I had the rare opportunity to catch 127 Hours via Netflix and drink a beer—not my go-to beverage—not too long ago. 127 Hours is a harrowing tale of courage and the preservation of life when nature throws the unexpected wrench in the works. I sometimes wonder if I would have the strength to tourniquet myself, sever my arm and press on, but realistically, knowing that I would never be caught in that situation to begin with, at least not rock climbing by myself, it’s a thought experiment at best. Yet, when depicted on the big screen, or on the 42” inch inside my living room, it was riveting, easy to crawl inside this uncomfortable space and ride shotgun with James Franco. I am not at all versed like A.O. Scott in the art of retelling the cinematic story, so I won’t, but, I do feel obligated to share my experience of drinking a compelling Chocolate Stout by Rogue brewery during the feature.

Rogue is an award-winning microbrewery—a bigger microbrewery—situated in Oregon and responsible for crafting serious beers and spirits for a good long time. They are the same brewery responsible for my favorite ale—the Hazelnut Brown Nectar whose nuttiness and refreshingly crisp flavors have given me plenty of tasting pleasure in the past years of occasionally trying beers. I felt it would be only right to explore more offerings from this respected purveyor because they create such a diverse collection of hoppy concoctions and almost all of them are met with great appreciation from people I respect. When I wasn’t quite feeling the Cabernet Franc from Chinon, I decided it was the perfect time to open that 22-ounce Chocolate Stout and take a seat on the couch.

Watching and grimacing, as things got real in the movie I would consistently need to be weaned off the screen, averting my eyes and refreshing my palate by bathing it in the suds of the rich stout that was reminiscent of chocolate Ovaltine (or your malt beverage of choice), roasted coffee and some rolled oats. It finished semi-bitter, revealing its dark chocolate roots.

I managed to finish the bottle of beer (all 650 ml), a rare feat for me since I am often content to share a 12-ounce bottle because beer in general, is too filling. It was a sign of how agreeable this stout was on the palate and while not providing the same dynamics as the film (who knew being holed up in a crevasse in the earth could be so entertaining?), it was delicious. For this wine guy, Rogue’s Chocolate Stout was a hit!