Big Screen Brews

By Ian Guevara

We live in a realm cursed by instant gratification.

Movies, tv shows, pretty much everything filmed is at the touch of a finger and pulled up on any application on your phone or tv.

Over the last five years I have watched only one set of DVDs. That’s 70s Show. Other than that, my collection of nearly 300 plus DVDs and Blu Rays remains covered in dust like relics from a bygone era.

Yet even those are a new technology to me. They still belong categorized in the monolith of instant gratification. Both streaming and DVDs allow you to pause, rewind, restart, fastforward, and listen to 176 different kinds of commentary from the director of the movie to the guy who held the boom mic for three minutes while the normal sound recordist stepped out for a quick run to the john.

My patience and love of film and its craft was forged by the black magnetic tape that filled the black rhombus called the VHS tape.

You had to rewind… REWIND… think about that for a minute.

When's the last time you rewinded something? I’m not talking about rewinding a scene on the most recent episode of She-Hulk Attorney at Law because you were too busy reading the wikipedia article about the career of Tatiana Maslany. No, I’m referring to the four minute buzzing of a rectangular black box sitting below a tube television with the wrong time displayed.

How unsatisfying was it to slip that VHS tape out of the cardboard cover, plug it into the VHS player only to see the credits of the movie playing and deal with the revelation that you will have to sit patiently waiting for that big click sound announcing the movie is ready to be viewed.

We are cursed by instant gratification. I can't recall a single moment since the streaming era started that I didn't lose my mind at the slightest sign of buffering. Buffering. I’m irrationally getting angry because a movie that I don't have in my physical possession dares to stop for a second to reload so my eyes may view its splendor in 4K. Seriously, like a petulant child.

Yet just a quarter century ago, I would just hit the rewind button and walk into the kitchen and pop some popcorn over the stove top… Jesus CHRIST I’m dating myself.

There were four movies in particular I always remembered to be kind and rewind after watching: the Indiana Jones Trilogy and Jurassic Park.

I’m not one to be easily frightened… LET ME FINISH… pay no attention to the articles about Pennywise and the Flukeman… I’m not one to be easily frightened by DINOSAURS. Seriously, you have to let me finish my thoughts. But that raptor scene in the kitchen still makes my heart race.

My earliest memory of watching a movie in the theater is from 1993 when my mom took me to see some dinosaur movie at the jenky Lakeside Mall theater. I loved that movie from beginning to end (save that raptor scene).

I purchased the VHS from a display at the very front of a Harry’s ACE Hardware store on the corner of Bienville and Carrolton in Mid City New Orleans. It was 1994, the world was so innocent to an eight year old’s eyes. Hardware stores sold VHS tapes, Blockbusters were more frequently seen than a Starbucks, and the internet was just something Al Gore talked about.

The neatly stacked sleek black cardboard boxes shone under the neon lights of our friendly neighborhood Harry’s Ace Hardware store. I couldn't resist it. I stirred up a scene of begging that would make Oliver Twist blush. So many “pleases” were uttered in five minutes, the word considered retirement. I even bargained. I promised to clean the dishes, clean the yard, clean my room, clean the house, take out the trash, you name it I used it as a chip on the gaming table. And I had NO intention of honoring said promises.

And I succeeded.

The movie was purchased for me and before we could leave the store, I fished out the tape from the bags filled with nails and spackle, and hugged it like a newly adopted pet.

I watched that Jurassic Park VHS tape so many times that I wore it out. As soon as the last episode of Animaniacs aired on Saturday morning, Jurassic Park found itself stuffed into the VHS player with great haste and wanton savagery. I watched the movie with steadfast eyes and seared each scene and quote into my mind, brainwashed by the chaotic quips of Jeff Goldblum and the angry tones of Samuel L Jackson spoken through an impossibly lit cigarette.

As soon as the movie ended, I slapped that rewind button, and watched it again, reenacting the scenes with the bevy of Jurassic Park toys and action figures. All of the quotes were present in my Shakespearan level performances.

“SHOOOOT HEERR!”

“Don't go cheap on me Dodgson, that was Hammond’s mistake.”

“Welcome to Jurassic Park”

“Life finds a way”

“Hold on to your buts?”

“Boy, do I hate being right all the time.”

“No we can't… we’re being hunted.”

“Clever girl.”

“He left us… HE LEFT US.”

I wore out the tape to the point that just four short years later it had to be thrown away from overuse.

It’s my last day in Asheville and I just walked into my last brewery in Asheville. The realm of nostalgia and comfort oozes from Eurisko, a feeling of plushness like a silky and puffy Lazy Boy recliner.

Tucked away on Short Coxe Avenue in the South Slope of Asheville, Eurisko Beer Company opened in 2018 and has impressed locals and rival brewers alike with its wide array of brews. It was a last minute addition to the brewery tour. Mike, the co-owner of DSSOLVR suggested that I visit Eurisko. He mentioned that it was one of his personally favorite local breweries. It did not disappoint.

I knew I liked the place as soon as I entered. Christmas lights hang from the ceiling, instantly reminding me of Snake and Jakes Christmas Lounge in New Orleans… except much, much, much… MUCH cleaner. It even had a terse bartender who spoke in monosyllabic responses and dismissive brow raises. This place felt like home. Stacks of board games rested in the corner surrounded on all sides by mismatched furniture and seating. Just an excellent place to end my journey.

What instantly struck me was the names of the beers. Many were movie inspired names like “Under the Sycamore Tree” and “He Left Us.” Yup, that’s the name that sent me into the land of comfort and nostalgia.

“The brewer must be a cinephile,” I cheerfully asked the bartender.

“I-uh-no,” he responded with an incredulous look as if I disturned him from a life-altering, introspective meditation.

I took a quick peer to the right and spotted a metallic 3D Jurassic Park logo hanging on the wall.

“Oh that HAS to be it, ‘He Left Us’ is a line from Jurassic Park,” I explained, still excited by the nostalgia.

“If you say so. You gonna order something?” The bartender quipped.

“Yeah. A decent conversation. Did I offend you or something?” Is what I imagined saying to this dude who is seriously attempting to corrupt my chi.

Instead I just excused myself for a moment and gameplaned. Eurisko doesn’t provide flights for sampling, but does offer half pours. After carefully examining the selection of brews, I choose five to roll with: the “PLZ”, “Under the Sycamore Tree”, “He Left Us”, “Blueberry Lemon Zest”, and “Wrong Side of the River”.

PLZ is a pilsner displaying a classic pils gold color that’s crystal clear with a bready and hoppy smell. It’s super dry and crisp, starting slightly sweet with a muted hoppiness to follow. Perfect outdoor beer, which I take advantage of and step outside to the brewery’s outdoor seating area. Small, but intimate, it served as a perfect spot to evade the accusatory glare of the bartender, rip a dart, and soak in the final rays of the afternoon sun in Asheville.

I reentered the tap room, sat down, and sampled Under the Sycamore Tree, a Saison showcasing an old gold color with a flora, earthy, and spicy hint. The lemongrass hits from start to finish with the crispness of the cucumber sustaining as well. Under the Sycamore Tree leaves a lasting earthy taste that's rather pleasant and refreshing.

“I love the crispness of that Saison. What brings that spicy smell to the forefront?” I asked the bartender. At this point, I’m only doing this to make this interaction more awkward for my own entertainment.

“I-uh-no… what are you getting next?” He tersely asked. At least he added “next”.

He Left Us is a New England Style IPA revealing a funky hazy yellow with a citrus and hoppy fragrance. Jurassic Park inspired so you KNOW I went for it! This beer is JUICY, and tropical to start with a splendid balanced bitterness. Wrong Side of the River is another New England Style IPA intimating the typical mellow yellow color and haze with a classic citra and hoppy scent. It's hoppy from start to finish, juicy in the beginning and bitter to end.

The beer of the day for me was the Blueberry Lemon Zest, a Philly Sour parading a ruby color with berry aroma. It’s crisp and subtlety tart with a berry and zesty start and a smooth vanilla finish. Never had a smooth sour before... intriguing and fascinating simultaneously. Probably the reason why I was so drawn to it.

Eurisko Beer Company is open Monday through Thursday from 2pm to 9pm, Friday from 2pm to 10pm, Saturday from noon to 10pm, and Sunday from noon to 9pm. Eurisko offers various little events like film showings (yet another clue to the name of their beers), various release day events, and Oktoberfest activities.