Ölbeat 015: De Molen Amarillo

Brewery: Brouwerij de Molen
Country: Netherlands
Style: Imperial IPA
Abv: 9,2 %
@RateBeer (named Storm & Bliksem)

Is this the way to Amarillo...?

Amarillo is described by the brewery to be "brewed according to the new American tradional Imperial or Double IPA's". Since my previous experiences with De Molen are from "the dark side" of the beers - i.e. strong stouts - I was very eager to know how they handle another of my favourite beer styles.

What about the beer?
Colour is semi-clear orange with medium natural white head. Aroma has a strong scent of sweet fruit and berry - orange, mango, pineapple and strawberry are present. Taste gives first pine and sweet fruit - mango or peach. Slowly the sweet bitterness of Amarillo hops and sourness of grapefruit break through. Aftertaste is bitter, dry and a little warm-alcoholic.

The beer is so smooth, soft and good-tasting that it's difficult to take small sips and enjoy slowly. If beer can taste like being on a first date with a girl whom you'd like to take home from the first eye contact, this is the beer. Very difficult to have small-talk with this one.

Ölbeat

Though I associate the beer with first date, you're not getting a Blink-182 or a Danko Jones song here - maybe later. Instead I give in for the smoothness of the beer:

Santana ft. Rob Thomas: Smooth (YouTube)

From the 1998 album, Supernatural, the lead single was composed by songwriter Itaal Shur over one weekeng. Matchbox Twenty singer Rob Thomas wrote the lyrics and, after sending the demo to Santana, was asked to sing the album version. The result was an instant success, the song of the year and the first Billboard Number One on Santana's long career. The song is labeled with Carlos Santana's "samba-like" guitar riffs and Thomas' intense and gruff vocals - it was never meant to be a dance track although the result is very dancable. Thomas wrote the lyrics for his wife - about a Latin woman through white man's eyes, like Carlos Santana has put it. Amarillo is probably as close to smooth lady as a beer can be, so there we have it. 

Brewer's Choice

Gerry Rafferty: Baker Street (YouTube)

From the 1978 album, City to City, the lead single was written by Gerry Rafferty. The song became Rafferty's career's most popular song. It was written during a period where Rafferty was having legal problems because of his previous band, Stealer Wheel's breakup. Living in Scotland, he stayed many times in his friend's flat on Baker Street in London. The song's lyrics are about a person, who seems to dream about happiness and having a better life, but spends his time living unhappy from day to day and meeting a friend who is also a dreamer. The saxophone riff between the verses was played by Raphael Ravenscroft, and it's been mentioned as most notable saxophone riff in a song. Despite this, Ravenscroft didn't like the result and thought that the riff was flat and out of tune.