When it was Amazon pilot season earlier this year, there was a familiar title in their lineup. Philip K. Dick is probably my favorite author. I’ve read nearly all his short stories and a good portion of his novels. Naturally, the first novel of his I read was the critically acclaimed The Man in the High Castle. With equal parts trepidation and excitement I was quick to click on the one episode test run of the show. And it was goooooooood.
When the second episode was available this past weekend as a preview, I watched it twice. It’s a very complex storyline, as I guess we can expect from most of what PKD wrote, but there are great nuances in the details. From alterna-Dragnet to the eerie ballad on the (I believe) victrola, I wondered how deep they thought about daily life under the victorious Axis powers. The show was championed by Ridley Scott and the showrunner is Frank Spotnitz from The X-Files, so there should be attention and imagination put into the details.
With that, I can only assume that Lagers have won the battle of beers. They dominate Germany and Japan, so I would expect all in the former USA would primarily be drinking lagers.
Wait, I guess that’s how it is now! And maybe homebrewers would bring rise to ales. And the battle for more beer selection will parallel the uprising to bring The Grasshopper Lies Heavy film to the masses.
From that outburst, you can tell that if I had a part in making this TV show, it would stink. So be happy that it is awesome and watch it when you can. And you can let us know what you would name the Lagers that would rule and the Ales that would emerge in the world of The Man in the High Castle. Siegweiser and Canon Ale?
