Ölbeat 120: Founders reDANKulous Imperial Red IPA

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: Imperial IPA
Abv: 9,5 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is dark reddish brown with a finger-thick tan head. Aroma has alcohol, grassy piny hops and mild citrus.Taste starts with sweet alcoholic and sharp piny bitterness. Fresh piny bitterness and malty sweetness take over with alcohol warmth in the background. Dark fruits, grapefruit and sweet caramel linger in near the finish. Aftertaste has heavy piny dryness and alcohol bitterness, and it lasts long.

Strong and heavy. Piny bitter-dryness and boozy backbone dominate in the flavour. Malty sweetness shows up. Fruits are in the background. The brew leaves the mouth dry. Massive hop-bomb. Mostly I love the powerful presence but almost completely missing fruit flavours leaves a part of me cold.

Ölbeat

The beer was pure power and fist in the face with no small talk. Can we find a song with similar attitude? N.. Hey, wait. This legendary heavy/thrash metal band from Texas might have a word here.

Pantera: Walk (YouTube)

From the 1992 album Vulgar Display of Power, the song was written by Pantera.

Ölbeat 119: Founders KBS

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: Imperial Stout
Abv: 11,2 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is thick black with a tiny beige crown. Aroma has milk chocolate, coffee and vanilla. Taste begins with delicious sweet coffee with chocolate notes. After the start roasted coffee amd chocolate dominate with sweet bitterness. Near the finish oaky bourbon vanilla and steady hoppy bitterness step in. Aftertaste has coffee, cocoa, vanilla, roasted bitterness and a bite of alcohol for sweetly lo-o-ong.

Magnificent and wonderful experience. Brewing an Imperial Stout with coffee and chocolate and aging the result in bourbon barrels turns the crime from beautiful to perfect. Soft and gentle but still strong and rebellious. When one makes a beer like this, how can you beat it without divine tricks?

Ölbeat

Since the brew isn't roughly heavy and toughly black, it's rather a good rock song than a metal track in this case. Because the beer made its way to my personal favourites, it's time for a personal favourite. The difference between a fine bourbon and a well-made Irish whisky isn't so big, is it?

Thin Lizzy: Jailbreak (YouTube)

From the 1976 album Jailbreak, the song was written by Phil Lynott.

Ölbeat 118: Founders Devil Dancer Triple IPA

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: Imperial IPA
Abv: 12 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is bright dark copper orange with a small whiteish head. Aroma has mango, sweet berries and flowery hops. Taste begins with dry pine and burning heavy bitterness. Piny bitterness with grapefruit and some sweet orange flavours take over. Towards the end the orange with a strong alcohol burn comes clearly through. Aftertaste has long-lasting extra dryness and heavily bitterness with alcohol-powered fruitiness.

Insanely intensive and aggressively alcoholic hop-bomb. Bitterness and dryness are the strongest forces with citrus fruits coming through in their full force near the finish. Delicious Triple IPA but not for the faint-hearted.

Ölbeat

There's an obvious American rock song for this American brew. It's got nothing to do with dancers but the devil is clearly here. The loud intro with car horns pretty well describes the first impression of the beer's taste.

Van Halen: Runnin' with the Devil (YouTube)

From the 1978 album Van Halen, the song was written by Michael Anthony, David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen.

Ölmönger Special: Beer events - worth the expectations?

Last time I wrote laughably bitter chapters (1 & 2) about not visiting the beer festivals, the reason was simply that I didn't have the chance to go. Like any Finn - at least any Finnish politician - I thought that what others got but I didn't was taken away from me, and turned the table around so it would seem lucky for me for not having the chance. If that convinced someone, there's a serious need for a therapist for that someone.

This time I'm probably making myself the one in need of therapy by arguing that I had the chance to attend OlutExpo on 28-30 October 2016, but I gave it up. Not because I have something more important to do. Actually I do, now, but's that's not the point of this post. Not because I think that visiting the event would have been a terrible waste of money, time, shoe soles, tastebuds, patience and tolerance for seeing human herds and for hearing stupid trivial shit all around. Well, it would have but that's not the point of this post. The reason is that I'm slowly learning that the chain of high expectations (E), long anticipation (A) and huge disappointment (D) is not for me.

This is how it could have started...

It's not just beer where I hate the EAD chain. For example planning and execution of traveling is another. Our family trip* from last summer is a good example - planned for months and saving the supposed highlight for the last. Eventually the planned highlight, Legoland Billund, turned out to be overhyped and overpriced spoiled amusement park for both the kids and the adults and the lowpoint of the holiday week. Everything else that was planned at most within a week before the trip's start turned out to be great fun. The reason? The EAD chain. (The rainy day in Legoland wasn't.)

Another nice example is sex in a long-term relationship. You both wake up in the realization that there were probably mammoths and dodos on the face of the Earth the last time you fooled around. You pick up your calendars, cross out "that period of the month"**, Mondays, days that your kids have hobbies, days that you have to have common-law relatives or so-called friends visiting, cleaning days and other unsuitable days. Finally, you find that one day couple of weeks later empty and mark it with a pink heart. Then you start planning and organizing of having something romantic for the evening, a nice dinner, candlelight, non-Barry-White music, whips, chains and outfits - you know the drill. Finally, when the actual moment comes, sex isn't great. It's possibly not bad but it would've been better in the moment when you first thought about the extinction of species. The reason? The EAD chain. (No. It's not me, the Omega male.)

...but instead it went this way...

"All right. Very interesting to read about that. But what's the connection between traveling, sex and participating a beer festival?" I hear you asking. Think, dummy, and wait for the bulb to light up. Since it's obviously gonna take more than a little time I'll explain it shortly: OlutExpo is the main beer orgy of the year for beer enthusiasts in Finland with some hundreds of different beers available, many unavailable before and after. That's the rare Finnish sex part. And even though Helsinki and the capital area cover almost 20 % of Finland's population, over 80 % of Finnish people live elsewhere. I know that not all of the Finnish hicks are bulk lager drinkers, and since they live a bit further, they have to travel to the venue in Kaapelitehdas in Helsinki. That's the usual Finnish travel part. Still no light? Sure you can read? If yes, sure you can think? Never mind, let's get on with the story. The other reader is getting bored.

This fall, I had planned to take part in the festival just like I did last year. Already scouted for low-cost bus schedules, made enquiries about sleeping on a friend's couch and even asked the same friend about reserving the Friday and possibly Saturday for beer occultism. Then, a month left to the first day of the event, a disturbing question crossed my mind: is this really worth the fuss? Waiting and planning the visit for some hours? Writing down must-have lists of 35 beers? Traveling three hours per direction? Ruining the whole event checking out what to have next? Wasting couple of days in the limbo of recovery and thinking "Oh, that one was over quickly"? For an overpriced and overcrowded beer event? To get another fine experience of the EAD chain? Fuck no. Instead I noticed that my beer storage's "Getting empty in 1 month" light was flashing and immediately got rid of the problem: at least the lack of good beer doesn't steer me towards OlutExpo. Money well wasted.

I judged my decision as excellent last Friday - a week before the event - when I saw the almost final list of OlutExpo's beers (pdf file). Check it out yourself and yell, if you find something interesting.*** [Hearing just white noise.] Right. Jesus, what a disappointment then and eventually a bore till death it would've been if I had bought the tickets for the event and for the bus beforehand. No, the improvements in the food offerings won't help here, since I wouldn't have traveled there to eat in the first place.

...and ended like that.

So, I could jump in a plane just like that and travel for a holiday to the other side of the world on a very short - say couple of hours - notice. Except that the Significant Other wouldn't be happy, I would ruin my family life for years or probably for good or at least the locks of my home would be changed. Surely, the chain of events from a flirting eye contact, a seducing lick of lips and the exchange of one or two necessary finishing words to wild and spontaneous sex in 10 minutes could be nice for a change. Except that I'm not a porn actor. And in addition, the censorship organ of my own fantasies takes into account my personal qualities: my age, looks, charm, flirting skills, sex appeal and - in the case someone actually thought that the original idea would include the Significant Other - the somewhat unelectric state of my current relationship. The censorship organ doesn't even allow that kind of shit to be presented even in my own brain.

But, I can almost always without planning pick couple of bottles/cans from my beer stash and enjoy them in the terrace, by the fireplace or just sitting on the couch staring at the opposite wall or TV, if I really want to be bored. Almost as quickly, on couple of hours' notice, I can call a friend or two and organize an evening of a pint or two in a local pub and have some oh-so-necessary social interaction while drinking classy beer. So, what's the irreplaceable need that participating in a mass beer event fulfills? Need to get more EAD chain experiences in life? No, thanks.

Someone might suggest: "But hey, you can go there just for fun. Without planning. Spontaneuosly. Get in and grab whatever you like, you know?" Thanks for the answer with a jolly positive attitude, but I can't: it's against my nature. And I'm not Superman, you know: I don't travel the 240 kilometers from Pori to Helsinki and back spontaneously just for fun without planning. So shut the fuck up and shovel your smiling merry advice back to your ass where it came from.

Ölbeat

Of course, the only person I can blame for the mishab of not visiting OlutExpo this fall is me. Since I still believe, that there's a damn good beer out there for Paranoid, I'm settling for this song you can dance to in Kaapelihalli this weekend. I'm away, so get totally wasted from good brews & drams and have some serious fun!

Gnarls Barkley: Crazy (YouTube)

From the 2006 album St. Elsewhere, the song was written by Brian Burton and Thomas Callaway (credited for samples: Gian Franco Reverberi and Gian Piero Reverberi).

* Yes. I'm aware that family trip seems to be a bad example, because you think that they are always horrible. Of course they are: your family has to travel with you. I would also think that traveling with a family would be a subject of Stephen King's next trilogy if I had to travel with you. I would be the first person to get possessed and jump off a moving car in Golden Gate Bridge.
** I'm not The Oarsman of Red Rapids. Am I picky?
*** For clarification: "interesting" doesn't mean the same as "haven't ticked that". For tickers there are probably dozens of new beers available. Since I'm not a ticker i.e. a God but rather a mortal earthling, I haven't been able to understand what's the actual idea of doing a neverending list of rated or drunk beers. There are beers to remember but most of the already-had beers you can forget. But I accept the fact that my capacity is limited.

Ölbeat 117: Founders Sumatra Mountain Brown

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: American Strong Ale
Abv: 9 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is coffee brown with a finger-thick beige head. Aroma has bready malts, coffee beans and a mild scent of chocolate. Taste begins with gently bitter hops and malty coffee. Semi-sweet chocolate malts and roasted espresso take over, coffee taking the upper hand with cocoa flavour. Towards the end some hoppy bitterness shows up. Aftertaste has bitter malty dark chocolate and alcohol warmth.

Delicious mix of American strong ale and Indonesian coffee with distinctive chocolate flavour. Coffee seems to be an excellent companion to brown ale as well as stout and porter. Founders has already received a fine quality stamp from me before - this is another success in the line.

Ölbeat

Don't know if there's a lot of mist in the mountains of Sumatra. The highest peak of the Barisan range in Sumatra is 3.800 metres high, so probably there is during the warm and humid season. Enough with the babbling - let's match the unique brew with a unique song.

Led Zeppelin: Misty Mountain Hop (YouTube)

From the 1971 album Led Zeppelin IV, the song was written by John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

Ölbeat 116: Founders Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: Scotch Ale
Abv: 8,5 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is dark nut brown with a nice medium-sized tan head. Aroma has syrupy, sweet malty and spicy scent with some caramel and raisins. Taste begins with smoothly bitter and sweet malty bite. Syrupy caramel malts with sweet bitterness and alcohol flavour take over, and the flavours grow enjoyably slowly. Some spicy and peppery flavours are in the background. Towards the end bitter caramel hops strike back. Aftertaste has sweet bitterness and alcoholic dryness.

Scotch Ale - or Wee Heavy as they also call it - beautiful style. Rich and tasty as hell. Caramel malts make the taste smooth and silky but bittersweet hops add some complexity and spice to the experience. Once again great work from the quality brewery.

Ölbeat

The brew is clearly attached to "Ölmönger brand" (What the fuck is that?) by its name at least. Hence it's easy to find a matching song for this rich beer. And simultaneuosly I confess something that doesn't surprise anyone.

Ugly Kid Joe: Everything About You (YouTube)

From the 1991 EP As Ugly as They Wanna Be and the 1992 album America's Least Wanted, the song was written by Whitfield Crane and Klaus Eichstadt.

Skitbit Oct 2016: Laitilan American Brown Ale

Brewery: Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas (in Finnish)
Country: Finland
Style: Brown Ale
Abv: 4,5 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is bright brown with a small diminishing white head. Aroma has gently sweet malts and a thin slice of fruits. Taste begins with malty bitterness. Gently sweet malty start turns then to supermarket lager-like musty harshness, even some vegetably flavour near the finish. Aftertaste is unpleasantly bitter malty and harsh, not nice at all.

The aroma and the start of the taste give a promise of tasty malty brown ale, but it changes to unpleasant vegginess that ruins this one. Not undrinkable but had more consistent brown ales. Somehow it feels bad to make this to be the one to open the shitpipe, but let's hope that there'll be worse tasting brews to follow.

Skitbit

I hate anything trying to imitate American - the emphasis on the verb trying. This brew is a failed try of an American Brown Ale. In the 90's - the golden decade of shit music - there was this country-disco wannabe-Yankee crap pump from Sweden. Yes, you too are trying hard to forget it. Try harder.

Rednex: Cotton Eye Joe (YouTube)

From the 1995 album Sex & Violins, the song was written by Janne Ericsson, Örjan Öban Öberg and Pat Reiniz.

Ölbeat 115: Brewdog Albino Squid Assassin

Brewery: BrewDog
Country: Scotland
Style: Specialty Grain
Abv: 7,4 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is murky amber brown with a small vanishing white head. Aroma has pineapple, citrus and rye-bready malts. Taste starts with hoppy and fruity sweet bitterness. Bitter grapefruit with tender malty and sweet pineapple flavours takes over. Sweet fruit comes more in front later, and near the finish smooth piny dryness gets through. Aftertaste has citrus, malts, pine and alcoholic bitterness.

Quite complex Rye IPA with moderate-to-heavy bitterness, sweet fruits and steady rye malts. Ending adds some piny dryness and alcohol warmth. This is tasty as hell, and it surely would have been a murder (or a lesser crime) to leave this on the shelf.

Ölbeat

What comes to mind from a multi-tentacled octopus hitman? What comes to mind from a heavy brew with bloody damn tasty flavours? Right. And I select the original version of the song.

Adamski & Seal: Killer (YouTube)

From the 1990 album Doctor Adamski's Musical Pharmacy, the song was written by Adamski and Seal.

Ölbeat 114: Bell's Two Hearted Ale

Brewery: Bell's Brewery
Country: United States
Style: India Pale Ale
Abv: 7 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is hazy golden orange with nice large foamy white head. Aroma has mild lemon and orange with a flowery scent. Taste begins with gently bitter, a little lemon-tart bite and smooth carbonation. Fresh, not overly bitter grapefruit takes over with sweet slowly-growing orange flavour on the side. Near the finish a gently dry touch of pine comes out. Aftertaste has mostly bitter grapefruit, some piny dryness and the final touch of orange.

Smooth and balanced performance. Delicious citrus-driven semisweet India Pale Ale that gives bitter kicks all the way and some moderate dryness in the end. Even though this wasn't as fresh as it could be but still extremely tasty and drinkable. A classic that had to be tasted.

Ölbeat

One of the legendary IPA's requires a rock classic. So I'll pick the immediate association that I had after the first mouthful: I just stopped fighting and looking for flaws.

Rainbow: I Surrender (YouTube)

From the 1981 album Difficult to Cure, the song was written by Russ Ballard.

Ölbeat 113: Ugly Duck Rye Porter

Brewery: Indslev Bryggeri / Ugly Duck Brewing Co.  
Country: Denmark
Style: Imperial Porter
Abv: 7,8 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is black with a medium-sized beige head. Aroma has mild roast, sweet rye bread and some salty liquorice. Taste begins with sweet malty coffee. Sweet roasted rye malts, black coffee and mocca-flavoured chocolate lead the smooth and harmonic taste with a perfecting vanilla-spicy note. Near the finish gentle sweet bitterness and a hint of warming alcohol come through. Aftertaste has black coffee, roasted malty dryness and a sip of sugared alcohol.

Rich, beautiful and absolutely delicious Imperial Porter. Roast, coffee, rye, hops and alcohol all joined with a delicate sweet note. No hop explosion, no overpowering extremes - just an extreme explosion of smoothness and balance. The surprise of taste was skillfully hidden in the aroma.

Ölbeat

Now we talk about a serious problem: I'm putting Danish rock and Danish beers together. Well, things could be worse: I could match bad music with awful brews.

D-A-D: It'swhenit'swrongit'sright (YouTube)

From the 1995 album Helpyourselfish, the song was written by D-A-D.

Ölbeat 112: BrewDog Monk Hammer

Brewery: BrewDog
Country: Scotland
Style: India Pale Ale
Abv: 7,2 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is cloudy golden yellow with a small white head. Aroma has mostly lemon and grapefruit with some sweet fruits and yeast. Taste starts with sharp heavily dry bitterness with a yeasty twist. Yeasty and bitter grapefruit dominates with some piny dry. Grapefruit bitterness comes out strongest near the finish. Aftertaste is piny dry and grapefruit bitter.

Elements of the brewery's basic Jack Hammer are clearly present. They are coated with yeasty, Belgian aleish flavours. The result is still clearly a strong IPA or even Double IPA. Strong, heavy and tasty brew for the first Ölbeat from the Punks. ("What took you so long?")

Ölbeat

Since I'll reserve the punk rock song for another BrewDog brew - just wait - I chose a joyful soft guitar metal ballad to accompany this one. Somehow the brews that have some relation in their name or style get connected with song themes at least with a thin thread connected to faith and religion. Time for a head check, perhaps? 

Yngwie Malmsteen: Heaven Tonight (YouTube)

From the 1988 album Odyssey, the song was written by Joe Lynn Turner and Yngwie Malmsteen.

Ölbeat 111: Hornbeer Barleywine

Brewery: Hornbeer
Country: Denmark
Style: Barley Wine
Abv: 10 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is amber brown with a small tan head. Aroma has sweet berries (e.g. strawberry), grapes and flowery hops. Taste begins with sweet and heavy fruity bitterness. Sweet and sour mix of raisins and lemon takes over with strong malt flavour and sensible bitterness. Towards the end we get some piny and alcoholic elements. Aftertaste has dry piny alcohol and heavy fruity bitterness.

Beautifully strong and fruity barley wine, that resembles a fine dessert wine with grape-raisin flavour. In the end hoppy bitterness and piny dryness rip the brew apart from its distant Bordeaux cousins. Nice work from the Danish artisan brewery.

Ölbeat

The name of the brewery forced me to look for music with horns. Turning away every possibility to match a heavy beer with big band or jazz music, Ronnie James Dio came to the rescue. As the popularizer of the sign of the horns in heavy metal culture he showed me just the right track.

Dio: Stand Up And Shout (YouTube)

From the 1983 album Holy Diver, the song was written by Jimmy Bain and Ronnie James Dio.

Ölbeat 110: Beavertown Smog Rocket

Brewery: Beavertown
Country: England
Style: Smoked Porter
Abv: 5,4 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is black with a small quickly dissolving beige head. Aroma has heavily charred-roasted malts, sweet spiciness and a hint of smoke. Taste begins with charred bitterness and high carbonation. Gently smoked charcoaly malts take over with some semisweet malty flavour in the background. Hoppy bitterness gets through near the end. Aftertaste has smoky and charred bitterness.

Tasty smoked porter with charcoal bitterness playing the main part. The smoky flavour is present but not in any way stingy. Simple and enjoyable brew, no bad tricks nor ugly surprises.

Ölbeat

Inspired by the Beavertown can artwork by Nick Dwyer, I started looking for a song that fits the charcoaly smoked character of the beer. Found none. Looking at the can's futuristic and, yes, crazy picture I found a song that fits the gloomy mood of the dark beer:

Muse: Madness (YouTube)

From the 2012 album The 2nd Law, the song was written by Matt Bellamy.

Ölbeat 109: Dieu du Ciel Rigor Mortis Abt

Brewery: Brasserie Dieu du Ciel
Country: Canada
Style: Abt/Quadrupel
Abv: 10,5 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is hazy copper brown with a thin whiteish head. Aroma has sour and sweet fruits like orange, plum, and raisins, yeasty aroma and a hint of sweet berries. Taste begins with fruits, gentle hops and yeast. Sour sweetish citrus-peachy firework fills the mouth, joined by yeast, sweet spice and caramel flavours. Towards the end sourness, yeast and soft alcohol step in front. Aftertaste has alcohol warmth and dry fruity bitterness.

After a little bit slow start, this beer's motor really gets going - despite the name. Very complex and delicious fruity Quadruple with nearly perfect symphony of sweet, sour & bitter parts. A true masterpiece from the Canadians - worth every cent.

Ölbeat

The band actually had their first hit with a song called Rigor Mortis, so the far-fetched connection in the theme is there. Since the brew is actually far from being dead stiff, so I'll pick a piece that has life, heartbeat and fireworks like the beer does.

Cameo: Word Up! (YouTube)

From the 1986 album Word Up!, the song was written by Larry Blackmon and Tomi Jenkins.

Ölbeat 108: De Molen Heaven & Hell

Brewery: Brouwerij de Molen
Country: the Netherlands
Style: Imperial Stout
Abv: 12 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is thick black with a finger-thick quickly vanishing beige head. Aroma has charred malts, dark-roasted coffee and salty dark chocolate. Taste begins with smooth salty bitterness and heavily roasted malts. Salty and bitter strong black coffee take the lead with some malty dark chocolate flavour in the background. Near the finish strong dry bitterness comes in front with a bite of alcohol. Aftertaste is extra dry, bitter and roasty with lasting alcohol warmth.

Superb extreme flavour Imperial Stout. Roast, bitterness, coffee and in the end dryness are heavy, not rounded at all. Salty works usually better than sweet with me and this isn't an exception in any way. Once again De Molen have succeeded in brewing near to perfect strong black ale.

Ölbeat

Well. It was only a question of whether the brew will meet the standards of the song. As it did, let's leave the explanations to the politicians.

Black Sabbath: Heaven and Hell (YouTube)

From the 1980 album Heaven and Hell, the song was written by Butler, Dio, Iommi, and Ward.

Ölbeat 107: Amager/Surly Todd - The Axe Man

Brewery: Amager (in Danish) / Surly Brewing
Country: Denmark
Style: India Pale Ale
Abv: 6,5 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is cloudy orange with a small white head. Aroma has orange, lemon and a flowery hop note. Taste lifts off with sharp fruity bitter bite. Fresh bitter grapefruit with a sweet orange twist takes over. Towards the end sweet-sour citrus fruits and piny dry get in front, some tartness shows up, too. Aftertaste has strong fruity bitterness and light dryness with long-lasting warm feeling.

Delicious citrus-packed India Pale Ale with nice hoppy and growing flavours: it starts biting bitter & fruity, goes through grapefruit-orange domination and ends heavily bitter. Excellent way to show respect to a living brewer legend, Todd Haug from Surly Brewing.

Ölbeat

Since the brew was an act of homage from Amager we'll continue on that line with the matching rhythms. Todd Haug has played and still plays guitar in this thrash metal band since 1984. This song is one from the band's early years.

Powermad: Terminator (YouTube)

From the 1988 EP The Madness Begins, the song was written by Powermad.

Ölbeat 106: Vander Ghinste Cuvée des Jacobins Rouge

Brewery: Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste
Country: Belgium 
Style: Sour Red
Abv: 5,5 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is reddish brown with a large white head. Aroma has very sour berries and funky yeast. Taste starts with spiking redcurrant sourness. Sour and dry berry juice with a yeasty twist continues to beat the mouth gently. Near the finish dryness comes more in front. Aftertaste has dry and sour currant-gooseberry flavour.

Absolutely magnificent berry-rich sour ale. The original sour berry-like taste shows the meaning of natural fermentation and oak-aging. There are no shortcuts if one wants to make a deep and rich-tasting sour beer. Liquid excellence.

Ölbeat

Simple explanation/excuse: there seems to be no sensible connection between the brew and this song. The brew's name refers to Rue de Jacobins, a street in Paris. There lies the French Dominican abbey, that in the 18th century used to serve as a meeting place for the most famous revolutionary group - the Jacobins - in France. The song has nothing to do with abbeys or French revolution. However, the beer is matured in French oak barrels and French women fit the description in the song. Still far fetched? Well, it just is a positively freaky and funky beer. That's the connection.

Rick James: Super Freak (YouTube)

From the 1981 album Street Songs, the song was written by Rick James and Alonzo Miller.

Ölbeat 105: Mad Viking Night Raid (8 %)

Brewery: United Beverage Nordic (? - according the label)
Country: Denmark
Style: Imperial Stout
Abv: 8% 
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What about the beer?

Colour is blacky black with a small beige head. Aroma has roasted malts, bitter black coffee and liquorice. Taste starts with roasted chocolate malts. Deliciously charcoaly-roasted malts, coffee and slightly bitter chocolate take control with a tiny bit of sweetness. Towards the end bitterness grows with liquorice. Aftertaste has mostly roast and bitterness with some dryness.

Surprisingly magnificent Imperial Stout. Wow-factor is hit with roast, coffee and bitter flavours. This beer challenges even the higher abv brews in the style. It's a pity that the brewery remains as a mystery.

Ölbeat

Found through the viking connection - the track is played during the opening credits of Vikings TV series - the ambient mood and the lyrical theme of the song make it a trip to the dark side. The calm and repetitive synth background create a distressing and sinister feeling making another link between the brew and the tune.

Fever Ray: If I Had a Heart (YouTube)

From the 2009 album Fever Ray, the song was written by Fever Ray.

Ölbeat 104: Beavertown Black Betty

Brewery: Beavertown 
Country: England
Style: India Black Ale
Abv: 7,4 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is black with a big natural white head. Aroma has roasted malts, mild citrus fruit and hops. Taste lifts off with fresh roasty and hoppy bitterness. Bitter grapefruit takes over while roast hides to the background. Towards the end a slice of sweet citrus and some dry pine arrive. Aftertaste has bitter grapefruit and dry pine.

Tasty and balanced India Black Ale. Light roast in aroma and in the start but the taste turns quickly to a bitter and dry grapefruit-pine showdown with some light sweeter tones. Nice and refreshing journey.

Ölbeat

The song choice was clear from the start. However, not the original but the most known version by Ram Jam has a certain hippie groove in it. So - nothing against hippies - we had to get a fresher and probably a little more complex aspect to the song.

Spiderbait: Black Betty (YouTube)

From the 2004 album Tonight Alright, the song is a traditional 20th-century African-American work song.

Ölbeat 103: Ugly Duck Hop Devil

Brewery: Indslev Bryggeri / Ugly Duck Brewing Co.
Country: Denmark
Style: India Pale Ale
Abv: 7,5 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is hazy copper orange with a large white head. Aroma has lemon, grapefruit and grass. Taste begins with a gently bitter first bite but explodes with fresh, biting bitter grapefruit and dry hops. Towards the end dry-tart pine, bite of sweet orange and some citrus peel are added to the flavour. Aftertaste has heavy dryness with a bitter sidekick.

Quote from the bottle label: "This is Nelson and Citra. This is tropical fruits and citrus aromas. This is pure joy." And damn tasty, too. Nuff said.

Ölbeat

Ok. This will not be a habit - I've done this before: matched a heck of a Danish beer with a heck of a Danish rockabilly metal song. The joy of this brew is shared with the joy I get from Volbeat's music. I can promise only one thing: there'll be more from the band in the blog in the future.

Volbeat: The Devil's Bleeding Crown (YouTube)

From the 2016 album Seal the Deal & Let's Boogie, the song was written by Michael Poulsen.

Ölbeat 102: Schneider Weisse Aventinus

Brewery: Schneider Weisse G. Schneider & Sohn GmbH
Country: Germany
Style: Weizenbock
Abv: 8,2 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is murky dark brown with a lasting small creamy white head. Aroma has ripe bananas, wheat malts and sweet spices. Taste begins with sweet fruity malts with a short spiky hop bite. Caramel malts with sweet banana, raisin and citrus flavours take over with a sparkling mouthfeel. Sweetness and malts show up near the finish with some berry and alcohol flavour. Aftertaste is a mix of sweet fruits, warm alcohol and dry bitterness.

I've found one new favourite style: Weizenbock! Sweet, fruity, malty and sparkling adventure in superb and delicious flavours. Rich, honest and enjoyable German beer.

Ölbeat

Getting one's hands on this kind of brew means a start of an addiction. Not very bad nor serious one, but still you'll have to crawl out of the state of mind with an antidote. In this case the antidote is hidden in this bluesy rock classic:

Eric Clapton: Cocaine (YouTube)

From the 1977 album Slowhand, the song was written by J.J. Cale.

Ölbeat 101: Great Divide Yeti

Brewery: Great Divide Brewery
Country: United States
Style: Imperial Stout
Abv: 9,5 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is black with a small beige head. Aroma has roasted to charred malts, dark chocolate and black coffee. Taste starts with roasted chocolate malts and a gentle hoppy bite. Strong flavour of charred salty and malty coffee takes over with a note of cocoa. Near the finish hoppy bitterness comes along. Aftertaste has roasty bitterness and a twist of alcohol.

Dark and massive delicious substance. Roasted even charred malts dominate but the taste is perfected with black coffee, cocoa and late bitter hops. Superb and strong Imperial Stout.

Ölbeat

Monstrous black brew calls for a - surprise, surprise - heavy metal track. Despite being recorded in the 2010's the song is on its way to becoming a classic. The lyrical theme - a tale of a tyrant who destroys his objectors - kinda fits the mood of  the beer. Would you dare to fight against Yeti?

Avenged Sevenfold: Hail to the King (YouTube)

From the 2013 album Hail to the King, the song was written by M. Shadows, Zacky Vengeance, Synyster Gates and Johnny Christ.

Ölmönger Special: Why do bloggers receive beer samples?

As the summer was reaching its end in August, some Finnish beer bloggers posted that they had received a beer box from a Finnish microbrewery. In the beginning of September, some bloggers had received one or two cans of beer that was supposed to hit the stores in the middle of the month for pre-tasting. In the end of the month there was another can delivery. And this has been going on for some time: every now and then an individual blogger or a bunch of bloggers receives a delivery from a Finnish brewery.

I didn't get either of the brewery packages and haven't got any of the previous ones. Probably because this blog sucks ass and has no readers, and the people at the breweries see it. Or probably because I haven't begged anyone to send me free beer. Anyway, in a burst of envy, jealousy and feeling slightly pissed off I'm writing about:

• Why didn't I get the free beers others did?
• Why did the others get the free beers?
• Why do I moan about it?
• Why are you still reading? (Grab a beer and go Pokemon-hunting!) 

My fav fictitious freebie label #1

For amusement, let's suppose that I would have got the same beers the others did if I only had asked for them. The brewery would have sent me the package since I showed interest towards their products. Everyone would have been happy: I'd get some beers to drink for free and the brewery would get their beers consumed the right way. Let's stop the amusement ride for a moment and think what's missing there. Oh, yes: the brewery doesn't actually get anything with this system.  

The obvious answer to the first question was in the beginning: this blog actually isn't among the popular beer blogs of Finland. And it should never be if there's any justice, literacy and need for good beer blogs left in the world. Whether I wanted free beer from the breweries or not, it doesn't make a difference, since there's no audience. I suppose that the Finnish breweries don't send any blogger any free beers just for fun or to show kindness. It's not customary to give people anything for free without expectations of favours in return, is it?

So, what's the expected favour in return? Why did the other bloggers get the free beer samples? First, their blogs are way more popular than mine: there's a difference between mentioning to 1'000 active followers about getting some samples from the brewery and mentioning it to almost three random people. Secondly, if there's no written contract between the brewery and the blogger, it's an unwritten rule to post about gift you get. If you don't follow the unwritten rule for one reason or another they'll stop sending you the packages. If there's a contract, well, they've got you by the balls, which makes you suffer and eventually die. Simple. Thirdly, it doesn't actually matter whether the popular blogger gives the beer a good or a bad review. If it's good, it's less than mediocre and relatively free advertising and good publicity for the brewery. If it's bad, it's bad but almost free advertising and still good publicity for the brewery. To sum it up, bloggers get free beer samples just and only to boost the sales of the brewery's beers.

"So you really expect me to review this sh*t?" (Picture source: YLE)

So what's so bad or wrong about this, except the fact that I don't get free beers? To put the facts straight: I don't even want free beers posted to me. At least not the crap Finnish breweries are sending to bloggers. If someone is considering about sending me some critically acclaimed beers or their barrel-aged versions I'll reconsider. If someone in a brewery would like to thank me for making a nice post about their beer or brewery recently I wouldn't neglect. If someone would like his/her homebrew matched with a song I would suggest an exchange: I'll get you a commercial bottle for a homebrew bottle but not by post - let's meet. Otherwise I'll promise to return to sender every corruption beer package* and stamp them with a "Fuck off" sticker, make a blogpost about each incident and finish making Ölbeats about the beers of the breweries in question. By the way that's a promise, not a threat, so people at the breweries: start packing and posting the cans and bottles.

Nothing is "bad" or "wrong" with other bloggers receiving free beer. The thing is that posting any kind of reviews about these free beers turns a blogger into a viral marketer a.k.a. (Every) Brewery's Bitch. Suddenly you can see the same beer reviewed in different blogs in a relatively short time window, or at least some "I happened to get a free sample set from Horse's Ass Sweat Brewery, so there'll be some reviews about them here later" notifications. That just makes the beer blog scene look like a weak-willed and easily-manipulated herd. Nothing forces several bloggers to post about the same beers at the same time. Beer bloggers differ from let's say movie critics in the sense that there are more new different beers available at the same time than there are new movies shown in theatres. And there are always lots of timeless or rare beers available to write the blog reviews about. So it's no way natural for, say, six or seven bloggers publishing posts about the same beer samples at the same time. In the world of animals, that's called being on a leash, living in a cage or settling for the part of a subordinate in the herd.

Making an odd comparison to music artist and bands, there's a difference between ones playing for money (professionals), ones playing for charity and fun (amateurs) and ones playing for a beer case (Can Neither Play Nor Sing people) - we all know that**. Things are alright if you have black on white with a brewery about your marketing efforts, and in addition to free samples you get paid or at least some other money worth privileges for the job. But if you're blogging for a hobby and thinking that "I'm taking the beer culture forward" by doing unprofessional marketing for breweries for free beers, would you mind showing up with an "Every Brewery's Bitch" T-shirt or jacket on the next beer festival? I can sketch a badge or a forehead tattoo mold for you, if you prefer those. I don't believe that you'd earn any free beers or even a free attendance, but people would surely know your game. Of course, there's a difference between being someone's bitch on purpose and being someone's bitch accidentally, but that's a different story.

My fav fictitious freebie label #2

It's got nothing to do with respect either: there's none exchanged from the brewery to the blogger and none from the blogger to the brewery. The brewery's interest, to sell more beer to more consumers, was already dealt with in the beginning. The blogger may think that he "earns" the samples and selfishly would like to "earn" free beer from all the other breweries, too. As I see it, most of the beer bloggers tell that the reason for their blogging to steer the readers' beer drinking habits towards more cultivated alcohol culture i.e. drinking better and less beer than the Average Bud does. Since the samples are not that good and the blogger would like to get more of them... Ummm, can anyone else smell double standard here? "Just do as I say, don't do as I do", right? Well, so much for the respect from the blogger to the audience.

So am I really asking the breweries to stop sending bloggers free beer samples? No, they would send them anyway. Am I asking the bloggers to stop posting about the samples they receive? Hell no, it's not my decision. I'm trying to point out that getting some sample bottles or cans from breweries for free isn't actually a privilege or a reward but a steering device for what your blog is about and what your blog followers are reading. And when the free beers are mostly crap, your blog posts about them are mostly crap. Like every post on this blog.

Ölbeat

In a way I've already kinda revealed what song is played here. Tina Turner's Private Dancer is already reserved for other purposes (= extreme torture), so I chose a metaphor for the relationship between the brewery and its bi.. the blogger:

Genesis: Jesus He Knows Me (YouTube)

From the 1991 album We Can't Dance, the song was written by Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford.

   
* Here 'package' means only the container where the cans or bottles were sent. The cans or bottles will be properly emptied to the sewage system and replaced with other ones filled with water. Why? Because I'm a sick pervert and have a secret crush on prohibition. Thank you for forcing me to reveal that, too. Of course, there's always an option to forget my promises, share the beer with the neighbour dude and have product placement in the pics of my home album. 
** I couldn't compare beer bloggers to professional, cheap or free gigolos here. That would have been too offensive. Towards the cheap and the free gigolos, I mean. Even though the beer bloggers are easily fucked, no one would even consider fucking one even for free. Right, chap?    

Ölmönger Special: One hundred Ölbeats - that's it?

So this blog reached its first real milestone couple of days ago with Mufloni CCCCC IPA as the 100th Ölbeat. Someone wiser than me would think and both the audience and the other Finnish beer bloggers are secretly wishing, that this is it. So we're hanging up the bottle opener...

...but before you pop the cork of your 10-year old sherry-barrel aged rare Quadrupels and start your carnal orgies and month-long celebrations, I'd like to remind you that there are some 30 already music-matched beers waiting for finishing and publishing left in the warehouse. So there is no need for the opener from the blog's point of view for a little while. What comes to opening beer bottles, one can use his mouth or eye socket, the table corner or other bottles for that purpose. And you know, I can always take the opener from the hang, use it and put it back afterwards. Pretty smart, eh?

So, sorry to let you down this time. I can see the 200th Ölbeat in the horizon, can you? Stop crying and take a look. Don't be sad and unhappy today cause you'll feel rage and fury tomorrow. Trust me.

One thing will change, though. From now on one Monday every month will be a Skitbit Monday (skit /ɧiːt/ from Swedish word 'shit', bit just to differ a bit from beat in Ölbeat). One bad beer, whenever possible from a Finnish microbrewery and otherwise from somewhere else, will be matched with an awful song. Why? There's always room to be mean once in a month and there's clearly a need to be mean towards Finnish microbreweries. And as well as a beer can be judged to be crap, a piece of music can face the destiny of transforming into a piece of shit. 

Ölbeat

The blog will keep on rolling, as the music choice tells you:

Limp Bizkit: Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle) (YouTube)

From the 2000 album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, the song was written by Fred Durst, Wes Borland, John Otto and Sam Rivers.

Ölbeat 100: Mufloni CCCCC IPA

Brewery: Beer Hunter's
Country: Finland
Style: India Pale Ale
Abv: 7 % 
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is dark copper orange with two-finger thick natural white head. Aroma has orange, lemon, hops and a hint of mango. Taste ignites with striking bitter and fresh grapefruit. The pure first impression carries on, but citrus fruitiness grows towards orange and lemon. Somewhat strong piny dryness and citrus tartness steps in front near the finish. Aftertaste has fresh and dry citrus bitterness with a tender touch of pine.

I have enjoyed this India Pale Ale numerous bottles since it was introduced. It's still a delicious package of fresh and juicy grapefruit flavour. In Finland this can still be considered as the landmark of India Pale Ale - even the critical hedonists of Finnish Beer Guide (Olutopas) forum have dedicated a thread for the brew and the quality differences in its batches. The aroma and flavour are hard to beat - challengers come and go. Since this brew has had it's say in the process of turning me into Ölmönger, it deserves to be the 100th Ölbeat.

Ölbeat

The Five-C IPA is pure rock, period. It can be enjoyed probably with any honest rock song but since I have to, I picked couple of tunes to accompany it. After all, this is the Ölbeat number 100, and anyway this beer surely couldn't be handled with just one track:

Guns N' Roses: Paradise City (YouTube)

From the 1987 album Appetite for Destruction, the song was written by Guns N' Roses.

Hurriganes: Get On (YouTube)

From the 1974 album Roadrunner, the song was written by Hurriganes.

Ölbeat 099: Rochefort Trappistes 10

Brewery: Brasserie Rochefort (in French)
Country: Belgium
Style: Abt/Quadrupel 
Abv: 11,3 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is dark chocolate brown with a half-finger thick foamy natural white head. Aroma has chocolate, caramel, dark fruits and raisins. Taste begins with smoothly sweet bitterness. Sweet chocolate and malty caramel flavours with raisin and a fruity twist take soon over. Some fruity sourness is also present. Gentle bitterness and a bite of alcohol grow towards the finish. Aftertaste has sweet raisin, caramel and alcohol warmth - and lasts long.

Absolutely magnificent complex and strong brew. Symphony of taste: chocolate and caramel malts are joint with raisin and fruity flavours. Bitter, sour and alcoholic elements support the whole. The aroma and flavours prove that Belgian trappist quads are a result of century-old brewing tradition and as such true masterpieces.

Ölbeat

"Well I guess it would be nice / If I could touch your body / I know not everybody / Has got a body like you." That probably tells the story. And, of course, you've got to have faith if you're trying to find any better beer than this:

George Michael: Faith (YouTube)

From the 1987 album Faith, the song was written by George Michael.