It wasn't that long ago that having a beer in a movie theater was a novelty if you didn't count sneaking your own into the theater. These days, dine-in theaters are popping up almost as frequently as the giant megaplex cinemas that serve real alcohol. This is a wonderful innovation for anyone ever dragged to a Twilight movie marathon. (I was. The brain-numbing delivered by sweet, sweet beer saved me.).
It was only a matter of time before someone figured out a way to make alcohol actually enhance the movie-going experience. Naturally, the Alamo Drafthouse was the first local cinema to figure out a way to do just that with a new film series called "Hopped Up Cinema" where a local brewery comes up with a special blend for a specific movie. The series kicks off at 7 p.m. Tuesday with a screening of the classic Bruce Campbell scream-fest Army of Darkness and a new brew from the Deep Ellum Brewing Company.
Director Sam Raimi's classic will be paired with an appropriately named and blended brand called (wait for it) "Boomstick" for one night only. The brewing company's "chief evangelist" John Reardon and head brewer Jeremy Hunt will also be on hand to answer your question about the beer that's strong enough for a man but made for Ashley Williams, assuming that you're sober enough by the end of the movie to form grammatically correct questions.
The Alamo's unique pairing of pilsners and pop culture is an ingenious idea and it's sure to gather quite a following among DFW's alcoholic movie buffs so we came up with a few pairing recipes of our own for future screenings. We humbly present them free of charge...
• Rocky 1-5: a full bodied ale with just a hint of ham; more ham flavor is added the farther you go into the movie series • Se7en: a special bitter with a lot of head that's served in a box • Inception: the greatest tasting beer you will ever have, served in a Keystone Light bottle • Frozen: something so sickly sweet that you want to punch it • The Shawshank Redemption: any red beer • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: a strong, biting stout served with a side of mixed nuts • Memento: a no-alcohol beer with added caffeine that sobers you up the more you drink it • Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory: a double chocolate stout that only five people in the room are allowed to taste • Donnie Darko: Delirium Tremens • A Clockwork Orange: a violent British ale made with Ipecac • Chinatown: a fine porter with a sharp, cutting nose • Joe Dirt: spittoon water • Stand By Me: anything with just a hint of body in it • Scanners: Shock Top • Any Mel Gibson movie: Arrogant Bastard
