Donkey Kong's Bock

Welcome back beer gamers!

This time I have a classic Super NES game for you. A game that I have fond memories of and that I always love to go back to, alone or with friends. This gorilla is more than just a big villain who kidnapped Pauline and forced Jumpman (AKA Mario) to come and rescue her. Yes, I'm talking about Donkey Kong's biggest role since he was born : Donkey Kong Country!

The Country games are some of the best platformers not named Mario. The first one started it all with top notch gameplay, awesome music and a perfect difficulty curve. The game is pretty simple, Donkey Kong must get his stolen banana hoard back by completing a bunch of short levels. You travel in forest, mines, water, snow and even the factories of Kremkroc industries. You can get Diddy to tag along and get a little help from your animal buddies. Simple and addictive gameplay makes this game a classic, it actually was the second best-selling SNES game!

I remember playing this game for the first time in the cold winter of Québec. When I got to the fantastic snow level, I was stunned by the snowstorm and the beautiful music. I was there, alone in my basement while snow covered everything outside. To this day, when I play the first couple of levels in this world, I get shivers and actually feel cold! This feeling of coldness is so engraved in my memory that whenever I see a big snowfall, I think about Donkey Kong and I want to play. I cannot say this for too many games, this is how much it is memorable.

For the beer pairing, I went for something that match my personal experience of the game but, I still got a style that matches really well with the "gorilla nature" of the game. If you play Donkey Kong Country this winter, get yourself a tasty Weizenbock!

These murky brown beers are from Germany and are usually around 7 to 10 % ABV which makes them a great choice for cold evenings in your living room. They are a stronger version of the Dunkel Weizen, a wheat beer, pretty opaque that produce some really good fruity taste among which you can find DK's favorite : the banana. The smell of the banana along with the spiciness and nice alcohol presence from beginning to end makes this an excellent choice to play while relaxing in your favorite couch.

For one of the best Weizenbock available (highest rated on beeradvocate), grab a Schneider Aventinus from your local beer seller. It's a perfect exemple of the style and you won't be disappointed. I'm drinking one right now and it's slowing my writing down because I can't stop drinking it!

Even if you're not playing anything, this beer is sure to please during the cold days around Christmas. Instead of wine, why not bring a couple great beers this year? There's plenty of good choices for everyone! Enjoy!

Have a great holiday, I wish you plenty of games and beers!!

Next week, I'll suggest a list of games and beers for your Christmas vacation!

Cheers!