Words by Fatema Sitabkhan

Overall rating: ★★★★

Trish being dressed in a yellow Star Trek-style uniform, we knew there was going to be no dying in this show. Walking into the Elephant Pub, I didn’t do much research on the show prior, as I like to be kept in suspense and have the surprise element of the show unravel in front of me.

A Brief History Of Beer – The New Brew is certainly a unique show, with the audience being welcomed to the venue through a Star Wars-style opening, where the synopsis of the show was comprehensively explained. The New Yorker in Trish was very apparent, as she was a very engaging show performer and was able to maintain her character status despite distractions from the audience ever so often. Beloved (hated) characters such as Darth Vader show up, but with a craftier appearance to appeal to the beer lovers.

If you’re a fan of time travel (at least on a virtual level), then prepare to experience the past, the present, and the future on a seriously awesome boozy ride. You can experience the good, the bad, and the ugly beers (especially if you’re part of the challenges), so safe to say this is a learning experience in more ways than one!

We learn about how beer is made and how most brewing sessions in the yonder years included some serious elbow grease (metaphorically speaking, of course) by women. It was also informative and refreshing to learn about the types of beer to avoid (and I agree with the options), which Trish eloquently sings her thoughts out to, with a Meatloaf-inspired spin to it: “I Would Do Anything For Beer…But I Won’t Drink That” – Budweiser, Fosters, and Coors (to name a few).

While there were times when I felt unsure of the direction in which this show was headed, the copious amounts of drinks and ever-so animated Trish quickly bounced me back to being on the same page as the rest of the audience.

What especially impressed me about this show was how well-timed the video was, featuring the other half of this show – William Glenn. Sure, he wasn’t there in real time, but it felt like a Skype chat, particularly with the static and the disconnect / disengage modes.

It is completely normal to feel lost at first, but as the show progressed, the audience members seem to get into the spirit of all things beer-y / boozy and seemed to have a great time towards the end of the show. Several elements of this show reminded me of the show Drunk History, except that Trish was with us in real time and saw us getting pleasantly intoxicated to add magic and fun to the show.

There were the interactive “challenges” during the show, where members of the audience were handpicked to participate in scenarios that would help us get closer towards stabilising the “beertinuum”. Trish did a fantastic job of dealing with the rather rowdy crowd heckles, in addition to gracefully handling the technical difficulties.

A comical sketch that involves drinking games of the best kind, including one of America’s favourites (and classics) – beer pong – drinking is certainly recommended during this show, so grab a pint or a cocktail and celebrate the next hour learning about the evolution of beer. A show where you can be guaranteed to be goofy, silly, and entertained to the max. You don’t have to love beer or even like beer to enjoy this show (but it helps)!

Where: The Elephant British Pub

When: Feb 17 – March 19