‘Goodfellas’ and Some Beers for Weiss Guys

Honestly, whether you’re into Weiss beers or not, ‘Goodfellas’ is always worth a watch.

She said ‘Weiss Guys’ bahahahaha! // Warner Bros.

The Movie: Gangster Crime Drama / 1990 / Warner Bros.

The Beers: Easy-drinking Weissbiers – Hefeweizens with plenty of complexity below the surface.

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.”

I was born the same year Goodfellas came out, so as far back as I can remember, it’s been one of those quintessential movies.

By the time I was old enough to watch it, I already knew so much about it that it felt like finally getting to meet a distant relative I grew up hearing all about. Derived from the real-life rise and fall of mobster Henry Hill, the Martin Scorsese-directed movie travels from 1955 to 1980 in more than two hours yet never feels dull. It’s stylish without throwing it in your face, and because it achieves so much in the way of direction, it’s a movie that’s inspired many others (perhaps most notably Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson) and furthered American cinema as an art form. Without Goodfellas, movies today might be downright boring.

Now, I know a couple people who avoid watching Goodfellas these days because of the cringeworthy moments of racial slurs and derogatory treatment of women that “don’t hold up well.” But I would argue that, not only are they realistic of the 20th Century mobster scene, they also serve as key reminders that these characters are not to be emulated. Beneath its shiny surface of wealth and indifference to the law, the mafia world is gritty, narcissistic and full of double standards. Their words and actions are often uncomfortable and cringeworthy, and they’re supposed to be.

But the real reason Goodfellas remains such a strong film now more than 30 years later has nothing to do with social commentary or lessons in morality. Instead, it all comes down to the incredibly immersive storytelling. For the duration of the film, you feel every moment of joy, tension, violence and betrayal. You don’t just get to watch those “good fellas” and their decades-long saga — you are them, for better or for worse. There’s really no other movie, or storytelling experience, quite like it.

So if you’re going to pair a beer with Goodfellas, it ought to be a good one. Since the movie is on the long side though, I suggest a few Weiss-style beers. Brewed correctly, these beers sip down as easily as the movie’s storytelling, but prepare to be captivated by the complexity lurking just below the surface. Also, I’ll admit that I couldn’t resist the play on words here — Goodfellas is adapted from the 1985 nonfiction book, Wiseguy, by Nicholas Pileggi.

Not to be confused with fruity-tart Berliner Weisses (which are flavored with syrups and/or actual fruit), a Weissbier, Hefeweizen, or even “Weizenbier” among other sub-styles, refers to a range of German wheat ales. These beers pour a very light golden color and may only have gentle tanginess, if that. In fact, the name translates to “White beer” in German. Of course, that doesn’t really matter when you’re pairing them with a movie about Italian- and Irish-American mobsters. Ready for some options?

Weizen Guy – Whetstone Craft Beers

Whetstone is a small Vermont brewpub that makes some pretty incredible stuff, so be sure to jump on any of their stuff you can get your hands on. Weizen Guy is a particularly strong addition to their lineup, and it doesn’t hurt that the name totally fits with our theme today! Expect notes of clove, banana, and whispers of sourdough breadiness.

Foudreweizen – Jester King

Foudreweizen is the top-rated Hefeweizen on the beer rating site, Untappd. Plus it comes from one of the most renowned modern American craft breweries (seriously, these guys basically brought Old World and Farmhouse beer styles to Texas). It’s mildly funky Farmhouse Weiss-style beer fermented in oak foudres (that’s fancy talk for giant barrels). It took Scorsese longer than that to make Goodfellas, but the taste of excellence is comparable.

Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier – Weihenstephaner

Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan, or simply, Weihenstephaner (Vy-hun-STEF-uh-nur, according to Google) proclaims to be the oldest brewery in the world. They’re based in Germany’s Bavaria region, but there’s a good chance you’ve seen their beers on draft at any number of pubs in the U.S., or all around the world for that matter. Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier is a medium-bodied wheat ale with with notes of fresh grain, clove, and gentle fruit. Just as Goodfellas set the standard for a lot of modern movies, this is a long-running quintessential beer for the style.

Now if anything, the one issue I actually have with Goodfellas is admittedly super nit-picky: in the famous Copacabana scene, Henry and Karen clearly walk in a circle through the kitchen to bypass the line to get in. It’s presented as a shortcut, but they easily could have taken a right in the downstairs hallway to go into the club without doing a lap in the kitchen at all. Jeez, Scorsese. A brilliant scene otherwise.

I’m willing to look past this flaw entirely though with such good storytelling at work — especially when I have a good beer in hand.