Ölbeat 056: De Ranke XXX Bitter

Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Country: Belgium
Style: Belgian Ale
Abv: 6 %
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The hop-upgraded version of XX Bitter

What about the beer?
Colour is bubbly clear yellow with small white head. Aroma has lemon, yeast and grass. Taste starts with bitter and sour first bite. Lemon sourness and hoppy bitterness ride smoothly together. Near the finish the bitterness gets some tones of yeast and herbs. Aftertaste is sour and dry.

The tasty combination of sour citrus and dry bitter hops works with me. There are similarities with saison and farmhouse ales, which is excellent, but the bitterness turns the experience to a different direction, which is also excellent. Overall very fresh and clear cut experience.

Ölbeat

Bitter-sour brew can be matched with a blues song. Since the beer doesn't loosen its grip on the drinker easily, I found this piece of art from the master of blues rock:

Gary Moore: Enough of the Blues (YouTube)

From the 2001 album Back to the Blues, the song was written by Gary Moore.

Ölbeat 055: Ruosniemen Diplomi-insinööri

Brewery: Ruosniemen Panimo
Country: Finland
Style: Imperial IPA
Abv: 8 %
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Graduate engineer - stronger than the ordinary

What about the beer?
Colour is deep dark orange with big fluffy natural white head. Aroma has orange, lemon and malts. Taste bites first with heavy bitter hops and dry pine. Then sour grapefruit juice fills the mouth, and rough pine shows slowly up. Piny dryness and stinging bitterness just grow towards the end. Aftertaste is extremely dry and bitter.

That is one tasty and rough Double IPA. Heaviness of both hops and citrus feels balanced although the ride is fast and furious. The finish sandpapers the mouth with dryness. Very powerful brew.

Ölbeat

The song was chosen half by the name of the beer and half or its rocky roughness. Since this was a heavyweight brew, it's good for any craftbeer drinker's engine:

Dire Straits: Heavy Fuel (YouTube)

From the 1991 album On Every Street, the song was written by Mark Knopfler.

Ölbeat 054: Sori Investor IPA

Brewery: Sori Brewing
Country: Estonia
Style: India Pale Ale
Abv: 6,9 %
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Would you invest in this brew?

What about the beer?
Colour is cloudy dark orange with finger-thick natural white head. Aroma has orange, lemon and pineapple. Taste begins with bitter hops and grapefruit. Fresh grapefruit takes over, with a slice of sweet pineapple on the side. When the beer warms up a bit the grapefruit is replaced by heavy lemon-orange flavour. Before the finish mouth gets hit with dry pine and sour grapefruit. Aftertaste is dry and very bitter.

Fresh tasting fruity IPA, where bitterness strikes strongest in the end. The way the flavours evolve when the beer warms up a bit, makes the aroma and the taste fit together well. The brew was named to honour the crowdfunders which helped the brewery to start. That was money well invested.

Ölbeat

Since the beer is rocking fresh, it yells for guitars and classic rock. Because it has been brewed out of respect to the crowdfunders, this legendary tune caught my ear (even though they didn't get the money for nothing):

Dire Straits: Money For Nothing (YouTube)

From the 1985 album Brothers in Arms, the song was written by Mark Knopfler (except the backing vocal line "I want my MTV" by Sting).

Ölbeat 053: Raduga Lift to the Scaffold

Brewery: Browar Raduga
Country: Poland
Style: Session IPA
Abv: 4,7 %
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A.k.a Elevator to the Gallows, French crime film, 1958

What about the beer?
Colour is semi clear golden with tiny white foam layer. Aroma is dominated by malt with some citrus on the side. Taste bites first with sharp hoppy bitterness. Then comes stiff malty backbone, which is joined by tart lemon. Towards the end the lemon turns to grapefruit. Aftertaste is smoothly dry and bitter.

What can I say? Surprisingly firm and nicely malty session IPA. Great citrus aroma and flavours - both lemon and grapefruit have a refreshing role. Very interesting beer indeed.

Ölbeat

Even though tempted to match the brew with something from the movie's (Ascenseur pour l'échafaud) soundtrack, instead I pick something else from the jazz master behind it. Smooth and tender but still strong fits the brew perfectly: 

Miles Davis: 'Round Midnight (YouTube)

From the 1957 album 'Round About Midnight, the song was written by jazz pianist Thelonius Monk.

Ölbeat 052: Founders Dark Penance

KBrewery: Founders Brewing Company
Country: United States
Style: India Black Ale
Abv: 8,9 %
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Dim remorse? Well, remorse is always dim.

What about the beer?
Colour is black with medium but dense and slowly lowering beige head. Aroma has pineapple, peach, cherries and, when a bit warmed up, grapefruit. Taste starts with roasted tongue-biting bitterness. Then hoppy bitterness and sour grapefruit take over, followed by dry & piny flavors. Towards the end piny dryness and grapefruit dominate, and roasted malts return shortly. Aftertaste is grapefruity bitter and salty dry and lasts long.

Fruity aroma and fresh bitter hops in the first bite get the wagon moving, hoppy grapefruit in the middle adds some steam and at the end of the track there's roast, pine and grapefruit. So there are edges, and there definitely is taste: this is an Imperial IBA to mention. After some experiences with Founders brews I wonder: how hard it is to be unable to brew bad beer?

Ölbeat

Somehow it was again the name that led me in the search of the song. Since penance means absolution or remorse, it was the darkness and the heavy bitterness of the brew, that made me select this song. It puts together couple of stories where the resulting retribution can be dark and bitter:

Megadeth: Trust (YouTube)

From the 1997 album Cryptic Writings, the song was written by Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman.