesting spicy flavor to the backbone of dark chocolate and molasses”, but the “coffee creamer-like sweetness” put some people off. Who cares what they say? Decide for yourself!
And finally, the last beer that has fun with flavor, but more fun with the name…Snake River Brewing Co.’s OB-1 is an organic brown ale made from 100% organic malts and hops. The only other ingredients are fresh mountain spring water from the Grand Teton mountain range, and a strain of English yeast. It’s a clean beer, but sadly, it’s no longer being brewed. So…the OB-1 can no’ be…any longer. (I wish I could say I was sorry, but that pun just happened.)
I think we all can agree that a good beer makes us all feel like we can walk on the sky. Even if you drink gallons of dark beer, you’ll still be on our Good Side. And there have been times when I’ve been handed a light beer, and I see a dark beer across the bar and think, “You’re my only hope”. (I’m sure this has happened to us all.)
Enjoy the excitement of the Star Wars plot, the unforgettable characters, and the excellent music. And toast the movie with some of the beers that carry on the story.
Lastly, may the force be(er) with you. Cheers!