The Book of Life paired with Oculto

31 Days of Draughts and Darkness: Volume III

The Book of Life (2014)

Rich in Mexican folklore and legend, tonight's feature is a rare celebration of the oft-overlooked Day of the Dead. "The Book of Life" is a CGI fairy-tale that thankfully isn't obsessed with pop-culture parody and/or sly toilet humor. Yes, there's a bit of each sprinkled throughout, but the film's backbone is really about telling your own story. Writing the book of your own adventures. Both in life and death.

I've long dreamed of an on-screen adaptation of "Grim Fandango", one of my all-time favorite video games, also fashioned after the Day of the Dead.

If "The Book of Life" is as close as we ever get to that adaptation, I'll be more than happy. Both are epic adventures with volumes of creativity and enough stunning visuals to fill a gallery.

The Plot:

We join a rowdy group of teenagers on a school field trip. Their excitement at visiting the local museum is comparable to that of going to the dentist. But once they arrive, their tour guide enthralls them with her mysterious passion for the past. Most especially surrounding the museum's "Book of Life" exhibit, kept secretly away from the rest of the building. As the children gather around the old tome, their guide begins to tell a story. One that connects the living with the memory and spirit of their loved ones.

In the tiny Mexican village of San Angel, residents are paying homage to their deceased loved ones on the annual Day of the Dead. It is said that so long as a family remembers its loved ones, their spirits will never fade. The tributes are what grant spirits entrance into the Land of the Remembered, where one is free to spend eternity with their ancestors. 

Unbeknownst to the living, two spectral attendants are overseeing the event.

La Muerte, elegant and stately (but with a hot temper), rules the Land of the Remembered. Opposite her is the twisted Xibalba, dark keeper of shadows and ruler of the Land of the Forgotten. Those spirits shunned by their families are forced to reside in his dusty, desolate realm.

As you can imagine, Xibalba is quite tired of his dreary kingdom, so he makes La Muerte a bet.

Best of friends Manolo and Joaquin are both in love with Maria, daughter of the town General. Manolo comes from a long line of bullfighters, but abhors killing the animals and is really a musician at heart, much to his family's chagrin. Joaquin is a boisterous and headstrong figure obsessed with heroics, his father having died while heroically defending the town from bandits.

Xibalba bets La Muerte that bold Joaquin, not Manolo, will win the heart of Maria. La Muerte believes the soulful Manolo has the upper hand, and takes this bet. If Xibalba wins, La Muerte must switch kingdoms with him, relinquishing her beautiful Land of the Remembered to his control.

As the years go by and the children grow into adults, the gods watch eagerly for the moment Maria makes her choice. Maria is fiercely independent, not buying into the affections of either suitor. But that doesn't stop Xibalba by cheating a bit with some otherworldly powers that...well, sort of kill Manolo.

And so an adventure spanning life and death begins.

The Flavor:

There's far more to the story than I mentioned above, believe it or not. While everything revolves around the godly bet, the message is really about defining who you are, regardless of your fate. Manolo and Joaquin are different, each valuing polar opposite extremes in life, but neither is necessarily 'wrong' about the paths they choose. Both simply have lots to learn along the way. Like we all do.

Initially, the two boys see their conquest for the heart of Maria as the end-all-be-all defining moment of their lives. All their success and talent hinges on this romance, so each is fiercely competitive for her hand. Once things get hectic on an otherworldly level, Manolo and Joaquin are forced to confront their immature worldviews and grow.

A trip to the world of the undead, both Remembered and Forgotten, helps.

The world of the living is lovely, with character models fashioned to look like wooden dolls brought to life. Though the film is CGI, each human character is textured to appear carved and painted. This aesthetic really sells the storybook nature of the film.

But it's not until Manolo gets to the underworld that "The Book of Life" pulls out the visual big-guns. The Land of the Remembered is like a Las Vegas superhotel crossed with Mardi Gras. The colors pop and spin, and though each character in the underworld is a skeleton, they're more brimming with joy and life than their living counterparts. The Land of the Remembered is a visual buffet table, it's skeletal residents a motley crew that help the adventure pick up speed.   

Best Paired With:

Inventive and charming, "The Book of Life" didn't receive nearly as much praise as it should've. The visuals are gorgeous, the characters charming, and the overall adventure makes for a satisfying ride. The whole family can enjoy this one, folks.

The themes of growing up and never forgetting your loved ones give "The Book of Life" its heart.

Brew:

 I knew the brew to pair with this one the moment I laid eyes on it...

Name: Oculto

Brewery: Broken Barrel Brewing Co.

Where Brewed: Houston TX and Williamsburg, VA

ABV: 6.0%

Style: Cerveza

This is exciting! Not only is Oculto the first Cerveza-style brew "31 Days" has tackled, it's also been aged in a spirit not yet seen on our list. I've tried plenty of whiskey, bourbon, and rum-aged beers, but this is the first one that involved tequila. It seems the brew is blended with lager aged on tequila barrel staves.

Random nerdy digression: Even before the first taste, 'Oculto' earns points just for reminding me of 

'Grim Fandango'. Google it. Then play it. You're welcome. 

Color:  The appearance is very light, a pale straw yellow. The level of clarity is also quite high. No haziness at all.

Aroma: Your initial impression is similar to that of something like Corona or other Cerveza beers. The hop presence is mild and dry, giving the beer a crisp scent along with the mellow grain profile. But unlike other beers of this style, a few more scents complicate the bouquet. A distinct tangy sweetness lingers in the background, perhaps from the blue agave. I can't tell if this sweet scent is independent or a product of the tequila barrels the brew was aged on. Included with the sweetness is an almost mellow lime-like odor, a reminder that yes, there is tequila in here. How much though? 

Let's find out.

Taste: One taste is enough to convince you that a whole lot more is going on in Oculto that a standard golden ale. For one, the clean and mild tastes of this beer style are joined by a sweeter sidekick right off the bat. The sweet flavor has a bit of zing to it, but in the sharp, alcohol-like way you'd get from a higher ABV brew. Here, it's almost as if someone stirred a bit of agave nectar directly into the beer, much as if they were making tea. While different, the effect is really pleasant, as the sweetness is very mellow. Rather than cover up the grain and mild hops, the nectar blends its flavors along with them, resulting in a bitter-sweet first impression that's still crisp and refreshing.

As for the tequila? Oh, it's certainly there. In fact, I was surprised by how noticeable it was when I first tasted Oculto. I expected the beer to have maybe only a slight bite from the tequila barrel staves, but nope, the latter half of each sip gives you a hearty dose flavor. The tequila comes off very clean, even enough to wipe away the hop and malt flavors from the first half of the taste, though the agave sweetness remains.

To beer purists, that might sound like a bad thing. "I won't taste the hops in the aftertaste? Witchcraft!"

Honestly though, this really allows the tequila flavor to shine, especially as we move on to...

Aftertaste: Here is where you'll find yourself wondering if you just took a sip of beer or a shot. Granted, none of tequila's burn is present. The lingering flavors do, however, capture the more nuanced flavors found in higher-quality tequila's. Without the burn-factor of hard liquor, you're able to appreciate the clean, dry, and slightly-citrus quality of the tequila, itself. It's surprising that such flavors, almost delicate, manage to conquer the hop profile from earlier in the sip. As mentioned, the only remnant of your initial flavor that'll follow into the aftertaste is that of agave. This goes quite well with the tequila flavors, creating the impression that you just sipped a cocktail rather than beer.

It's a different approach, but it works.

Body: While still crisp, Oculto has far more of a mouth-coating quality than I expected. The sweeter character of each sip really sticks to the palate throughout. Still completely appropriate for a hot summer day, Oculto's got a bit more body than you might expect from your standard Cerveza. Expect a thin layer of sugar to linger on the tongue and roof of your mouth after each sip.

 I can see this brew making one hell of an ingredient in a margarita.

Pair: While '31 Days' is a Halloween list, and as such leans towards Fall fare, this is a warm-weather beer to its core. Despite a supernatural moniker, Oculto wants to be enjoyed alongside BBQ and a pool. Fans of chilled drinks are sure to enjoy this unique take. If you're hanging onto the one last little piece of summer as Fall creeps in, pick up some Oculto and enjoy.