Emahlstadt

Escondido, CA – Stone Brewing Co. co-founder, Greg Koch, sent some ominous tweets over the weekend, one in particular in which he claims to be “more pissed off than usual.” Now we know why, thanks to a new video just uploaded by the brewery:

“Today, 2/12/18, Stone Brewing filed suit to defend its iconic STONE® brand against one of the world’s largest beer conglomerates, MillerCoors. Stone, known for being the antithesis to “Big Beer,” has long waved a flag of bold character, individualism and independence. The suit alleges that MillerCoors is trying to rebrand its Colorado Rockies-themed “Keystone” beer as “STONE.” The craft beer pioneer feels that it has no choice but to combat MillerCoors’ aggressive marketing moves, which abandon Keystone’s own heritage by falsely associating with the one true STONE®.”

 

 

Scroll to the bottom of this post for MillerCoors’ official response.

And while Koch claims in the video that this is not being done for publicity, there is now an actual graphic and press release to accompany this video. This may be a first in ten years of following and covering the craft business beer. Read on below for Stone’s official release:

“Today Stone Brewing filed suit to defend its iconic STONE® brand against one of the world’s largest beer conglomerates, MillerCoors. Stone, known for being the antithesis to “Big Beer,” has long waved a flag of bold character, individualism and independence. The suit alleges that MillerCoors is trying to rebrand its Colorado Rockies-themed “Keystone” beer as “STONE.” The craft beer pioneer feels that it has no choice but to combat MillerCoors’ aggressive marketing moves, which abandon Keystone’s own heritage by falsely associating with the one true STONE®.

“Keystone’s rebranding is no accident,” said Dominic Engels, Stone Brewing CEO. “MillerCoors tried to register our name years ago and was rejected. Now its marketing team is making 30-pack boxes stacked high with nothing but the word ‘STONE’ visible. Same for Keystone’s social media, which almost uniformly has dropped the ‘Key.’ We will not stand for this kind of overtly and aggressively deceptive advertising. Frankly, MillerCoor should be ashamed.”

The Complaint alleges federal and state causes of action for unfair competition, trademark infringement and related claims. “For two decades our team and our fans together have given depth and meaning to the Stone brand,” expressed Greg Koch, Stone Brewing executive chairman & co-founder. “Our fans have come to trust us to deliver consistently fresh, high quality beer. They trust that we’ll do so in a way that’s ethical and betters our communities, our planet and the entirety of craft beer. By deliberately creating confusion in the marketplace, MillerCoors is threatening not only our legacy, but the ability for beer drinkers everywhere to make informed purchasing decisions.”

Never one to miss an opportunity to poke fun at Big Beer and its consumers, Koch added with a laugh “We all know Keystone is specifically designed to be as inexpensive, flavorless and watery as possible. We can’t have potential Stone drinkers thinking we make a *shudder* light beer. Or for our fans to think we sold out. MillerCoors needs to stop marketing its stuff using our good name.”

Twice named as the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine, Stone Brewing continues to gain devotees, solidifying its commitment never to sell out to Big Beer. Meanwhile, according to Nielsen, the beer industry’s Domestic Premium category dipped four percent in 2017, equating to a $12.5 billion loss. Says Greg Koch, “No wonder MillerCoors is trying to misappropriate what it could not otherwise accomplish by itself.”

Stone Brewing is represented in the lawsuit by Noah Hagey, Rebecca Horton and Toby Rowe of San Francisco litigation boutique BraunHagey & Borden LLP.”

***

MillerCoors has sent BeerPulse an official statement regarding Stone’s lawsuit: “This lawsuit is a clever publicity stunt with a multi-camera, tightly-scripted video featuring Stone’s founder Greg Koch. Since Keystone’s debut in 1989, prior to the founding of Stone Brewing in 1996, our consumers have commonly used ‘Stone’ to refer to the Keystone brand, and we will let the facts speak for themselves in the legal process.”

Directed by Josh Mendoza, ahead of EFM comes the first trailer for What Still Remains, starring Lulu Antariksa, Colin O’Donoghue (The Rite, Storage 24), and Mimi Rodgers (Ginger Snaps).

In the film, “After the loss of her family, a young woman struggles to survive in a world long-since destroyed by disease; but when a lonely traveler offers her a place in his community, she must decide if the promise of a better life is worth the risk of trusting him.”

People become their own kind of monster in this brand new post-apocalyptic thriller…

This past weekend, Netflix head into the woods with the creature feature The Ritual, directed by David Bruckner (The Signal, V/H/S, Southbound). Last week, we shared this juicy morsel of our chat with the filmmaker, who revealed that that the creature derives from Norse mythology. Now, we dive deep into the film that follows a group of college friends who reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that’s stalking them. Warning that spoilers do follow…

What drew Bruckner to the project was the sense of a deteriorating friendship:

“My manager first slipped me a draft of Joe Barton‘s screenplay in the Spring of 2016 and I followed up immediately with Adam Nevill‘s novel,” Bruckner explained of the genesis of his involvement. “I was blown away on both fronts. While the horror was incredibly compelling, what drew me closest to the material was the relationship among the guys and the sense of deteriorating male friendship.

“I always find that horror works best when it’s tethered to real-world anxieties and this felt especially relevant to me, both personally and as a broader exploration of masculinity in crisis.”

“During the initial prep period, Barton and I worked very closely with a lot of help from Will Tennant and our producer, Richard Holmes to execute what was ultimately a fourth and final draft,” he continues. “I really wanted to preserve Joe’s unique handle on the dialog as well as some important discoveries he had made translating the novel to screen. On the other hand, I had my own experience with Nevill’s book and felt there were some conflicts, particularly between the guys, that needed to find a way back in.”

Speaking to some of the changes, Bruckner continues: “The novel has a lot of bandwidth to dive into both the mythology of the forest and the psychology of Luke, the central protagonist. Because it’s prose, the book can easily maneuver in and out of Luke’s thoughts, oscillating between his inner monologue as he’s increasingly alienated by his friends, and a ton of memory replay as he ponders who they used to be. To translate that directly to screen would involve voiceover, or crosscutting to backstory and would likely undermine the tension of the movie as a movie. They’re just fundamentally different mediums.

“So we created a tragic event at the start of the film that the audience can experience alongside the characters.

“Luke is arguably culpable for what happens, which leads to later resentment, disrespect, and alienation from the rest of his friends. We were aiming for a similar emotional experience as the book, but using an external event to bring it to the surface.

“There are also some seemingly major differences between the end of the book and the movie,” he continues. “I don’t want to give away too much for those who haven’t looked at either, so I’ll just say that they’re more similar than they may seem! But we felt we had to dress it up a little differently, in large part because of limited screen time and the fact that cinematic expectations are a bit more narrow. How hard of a left turn do you want to make in the final act? We thought that needed a little shifting.”

The cinematography is incredible, reminding this writer of An American Werewolf in London, while the locations are equally stunning.

“Well, this was a location shoot through and through,” explained Bruckner. “With the exception of the opening, the entire movie was filmed on the Bucegi Plateau in the Southern Carpathian Mountains. And the spruce forests up there have an extremely distinct look. Because the forest canopy is so dense, there are areas where the needles die off underneath and the branches run straight to the ground.

“This gives the trees a very spiny, threatening look that, for a horror film, feels a little over the top in all the right ways.

“This was consistent with the way Adi Curelea, the production designer, and myself discussed much of the imagery. From the set construction to the atmospheric special effects, to the creature design, we always felt the movie should have a slight arch sensibility; just a touch of playful self-awareness. Perhaps that’s where you detect some similarities to An American Werewolf in London?”

He continues speaking more to the cinematography: “As far as the photography, our DP Andrew Shullkind, who I worked with on Southbound, convinced me to go with a set of Canon cameras and extremely fast lenses that excel in low light conditions. So we were able to cover quite a bit of imagery during twilight hours and much of the night work is lit primarily with the actors’ flashlights. Andrew got a lot of dimension out of the darkness which really puts you in the woods. We also resisted the temptation to do something like this in 2:35 aspect ratio, and instead went with a 2:1 frame because it felt more immersive and takes far better advantage of the towering trees.”

For horror fans looking for similar films, Bruckner reveals several that influenced The Ritual:

“There were some obvious reference points: Deliverance, Wicker Man, and The Descent, but also a bit of [Ben] Wheatley (Kill List, A Field in England). I looked at Greengrass (United 93, Captain Phillips) and Herzog (Aguirre Wrath of God, Rescue Dawn) for performance style. Also Predator, Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, The Grey, and anything I could find shot in a forest. Of course, some of it aids in brainstorming how you’re going to use the camera, but then you get out in the freezing woods and you realize you have to find quicker ways to work anyway. I think there’s something to be said about eventually forgetting your influences and just visualizing the film from your gut.”

For those looking for gore, The Ritual is more about atmosphere and dread:

“I’ve made far bloodier movies! Usually, I love going there, but I’m actually quite sensitive to how violence is employed,” he explained. “It can amplify some disgusting human behavior, or shock something familiar into a state of panic; as long as it contributes to the story in some way. There was something about The Ritual, perhaps the earnestness of the characters, or the familiarity of the conceit, that it just felt indulgent to go too far with the gore.

“The movie is really more about a sense of atmosphere, a lurking dread and surreal head-trip as opposed to buckets of overt horror and revulsion.”

The Ritual truly is the kitchen sink of horror films. Bruckner speaks to the difficulty of pulling off many genres in one movie.

“Usually, I would caution taking on a project that featured so many classic horror tropes. But there was something about reading Adam’s novel that felt completely fresh to me. The characters were extremely real, and the situation they found themselves in felt fluid and had the quality of an ever-descending fever dream. The book simply convinces you to go on that ride. Like you’re experiencing great horror for the first time.

“We knew in a movie those different sub-genres would stand out a bit more and some of our choices, not all, but some, were a bit more conventional than the book,” he continues. “No matter how well you dress it up, it’s still, literally, a “shortcut through woods” movie. And horror fans are razor sharp, they don’t miss a thing. So I’d say one of the biggest challenges with this was figuring out how to modulate the right amount of self-awareness. I definitely didn’t want to do any campy overly postmodern stuff, but I often tried to land a faint, almost imperceptible wink to the audience. As if to say, ‘Yes this is a horror film and yes these are well-traveled tropes, we’re not going to stand above them but we know what we’re wielding.’ And beyond that, fuck it, I want to believe this is happening. It’s just more fun for me that way.

“I should say too, that the choice was made early on to always approach the performances in earnest, not to overly stylize them or bend them to fit whatever movie tropes the story might take on. We had an amazing cast that was committed to this approach from the beginning. The characters aren’t stupid, they know what’s happening to them is insane and yet it’s still happening. It’s a blast to run with that and never get too far above it.”

The Ritual is now streaming on Netflix everywhere.

The Melvins have never been “easy listening,” and that’s why we like them. But for their upcoming album Pinkus Abortion Technician, the pioneering sludge-rockers will make audiences even queasier than usual by doubling their low end. Longtime Butthole Surfers bassist Jeff Pinkus (thus the title) will join existing…

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There are not one but two brand new Friday the 13th collectibles coming from Mezco this year, the first of which is a 15-inch “Mega Jason Voorhees” action figure (with sound feature) that we recently showed you. That figure is coming May-July, and it’ll be followed up with Mezco’s “Deluxe Stylized Jason” figure shortly thereafter.

The figure is based on Friday the 13th: Part 3.

“Mezco is giving horror’s most-feared masked maniac the stylized treatment with a deluxe figure sure to thrill. In addition to having 10 points of articulation, Jason Voorhees comes ready to slay with his signature bloody ax and machete, which have been the end of countless unhappy campers. Jason’s trademark hockey mask is removable to reveal a disfigured and scarred face sculpt based on Friday The 13^th Part 3. Also included is an alternate left hand to help recreate iconic poses.”

“The star of over 11 films, Jason is a virtually unstoppable killing machine, and he’s also the latest character to be immortalized in Mezco’s signature super-deformed style. Standing approximately 6 inches tall, Mezco’s Deluxe Stylized Friday the 13^th Jason Voorhees Figure comes packaged in a die-cut window box perfect for display in your collection or campsite.”

This figure ships July-September 2018 and can be pre-ordered for $29.

Way back in 2013, NECA blew our minds with their “Spider Gremlin” figure, a small scale recreation of the creature featured in Gremlins 2. I say “small scale” while being fully aware of how big the figure actually was, measuring a whopping 10″ tall and 15″ across – not surprisingly, it’s the largest Gremlins figure ever made.

By popular demand, we’ve learned that the Spider Gremlin figure, which has long been out of print and selling for high prices on eBay, is going back into production!

“This incredible re-creation of the Spider Gremlin puppet seen in Gremlins 2: The New Batch features over 30 points of articulation, including the eight massive spider legs that are articulated in three places each. When fully assembled, the Spider Gremlin stands over 10″ tall, nearly 15″ across and over 12″ deep! The figure also includes a support stand to help balance and display it in your desired poses.”

May 2018 is the date provided for the resurrection of this beast!

A fabled brewery enlists a most unsuspecting cast of characters

(Escondido, CA) – An unlikely pair on a serendipitous adventure, the story of Loral and Dr. Rudi is one of smooth beginnings and bitter endings. It’s a novel of epic proportions, a journey in every sip. Like the crisp pages of a new best-seller, Stone Brewing announces the release of Stone Loral & Dr. Rudi’s Inevitable Adventure Double IPA.

She was elegant with flowers in her hair. He was stubborn, reeking of herb and highly unrefined. Differences aside, the two unsuspecting characters set forth on a wild adventure. The story that unfurls is nothing short of a narrative for the senses. The aroma is intensely floral with subtle herbal notes. Loral shines through in the flavor with citrus, peach and hints of fresh berries while Dr. Rudi’s resin and pine carry throughout alongside notes of white sage. It’s refreshing, crisp and smooth with mild bitterness and an ABV that boosts the overall aromas and flavors of this inevitable adventure.

“We have been a bit obsessed with Loral hops lately,” said Jeremy Moynier, Stone Brewing Senior Innovation Manager. “We’re loving its bright, floral qualities and have been impressed with the hop on its own and blended with others. Dr. Rudi is an older hop, one we haven’t used much lately and we were blown away by how the two complement one another – a good example of how sometimes opposites attract.”

So while the tale of Loral & Dr. Rudi will go on in history, the seasonal beer is best enjoyed fresh. Stone Loral & Dr. Rudi’s Inevitable Adventure Double IPA will debut this week in 22-ounce bottles, 12-ounce bottled six-packs and on draft nationwide.

QUICK FACTS
Name: Stone Loral & Dr. Rudi’s Inevitable Adventure Double IPA
Web: Stonebrewing.com/inevitable
Stats: 8.9% ABV, 84 IBUs
Availability: Limited release in 12-ounce six-pack bottles, 22-ounce bottles and draft
Featured Hops: Loral and Dr. Rudi
National Distribution: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NM, ND, NV, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA and WI
International Distribution: Australia, China, Costa Rica, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand
Find Beer: find.stonebrewing.com

TASTING NOTES
Appearance: Light golden. White, foamy head with medium size bubbles.
Aroma: Intense floral up front with peach, resin and pine. There are also subtle herbal hints.
Taste: Citrus, peach, and hints of fresh berries with notes of herbal and white sage. Lots of resin and pine throughout.
Palate: Very refreshing, crisp, and smooth, especially for this high ABV. There is a mild bitterness on the finish.
Overall: This beer proves the theory that opposites attract. The elegant Loral with floral, citrus, and hints of noble qualities hooks up with a tie-dye wearing friend of a friend from out of town, who is dank and full of resin and pine. It works! People may find it hard to believe that this is 8.9% but the ABV definitely helps boost the wonderful aromas and flavors in this very drinkable beer. Have another!

PAIRING NOTES
Starters: Black Tiger Shrimp Ceviche*, Sliced Papaya with Lime and Salt, Honey Sriracha Quail Knots*, Chicken Karaage Steamed Buns**
Soups and Salads: Yum Woon Sen (Thai Noodle Salad), Baby Gem Caesar Salad*, Caprese Salad, Gazpacho, Tomato Basil Soup
Main Courses: Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce, Citrus Glazed Pork Chop**, Spicy Lamb Sausage Rigatoni**, Capellini Pomodoro, Sea Scallops
Desserts: Mango Mochi, Pot de Crème with Fresh Berries, Cherry Ice Cream, Lemon Gelato with Ginger Cookies
*Pairings available at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Escondido. View full menu here.

**Pairings available at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Liberty Station. View full menu here.

I was doing an activity with my 5-year-old and then told him I had to go back to work and he said “Okay, go touch your letters daddy.” which is such an amazing burn. “Must be exhausting touching that keyboard all day. Did you hit all the letters yet? You’ve had all day.”

— Chris Hallbeck (@ChrisHallbeck) February 7, 2018

Silicon Valley visionary John Perry Barlow died last night at the age of 70. When he was 30, the EFF founder (and sometime Grateful Dead lyricist) drew up a list of what he called Principles of Adult Behavior. They are:

1. Be patient. No matter what.
2. Don’t badmouth: Assign responsibility, never blame. Say nothing behind another’s back you’d be unwilling to say, in exactly the same tone and language, to his face.
3. Never assume the motives of others are, to them, less noble than yours are to you.
4. Expand your sense of the possible.
5. Don’t trouble yourself with matters you truly cannot change.
6. Expect no more of anyone than you yourself can deliver.
7. Tolerate ambiguity.
8. Laugh at yourself frequently.
9. Concern yourself with what is right rather than who is right.
10. Never forget that, no matter how certain, you might be wrong.
11. Give up blood sports.
12. Remember that your life belongs to others as well. Do not endanger it frivolously. And never endanger the life of another.
13. Never lie to anyone for any reason. (Lies of omission are sometimes exempt.)
14. Learn the needs of those around you and respect them.
15. Avoid the pursuit of happiness. Seek to define your mission and pursue that.
16. Reduce your use of the first personal pronoun.
17. Praise at least as often as you disparage.
18. Never let your errors pass without admission.
19. Become less suspicious of joy.
20. Understand humility.
21. Forgive.
22. Foster dignity.
23. Live memorably.
24. Love yourself.
25. Endure.

Here’s what these principles meant to Barlow:

I don’t expect the perfect attainment of these principles. However, I post them as a standard for my conduct as an adult. Should any of my friends or colleagues catch me violating one of them, bust me.

You can read remembrances of Barlow from the EFF and from his friends Cory Doctorow and Steven Levy. The EFF’s Executive Director Cindy Cohn wrote:

Barlow was sometimes held up as a straw man for a kind of naive techno-utopianism that believed that the Internet could solve all of humanity’s problems without causing any more. As someone who spent the past 27 years working with him at EFF, I can say that nothing could be further from the truth. Barlow knew that new technology could create and empower evil as much as it could create and empower good. He made a conscious decision to focus on the latter: “I knew it’s also true that a good way to invent the future is to predict it. So I predicted Utopia, hoping to give Liberty a running start before the laws of Moore and Metcalfe delivered up what Ed Snowden now correctly calls ‘turn-key totalitarianism.’”

Barlow’s lasting legacy is that he devoted his life to making the Internet into “a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth … a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity.”

Update: I’ve amended the list slightly from when I first posted it to match more closely an email sent by Barlow to friends on his 60th birthday.

Tags: Cindy Cohn   Cory Doctorow   John Perry Barlow   lists   Steven Levy

(Asheville, NC) – Hi-Wire Brewing will be releasing their 2018 Collaboration Mixed 12-Pack with Against The Grain, Trophy Brewing Co., and Blackberry Farm Brewery in mid-February. With long-time friendships and connections at each brewery, Hi-Wire is proud to share their craft with respected peers in the Southeast.

Double Dry-Hopped IPA – Trophy Brewing Co. (7% ABV)

It’s no secret Trophy Brewing makes some of the best IPAs in the country. So after very little deliberation, we decided to brew the hoppiest beer Hi-Wire has ever created at 3.5 lbs per barrel. Starting with Simcoe and Centennial in the whirlpool before mid-fermentation and dry-hop additions of El Dorado and Simcoe, this hazy gold monstrosity screams of green mango, huge citrus, and piney resin with a slight sweetness on the finish. This one is for the truest of hop fiends.

A Wee Bit More Hops Tropical Saison – Blackberry Farm Brewery (6.2% ABV)

In our collaboration with Blackberry Farm Brewery we decided to celebrate Blackberry Farm’s world class house Saison yeast strain by pairing it with a plethora of tropically aggressive American hops, including a mid fermentation hop addition for added depth. Azacca, El Dorado, and Mosaic shine with magnificent aromas of mango, papaya, juicy fruit, and white grape while a slight bitterness and dry finish preps the palette for another sip.

Dark Coffee Lager – Against The Grain (5.5% ABV)

We took special care to let the beautiful fruit notes from naturally processed Ethiopian coffee via Dynamite Roasting sing in this collaboration with our buddies from Against The Grain Brewery in Louisville, Kentucky. Aromatic notes of fresh ground coffee beans, hazelnut, cherry, and new leather meld perfectly with a soothing dark malt sweetness and hints of fresh baked bread with a clean, crisp finish.

Rounding out the 12-pack will be three of Hi-Wire’s flagship beers: Hi-Pitch Mosaic IPA, Lo-Pitch Juicy IPA, and Hi-Wire Gose. The Hi-Wire Brewing Collaboration 12-pack will be available the second week of February, and will hit Hi-Wire’s entire distribution footprint.

Lastly, Hi-Wire will be rounding out their Sour and Wild Ale releases February 17 at 12pm from their South Slope Sour & Wild Ale facility with a double bottle release including a Gin Barrel-Aged Juniper Berry Saison called “Gin Fizz,” and a bottle-conditioned, 100% Brett IPA, full of huge tropical notes, candied lemon and juicy green grass from Mosaic, Hallertau Blanc, and Citra hops. Both beers will see limited distribution the first week of March.

About Hi-Wire Brewing

Located in Asheville, NC, Hi-Wire Brewing is known for producing approachable and balanced lagers and ales, most notably Hi-Wire Lager, Bed of Nails Brown, and Hi-Pitch Mosaic IPA. They have two locations in Asheville: the 27,000 square foot Big Top Production Facility & Taproom located half a mile from the Biltmore Estate and the South Slope Specialty Brewery & Taproom located in the South Slope area of downtown, which has a focus on wild and sour ales. Hi-Wire was awarded the most medals at the 2014 NC Brewer’s Cup and was named Best New North Carolina Brewery of 2013 by RateBeer. Most recently, the Zirkusfest Oktoberfest Lager won gold at the 2016 Great American Beer Festival® in the German-Style Maerzen category. Their award-winning beers can be found on draft and in bottles across North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Ohio. To learn more about the company, visit hiwirebrewing.com.

This past weekend saw the release of a big, expensive, attention-getting science fiction spectacle on streaming service Netflix, one that had people talking throughout the subsequent week. Unfortunately for the people behind it, that spectacle wasn’t Altered Carbon.

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MGMT is a great band who made their records out of order. I went to see Of Montreal on tour for their incredible psych pop anti-masterpiece Hissing Faunae in mid-2007. I had never heard of the opener so I went late and skipped them. It was MGMT. By the following year, they were playing Bonnaroo, ...

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Ever since his breakout success with debut feature The Witch back in 2015, we’ve been wondering what’s next for Robert Eggers. A couple projects have come up with Eggers attached to them, including a new take on Nosferatu, but we haven’t heard anything concrete about his followup feature. Until today, that is.

THR reports that Willem Dafoe will star in The Lighthouse, a horror film being written and directed by, you guessed it, Robert Eggers!

The film is about an aging lighthouse keeper, and Dafoe is in talks to play that character, named Old. It takes place in Nova Scotia in the early 20th century.

RT Features will produce for A24 and New Regency.

For better or worse, our favorite franchise villains evolved a whole lot over the years. Jason Voorhees went from a misshapen boy to a metallic space monster, while Michael Myers went from a normal-sized creep to a bearded hobo in a pro wrestler’s body.

Watching that evolution is always fascinating, and YouTube channel Tell It Animated recently began chronicling the progression of the genre’s most iconic villains with a series of fun animated videos that run through all the different looks of guys like Jay and Mike.

The videos, written/designed/animated by Aaron Lecours, also serve as quick and to-the-point rundowns of franchise storylines, brushing you up in mere minutes.

Enjoy. And let the channel know which icon you want to see next!

The headliner of the ‘Horns 2018 class isn’t fooled by the hype surrounding Texas A&M.

When the great debate of Texas vs. Texas A&M arises, as it does virtually every day on message boards and platforms such as Twitter, one of the more consistent rebuttals from the Aggies end will be something along the lines of, “but we play in the SEC.”

Well, so do Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Arkansas, but don't let that deter you from the fact that Texas A&M is a proud member of the SEC, and in the minds of some, being middle-of-the-road in what’s become a top-heavy conference is enough vindication for stepping out from under big brother’s shadow and departing from the Big 12.

Texas defensive back Caden Sterns isn’t caught up with the hype in College Station, though, and the headliner of the ‘Horns 2018 class took to Twitter to express why Texas A&M is “weak.”

When it comes to Twitter, Sterns has been among the more vocal members of Texas’ 2018 class, especially when it comes to recruiting or praising the future of the program.

That was evident just days ahead of National Signing Day, as well, as Sterns’ Twitter pitch to three-star outside linebacker Vernon Jackson, who will choose between Texas and Texas A&M on Wednesday, was answered with, “Natty? I’m dead” by Texas A&M safety pledge Leon O’Neal Jr., who has been an equally as active representative for the Aggies on Twitter.

It seems as if Sterns got the best of that exchange, as well.

Since joining the SEC, Texas A&M is 51-26, but when it comes to SEC play, the Aggies are narrowly above .500 at 25-23.

But yes, as Sterns noted, “SEC, SEC.”

The Economist:

The roots of the fiasco are not hard to determine. As in Oklahoma’s northern neighbour, Kansas, deep tax cuts have wrecked the state’s finances. During the shale boom, lawmakers gave a sweetheart deal to its oilmen, costing $470m in a single year, by slashing the gross production tax on horizontal drilling from 7% to 1%. North Dakota, by contrast, taxes production at 11.5%. The crash in global oil prices in 2014 did not help state coffers either. Oklahoma has also cut income taxes, first under Democrats desperate to maintain control over a state that was trending Republican, and then under Republicans, who swept to power anyway.

...

Other state agencies are broke, too. Highway patrolmen are told not to fill their petrol tanks to save money. Those caught drunk-driving are able to keep their licences because there are no bureaucrats to revoke them.

...

The real reason why so many school districts are resorting to a tighter calendar is that it is the only true perk they can offer to poorly paid teachers, whose salaries start at $31,600 and who have not received a rise for ten years. The exodus to Texas and Arkansas, which included Oklahoma’s Teacher of the Year in 2016, continues unabated. A 20-minute drive across the border often results in a $10,000 increase. Dallas’s school district has unashamedly set up booths in Oklahoma City to poach what talent remains. So dire is the shortage that school districts have found 1,850 adults without the necessary qualifications, given them emergency certifications, and placed them in classrooms.

Related:

Billionaire . . . says he tried stringing up fishing line, spraying smelly repellent and even posting a wolf decoy, but nothing could rid his lakeside vacation home of the Canada geese that turned his lawn into a minefield of poop.

His next line of attack? Refusing to pay his $90,000 school tax bill until officials in the Finger Lakes town of South Bristol find a way to control the birds.

In 2002, Al Pacino and Catherine Keener starred in a flop called Simone. In it, a computer-generated woman fools the general public and becomes a major film star. At the time, it was heavy-handed and absurd. Now, with our intricate, choreographed digital avatars often eclipsing our corporeal sacks, it’s much more…

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The Worst Things For Sale is Drew's blog. It updates every day. Subscribe to the Worst Things For Sale RSS!

Bungie has spent much of its recent time addressing gripes with Destiny 2's story and cooperative play, but players in the competitive Crucible mode? Not so much -- some have complained that the Crucible just isn't that exciting, and the infamous Prometheus Lens incident arguably wouldn't have happened if Bungie had been paying closer attention to Crucible gameplay. You might not have that complaint for much longer, though. The studio has detailed some of the changes coming with the March 27th update, and a large chunk of them are designed to ratchet up the intensity of player-versus-player fights.

Source: Bungie

After a freak accident sees the Sweetlings fending for themselves while on vacation, the trio comes to realize just how arduous life can be without the beast to protect them. With no money and an impenetrable language barrier, the girls resort to desperate measures to procure a hot meal. But will they triumph over their even hotter adversaries?
I have seen my fair share of tawdry horror shows before but I was in for quite a surprise, this being my first viewing of the Sweetlings. It doesn’t pretend to be anything that it’s not. Its ridiculously funny yet macabre style left me unsure whether to laugh out loud of cower up in a corner and quietly shake. The sexy girls are the perfect counterpart to The Sweetlings, and oh man are those some real women! The chemistry between everyone worked really well with everyone playing off of each other nicely. If this is your first viewing, go back and lookout for the other episodes (WOD eps. 130 & 132), you will not be disappointed.
– Joey Horist

World of Death is the web series that fans of independent horror have been waiting for.  Featuring short horror films from all over the globe created by the largest variety of talent that a collection has ever been able to boast, WOD provides plenty of blood, guts, screams and laughs for all fans of the macabre.  And with episodes averaging around eight minutes in length, WOD is the perfect entertainment for a fan base constantly on the go.  Watch it anywhere, at any time, for FREE! New episodes premiere every Monday and Thursday at 10am CST.

WATCH HERE

Relax – it’s just the first canned hazy IPA released from Offshoot Beer Co. outside of the brewery EVER!

(Orange County, CA) – Relax – it’s just a hazy IPA. But not just any IPA. This is the first year-round release from Offshoot Beer Co.

Starting this February, fresh 4-packs of Relax [it’s just a hazy IPA] will be rolling off the canning line and into craft beer stores throughout Southern California, Northern California, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. For the first time ever, cans from Offshoot Beer Co. will be available beyond the brewery.

Relax [it’s just a hazy IPA] embraces the new way to enjoy IPA – unfiltered, fresh and full of hop flavor and aromatics… without the bitterness to stand in the way of kicking back with a juicy beer. It features a combination of Citra, Centennial, Simcoe and Amarillo hops, imparting fruity, tropical and citrusy notes to complement the round, soft mouthfeel of a hazy IPA.

“Offshoot Beer Co. has allowed us to branch off in new directions, continue our passion for experimentation and explore the art of developing hop-forward beers,” said Patrick Rue, founder of The Bruery and its hoppy offshoot, and one of just 16 individuals to earn the title of Master Cicerone®. “Now such a pursuit will be within arm’s reach for fans of independent craft beer from coast-to-coast looking to relax with a fresh can of hazy IPA any day of the week.”

Experimental and barrel-aged beers from The Bruery and sour and wild ales from Bruery Terreux are distributed in nearly 30 states. Relax [it’s just a hazy IPA] will cover a much smaller footprint to ensure cans are shipped cold and arrive in peak condition at fine purveyors of craft beer in select markets.

Since the launch of Offshoot Beer Co. in April 2017, cans have been sold directly from the brewery and exclusively to members on its Interest List (https://www.offshootbeer.com/register) . The most exclusive members, those in the company’s Reserve Society and Hoarders Society, enjoy an ongoing discount and priority access to every can release from Offshoot Beer Co. To date, Offshoot Beer Co. has canned 20 different limited release hoppy beers – including hazy IPAs, double IPAs, triple IPAs and a cream IPA with fruit. One of the brewery’s first releases, Fashionably Late, was named the #2 IPA in America by Draft Magazine in 2017.

“After nearly a year of developing special releases, we couldn’t be more excited to dial in a fresh new beer that’s available year-round to even more fans,” added Rue. “If you’ve been wondering what it would taste like if The Bruery made a hazy IPA, this is it. You won’t find a more approachable and accessible 4-pack on the market.”

BEER DETAILS
* Hops: Citra, Centennial, Simcoe, Amarillo
* Malts: 2-row, oats
* Yeast: London III
* ABV: 6.8%
* Availability: year-round (4-packs of 16-oz. cans and draft) in select markets

FIND FRESH BEER
Looking for fresh 4-packs of Relax [it’s just a hazy IPA]? Use the Beer Locator (http://www.thebruery.com/find/) to find beers from The Bruery, Bruery Terreux and Offshoot Beer Co. Cans of this latest release will premiere at the Tasting Rooms at The Bruery and Bruery Terreux on Friday, February 2. It will also be offered to List members via offshootbeer.com for shipping within California through February 4. Relax [it’s just a hazy IPA] will begin its voyage to Northern California, Southern California and Washington, D.C. markets the week of February 5.

Join the Offshoot Beer Co. Interest List (https://www.offshootbeer.com/register) for additional information and access to the brewery’s limited release beers. New limited release beers from Offshoot Beer Co. will continue to be released monthly via offshootbeer.com to List members, and available to pick up in California and Washington, D.C., or ship within California.

Find @OffshootBeerCo on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/offshootbeerco) , Twitter (https://www.instagram.com/offshootbeerco) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/offshootbeerco) .

ABOUT THE BRUERY®, BRUERY TERREUX® and OFFSHOOT BEER CO.
The Bruery was founded in 2008 by Patrick Rue, now a Master Cicerone®, after he found homebrewing to be of greater interest than law school. Innovation has driven The Bruery to create one-of-a-kind barrel-aged, sour and experimental beers since its inception. In 2015, The Bruery moved its sour beer production to the Bruery Terreux co-brand in Anaheim, CA, while The Bruery continues to craft non-sour and spirit barrel-aged beers at its original site in Placentia, CA. Bottles and draft from The Bruery and Bruery Terreux are distributed in nearly 30 states, including Washington, D.C. In 2017, Offshoot Beer Co. was born, specializing in hoppy beers packaged in 16-oz. cans, released in limited supply directly from the brewery for fresh enjoyment. Fresh cans of Relax [it’s just a hazy IPA] can be found in Southern California, Northern California, Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

The Bruery offers three different tiers of Society memberships, each with their own level of access to limited release beers, discounts on purchases, in-store perks, and access to Society-exclusive events and merchandise. Additional information is available at thebruerystore.com/membership.

Altered Carbon, a new Netflix series, has a few key themes it keeps returning to. Humans are innately violent, we have a propensity for self-destruction, our senses constantly fail us, and there’s no long-term hope for the species to evolve into better versions of ourselves. These may all be philosophical truisms for…

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After weeks of testing, Blizzard has moved several Overwatch changes from their test servers to the wider gaming population. This new patch brings 4K team shooter action to players on Xbox One X, but the big changes affect two popular characters: Mercy and Junkrat. Both have seen their capabilities downgraded, with the healer Mercy seeing the biggest adjustment in what is just the latest change targeting her Ultimate ability, Resurrect.

Source: Battle.net

Here’s what would happen if Masters of the Universe met Clive Barker.

Last we heard, David S. Goyer was in talks to direct a brand new feature film adaptation of the iconic Masters of the Universe property, which of course originally made the leap from the toy shelf/small screen to the big screen way back in 1987. That film was home to some awesome monster makeup, and one hell of a badass Skeletor.

When you think about it, the monsters of the Masters of the Universe franchise are as iconic as the heroes; one could argue that Skeletor is even more popular and well-known today than even He-Man himself. So wouldn’t it be awesome if we got a Masters of the Universe spinoff movie that was, essentially, a scary monster movie?!

Artist Paul Gerrard, who worked as a conceptual designer on next year’s Hellboy, imagined such a movie with a series of MOTU concept art that we can’t get enough of. Gerrard imagined characters such as Skeletor, Evil-lyn, Trap Jaw, Man-E-Faces and Modulok in his own, horror-influenced style, and the results are incredibly cool.

Introducing the MONSTERS of the Universe…

Hailing out of the Sundance Film Festival, A24’s Hereditary is being buzzed as the scariest horror film in years. Our own Fred Topel loved the film, calling it “psychologically and viscerally grueling.” With the hype going full steam, and people already calling for Toni Collette to get an Oscar nomination next year, A24 will release the fright fest in theaters on June 8, 2018.

Keeping the buzz turned to ten, they’ve already released a bloodcurdling trailer for Ari Aster‘s chiller that begins after their reclusive grandmother passes away, the Graham family tries to escape the dark fate they’ve inherited. There are a plethora of quotes promising everything from it being a “modern day horror masterpiece” to being “this generation’s The Exorcist.” The footage goes right for the jugular, putting all sorts of horrors on display without spoiler a thing. I think what’s most exciting is that it doesn’t look comparable to anything in particular, which means this is the kind of original horror we’ve been begging for! Thank you, A24!

Full synopsis:

“When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited. Making his feature debut, writer-director Ari Aster unleashes a nightmare vision of a domestic breakdown that exhibits the craft and precision of a nascent auteur, transforming a familial tragedy into something ominous and deeply disquieting, and pushing the horror movie into chilling new terrain with its shattering portrait of heritage gone to hell.”

Gabriel Byrne, Alex Wolff, Ann Dowd, and Milly Shapiro also star.

Cleopatra Entertainment is releasing Xander Robin‘s festival hit Are We Not Cats in limited theaters on February 23, 2018.

The film is the strange but tender story of a man who, after losing his job, his girlfriend, and his apartment in a single day, attempts to restart his life, but is sidetracked when he meets a woman who shares his unorthodox habit – a proclivity for eating hair.

Bloody’s Ben Larned caught the film at Sitges back in 2016, writing that it’s “harrowing, touching, and truthful.”

Michael Patrick Nicholson, Chelsea Lopez, and Michael Godere star.

We coughed up the official trailer and one sheet…

New barrel aged series kicks off with Belgian-Style Sour

(Denver, CO) – Great Divide Brewing Company is excited to announce their new barrel aged series, Wood Werks. The series kicks things off with a Belgian-Style Sour in February.

“We were coming up on the 10th anniversary of our original Barrel Aged Series,” said Brian Dunn, founder of Great Divide. “It felt like it was time to breathe some new life into the program and take a more modern approach to barrel aged beers.”

The first Wood Werks release is a Belgian-style tripel artfully soured for 15 months in red wine barrels and aged on plums. This extremely limited spiced sour ale is 9.3 percent ABV and has notes of luscious stone fruit with a tart, dry finish and hint of French oak. Wood Werks Belgian-Style Sour will be available seasonally from February through March in 12oz bottles and kegs.

Great Divide began barrel aging beers around 2004 with very small releases and nearly all barrels coming from Stranahan’s Whiskey. In 2008 the program grew to three releases a year with Barrel Aged Yeti, Barrel Aged Old Ruffian, and Barrel Aged Hibernation. All three of these beers were released as part of Great Divide’s original barrel aging program until 2017, which culminated with the release of the Barrel Aged Classics gift pack last spring.

With the brewery’s Brighton expansion, Great Divide invested in two temperature and humidity controlled barrel aging rooms, which allows for greater control over the elements that affect the way in which barrel character develops over time. This control has allowed the brewery to build up a world class barrel aging program and create more diversity within its lineup, strengthening its portfolio overall.

“This Belgian-Style Sour showcases our creativity and thoughtful approach to a Belgian-Style Tripel,” said Brandon Jacobs, brewing manager at Great Divide. “It really is a labor of love and patience.”

This first release will be followed by a Flemish Sour Brown Ale in May, and a Barrel Aged Brown Rye Ale in August.

About Great Divide Brewing Company
Founded in 1994, Great Divide Brewing Company is one of the most decorated breweries in America, recognized for brewing some of the globe’s most balanced yet assertive and flavorful beers. These beers have landed an impressive amount of acclaim, earning 18 Great American Beer Festival Medals, five World Beer Cup Awards and 14 spots on Beer Advocate’s “Top Rated Beers: Colorado” (2015). Here at Great Divide, Bold Character isn’t just a catchphrase. It’s the philosophy behind what we brew, how we think and what we believe. For more information visit www.greatdivide.com.

WSJ:

The deal also puts Keurig into the global soda business, which has been struggling as consumers shift away from sugary drinks. Keurig’s previous attempt to crack the market, a countertop pod-based machine called KOLD that could make Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper, flopped. Mr. Gamgort said Keurig wasn’t planning to revive the device

(Santa Fe, NM) – Santa Fe Brewing Company (SFBC), “New Mexico’s Original Craft Brewery”, posted record growth in 2017 and is poised to continue that momentum into 2018 and beyond. While SFBC’s business grew across it eight state distribution area, New Mexico led the way, growing by 28% in total and paced by 31% growth of its’ flagship brew, and the #1 selling craft beer in New Mexico as measured by IRI scan data, Happy Camper IPA. They also launched 7K IPA in late June, a Westcoast-ish style IPA “brewed at a higher elevation and to a higher standard”, which is already challenging Happy Camper for top spot in their lineup. In November, they added their most popular seasonal, Freestyle Pilsner, which BeerSyndicate.com last year named the #1 German-style Pilsner made in the US, to its everyday portfolio. IRI data from the 26 weeks ending December 3, 2017 showed Santa Fe Brewing Co. to be the largest and fastest growing brewery in New Mexico.

“We were founded in 1988, we’re independently owned and we’re in this for the long haul,” says Director of Sales & Marketing Jarrett Babincsak. “We’re operating in perhaps the most competitive and fluid marketplace our industry has seen. It’s imperative that we have the right foundation and strategy in place to enable us to successfully navigate what’s ahead. We made the decision at the end of 2016 to evolve our brand to be more focused on what differentiates us, create brand continuity, and refocus our sales efforts on growing core markets. We restructured our sales and marketing departments to capitalize on the highest leverage opportunities, pulled out of a few states and made New Mexico our top priority,” he continues.

“When I look at our brand, we are the New Mexico original; we started the craft category here. We represent New Mexican lifestyle and pride. We also make world class beers and have a good time doing it, but don’t take ourselves too seriously. Everything we’ve done with our brand is rooted in those in those tenets – from our packaging, to our new tap handles, to our social media, to the new website we’ll launch this Spring, to the new brands we’re creating,” says Babincsak.

Babincsak continues, “Perhaps the biggest contributor to our continued success though is quality. A few years back we added the most decorated Brewmaster working in New Mexico, Bert Boyce. Since Bert took control of our brewing operations, our quality and consistency has improved across our portfolio, and our new beers are both world class and differentiated from what everyone else is doing. 7K IPA is a perfect example of our approach to creating new beers,” he concludes.

SFBC has even bigger plans for 2018 and beyond, starting with more new beers and new packages.

“We’re adding three new beers to our seasonal line-up this year that we think will excite beer drinkers,” says Brewmaster Bert Boyce. Our first new beer, Lustgarten Lager, a dark lager brewed with real raspberries, is in stores now,” he adds. “In March, we’ll debut Twisted Root, an ale brewed with ginger and lemon grass, and in May it will be a yet to be named farmhouse inspired ale brewed with agave and lime.” We’re also expanding production of our In & Out specialty IPA series, and our Ever Changing Series, to ensure we’re pushing the brewing envelope and keeping our brand fresh and relevant in this uber-competitive marketplace,” he continues. “We’re also adding 12 pack cans of 7K IPA and Freestyle Pilsner, updating the packaging on Happy Camper 12 packs, and adding 16-ounce cans of all three brands,” he finishes.

SFBC is also expanding their footprint in Santa Fe and doubling down on their commitment to the local community.

“We’re committed to New Mexico and Santa Fe,” says Owner and President Brian Lock. “It’s who we are. New Mexico is our home and want to be a leading contributor to the local economy. We want our properties to be must-do’s for both locals and people visiting our great state,” he adds. “In that vein, we’re embarking on two exciting local projects. The first is a new taproom in downtown Santa Fe, located in a small, historic brick home on Galisteo with a speakeasy type vibe. The second is developing our primary site in Santa Fe into a world-class destination. When done it will include a beer hall, landscaped beer garden with outdoor seating and games, and upgrades to our concert venue, the Bridge,” Lock continues. “Whether you live here or are visiting, you won’t find anything else like it in New Mexico,” he finishes. We’re also expanding our community involvement and fundraising efforts. We added a new position this year to help drive our efforts in this area and during 2017 we donated over $10,000 to local charities, community groups, and other philanthropic endeavors. We expect that number to grow considerably in 2018 and beyond,” finishes Lock.

Santa Fe Brewing Company is New Mexico’s “Original Craft Brewery”, distributing beer throughout New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, and Utah. All of the beers are brewed, canned, and bottled on site in Santa Fe, New Mexico at 7,198 feet. For more info, follow them on social media or visit www.santafebrewing.com.