Ölbeat 324 (BC17 #11): Põhjala Cellar Series: Öö XO

Brewery: Pôhjala
Country: Estonia
Style: Baltic Porter
Abv: 11,5 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is black with a finger-thick beige head. Aroma has fruity liquor, chocolate and sweet roasted malts. Taste begins with sweet fruity boozy bite. Syrupy roasted malts, sweet espresso and dark chocolate take over with fruity alcohol coating. Towards the end fruity and boozy warmth of cognac is released against bittersweet chocolate. Aftertaste has sweet dark fruits, dark chocolate and smooth liquor warmth.

Really rich and fabulous barrel-aged Imperial Stout. Fruity biting cognac flavours really enhance the sweet roast and chocolate of the original Öö. Delicious aftertaste seems to linger around and warm the mouth endlessly. From any other brewery this would be a superb surprise, but from Põhjala this adds to the continuum of solid dark brews.

Ölbeat

"Under his spell / Blinding my eyes / Twisting my mind / Fight to resist the evil inside." Ok, that's Satan alright. Someone would call it sacrilege to combine a strong and beautiful dark beer with a thrash metal classic. Well, I think it's pretty devilish to brew this kind of barrel-aged stuff again and again.

Slayer: Black Magic (YouTube)

From the 1983 album Show No Mercy, the song was written by Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King.

Ölbeat 216: Stone Arrogant Bastard Bourbon Barrel-aged

Brewery: Stone Brewing
Country: United States
Style: American Strong Ale
Abv: 8,1 % 
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is reddish dark brown with a tiny tan head. Aroma has mostly deliciously luring sweet bourbon vanilla and some caramel malts on the background. Taste begins with slightly bitter bourbon vanilla kiss. Vanilla-oaky bourbon whiskey and fruity bitter malts take over. Towards the end the familiar Arrogant Bastard bitterness with an oaky twist rises. Aftertaste has lasting bitter fruit and some oaky boozy flavour.

Bourbon barrel-aged bastard is still a bastard. And what a beautiful bastard it is: oaky vanilla flavour of bourbon whiskey fits with the standard arrogant flavour perfectly. Powerful and sweet at the same time. Just superb.

Ölbeat

"Arrogance, violence, world in disarray / Dealing with insanity every fuckin’ day / I hate the life, hate the fame, hate the fuckin’ scene / Pissing match of egos, fuck their vanity." Words of an arrogant bastard? Actually no. Direct thoughts of a random observing and thinking individual.

Slayer: Repentless (YouTube)

From the 2015 album Repentless, the song was written by Kerry King.

Ölbeat 175: Rekolan Panimo Paavin Polku

Brewery: Rekolan Panimo
Country: Finland
Style: Abbey Tripel
Abv: 9 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is thick copper orange with a small white head. Aroma has sweet ripe and dried fruits, yeast and spices. Taste begins with yeasty and spicy sweet fruits. Spicy sweet apple and grape juice takes over with funky yeast. Near the finish sweet bitterness and citrus sourness get released. Aftertaste has lasting dry sourness and fruity bitterness.

Truly delicious Belgian style brew. Fruits, spices and yeast in perfect pitch. Strength comes out in the depth of flavour. Couldn't expect much more even from a genuine Belgian.

Ölbeat

When the beer is called Paavin Polku, "Pope's Path" in English, Ölmönger is very tempted to play with it. If we want to connect the beer style funk to the song and add a little something from the brew's name, then David Byrne with his new wave friends has got just the right tune for us.

Talking Heads: Road to Nowhere (YouTube)

From the 1985 album Little Creatures, the song was written by David Byrne.

Dark Humor Ölbeat

In the case of a surprisingly nice brew, it's ok to pair two songs with an Ölbeat. In this case, the beer is great and the name gives us the chance to show the darker side of us - and the beer, of course. Some food for thought, s'il vous plaît. Peace.

Slayer: New Faith (YouTube)

From the 2001 album God Hates Us All, the song was written by Kerry King.