Sunday, October 18, 2015

Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead paired with Reanimator Helles Lager from Narragansett

31 Days of Draughts and Darkness: Volume III
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014)

Tonight's feature takes the grim and gritty zombie-vibe made famous by the Walking Dead and says "Screw that". It's the sort of zombie movie that throws all the typical conventions at you before turning things completely on their severed head. Twists and turns abound, as does a sense of manic energy.

This is the most fun I've had watching a zombie movie in years.

Take the framework of an average zombie flick, then mix in equal parts Mad Max: Fury Road and Evil Dead, and you'd have Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead.


The Plot:

One night in rural Australia, a meteor shower passes overhead. It's effects on the world are varied, but most notable is what it does to anyone of certain blood types. Zombie time. Before long, the country is overrun with the undead, who as can be expected, hunger for human flesh and infect whomever they don't fully devour.

Family man Barry is one of the few spared the meteor's curse, though his wife and child are not so lucky. Receiving a frantic call from his sister, also apparently immune, Barry heads out into a zombie-invested outback to find her. He isn't alone for long.

So far, everything seems like standard-issue zombie territory. We've the hero who's on a quest to save what little's left of their family, the rag-tag team of misfit survivors met along the way, and the putting down of the undead via bullets to the brain. But then things get interesting...

Remember how I said that meteor shower had a few different effects? Well, aside from the zombie plague, it also happened to render all fossil-fuels inert. That means no petrol-based product will burn. Cars are essentially 4-wheeled paperweights. That is, they would be, if not for the fact that the zombies emit a gas that's highly flammable.

What's more, Barry's sister has been taken captive by a mad scientist, who seems insistent on learning more about the zombie plague. His methods, sadly, involve experimentation on those left alive, and Barry's sister just so happens to be next on his operating table. But as I said earlier, things aren't so simple in the world of Wyrmwood, and the result of these experiments make things very, very interesting for all involved.

Wow, it's hard to describe the plot of Wyrmwood without giving anything away. Let's just say I carefully fashioned the above paragraphs to give you only the essential details. The rest you're better off discovering on your own. You'll be happy you did.


The Flavor:

Wyrmwood, I'll admit, took a few minutes to really hook me. The initial phase of the film hits notes similar to many other zombie movies. Not bad, in fact the zombie action is very well done, but it's the sort of thing we've seen many times before. But good God, am I happy I stuck with the film, for once it got past the initial setup, Wyrmwood began traveling in a completed new and original direction.

Things get crazy in the most entertaining possible way. Wyrmwood functions with the sort of fast-paced energy that's indicative of the best action movies. It's frenetic, constantly bouncing around from scene to scene. Characters get moments to catch their breath and reflect, but such moments are brief, for the zombie masses are relentless. They also happen to be more active at night, another plot point I'll let you discover the meaning behind yourself. While the undead are designed no differently than you'd see in other zombie films, their aggression borders on animalistic. As such, our heroes must respond in extreme ways. Time to gear up.

Half the fun comes from the myriad of improvised armor, weapons, and vehicular mayhem our heroes cook up to fight the undead. Paintball equipment, fishing supplies, car parts, and other such assorted (and random) instruments all come together to make some of the most zany, slapped-together arsenals you've seen on film. But the results are indeed effective, not to mention quirky and charming.

Speaking of which, the characters are an absolute blast. The nonchalant way they go about these horrific events, concerned largely with the celebratory beer afterwards, lends the film a distinctly sarcastic vibe. Barry is the sort of tragic hero who rises to the occasion into a badass. His sister Brooke is the farthest thing imaginable from a damsel. Her character arc and ultimate fate not only make for the film's best moments, but also take it into entirely new directions with unexplored potential.

Toss in a funny, sadistic mad-scientist villain and a group of slacker-style sidekicks, and Wyrmwood makes for an incredible entertaining zombie ride.


Best Paired With:

Be you a zombie fan or no, Wyrmwood needs to be watched this Halloween. While I love The Walking Dead and all the pathos it crams into each episode (and book, for our graphic novel fans), the crazy, balls-to-the-wall pace of Wyrmwood was like a zombified breath of fetid air to the genre, an injection of pure fun.


Brew:

Zombie-themed brews are not as tough to find as you might think...

 Name: Reanimator
Brewery: Narragansett
Where Brewed: Rochester, NY
ABV: 6.5%
Style: Helles Lager

It figures, mere days after posting my Reanimator review, I discover a beer that's a direct reference to the source material, Lovecraft and all.

Oh well, while not Lovecraft-related, Wyrmwood shares many of the same crazy notes that made the film Reanimator so memorable.

Color:  Reanimator thankfully eschews the glowing-green of the resurrecting potion. This brew casts a golden glow, looking like something you'd dive into in the heat of summer moreso than Fall.

Aroma:  Crisp, citrus hops play across the nose with each sniff. The malt presence is there, too, but it's clear that Reanimator has a hop-kick on the mind (or should I say braiiinnnnsss), moreso than it's concerned with malty sweetness.

Taste: As a bock, a style of lager known for more of an alcohol-bite than its more refreshing, lighter brethren, Reanimator does not disappoint. Your initial taste will be of mild, crisp malt, but it isn't long into before the stronger, sharper tones of the higher ABV spike into the tongue.  This flavor combines with, and works to amplify, the beer's hop-factor.


The hop bite appears at about the midpoint of each taste, springing forward off the center of the tongue. I'm reminded almost of a West-coast style IPA here, as the hop presence features notes of bitter citrus, like grapefruit. A slight sweetness carries its way into the later-half of each sip, but it's the sharper sort noted above, a nod to the beer's heightened potency.

Aftertaste: The bitterness of the hops are strong in the primary taste, but it's the citrus character that hangs onto the tongue for the aftertaste. The bitterness largely fades, leaving the more subtle hop flavors on the tongue. With the bitterness receding, some of the maltier flavors reappear, almost resurrected on the palate.

Body: Though Reanimator kicks like a ram (in German, 'Bock' means ram, a nod to the higher alcohol and subsequent kick the beer provides), it's easy to underestimate the brew due to its lightner body. Reanimator has the sort of light-to-medium body that'd go well with warmer weather, but as such, is easy enough to drink in large amount without paying heed to the stronger ABV. Keep in mind that this brew is about 1.5x more potent than the usual lager. 

Pair: Though we're well into Fall, Reanimator's making me crave BBQ. The hoppy profile of the brew would pair wonderfully with the savory/sweet combo of ribs and brisket.

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