Ölbeat 246: Maku Amorphis Lager

Brewery: Maku Brewing
Country: Finland 
Style: Premium Lager
Abv: 4,6 % 
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What about the beer?

Colour is straw yellow with a small white head. Aroma has grainy malts, lemon and hay. Taste begins with malty bitter bite. Grainy malts with some citrus tartness take over. Towards the end malts get fruity sweet tones. Aftertaste has malty dryness and fruity bitterness.

Nice pale lager. Expected nothing, got some good malty and bitter taste. Goes down easy and quick. Not every brew has to be a journey to wonderland - just a little lift is sometimes great.

Ölbeat

Since the beer was brewed as Finnish rock band Amorphis' signature brew, the artist is easy to pick. For the song I followed the path of commercial simplicity and took the title track of their newest album.

Amorphis: Under the Red Cloud (YouTube)

From the 2015 album Under the Red Cloud, the song was written by Santeri Kallio and Pekka Kainulainen.

Ölbeat 184: Maku Imperial Stout

Brewery: Maku Brewing
Country: Finland
Style: Imperial Stout
Abv: 8,5 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is black with a finger-thick beige head. Aroma has mild charcoal, coffee and dark fruits. Taste begins with dry and bitter roast. Charcoaly malts and bitter espresso come in front in the taste. Near the finish dry and roasted bitterness overpowers the other flavours. Aftertaste has roasty dryness and gentle bitterness.

Good and easy Imperial Stout. Roast, bitterness and coffee are all there, without aggressiveness or overpowering flavours. But. Nice and simple doesn't fit the Impy. Nothing is wrong, but something is missing. Still, nice to see that Maku stepped out from the pale ale closet.

Ölbeat

Calm and peaceful black brew can be paired with same kind of heavy metal or heavy rock. Since Maku has brewed couple of band brand beers for Amorphis (1st & 2nd), a song from the band is a natural choice here. In the end, the song was rather easy to pick.

Amorphis: Silent Waters (YouTube)

From the 2007 album Silent Waters, the song was written by Santeri Kallio and Pekka Kainulainen.

Ölbeat 127: Saimaan Brewer's Special Pacific Pale Ale

Brewery: Saimaan Juomatehdas
Country: Finland
Style: American Pale Ale
Abv: 4,7 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is cloudy light orange with a finger-thick white head. Aroma has lemon, grapefruit and hay. Taste wakes one up with heavy grapefruit bitter bite. Fresh grapefruit takes over with mild orange and lemon flavours. Near the finish modest dryness comes in the picture. Aftertaste has bitter grapefruit and light dryness.

Actually quite nice session ale. Simple and one-dimensional but the dimension tastes all right. Would nicely go down with BBQ or after sauna. Hopefully getting rid of my brewery allergy.

Ölbeat

The ocean theme and the picture in the label guided my choice with this one. We'll probably see the widow of the shark-eaten surf dude crying at the seaside. Then we'll take another sip from the can, leave the scene and get back in the sauna tent.

Amorphis: Weeper on the Shore (YouTube)

From the 1996 album Elegy, the song was written by Olli-Pekka Laine and Kim Rantala.