Punch-Out!

I'm having a hell of a time deciding on a pairing for the relatively new Wii version of Punch-Out! The only ideas I've had are Bareknuckle Stout, which is terrible, or some kind of punch, which is stupid. I'll try to come up with something by tomorrow. It's been too long since I've posted.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands with Dogfish Head Midas Touch

I remember playing the original Prince of Persia on my parents' old Macintosh SE. It was incredibly unforgiving and altogether frustrating. When the series was resurrected a few years ago, I was delighted to find that the newer games were not only very enjoyable, but also carried on a bit of the comically tragic brutality of the original. Naturally, the newer games are much easier than the older ones, but I'll take what I can get. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is better than the last couple PoP games I've played, and I'm glad to have a good pairing for it.


When I solicited ideas for a pairing from readers, both Avery Maharaja IPA and Dogfish Head Midas Touch stood out as inspired suggestions. I was only able to find Midas Touch at the stores I visited, and it worked out quite well. Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head, took it upon himself to use an ancient Turkish recipe involving barley, Muscat grapes, honey and saffron. The result is a powerful golden ale bursting with fruit and spice. It tastes slightly oxidized, adding to the seemingly aged quality of the beer. Aside from the themes of wishes gone awry shared by the game and the title of the beer, the exotic aesthetic of both go hand in hand. This pairing makes for an intoxicating experience, and I give my thanks to the anonymous reader who suggested it.

Fourth of July

I was going to try out the Prince of Persia/Midas Touch pairing tonight, but I got distracted by a rooftop party in Ukranian Village. It was fun watching random people's fireworks displays go off across the city. I paired that with some Anchor Liberty Ales. I have tremendous amounts of respect for Anchor Brewing, and I can't think of anything more appropriate for celebrating everything that is good about the USA. I'll get around to Prince of Persia ASAP, I promise.

Coming Soon

I finally got my hands on Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. I had received two inspired suggestions for pairings. I was going to try to do both, but since I couldn't find Avery Maharaja in stock at my favorite beer shops, I'm going to go with Dogfish Head's Midas Touch. I should put it to the test tomorrow, unless I get distracted by things like work and Fourth of July festivities.

Tales of Monkey Island with Mai Tais

It's hot in my apartment. I do not have air conditioning, and thus have been seeking refuge in refreshing drinks. While I was making some Mai Tais with Havana Bay rum, my lovely girlfriend, Tiana, suggested that we play Tales of Monkey Island while we drink them. This sounded like a very good plan.

While normally I would drink straight rum with pirate games, as Tiana pointed out, Tales of Monkey Island is not your typical pirate game. Just like the rest of the Monkey Island games that have been made over the last two decades, Tales of Monkey Island is colorful and goofy. The adventures of wisecracking pirate Guybrush Threepwood are best enjoyed at a leisurely pace, and tropical cocktails are a great accompaniment. In fact, I'm feeling so thoroughly relaxed from the pairing that I think I'll just finish this post quickly and get back to it. Besides, my laptop is heating the room up unnecessarily.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

I should be getting this game in the mail soon and was hoping to get some suggestions for what to pair with it. I really have no idea what I should do.

F-Zero X with Yipsejoo Soju

Legend has it that I started this blog after becoming disgusted with a friend of mine for pairing F-Zero X with Houblon Chouffe, a Belgian DIPA. Whether the story is true or not, I did have several people ask me what would go well with F-Zero X. I had conspicuously omitted this information at the time of my initial post, as I had no idea what would work. The classic N64 racing game takes place in a futuristic setting with hover-cars, neon lights, and a host of weird alien competitors.


I figured the pairing for this game needed to be a clean, sleek beverage with a hard edge. I couldn't think of any beer that seemed appropriate. Wine in general is too refined for F-Zero X. Whiskey is a little too dirty. I considered vodka, but it's too European. After racking my brain for weeks, I realized that baijiu, a strong Chinese sorghum liquor, might just do the trick. However, when it came time for me to try the pairing out, I was too lazy to go to Chinatown. I saw some soju, a mild Korean spirit distilled from various grains, in the grocery store. I decided to give it a try.

Yipsejoo soju, from the Bohae Brewery, is not the best soju I've ever had. Distilled from 50% rice and 50% barley, it clocks in at just under 20% abv. It tastes like a cross between sake and vodka. To be more specific, it mostly just tastes like alcohol with a good amount of water and little powdered sugar mixed in. It was not very much fun to drink, but when consumed during the intense competitions that took place on the racetrack, it felt sort of appropriate. It was important that I had friends with me who were willing to take part in this pairing. I think baijiu would have worked better than soju, but in the end, either one would be effective largely because of the difficulty involved with choking it down. I bought two 375ml bottles of soju, so I might have to try this one again.