8: Kirin & Irish Lions

Cliff strolls in with Kirin Ichiban, and the boys offer honest reviews on one of Japan's finest beers. Pete looks ahead to a bowl of Vietnamese pho, and we argue Top 10 Oscars, Tolkien (well, Cliff does) and Tesla. A relaxed, wide-ranging chat about films, beers (and whether cans are better than bottles), zoos, videogames and everything in between. Pour a drink and join us.Kirin Ichiban (featured by Cliff) — light, crisp, malt-forward lager; great example of rice-influenced Japanese brewing. We taste, compare bottled vs canned Ichiban and riff on other Asian & global lagers (Asahi, Sapporo, Qingdao, Estrella Damm).Intro & Cliff’s beer drop — Cliff reveals Kirin Ichiban and why he picked it. Bottled vs canned debate.Top 10: most Academy Awards — a rollicking run-through of Oscar-heavy films we love: Lord of the Rings (Fellowship / Return of the King), Gone with the Wind, Titanic, West Side Story, Ben-Hur, The Ten Commandments, The Last Emperor, The English Patient, Slumdog Millionaire, Gigi — and how awards shape what we watch.Classic cinema deep-dips — chats on The Mummy, El Cid, Charlton Heston, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ralph Fiennes, Sir Ben Kingsley, Frank Sinatra*, and From Here to Eternity.Directors & movies we can’t stop quoting — Danny Boyle, Miloš Forman, Gandhi and the stories behind Puyi and The Last Emperor.Beer geography & history — rice beer, German brewers, Qingdao, Yokohama’s drinking culture, Estrella Damm, Asahi, Sapporo, Kirin; plus a note on “Alco beer” and the lighter / non-alcoholic trend.Zoos, Safari Parks & conservation — Knowsley Safari Park, safari parks vs zoos, and conservation projects worth supporting.Books & authors — a nerdy detour covering J.R.R. Tolkien, G.R.R. Martin, Brandon Sanderson and The Stormlight Archive (spoiler-free).Gaming corner — quick takes on Red Dead Redemption, Ghost of Tsushima, Assassin’s Creed.Odds & ends — Austin Powers, squirrels (yes, really), Zohran Mamdani, Elon Musk, Trump, FM 26, Leeds United — plus random riffs and personal stories.First-time listener? Start at Cliff’s beer drop (around the top) to get the flavour of the episode.Want film chat only? Skip to the Oscars / classic cinema segment.Here for beer? The beer geography & bottled vs canned discussion is where we geek out.Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.Subscribe, review, and share — it helps the show a lot.Follow us on social for behind-the-scenes pics, beer lists and episode polls.Pints of View, Kirin Ichiban, beer podcast, bottled vs canned, Oscars, Lord of the Rings, Titanic, Slumdog Millionaire, Japanese lager, Asahi, Sapporo, Estrella Damm, Qingdao, Knowsley Safari Park, Tolkien, Brandon Sanderson, Red Dead Redemption, Ghost of Tsushima, film chat, gaming chat.#PintsOfView #KirinIchiban #BeerChat #FilmNight #Podcast