Brew is not your average zombie story. It kind of falls into the category of 28 Days Later as in the infected weren’t reanimated dead but infected with Rage. In Brew, the infection is caused by an additive to Cougar Beer, The World’s #1 Microbrew.
From the opening page of Brew it’s a compelling story and it just keeps getting better. Braddock’s writing pulls the reader inside the plot as he weaves a tale involving multiple characters and how the event unfolds. Someone, the reader finds out later, has added something really special to Cougar Beer. Originally, the idea was a prank by a college environmental group. However, the psychotic sociopath that they enlisted to make this special ingredient had other ideas. He decided to use this opportunity to get rid of those people who he felt have slighted him in any way. He added what he calls Phineas Gage to the mix and all I can say is Holy Shit! Hang on for a one wild ass, blood spattered, in your face journey through the 7th level of Hell.
The cast is literally a myriad of characters from all walks of like. Of course, Brew is set in a college town so the majority of the characters are college age students or thereabouts. There are prior service people who are using their G.I. Bill benefits, pre-med students, a low level drug dealer and the hot girl he meets, three girls out for a night on the town, our psycho, and many more.
It’s the night of the big college game, what could possibly go wrong? Everything and anything if you’re reading Brew. At a party, everyone is having fun until the glasses and mugs start to come into play. What that means is that the mugs are broken over people’s head and the glasses are used to cut their throats. It was just normal a few seconds ago and now it’s a bloodbath. Thanks to psycho boy and his special ingredient, anyone who chugged down Cougar Beer is now a raving, blood craving, flesh eating violent automaton, with no inhibitions. They have no inhibitions and feel no pain so they might just start raping you while they’re killing you. Yes, it’s that intense, gruesome and involving of a storyline.
If you like your zombie stories sprinkled with blood, guts, gore, splatter and psychotic killers, make sure you put Brew on your must read list. You won’t be disappointed.
