Ölbeat 340: Founders PC Pils

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: India Style Lager
Abv: 5,5 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is golden yellow with a vanishing two-finger-thick white head. Aroma has grapefruit, lemon and malts. Taste begins with fresh bittersour citrus bite. Bitter grapefruit takes over with sweetish malty side tones. Towards the end salty bitter malts, sour lemon and tartish peel get on top. Aftertaste has dryish malts and lasting fresh bittersour grapefruit.

Very fresh and drinkable hopped Pils. Certainly elements of fruity IPA are clearly more present than malty Pilsner qualities. But there are malts sticking out from the background. I could drink this as my castaway beer. Excellent stuff.

Ölbeat

Summer. Sunshine. Lying relaxed on my hammock. With a beer. Put some reggae on.

Bob Marley & The Wailers: Jamming (YouTube)

From the 1977 album Exodus, the song was written by Bob Marley.

Ölbeat 322 (BC17 #9): Founders Barrel-Aged Series: Doom

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: Imperial IPA
Abv: 12,4 % 
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What about the beer?

Colour is bright golden orange with a medium-sized natural white head. Aroma has mango, orange and bourbon vanilla. Taste begins with sweet bourbon bite. Bitter pine and oaky vanillaish booze take over with sweet fruity side tones. Towards the end strongly piny and boozy bitterness comes through with grapefruit and peel lurking in the background. Aftertaste has heavily bitter grapefruit, dry resinous oak and boozy warmth.

Damn powerful and rich barrel-aged Triple IPA. The start is bourbon-dominated with sweet vanilla, oak and booze. In the middle pine and grapefruit - the hops - step in front. The end combines oak of the barrel and piny citrus of the brew beautifully. An unusual marriage between strong IPA and bourbon barrel brings out the beauty from both sides.

Ölbeat

"You take a mortal man / And put him in control / Watch him become a god / Watch people's heads a'roll." That's it. That's the doom.

Megadeth: Symphony Of Destruction (YouTube)

From the 1992 album Countdown to Extinction, the song was written by Dave Mustaine.

Ölbeat 313: Founders Frootwood

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: Fruit Beer
Abv: 8 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is light red with a small white head. Aroma has sweet bourbon, vanilla and berry juice. Taste begins with sweet vanilla-spiced cherries. Bourbon-soaked cherries and vanilla caramel malts take over. Towards the end slightly sour, sweet syrupy cherries get the upper hand of the bourbon. Aftertaste has sweet cherry juice and mildly bitter boozy kick.

Sweet, nicely barrel-aged cherry beer. Expected just cherry juice, got gently boozy and softly spicy cherry-flavoured brew. Fruity and strong. Very nice.

Ölbeat

Someone can see the connection between bourbon whiskey and Tennessee, but the fact is that the song just started to play as an earworm while sipping the beer. So there were no options.

Arrested Development: Tennessee (YouTube)

From the 1992 album 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of..., the song was written by Thomas Todd and Aerle Taree. (The word "Tennessee" was sampled from Prince's Alphabet Street, 1988, and the unauthorized use cost the samplers 100.000 $.)

Ölbeat 298: Victory HopDevil

Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: India Pale Ale
Abv: 6,7 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is amber orange with a small white  head. Aroma has resin, orange and alcohol. Taste starts with bittersweet piny citrus kick. Strong resiny bitterness takes over with grapefruit and sweetish orange. Towards the end bitter pine and grapefruit come dominant with alcohol kicking in. Aftertaste has very dry & bitter pine and warming fruity alcohol.

Strong piny India Pale Ale. Bitter pine goes to the limit just without going over it. Nice orange, grapefruit and alcohol flavours, too. Stands out of the crowd. High quality brew.

Ölbeat

I'm starting to slowly believe that Ölbeat is not just random word play and that this blog is actually used to promote Volbeat. It's those damn Danes. But, as long as breweries name beers with heaven/hell themes, that shit keeps happening and it's ok.

Volbeat: Heaven Nor Hell (YouTube)

From the 2010 album Beyond Hell/Above Heaven, the song was written by Michael Poulsen.

Ölbeat 269: Evil Twin Molotov Lite

Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing
Country: United States
Style: Imperial IPA
Abv: 8,5 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is flakey golden orange with a large white head. Aroma has dried fruits, caramel and candy. Taste begins with caramel softened fruity bitterness. Bitter grapefruit takes dominantly over with some sweet citrus in the background. Towards the end malty grapefruit is joined by piny elements and pineapple flavour. Aftertaste has strong piny-grapefruity bitterness and caramel-boozy warmth.

Slowly growing, eventually excellent Imperial IPA. Fruity bitterness hits its peak near the finish, the caramel malts round the strong flavour nicely. It seems clear that the darker twin is my favourite - with a narrow margin, though.

Ölbeat

The beer is a little brother of the brewer's Molotov Cocktail, a brew still to be tasted. Originally Molotov cocktail was the name of a petrol bomb used by Finns in Winter War 1939-1940. It was a "commercially produced homemade explosive" for disabling Russian tanks. Molotov Lite is expected to be something smaller, so I picked this song.

Lorde: Homemade Dynamite (YouTube)

From the 2017 album Melodrama, the song was written by Ella Yeilich-O'Connor, Ebba Tove Nilsson, Jakob Jerlström and Ludvig Söderberg.

Ölbeat 267: Victory Hop Ranch

Brewery: Victory Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: Imperial IPA
Abv: 9 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is hazy golden orange with a small white head. Aroma has orange, mango and pineapple. Taste starts with sweetish fruity bitter bite. Bitter piny grapefruit takes over with orange and caramel side tones. Towards the end pine and sweeter fruits like orange and mango step in the line with grapefruit. Aftertaste has sweet orange, bitter grapefruit and boozy pine.

My kind of Imperial IPA. More citrus fruits than biting bitterness, pine comes out supportive, not dominant. Alcohol stays viciously almost hidden. Damn delicious. Quite a salute towards the hop farmers from Victory Brewing.

Ölbeat

No country- nor farm-themed songs fit the mood of this great brew. And this song isn't about the fields of barley, neither.

Gary Moore (feat. Phil Lynott): Out in the Fields (YouTube)

From the 1985 album Run for Cover, the song was written by Gary Moore.

Ölbeat 266: Founders Azacca IPA

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: India Pale Ale
Abv: 7 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is dark orange with a large natural white head. Aroma has mild citrus, tropical fruits and caramel. Taste begins with slightly piny citrus. Piny grapefruit bitterness dominates over dry malty flavour. Towards the end sweet orange and spiky menthol flavours make an appearance. Aftertaste has piny dryness and herbal citrus bitterness.

Shortly put a decent India Pale Ale. The fruits of the aroma are out-shadowed by pine. The herbal flavours in the end aren't bad but I prefer stronger citrus in this style. Anyway, a small disappointment from the brewery but an alright brew.

Ölbeat

The brew is named after a hop variety used in brewing, and the hop Azacca is named after the loa i.e. the spirit of agriculture in Haitian voodoo. Some sources claim he's the spirit of thunder but all the same - it's still about the ancient Caribbean belief. 

Godsmack: Voodoo (YouTube)

From the 1999 album Godsmack, the song was written by Sully Erna and Robbie Merrill.

Ölbeat 257: Finch Fascist Pig

Brewery: Finch Beer Co.
Country: United States
Style: American Strong Ale
Abv: 8 % 
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What about the beer?

Colour is copper brown with a large natural white head. Aroma has stingy bitter citrus, hay and caramel malts. Taste begins with biting bitter citrus. Sweetish caramel malts and bitter grapefruit take over with spicy dark fruit side tones. Towards the end caramel malts get in front with gently piny bitterness. Aftertaste has bitter grapefruit, dry malts and alcohol warmth.

Fruity and malty American Strong Ale. Bitter citrus and caramel malts play together nicely. Some spices on the way, and the booze shows up only in the end. Pretty delicious.

Ölbeat

Fascist Pig somehow reminds us of Horse's Ass Sweat Pig Vomit, don't you think? Only by the name and the label, though. Staying with the theme, I selected a loyal cover of a heavy metal classic. It wasn't the easiest song for Mike Patton to start with in a new band.

Faith No More: War Pigs (YouTube)

From the 1989 album The Real Thing, the song was written by Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward.

Ölbeat 217: Founders Backwoods Bastard

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company 
Country: United States
Style: Scotch Ale
Abv: 11,6 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is dark mahogany brown with a small tan head. Aroma has bourbon oak, vanilla and sweet fruity malts. Taste starts with sweet spiced boozy bite. Vanilla-oak-flavoured caramel malts with fruity bitterness take over. Towards the end fruity sweet caramel malts and biting bourbon-boozy bitterness get on top with raisins and dried fruits. Aftertaste has oaky-malty dryness and lasting gentle burn of bourbon.

As Dirty Bastard is a superb Scotch Ale, this is stunningly beautiful barrel-aged tuned sequel to that. The bourbon vanilla and oak are present in different ways on every stage, but sweet toffeed malts and fruity bitterness are surely there too to remind me of the original. Strong and delicious, that's a fact.

Ölbeat

The forest. The home of felt-hatted grey-bearded hermits. Also the dark source of stories of mystery, horror and supernatural. The nature can sometimes be cruel, but these stories bubble out from individual's personal imagination or from culturally shared collective legends. Or do they? 

Mastodon: Colony of Birchmen (YouTube)

From the 2006 album Blood Mountain, the song was written by Mastodon.

Ölbeat 216: Stone Arrogant Bastard Bourbon Barrel-aged

Brewery: Stone Brewing
Country: United States
Style: American Strong Ale
Abv: 8,1 % 
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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 213: Finch's Sobek & Set

Brewery: Finch Beer Co.
Country: United States
Style: India Black Ale
Abv: 8 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is black with a huge tan head. Aroma has lemon, sweet orange candy and liquorice. Taste begins with biting roasted liquorice. Heavily roasted malts and strongly bitter citrus fruits take over with some liquorice. Near the finish piny and grapefruity bitterness gets through with late roasted liquorice. Aftertaste has roasted bittersweet fruits and a lasting dry bitter-roasty ending.

Now we're on the edge of what might be too much roasty bitterness. But the long nasty finish keeps us from falling. Strong tasty IBA with both heavy roast and bitter citrus.

Ölbeat

It takes a bunch of wild imagination to connect a beer with a wild boar and an alligator/a crocodile on the label and this song. In the ancient Egyptian mythology, Sobek was a deity associated with the Nile crocodile and murdered by Set, a deity depicted as an animal with resemblance to fork-tailed coyote. What has this to do with either the beer or the song? Nothing probably, just bringing some more animal to the picture.

N.E.R.D.: She Wants to Move (YouTube)

From the 2004 album Fly Or Die, the song was written by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo.

Ölbeat 199: AleSmith IPA

Brewery: AleSmith Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: India Pale Ale
Abv: 7,2 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is cloudy golden orange with a finger-thick white head. Aroma has grapefruit, orange and tropical fruits. Taste bites first with fresh fruity bitterness. Strong grapefruit bitterness takes over with some sweet orange and mango juice lingering in the background. Towards the end gentle pine gets in the bitterness. Aftertaste has grapefruit bitterness and lasting smooth piny dryness.

Legendary India Pale Ale. Rich, fresh, bitter and especially fruity. No overtones, just pure and smooth enjoyment. Incredible brew.

Ölbeat

Once again it's time for a rock ballad to the West Coast state. The song is actually about the dark side of the American culture industry, to which the Californian breweries don't belong in my opinion. Still the mood, especially the guitar playing of John Frusciante, matches with the great IPA.

Red Hot Chili Peppers: Californication (YouTube)

From the 1999 album Californication, the song was written by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Ölbeat 198: Evil Twin Lil' B

Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing
Country: United States
Style: Imperial Porter
Abv: 11,5 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is black with a small beige head. Aroma has charred roast, black coffee and dark chocolate. Taste begins with sharply bitter dark chocolate and coffee. Strongly bitter and semisweet roast, chocolate and coffee take over. Towards the end burned roast and espresso bitterness with dark chocolate get through. Aftertaste has dry cocoa, bitter dark mocca chocolate and alcohol warmth.

Superb and delicious Imperial Porter. Powerful and bitter mix of roast, chocolate and coffee. My second beautiful Impy from the brother from the dark side. Waiting to get my hands on the next one.

Ölbeat

Hip hop? Nope.We'll leave the loose trouser stuff out, since this brew is far more raw power than any rhiming clown could ever show. True domination of strong flavours.

Pantera: Domination (YouTube)

From the 1990 album Cowboys from Hell, the song was written by Pantera.

Ölbeat 197: Evil Twin I Love You With My Stout

Brewery: Evil Twin Brewing
Country: United States
Style: Imperial Stout
Abv: 12 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is black with a small tan head. Aroma has sweet chocolate, alcohol, coffee and roast. Taste begins with biting bitter salty liquorice. Bitter dark chocolate and roasted salty liquorice take powerfully over with a hint of coffee on the side. Towards the end dark chocolate gets extra-strong in all aspects: bitterness, cocoa and saltiness. Aftertaste has roasted dryness, strong bitterness and alcohol warmth and lasts long

If the Evil Twin Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø really thinks that this beer is a metaphor for freedom, then freedom is unleashed power and aggressive overwhelming show of strength. And if it is, I don't oppose. If I should take the brew as a declaration of love, then I would expect something wild, violent and unexpectable. As a beer, this is extreme and superb.

Ölbeat

Smooth but rough. Since the brew jumped straight among the ones on the top of my list, it gets joined by a long-time favourite song and an alternative one. First it's the bearded dudes and the favourite.

ZZ Top: Rough Boy (YouTube)

From the 1985 album Afterburner, the song was written by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard.

Alternative Ölbeat

Then we get to the declaration part. I would never offer this brew to anyone as a declaration of love, unless... See, that was your dirty imagination working there. No. Never.

Public Image Ltd.: This Is Not a Love Song (YouTube)

From the 1984 album This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get, the song was written by John Lydon, Keith Levene and Martin Atkins.

Ölbeat 193: Founders Breakfast Stout

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: Imperial Stout
Abv: 8,3 % 
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What about the beer?

Colour is black with a small tan head. Aroma has sweet chocolate, coffee and alcohol. Taste begins with sharply bitter cocoa bite. Bittersweet cocoa and chocolate take over with espresso and roast flavours. Towards the end the taste stays bitter but gets sweeter chocolate tones. Aftertaste has dark chocolate and sweet bitterness.

Amazingly delicious Imperial Stout. Chocolate layers melt in the mouth, and the growing bitterness tickles the tongue. Coffee and roast have small but meaningful side roles here. The trusted brewery just seem to be incapable to fail.

Ölbeat

This imp surely is no Wake Up Little Susie brew. It takes a heavier grip to reach the weight of this "Good Morning" coffee. Some bells, some violence, some guitar and drums. 

Metallica: For Whom the Bell Tolls (YouTube)

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

Ölbeat 192: Spencer Trappist Ale

Brewery: Spencer Brewery
Country: United States
Style: Belgian Ale
Abv: 6,5 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is cloudy golden orange with a small white head. Aroma has yeast, sour apple, lemon and banana. Taste starts with yeasty sour lemon and ripe banana. Bananaish wheat malts and sweet-sour citrus take over with strong carbonation. Towards the end gentle fruity bitterness joins the flavours. Aftertaste has apple sourness and malty dryness with a sweet fruity side tone.

Great Belgian ale from the American monks. Sour, sweet and bitter, fruity and malty flavours are all smoothly present. The aftertaste is something superbly special.

Ölbeat

Some peaceful soul ordered for this smooth brew. Well, there's only one Otis Redding. Sadly, this one was among the last recordings from him. But it's an ultimate salute for just wasting time and watching around - just stopping for a while. 

Otis Redding: (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay (YouTube)

From the 1968 album The Dock of the Bay, the song was written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper.

Ölbeat 188: Victory Storm King Imperial Stout

Brewery: Victory Brewing 
Country: United States
Style: Imperial Stout
Abv: 9,1 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is black with a small vanishing beige head. Aroma has salty liquorice, charred malts and spices. Taste begins with strongly bitter roast. Sharply bitter charred malts with sour and fruity salty liquorice take over. Towards the end gently sweet and heavily bitter-sour burned liquorice gets on top. Aftertaste has strong citrus bitterness and heavily roasted dryness.

Sharply biting extreme flavour Imperial Stout. Comes on almost too strong at first but the power of storm grows on the drinker. Great and delicious brew.

Ölbeat

Storm Kings aren't hip, mingling-oriented social people. They are lone wrathful gods. Heavy, strong and far from brainwashed Facebook nation. Well, taste the brew and you'll quit meaningless networking.

Godsmack: I Stand Alone (YouTube)

From the 2003 album Faceless, the song was written by Sully Erna.

Ölbeat 179: Great Divide Hibernation Ale

Brewery: Great Divide Brewery
Country: United States
Style: Old Ale
Abv: 8,7 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is reddish dark brown with a small diminishing tan head. Aroma has sweet caramel malts, alcohol, cherries and coffee. Taste begins with heavily bitter wooden bite. Sweet and bitter, strongly oaky malts take over with hints of alcohol, spices and dark fruits. Towards the end bitter fruity alcohol comes out with piny and spicy flavours. Aftertaste has oaky-piny dryness and alcohol bitterness.

Strong oaky and spicy Old Ale. Alcoholic bitterness, fruit flavours, caramel malts - excellent stuff from an excellent brewery.

Ölbeat

In addition to hibernation and cold climate, winter is a season of snow in the Northern Hemisphere. Reflection of light from snow can cause a state of snowblindness. This song has actually nothing to do with actual snowblindness, but rather an ode to cocaine from a completely addicted band. Still, the heavyweight song matches the mood of a strong ale nicely.

Black Sabbath: Snowblind (YouTube)

From the 1972 album Vol. 4, the song was written by Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward.

Ölbeat 171: Lagunitas IPA

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company 
Country: United States
Style: India Pale Ale
Abv: 6,2 %
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What about the beer?

Colour is clear straw yellow with a large white head. Aroma has fresh grapefruit, orange and pineapple. Taste begins with sweet fruity and slightly bitter bite. Fresh grapefruit bitterness with growing sweet orange flavour takes over. Near the finish gently piny dryness is added. Aftertaste has stronger piny dryness and bitter grapefruit.

Excellent. Delicious. Super fruity India Pale Ale. Bitter grapefruit and sweet orange with nicely growing pine. No wonder that this brew is considered as one of the West Coast IPA landmarks.

Ölbeat

So I chose this one instead of all the Californian style songs available. At least the band is from the same state with the brewery, but why pick a song titled Panama? Beats me but just did. But I wasn't going to San Francisco or Hotel California or even dreaming about the state.

Van Halen: Panama (YouTube)

From the 1984 album 1984, the song was written by Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth.

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.