Ölbeat 325 (BC17 #12): Sonnisaari Juomahammas I

Brewery: Sonnisaari (in Finnish)
Country: Finland
Style: Imperial Porter
Abv: 11 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is black with a finger-thick foamy beige head. Aroma has roast, espresso, chocolate and vanilla. Taste starts with bitter heavy-roasted espresso. Vanilla-spiced espresso and powerful roast take over with bitter dark chocolate. Towards the end bitter roast gets on top with some sweet cherry notes showing up. Aftertaste has coffee roast, chocolate bitter and spiced oaky dryness.

Strong and delicious Imperial Porter. Powerful basic elements - vanilla sweetness, turbo roast, espresso and chocolate - get some cherry-oaky vibes in the finish. Excellent one from Sonnisaari.

Ölbeat

Strong, passionate and complex - sounds like a troubled relationship. This rock ballad is about one near the end or, as the final verse of the lyrics says: "I will try until the last drop falls."

Sonata Arctica: Last Drop Falls (YouTube)

From the 2001 album Silence, the song was written by Tony Kakko.

Ölbeat 156: Left Hand Fade to Black Vol. 1: Foreign Stout

Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: Foreign Stout
Abv: 8,5 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is black with a small diminishing beige head. Aroma has burned wood, gentle campfire smoke and dark-roasted coffee. Taste spikes with smoke and charcoal at first. Heavily smoked and roasted malts take over with some liquorice sweetness and espresso in the background. Towards the end charred malts and bitter liquorice step in front. Aftertaste has lasting charcoal bitterness, roasted dryness and salty liquorice.

Powerful and exceptional Foreign/Imperial Stout. Smoke gives this one the edge, and liquorice smoothens it with roundness. The basics - intense roast and late strong bitterness - are present in full flavour. Superb brew.

People's Choice

This brew and song were nicely suggested to be paired in the blog when I asked for wishes in Twitter some time ago. Back then I didn't think that I would have the chance to get the beer in my hands. Surprisingly in November the chance turned up and am I glad it did. Thanks for the recommendation, Suvi - this was just perfect.

Sonata Arctica: Fade to Black (YouTube)

From the 2003 EP Takatalvi, the song was written by people who are mentioned below.

Ölbeat

Since I know that Suvi doesn't mind pairing the brew with the original version, let's put it here, too. Despite Sonata Arctica's different but recognizable cover I prefer the original, which was listened numerous times in the 90's when the young Ölmönger found heavy metal. Very dark classic.

Metallica: Fade to Black (YouTube)

From the 1984 album Ride the Lightning, the song was written by James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Cliff Burton and Kirk Hammett.

Ölbeat 014: De Molen Spanning & Sensatie

Brewery: Brouwerij de Molen
Country: Netherlands
Style: Imperial Stout
Abv: 9,8 %
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Sensational thrills with salt, chili and cocoa

"Spanning & Sensatie was intended to thrill your taste buds", says the description on the brewery's beerography. The thrills are given by adding cocoa, chili and sea salt to a strong Imperial Stout that already has oat malts in the mix. Some tricks are allowed, as long as the result is recognisably beer.

What about the beer?
Colour is almost-black-dark brown with quickly vanishing tiny bubbly head. Aroma has soft scent of milk chocolate with tiny hint of coffee. Taste is roasted medium sweet malts with black coffee, a salty twist and a chili note on the tongue. Finish has malty sweetness, as does the aftertaste.

This is a full-flavoured experience: nothing goes over the top or even close in any sense, but there are surprising twists in the taste when the liquid spreads around the mouth. In the end one has gone through a delicate, balanced trip of senses. Expectations exceeded.

Ölbeat

When it comes to the artist, the choice was clear from the beginning: this Finnish rock band can open mysteries and give thrills. Selecting the song was harder, but I picked this ballad:

Sonata Arctica: Shamandalie (YouTube)

From the 2004 album Reckoning Night, the song was written by the band's vocalist Tony Kakko. It's a metal ballad about an older man who is reminiscing his childhood friendship. He probably wanted it to be his first love but the song's title girl, Shamandalie, didn't respond his feelings and also the friendship ended. The ballad starts with vocalist Kakko singing the 1st verse, chorus and 2nd verse with only piano and acoustic guitar on the background. From the 2nd chorus the song turns into a pure rock ballad with the whole band and Kakko's rougher singing. I've always found Sonata Arctica an interesting Finnish band, and this song with aching memories showed both the soft and the rough side of them.

Brewer's Choice

Audioslave: Cochise (YouTube)

From the 2002 album Audioslave, the song was the first single of the rock supergroup formed by ex-Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell and Rage against the Machine ex-members guitarist Tom Morello, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk. It got its name and background from the last great American Indian chief to die free and unconquered. The lyrics written by Cornell, however, are about something else than a chief: they are someone's message to oneself about stop wasting one's life and save oneself. The intro guitar riff by Morello was created by accident: he rapidly and unintentionally hit the string with a pencil while jamming and writing notes. The result was after a slight moderation the "helicopter sound" in the beginning of the song.