There are flights that behave, that pour neatly into categories and call it a day. This is not that flight. This is channel-surfing at 1 a.m. with the volume a little too high and the remote nowhere to be found — horror bleeding into cartoons, static snapping into citrus, pastry stout crashing the scene like an uninvited but somehow welcome guest. Every pour nods to a screen somewhere — cult film, strange TV, something half-remembered and slightly warped — and each one leans all the way into its role without asking permission.
It moves like a binge you didn’t plan. A little eerie, a little bright, a little ridiculous, then suddenly very serious. Tart shadows give way to tropical sunshine, signal fuzz sharpens into hop clarity, banana-chocolate chaos stomps through the room, and by the end you’re deep in imperial stout territory where things get heavy, slow, and quietly powerful. Drink it for the references, for the nostalgia, for the way each glass feels like flipping to the next scene — and realizing you’re not turning it off anytime soon.
Peaks & Pints Hops, Horror, and Late-Night Channels Flight
Crooked Stave Nightmare on Brett
9.6% ABV | Dark Sour Ale | Denver, Colorado
From the first sip, something feels slightly off — tart acidity cutting through oak and spirit with a quiet menace, while dark chocolate and coffee gather slowly behind it. The wild fermentation keeps everything in motion, brightness and shadow trading places as bourbon barrel warmth hums below the surface. Crooked Stave‘s scary sour finishes dry and lingering, less a jump scare than a presence that follows you out of the room.
Stoup Kiwi’s Playhouse
6.3% ABV | New Zealand IPA | Seattle, Washington
Color bursts onto the palate — pink grapefruit, passion fruit, and peach bouncing in quick, vivid flashes like a forgotten cartoon intro rediscovered at full volume. Riwaka and Nectaron keep things lively and expressive, while a clean, steady bitterness provides just enough structure to keep it from spinning off the rails. Stoup Kiwi’s Playhouse’s finish stays crisp and lightly resinous, playful but dialed-in.
Vice Beer Liquid Television
6.8% ABV | India Pale Ale | Vancouver, Washington
The signal sharpens into focus, citrus and tropical notes flickering into clarity — orange peel, mango, and a faint dank edge moving in tight, deliberate cuts. Its lighter frame lets the hops shift and shimmer without weight, while a precise bitterness keeps everything aligned. This Vice Beer IPA closes dry with a subtle resin echo, part nostalgia, part forward transmission.
Great Notion Gorillas in the Grist
11.2% ABV | Imperial Pastry Stout | Portland, Oregon
Then Great Notion shifts the scene, and everything gets bigger — ripe banana and dark chocolate arriving with full commitment, indulgent and just a little unruly. The body runs thick and plush, carrying dessert-like richness while a soft roast note tries to keep the narrative grounded. It lingers long, equal parts spectacle and comfort, fully aware of how far it’s willing to go.
Epic Brewing The Godfather
15.2% ABV | Imperial Stout | Salt Lake City, Utah
Silence settles in before the first sip even lands — espresso and cacao unfolding slowly, deliberate and composed, followed by a steady bourbon warmth that builds without urgency. The weight is undeniable, yet it moves with control, each layer revealing itself with quiet authority. The Godfather by Epic Brewing finishes long and inevitable, a final act that doesn’t need to raise its voice to be understood.
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