‘Star Wars’ and DDH Light Speed Pale Ale
May the Fourth be with you, beer and movie fans, always.
The Movie: THE quintessential space fantasy! / 1977 / Lucasfilm Ltd. – 20th Century Fox
The Beer: Pale Ale / 6.2% ABV / Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. – Decorah, IA
A long time ago in a state far, far away, I was a little kid getting ready to go to a basketball game with family. Only we never made it — my sister suddenly got sick, and we had to head home prematurely. Obviously it wasn’t her fault, but my brother and I were still disappointed at the sudden loss of a fun evening. However, my amazing parents decided to salvage the evening by renting Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope on VHS and getting a pizza.
That was my first time watching Star Wars, and I. Was. Hooked. Even there in the early-mid ’90s. it was like nothing I had ever seen before. Visually stunning and balancing just the right amount of intergalactic weirdness with relatable fairytale and western tropes, A New Hope stands on its own to this day.
That evening spawned years of Saturday “pizza-movie” nights for my family, and it also sparked my lifetime love of Star Wars. I was overjoyed when Episodes I through IV came out in theaters during my childhood, and while I initially found them disappointing in comparison to the original trilogy, I’ve since come around (It took me forever to realize it, but even with Jar-Jar Binks, The Phantom Menace is a superior movie to Return of the Jedi in terms of storytelling and dialogue). That’s why I implore people who trash the even newer movies, Episodes VII through IX, to revisit them later on to form a full opinion. Never underestimate the impossibly high standards that nostalgia can cause.
Even so, no character has ever managed to top Han Solo’s level of “cool.”
In case you haven’t heard, May 4th, or “May the Fourth” is Star Wars Day. Which means that today is an exceptionally good time to do a beer and movie pairing from a galaxy far, far away! Eventually, I will get around to doing a beer pairing for every Star Wars episode and their offshoots (I don’t care what the box office turnout indicates; Solo was great!) I will especially be sure to devote time to the greatest installment in the entire series, The Empire Strikes Back.
Today though, I’m popping open a beer with the movie that started it all — Episode IV – A New Hope, formerly just known as Star Wars. If you’re feeling differently inclined, the beer also pairs well with virtually any movie in the saga.
I’m assuming that if you’ve read this far, you’re familiar with this staple of pop culture and how space travel works in the Star Wars universe. In honor of hyperdrives and Millennium Falcons everywhere, I’ve chosen Toppling Goliath’s Doube Dry Hopped Light Speed Pale Ale as my beer pairing. You shouldn’t judge beers by their labels, but just check out how on-theme this one looks!
The brew is medium-bodied and pretty darn smooth throughout, and at 6.2% ABV, yes, it’s way too easy to down it at light speed. But the real draw here is in the flavor. The brew is stoically simple and straightforward, at least on the surface.
Like a certain Tatooine farm boy with a hidden connection to the Force, DDH Light Speed flows with powerful underlying strength. Only this strength comes in citrus form! A burst of orange zest floats across the nose upfront, followed by a bevy of OJ, lemon and ruby red grapefruit. Just a touch of pine resin whispers in on the finish, kind of like a Jedi speaking to your senses from the beyond.
But for those of you who are doing some Star Wars Day movie binging, I’ve posted some bonus beers below. May the Fourth be with you!
*Bonus Beers for Jedi*
- Jedi mind tricks / NEIPA / 6.5% ABV / Urban Village Brewing Co. – Philadelphia, PA
- Irish Red I Jedeye / Irish Red Ale / 4.8% ABV / Cherry Street Brewing – Cumming, GA
- Deth’s Tar / Imperial Oatmeal Stout / 14.8% ABV / Revolution Brewing Co. – Chicago, IL
- Luke, I Am Your Lager / Schwarzbier / 5.7% ABV / Grainworks Brewing Co. – West Chester, OH
- Join the Tart Side / Fruited Berliner Weisse / 6.8% ABV / Ingenious Brewing Co. – Humble, TX
And since Star Wars has such a worldwide fanbase, here’s a couple bonus bonus beers!
- JEDI.P.A. / Red Ale / 9% ABV / Moor Beer Co. – Bristol, England
- Leia Cake / Stout / 10.8% ABV / Boutilliers – Faversham, England
May the Force be with you, always.
Wow I completely agree with you on everything here. Phantom Menace IS better than Jedi! Solo WAS good! People do need to just chill out about the newer movies and revisit them later on! Now I just wishI lived somewhere where I could get Toppling Goliath. They make some awesome beers. Have you tried Pseudo Sue??
I live about an hour away from TG and have gone there a couple times for release days. I’ve tried Pseudo Sue a few times and really like it (they say its a pale ale, but it tastes like a full ipa if you ask me! I think King Sue beats it out, but only by a little. I’d have to do another side-by-side comparison to be sure.