May The Fourth Be With You - Star Wars & Beer!
I’ve got a secret to share with you… I’m not just a beer geek, I’m a general geek as well Also, that’s not much of a secret!). I love 80s cartoons, sci-fi, fantasy, vampires, all that jazz! So when craft beer and one of those things collides, it makes my little geek heart sing!
Today is May 4th – Star Wars Day! (May the Fourth Be With You – see what they did there?!). I’m not one of those fans that knows every little detail, but I used to watch the films with my mum and have vivid memories of the Ewoks cartoon from when I was a kid. I’m not old enough to have seen the original trilogy in the cinema, but I did go see the new 1,2 & 3 and that moment when Darth Vader took his first breath was goosebump-inducing! If you don’t know what I mean, re-watch Revenge of the Sith.
Rebel Leia & She-Ra!
Leia is also a major feminist icon for me (and Carrie Fisher, obvs). Being able to see Princess Leia graduate to General Organa is inspiring. I’ve dressed up as Rebel Leia before for conventions and it’s just super fun. On Star Wars day I always share some artwork from Karen Hallion, who has produced amazing pieces based on Star Wars. Go check out her artwork here and this is one of my favourites from her.
But enough of my Star Wars geeking out – on to beer! Star Wars is ripe for beer and brewery names. Think Hoppy Wan Kenobi, Imperial Stout Trooper, Jed IPA and Star Destroyer, just to pick a few. As for breweries, Emperor’s has a corner on the market with this – delicious beer, Star Wars themed and hard to come by – every craft beer geek loves a special, hard to get hold of beer!
Leia Cake by Boutilliers x Emperor’s
Emperor’s is a microbrewery based in Coalville, Leicestershire and was started by Damian, an avid homebrewer. His mission was to create amazing stouts and porters…. I think he has achieved this! Check out the Emperor’s Facebook page here for more info.
I’ve had a few Star Wars themed beers in my time. My local brewpub in Canterbury put out Hoppy Wan Kenobi, a Cascadian dark ale, in 2015 that was roasty and delicious. Tiny Rebel use the Stormtrooper motif for their Imperial Stay Puft beers (Ghostbusters AND Star Wars – geeks don’t faint now!!), but the beers I have managed to have from Emperor’s have been the best. Let’s have a quick look at those:
Something, Something Dark Side by Heist Brew Co x Emperor’s
Something, Something, Dark Side – Heist Brew Co x Emperor’s
This imperial salted caramel pastry stout, was in fact, something else! Black with dark brown highlights and a lacing beige head, the caramel shone through in the aroma and taste. It was thick, rich, sweet but balanced with a roastiness at the end.
Leia Cake: Alderaan Places at Generation Craft
Leia Cake and Leia Cake: Alderaan Places – Boutilliers x Emperor’s
My favourite local boys Boutilliers got in on this one and made a stout that was highly sought after. Dark brown with no head I really picked up the honey in this muscodavo sugar, honey, cocoa nib and vanilla offering. There was also a rich roasty, smokiness with a good hit of booze. I personally preferred the variant, Alderaan Places, which came about because they forgot to add vanilla to one batch! Without the vanilla, dark chocolate shines through and a light balsamic sweetness finished the beer off – delicious!
Leia Cake is also one of my favourite Boutilliers labels, by Camille Flavel. I’ve even got the tshirt.
Monsters - Tears of the Gorax by Torrside x Emperor’s
Monsters – Tears of the Gorax – Torrside x Emperor’s
The final Emperor’s beer I’ve managed to get hold of was a applewood and cherrywood smoked chocolate imperial Vienna. The smoke was the star of the show, adding savoury, marmite notes balanced with dark chocolate. An acquired taste, this one!
You may note that all of the above beers are dark – even the ones note from Emperor’s. This may be because I am partial to a dark beer. But there are some pale Star Wars beers to be had. These are actually very accessible and can be purchased in B&M stores here in the UK. They are contract brewed by Vocation but began life with St Peter’s brewery. There are currently two beers available – S.N.I.P.A. a session IPA (or Situation Normal India Pale Ale) and a pale ale – Galactic Pale Ale 2.0. I’m trying these for you today.
Galactic Pale Ale 2.0 by Stormtrooper Beer
Galactic Pale Ale 2.0
This is the second version of this beer that has been brewed, influenced by classic, clean American beers. On opening the can you get a massive whiff of the American hops used – Magnum, Citra and Simcoe. The beer pours clear yellow orange with a thick, lacing white head. The American hop aroma lingers - pithy grapefruit and pine, ever so slightly perfumy from the graefruit. Lightly carbonated with a light earthy bitterness, this beer is packed with clean citrus and a piny bitter finish. I found it ever so slightly soapy, but not so much to put me off.
Situation Normal India Pale Ale by Stormtrooper Beer
S.N.I.P.A.
The newest of the two beers from Stormtrooper beers, this again looks to American craft beers, specifically American IPAs for influence. A hop forward beer, it pours clear orange with a lacing white head and fat carbonation bubbles, reminicient of a West Coast IPA. It has the classic American hop aroma – mango and perfumy grapefruit but with a lightly savoury gooseberry in the background. Lightly carbonated, this is bitter up front, leading to gooseberry, pine, and a clean finish.
I’m not a massive fan of the savoury notes gooseberry can give a beer, so I prefer the Pale ale out of these two. But both are easy, sessionable beers you could share with friends on a sunny day while barbequing in the garden and while away the time with. I’m still going to stick with my dark beers though!
While I go and try to make Jem & The Holograms or She-Ra beers a thing, let me know in the comments if you’ve had any geek related beers before – what was your favourite?
