A few weeks ago, a friend and I were shivering in line outside the Mayan Theatre. The woman in the front of the line carried a big messenger bag, and as she dug for her wallet to pay, a beer dumped out and exploded on the concrete. We all dodged the spray of the can as she turned around, faced the line, and said boldly, "Well, it's a recession!" We couldn't argue with that. Nationally, movie ticket sales are up 17.5 percent. And as someone hit by the changing economic tide, I totally understand the need to escape for a few hours and watch a movie to get your mind off things. But with ticket prices running close to $10, a night at the movies can get pricey if you indulge at the concession stand. 

Which is why the woman at the front of the line had things right by supplying her own libations. I've always been a fan of stashing a PBR in my purse*, but Colorado's microbrew community is canning more and better beers to complement my movie-going experience. I recently paired the charming movie Sunshine Cleaning with an equally charming new canned beer, Mama's Little Yella Pils, from Oskar Blues. This pilsner is light and refreshingly low in alcohol content--just 5.3 percent. Its bright golden can doesn't look as beer-like as the Silver Bullet, and I highly recommend giving it a try on your next movie night--just make sure it stays securely in the bottom of your bag. *I know that this may or may not be illegal, and, in either case, probably annoys the juices out of the ushers. But, I promise, I always throw my can away, and I only once got intoxicated to the point of yelling at the screen.