Ölbeat 011: Hopping Brewsters Warthog IPA

Brewery: Hopping Brewsters
Country: Finland
Style: India Pale Ale
Abv: 5,4 %
@RateBeer

Some similarities between the warplane and Pumbaa?

Hopping Brewsters, started in 2013, is a Finnish microbrewery from Akaa in Pirkanmaa region. I have tasted some of their beers - i.e. this one and Starkadr, a special gruit ale - in fairs and pubs, but finding their bottlings in stores and Alko has proven to be a challenge for me. Once I got a chance to buy Warthog, I grabbed couple of bottles with me.

What about the beer?
Colour is clear golden orange with thick white head. Aroma has strong, overwhelming scent of lemon and grapefruit. Taste attacks with dry and very hoppy bitter in the first bite. Notes of grapefruit and orange appear. Palate is bitter and piny, aftertaste adds heavy dry elements to these. When the beer warms up a little bit, grapefruit and lemon step forth in the taste.

Strong hops, lots of pine and dry bitterness and scent & taste of citrus fruits turn Warthog into a very beasty India Pale Ale. The bottle label promises US West Coast style, and the brew gets at least very near to the target.

Ölbeat

Since the brew has got its name from a war aircraft, Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II, there weren't many appropriate song choices available. Even though "Warthog" is not an air combat fighter, we'll forget the tiny mistake in details while listening to this:

Iron Maiden: Aces High (YouTube)

From the 1984 album, Powerslave, the song was written by Steve Harris, the band's bassist and primary songwriter. Instrumentally the song is pure traditional "Maiden metal" with fast tempo, solid bass & drum patterns, guitar riffs and vocalist Bruce Dickinson hitting some sick high notes. Lyrics are narrated from the viewpoint of British Spitfire pilot, who fights against German ME-109's in World War II. The fate of the pilot is left unclear, since the song ends with the pilot heading straight for the enemy and pressing down his guns. Warthog IPA can be compared to the skillful pilot of the song, but whether it's enough to keep the brewery in the air remains open. "Waiting for more brews, guys", that means. 

Ölbeat 010: Founders Curmudgeon Old Ale

Brewery: Founders Brewing Company 
Country: United States
Style: Old Ale
Abv: 9,8 %
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Despite the name not a curmudgeon brew...

Founders Brewing Company is a craft brewery in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. The brewery was founded in 1997 by Dave Engbers and Mike Stevens - two college graduates. As a winner of multiple brewery and beer awards and constantly high in worldwide brewery ranks (e.g. in 2013 Ratebeer's 3rd best brewery of all time) one expects special quality from the beer. Having tasted All Day IPA, Pale Ale and Centennial IPA before it was time to step out of the comfort zone and try something different.

What about the beer?
Colour is amber red with just noticable beige head. Aroma has a gentle scent of sweet smooth bourbon whiskey. Taste starts with molasses-driven sweetness of caramel malts. A layer of American bourbon taste with oak, vanilla and toffee - reminds me of Maker's Mark - spreads quickly into mouth. Palate and aftertaste add mild hops to the picture and in the finish there's a nice warming feeling of alcohol.

It seems that the oak-aging has rounded the sweet edge of the molasses and added the bourbon-like twist to the experience. The result is a smooth and balanced brew with complexity and unpredictability. Old ale is not an everyday beer style, and surely Curmudgeon is not - because of its rare excellence - a beer for every day.

Ölbeat

Since the beer made me feel good from the first sip, I put the feeling in front and settle for this classic:

The Doobie Brothers: Long Train Runnin' (YouTube)

From the 1973 album The Captain and Me, the song was written by the band's singer-guitarist Tom Johnston. Known for it's catchy guitar-bass line it was played by the band for three years before being recorded. The song's music was easily put together but the building the lyrics took some years: before the recording the band named it e.g. 'Osborne' and 'Parliament' and Johnston sang the lyrics that came into his head. Even the final lyrics were written quickly in a bathroom, and according to Johnston have no deeper meaning. But do you really need something deeper than: "Without love, where would you be right now?" With Curmudgeon Old Ale, I didn't.

Ölbeat 009: Stadin Panimo American Lager

Brewery: Stadin Panimo
Country: Finland
Style: Premium Lager
Abv: 4,5 %
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Born American in Finland

Stadin Panimo (StaPa), founded in 1998 for sahti brewing and started in 2000 with beer, is a Finnish microbrewery in Helsinki. The brewery was shut down in 2007 but restarted only one year later - for the joy of Finnish beer lovers. As the top of the success story the brewery opened its own bar in 2015. StaPa has been awarded for many of its brews, both sahti and beer. American Lager has been selected Finland's best "grocery store" (max 4,7 % abv) light lager in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and Finland's best beer in 2014, so it was a natural choice for the first StaPa beer with an Ölbeat.

What about the beer?
Colour is cloudy light yellow with bubbles and a two-finger-thick lasting white head. Aroma is fresh, filled with grapefruit and behind it there's more grapefruit. The first impression of taste is biting dry hops. Then you get distinctive lemon and grapefruit. High level carbonation is present the whole experience. Bitter aftertaste lasts long.

Let's cut it short. One of the first craftbeeroholic rules is: "Don't drink lager. Never. Only in and after sauna, if you can't obey the rule." After having this beer the rule says: "If you want to drink lager, drink this lager. Inside or outside the sauna. Everywhere. There are no other lagers." Now, let's wait for the rule to change again. 

Ölbeat
There actually were no other options. The perfect matching song is an American song by a Finnish band:

Hanoi Rocks: Up Around the Bend (YouTube)

From the 1984 album, Two Steps from the Move, the song is a cover song, originally performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival and written by John Fogerty - as we all know. The original was one of the band's rhythm guitarist Nasty Suicide's favourite songs, and it was first jammed in band rehearsals. The record label needed an international hit for the album, so they chose this one to the album. Rest is history: Hanoi Rocks turned the original swamp rock tune into an unforgettable piece of 80's glam rock. Unfortunately, the band's success story was cut short after drummer Razzle died in a car accident in 1984. Nevertheless, the most known lineup with singer Michael Monroe, guitarists Andy McCoy and Nasty Suicide, bassist Sam Yaffa and drummer Razzle had enough time to draw their mark in the rock'n'roll history. Anyway this song by this band was the only possible choice by the side of American Lager.

Ölbeat 008: Omnipollo Nebuchadnezzar

Brewery: Omnipollo
Country: Sweden (brewed at De Proefbrouwerij, Belgium)
Style: Imperial IPA
Abv: 8,5 %
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Losing sanity Swedish style

Omnipollo, having headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, is a gypsy brewery that makes its brews around the world. Known for both experimental untraditional view on beer and artistic bottles, the brewery has become known worldwide in a relatively short period of time. Nebuchadnezzar, named after the Babylonian king known for massive construction projects and some later life mental issues, is made after an up-scaled home brew recipe and described economically idiotic by the brewery. But that just suits me, sir.

What about the beer?
Colour is cloudy orange with a medium whiteish head. Aroma is rich: filled with fruit salad - grapes, orange, mango - and accompanied by citrus and hoppy notes. Taste starts with medium sweet gentle hops dominating, citrus gets in the game a little after and is strongest on the palate. Mouthfeel is mostly acidic. Aftertaste has warming bitter characteristics.

Somewhat more fruity than hoppy IPA - very smooth experience. This is clearly not an IPA for butt-kicking hop lovers - definition that sometimes fits me. Instead it's brewed for those who want to get rich fruit and hop aromas in the same bottle. It doesn't quite hit the expection of insanity on hoppiness, but it clearly hit my taste buds.

Ölbeat

I have to disappoint people who expect something peachy Swedish like ABBA, Europe or Dr. Alban. I rather lean on to the fruity madness:

Green Day: Basket Case (YouTube)

From the 1994 album Dookie, the song starts fast and runs the first verse through with only vocals and guitar of Billie Joe Armstrong. During the first chorus drummer Tré Cool and bassist Mike Dirnt enter the scene. Basket Case is a "Green-Day-labeled" punk rock song with lyrics where the narrator wonders if his behaviour is result of paranoia or being stoned. Singer-guitarist Armstrong has told that he wrote the song about his battle with anxiety, which was caused by later-diagnosed panic disorder. The punk attitude with the intensity and presence of mindlessness in the song was probably the main reason for matching it with Omnipollo Nebuchadnezzar.

Ölbeat 007: Birrificio del Ducato Machete Double IPA

Brewery: Birrificio del Ducato
Country: Italy
Style: Double IPA
Abv: 7,6 %
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Striking & slashing Italian job

Birrificio del Ducato, founded in 2007, is an awarded Italian brewery from Roncole Verdi, Parma county. Italy and especially Parma area aren't associated with beer but rather with other pleasures of life. Well, if you get quality food and quality wines from Italy then why not quality beer. Machete DIPA, named after the action film, was nicely available in an online store and got caught first.

What about the beer?
Colour is hazy light orange with a fuzzy white head. Aroma has quite mild hints of malt and citrus. Taste gives first a strike of sharp and sweet hops and then builds up with lemon and grapefruit. In the short aftertaste there is a bite of grape juice.

Initially a brutal India Pale Ale attack mellowed a bit down by citrus and the fruity aftertaste and gave some character to the beer. There were some rough attributes but nothing disturbing - decent stuff. After this first date I might keep the number of the brewery and get in contact later. Meanwhile there's time to get acquainted with the other competitors.

Ölbeat

Well, a violently named but nice beer might match with a violently named but nice music. Some power ballad from Slayer? Something worth listening from The Killers? Err, let's see what we found:

Alice in Chains: Rooster (YouTube)

From the 1992 album Dirt, the song launches off with a quiet but eery guitar-bass intro with some high "ooing" notes. After vocalist Layne Staley starts to sing, the song slowly builds angst and restlessness to the aggressive chorus: "Here they come to snuff the rooster... You know he ain't gonna die..." The lyrics were written by guitarist Jerry Cantrell for his father, a Vietnam veteran nicknamed "Rooster". Cantrell wrote the song without ever hearing about war experiences from him personally, but succeeded in capturing and wrapping up the father's feelings in the war. Thus, through a song with heavy anxiety a healing process started within the family. Something pleasant inside the rough shell, like in Machete DIPA.