Beer Blog Reviews/ Blog About Beer

Blog About Beer. That’s pretty straightforward, isn’t it? It was started in 2007 by Luke Livingston, but Logan Thompson took it over in 2010. Thompson lives in the heart of craft brew country, Vancouver, WA. He insists he is no beer snob, and his reviews prove that. Some of these reviews here are very straight forward, plain spoken and honest. Thompson manages to get a hold of some really cool beers too. While an acai’ berry beer is not at the top of my wishlist, I’d definitely give it a try based on his description. Also I have got to find me some of this Magic Hat he’s reviewed a few times now.

BAB’s layout is clean and very professional. If any blog is a great representative of beer blogging, it’s this one. Simple colors arranged in eye-catching patterns, uniform fonts, clean logo and a great layout that lets your eye follow one portion to the next.

What I really like are what Thompson finds that aren’t related to beer reviews or beer fests. For instance he is the one who reported on Untappd before I did. Also his post on the Cycle Pub makes me envious of the Pacific Northwest – more than I already am just because of the beer there.

Thompson’s writing is concise and to the point. It’s also casual and invites discussion. He freely engages in conversations with his readers on his blog, which demonstrates an air of friendliness. Like Beer Buddha, Thompson understands the spirit of craft brewing that makes it great – sharing and engaging in comradery over great beer.

BAB is definitely a keeper in the beer blogosphere. You can follow it on Twitter if you choose but it’s worth going to and bookmarking.

 

Christmas Schmaltz

I don’t listen to much Christmas music, and it’s really because so much of it is overdone. Additionally I’m not exactly the “Jingle Bells” type, though I do dig the hell out of Christmas tunes done by Tom Petty, the Boss and Elvis. From time to time though I get the desire to hear a specific, Christmas tune though. “Blue Christmas” normally sates this but today I wanted to hear, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” Trying to find it made me wade through the surfs of schmaltz that I realized greatly pervades holiday music.

First I tried a basic one. I don’t know who did it. The video was posted by a user called reelworship, so this person is either a film lover or Christ lover (Maybe both?) Anyway this version is your basic, synth-driven version you’d hear at the mall. It’s pretty harmless, just a tad too basic and cold for me.

Yeah, not feeling that one. So I moved on and came across Loreena McKennitt. My wife loves her vaguely Celtic-New Age music. McKennitt’s music has a very defined, unifying motif to all of her songs and arrangements. That motif is basically that at any moment, a group of neopagans are about to strip to their pasty, pale bare bottoms and have a Wiccan orgy. All her music is slow drumming, hurdy gurdies and keyboards. So basically if you want to feel slightly naughty about a fairly staid Christmas traditional, then go with Loreena’s hippie orgy version.

Okay have you toweled off and put your clothes back on yet? Let’s move on then. Alright so I still want to hear a good version of this song that won’t a) make me sick from the saccharine; b) have sex at an inappropriate place and time. So I came across Metal Xmas, and wouldn’t you know it, my heroes Ronnie James Dio and Tony Iommi did their own take on “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

“Awesome!” I think, “Let’s give this a whirl!”

OH MY GOD THE STAR SPAWN OF CTHULHU HAVE DESCENDED!!! SULFUR IS FALLING FROM THE AIR! RUN! RUN FOR YOUR SANITY! Oh wait, this isn’t a Black Sabbath song. Dio/Iommi are out then. This is way too much sturm and drang for Christmastide. After this I decided to try old, Christmas stand-bys Manheim Steamroller. Bear in mind to this point I’ve never listened to them before in my life. In college I worked at Target and there was always a display in the seasonal section full of Manheim Steamroller’s numerous Christmas albums.

Okay I’ll give the Steamroller some credit here. Leading with a french horn is pretty cool just because hardly anybody does it. The rest though is way too muzak and not enough music. Maybe I have heard these guys before after all: in about a dozen different grocery stores during the Christmas season. Sorry, Manheim, but it’s just too vanilla.

I started to get a little disappointed by this juncture, because I’ve already tried several versions of this song and nearly every one is well, pretty damn ridiculous. But I did come across something that was unexpected, and promising. Jethro Tull has a version! This I had to try.

You know what, Tull’s version of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” isn’t exactly traditional, but it’s not mall music, it’s not over the top, and it’s not really even schmaltzy. It’s just the band diddling around with a simple, catchy tune. At this point I called it: winner – Jethro Tull. Maybe they should do a special, “Ian Anderson Saves Christmas?” I never thought the world’s only rock flautist would make my Christmas just right.

 

2010 Brew Haha Reviews

Photo: Nebraska Brewing Co.

Last Thursday when I was making a big to-do about the NFL season opener, I also happened to attend a beer tasting that night. It was a charitable event that I quite enjoyed, and I’d like to share some observations and reviews of what I saw and the beer I drank.

Event: Brew Haha, put on by Habitat For Humanity Omaha, sponsored by 96.1 the Brew.

Features: Beer Tasting (More below) from local craft brewers and sellers, food by local restaurants and grocery stores. Silent auction for artwork made by Univ. Nebraska-Omaha students.

There were 35 beers by about 11 different companies or organizations. I didn’t try them all, because several I had already drank before and saw no point sampling, but I did sample 7 beers that I hadn’t tried before (Note: one was actually a hard cider).

The Brew Haha staff handed all attendees a beer rating sheet listing all the beers, with boxes for Appearance, Aroma, Flavor and Overall. I graded Overall but calculating the average of the other 3 scores.

Gottberg Brew Pub (Columbus, NE) Oktoberfest: given the timing, many of the booths had fall seasonals for sampling and most had the “Oktoberfest,” moniker, including the well-known Samuel Adams take on the Oktoberfest brew. It’s got to be a uniquely American craft brewing thing, for in Germany I venture that most Germans just drink regular beer during Oktoberfest. But I digress; anyway, based on a 1-5 score, here is how I rated Gottberg’s Oktoberfest beer.

Appearance – 4/ Aroma – 3/ Flavor – 4/ Overall – 3.5

Gottberg’s Oktoberfest was above average to me and while it wasn’t bad by any means, the aroma didn’t do much for me. Appearance is kind of a hard one for me because beer is typically limited to small ranger of colors and the head to me doesn’t matter. I usually try to avoid pouring too much head and really, aesthetics is all we’re talking here so I never understood why that category mattered enough to rate. That’s what was on my score sheet though so I gave it a 4. The thing that matters, the taste, was also a 4 because I wasn’t blown away but wasn’t turned off either, and there wasn’t anything negative about the flavor. It just wasn’t special enough to rate a 5.

Lucky Bucket Brewery (LaVista, NE) Oktoberfest: Another one of several Oktoberfest brews, I was looking forward to having Lucky Bucket’s, for I really enjoy their lager and I love their sister company Solas’ vodka. I was actually pretty let down.

Appearance – 4/ Aroma – 2/ Flavor – 3/ Overall – 3

Now the thing is, aroma may have been affected by the fact I had been reusing my tasting cup and hadn’t rinsed it out to that point. Mixing beer in the same glass pretty much ruins aroma. So really take the 2 with a grain of salt, but it did pull the overall score down to a 3. That said the flavor really was, well, pretty thin and weak. Oktoberfest beers are usually pretty flavorful red ales and lagers, and Lucky Bucket’s was just totally “meh.” It didn’t rate a 2 only because it didn’t evoke a aversive reaction, just a very unimpressed one from me. Lucky Bucket is doing really well with their Lager in the Omaha metro, so its’ a shame to see they didn’t hit the mark with Oktoberfest.

New Belgium (Ft. Collins, CO) Hoptober: New Belgium is one of those craft brewers doing really well with its Fat Tire ale, and I’m a fan of their Tripel – it’s a much cheaper way to enjoy a Belgian-style, triple fermented ale and still get some of the quality. Hoptober is their entry into the fall seasonal bracket. I was over the moon for this damn thing, and that only happened once more during the whole tasting.

Appearance – 5/ Aroma – 5/ Flavor – 5/ Overall – 5

Hoptober struck me out of the blew right away for being the first beer I’ve had that was quite hoppy in aftertaste and aroma, but drank like a blonde ale: smooth at the start, hoppy at the finish. The bitterness of many hoppy ales like IPAs and such is there but in the background. It’s a subtlety I seldom encounter. I love this beer, that’s all I can say.

Woodchuck Cider (Middlebury, VT) Fall Cider: Oh man. This thing was just beautiful. If I wasn’t sticking to the 1-5 scale, I would’ve given it a 6 for flavor.

Appearance – 5/ Aroma – 5/ Flavor – 5/ Overall – 5

This cider literally smells like fall and apple pie. You are taken to New England just by smelling it. It’s the Yankee Candle of ciders. There are spices jumping right out of this thing, and one wonders if they liberally applied the nutmeg, ginger and allspice to get this one to come out like that. If one posited the question, “What does a season taste like?” I’d hand them Woodchuck’s Fall Cider and say, “Here. This is what autumn tastes like.”

Rock Bottom Brewery (Various, chain) Red Rocks: This is an amber ale that to me looked more on the reddish side, but that could’ve been because it was overcast outside during the event. Rock Bottom is a brewpub chain, which is kind of a new thing, because while there are plenty of large restaurant chains, I haven’t encountered one that makes its own beer until Rock Bottom came along. Their food seems no different from TGI-Rubychilibee’s, and the beer basically carried the same characteristics of the food from these places: it looks and smells good, but you can taste the SYSCO all over it.

Appearance – 4/ Aroma – 5/ Flavor – 3/ Overall 4

Red Rocks was right in the “meh” category for taste. I suppose If I was at Rock Bottom eating Generic, Midwesterner-Friendly Buffalo Wings or Healthy-Looking Meat Wrap #3, I’d like to wash the goliath portions I’d be served down with this beer.

Tallgrass (Manhattan, KS) IPA: Tallgrass needs no introduction here. I wrote a review on them and they sent me free beer. I thanked the booth attendee and told him to tell whomever sent the beer I am very appreciative. That said to this point I’ve never had their IPA nor their Oasis Double IPA. I tried both that night.

Appearance – 4/ Aroma – 3/ Flavor – 4/ Overall – 4.5

The IPA came in that colorful, tall boy can Tallgrass is so fond of, and even from the can it still tasted pretty damn good. Their IPA is not as bitter to me as some I’ve had, and I gave it a 5 in appearance for both the golden-hued beer itself and the green, striped can with the elephant on it. Tallgrass has some of the best-looking packaging in the craft brewing business. Anyway the flavor rated right at a 4. Again good, not above and beyond though like their Buffalo Sweat stout.

Tallgrass Oasis Double IPA: I have no basis of comparison for a “double” IPA, because I’d never had one until I tried Tallgrass’. That said I enjoyed pretty much everything about the beer except the smell.

Appearance – 4/ Aroma – 3/ Flavor – 5/ Overall – 4

Oasis comes in a yellow can, and the aroma is pretty unremarkable. It looks very golden and yellowy in your cup, and the flavor knocked me out. This is a great-tasting beer, and I mean that in the most serious way I can put it. Even from a can this beer tasted fantastic.

Final verdict: it seems that in my opinion, the out of state beers did better than the Nebraska ones; however, I must note that Nebraska Brewing Co, Upstream Brewing, Schilling Bridge and Empyrean Brewing were all there also. I didn’t review their beers because I had already tried the beers they supplied to the Brew Haha, and I already like all of them. In fact in terms of quality, Empyrean and NBC in particular easily match and even surpass some of the beers I reviewed. The important thing was that all the admission and proceeds from the auction (I won one of the artworks, as a matter of fact) went to Habitat for Humanity Omaha. Thanks to that group for what they do for the poor and for putting on the Brew Haha.

 

Warp Riders by the Sword

The Sword finally released Warp Riders unto the world, following a build-up of presales on Itunes and a special merch deal on their website (Pictured above). The Sword seem to be trying to branch out and grab more listeners with this effort, after two previous albums built a foundation for the Austin, TX metal group. The biggest change from Gods of the Earth to Warp Riders is the cleaned up mix, done by Matt Bayles. The fuzzy, wooly tones are still there but the low end is punchier and top end polished off a tad for a more compressed stereo sound. If anything the wildness of the Sword’s Orange amps echo more British-sounding, arena-ready heavy metal than their previous, smoky, Sabbath Jr. tones. Vocals this time are especially cleaner. In fact this is the first time I’ve been able to understand what John D. Cronise is saying.

Production changes aside, Warp Riders is a leap into concept album territory, something bands used to not do until their 4th or 5th albums, but the Sword have gleefully delved into pot-smoke hemmed fantasy arcs since Age of Winters. This is simply the first Sword album to have one, clearly intended narrative going through every track. The songs benefit from the tighter production, and no where does the Sword sound lost like they perhaps did on the weaker moments of their previous two releases. Indeed several songs just trim the fat and supply the riffs. The introduction of a few spacey keyboards and sound effects could potentially put off older fans of the band, but they are not liberally applied nor distracting.

Like previous efforts, the Sword does a great job of making one whole album feel cohesive, and not a collection of a few singles and filler. They are not a chorus-driven group, but instead a riff-driven one, and it really is the energy of their many passages, interludes and galloping rhythms that carry the workload for Warp Riders. This will probably be the album that gets the Sword put in the same favored category as Matt Pike (Sleep, High on Fire) and Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath, naturally) as crafty, metal riff constructors.

 

Primer: Stoner Rock

I’m a pretty big stoner rock fan. It’s one of my most-listened Pandora stations, and it heavily influences my own guitar playing. Of all subgenres of rock music going today, I think stoner rock still hasn’t gotten its due, and I’m surprised it hasn’t gained a wider following. Stoner rock is typically simple, catchy, heavy and rooted mostly in fun, and draws strong influence from classic rock and heavy metal. It’s possible that stoner rock’s appeal was limited because of the “stoner,” in its name, which for many bands associated with it, be they stoners or not, is a misnomer and limiting.

Stoner rock draws from a pastiche of different rock and roll styles, dating all the way back to the late 60s when heavy metal is said to first formed. The term and bands associated with it best arose in the late 80s and early 90s, and reached its apex at the same time grunge was spread across the airwaves. Often some of the grunge bands are lumped in with the stoner rock groups, because they shared a certain aesthetic in clothes, and loved a lot of same, fuzzy, dark records from early 70s rock bands.

To get into stoner rock, you need to know what inspired it, who the major players are, and where to find it. Here goes:

Primordial soup: The inspiration of stoner rock.

Kyuss

Black Sabbath is the most crucial band in the formation of stoner rock. Any early Black Sabbath album could easily fit in with any stoner rock band’s set, and some stoner rockers just blatantly rip Sabbath off. The first four Sabbath albums, from Black Sabbath to Volume Four, are the most vital to every stoner rocker’s collection. Those albums crystallized the heavy metal sound for most people, and are now considered iconic within all of rock music itself. Other important groups whose music went into the stoner rock soup include:

- Led Zeppelin, especially Led Zeppelin I and II

- 60s psychedelic and heavy blues rock bands like Blue Cheer, Jefferson Airplane, Hawkwind, Iron Butterfly, Cream, and Taste

- Deep Purple, mainly the Mark II lineup

- Classic heavy metal like Motorhead, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden

- Proto-punk like MC5 and Iggy and the Stooges, particularly the Fun House and Raw Power albums

- Naturally Rush, especially albums like 2112, Fly By Night and their first, eponymous album

- A plethora of more obscure classic rock heavies like Budgie, Mahogany Rush, Gamma, Montrose, Blue Oyster Cult and Mountain

- 80s  metal bands, like Candlemass, Bathory, Witchfinder General, Venom, Diamond Head, Angel Witch, Pentagram, Hellhammer, and Cathedral

- Classic punk rock like the Clash, Sex Pistols, the Ramones, the Buzzcocks, and the Vandals

- 80s punk and hardcore like Minor Threat, Fugazi, B’last, Operation Ivy, Bad Brains, the Germs, and The Misfits

All these and more contributed to the sound that would be distilled into what was called stoner rock in the 1990s. And the one ingredient that can’t be discounted, is that many of these bands freely engage(d) in controlled substances, notably psychotropics and marijuana. This usage especially is what got these bands tagged with the stoner label.

The First Wave: The bands who defined stoner rock, whether they meant to or not.

A cursory internet search on stoner rock will bring up Wikipedia pages, top 10 lists and other sorts of pages referencing stoner rock, and there is a consensus on which bands formed the core of that subgenre. These bands are basically the ones who are mostly clearly associated with the term. This is far from a comprehensive list, so omissions shouldn’t be seen as negligence or disrespect.

Fu Manchu

Kyuss – Blues for the Red Sun, released in 1992, is a pivotal work that lays the blueprint for what you can call stoner rock. Guitarist/singer Josh Homme personally hates the term, but he’s placed his dirty, fuzzy aesthetic into every band he’s been in since (Queens of the Stone Age, Desert Sessions, Them Crooked Vultures, etc.), so he’ll never truly escape it.

St. Vitus – The first band to introduce Scott “Wino” Weinrich to the world was once known around musicians’ circles as the World’s Slowest Band. St. Vitus epitomizes the dirge-like aspect of stoner rock. Wino’s gift of creating engaging guitar riffs has served him well ever since in bands like Hidden Hand and Shrinebuilder.

Sleep – This band’s seminal Jerusalem, paired with Sleep’s Holy Mountain, bring out a very analog, Black Sabbath-type atmosphere, and a strong indication that all these guys were really stoned out of their gourds when they made them. Guitarist Matt Pike has since gone on to the louder, more aggressive High on Fire.

Soundgarden – The early Soundgarden albums were much more psychedelic in nature than later efforts like Badmotorfinger and Superunknown. Rather Ultramega OK and Louder than Love showcased a free-wheeling Chris Cornell singing helium-high vocals over very wooly tones, with rhythms that felt like a mudslide. Soundgarden went on to great mainstream fame and got lumped in with grunge occasionally in the early-mid 90s.

Fu Manchu – These guys are perhaps the most lighthearted of the first wave stoner rock bands, with snarky lyrics about hot rods, skateboarding, UFOs and more. Fu Manchu also slowly developed a honed, defining sound that makes them stand apart from their peers. In Search Of and King of the Road are their indie-record days’ creative apex. Since switching to a major label Fu Manchu have slowly developed a cleaner, more punk rock edge to their sound.

Melvins – They started out on then little-known Sup Pop label in the early 90s, and just recently managed to crack the Top 200. Famous for their love of Kiss, weed and humor, Melvins have a long, hit-or-miss discography, but a very dedicated fan base.

Corrosion of Conformity – they are associated with stoner rock because of their love of weed, mainly. COC have heavy, Sabbath-influenced riffs, but freely profess a love for southern rock also, which puts them slightly apart from their peer bands in this case. Nonetheless COC were influential to the genre’s definition.

Riding the Wave: The bands who got the contact high and joined the circle.

Black Sabbath

Monster Magnet – They are heavily defined by singer/guitarist Dave Wyndorf’s eccentric personality. This vaulted them to brief, mainstream success in the late 90s with the single, “Space Lord.”

Bongzilla – These guys really, really want you to know that they like to smoke a lot of pot. They started in 1995 after stoner rock was fully underway.

Electric Wizard – They are also often classified as doom metal and sludge metal, due to the darker aspect of their music. Calling an album Dopethrone though puts them firmly in the stoner rock camp.

Atomic Bitchwax – A side project of members from Monster Magnet and Godspeed. Side projects developed out of musicians’ desires to work outside their main groups without having to leave or go solo, like what was common in the old days. Side projects are now very frequent and normal, especially amongst groups in the stoner rock subgenre.

Acid King – One of very few female-fronted stoner rock groups, Acid King have been kicking it since the early 90s and got prominence as grunge hit its peak and stoner rock was perhaps at its zenith.

Orange Goblin – A British import like Electric Wizard, the Goblin infuse their tunes with a free-wheeling, almost Steppenwolf-like quality, with images of motorcycles and colorful psychedelics.

Clutch – They started off as one of several stoner rock bands running together in the mid 90s, but have since grown and adopted rootsy, bluesy overtones to their sound. They also boast a strong cult following.

Later Period through Today: Splits, Side Projects, and Diversity.

Queens of the Stone Age – Arose from the ash pile of Kyuss, and vaunted Josh Homme to mainstream status. QOTSA have expanded far on what was considered stoner rock, into quirky, versatile tunes. Their albums are also known for their plethora of guest artist appearances, ranging from Dave Grohl to Billy Gibbons.

Fireball Ministry – A quartet with ever-changing bass players, the Ministry does very groovy, head-bobbing music with references to spirituality and internal struggle.

The Sword – Newbies to the genre, they are an aggressive, hairy sounding band with throwback motifs to fantasy lyrics. The Sword could also be classified as sludge metal by some critics.

The Sword

Priestess – A rather new band like the Sword, Priestess’ sound is a tad more radio friendly than that aforementioned band, but show a dyed-in-the-wool fondness for classic metal on their sleeves.

CKY – They are strongly associated with Bam Margera, the CKY2K videos and MTV’s Jackass (Drummer Jess Margera is Bam’s brother). CKY are known for heavy use of keyboards and octave effects on their guitars, along with lyrical themes about horror movies.

The Company Band – Features members of Clutch, Fireball Ministry, Fu Manchu and CKY. The stoner rock supergroup.

Mondo Generator – A side project (Another one of those) by then QOTSA bassist/vocalist Nick Oliveri, it is now his main group since leaving his other band.

Unida – A band formed from ex-members of Kyuss, Afghan Whigs and other groups.

Witchcraft – A throwback band if there ever was one, Witchcraft are a Swedish band that tries as hard as possible to make their music sound like it was recorded in 1969-1972 or thereabouts.

You probably noticed I was throwing out terms like sludge metal and grunge while reading this. That’s because musical nomenclature is very subjective, and some bands who are called grunge could easily be called sludge, and others could be in the stoner rock category while also being a grunge band. Not to mention terms like drone metal, doom metal, psychedelic metal and post-metal, all of which share common threads of slow tempos, heavy grooves, extremely distorted guitars and a myriad of phantasmal to personal lyrics. The easiest way to really classify a band as “stoner rock,” has largely to do with a strong, Black Sabbath influence along with other nods to classic rock and metal bands. All the groups mentioned here are big fans of old vinyl, so to speak. They tried hard to synthesize their influences in their own way, which resulted in a form of primitive-sounding but deeply rhythmic rock music.

 

Tallgrass Buffalo Sweat coffee stout

I don’t like to do beer reviews all the time, but I do like to share. Tallgrass Brewing Co. is impressing me more and more. First I had their ale, which is a red ale that’s tasty and smooth. Their stout, Buffalo Sweat, has some of the best coffee flavor I’ve had in a stout. The stout itself is kind of thin in consistency, not like milk stouts at all and much thinner than Guinness. This is good because perhaps Tallgrass could make a few stout converts where Guinness could not; the common drinker often perceives stouts as heavy, high caloric and too filling. In fact you can smell the coffee coming off this thing when you put the glass up to your lips. If you are a coffee drinker then this is surely a beer for you. I half expect this thing to wake me up rather than get me drunk.

In terms of flavor Buffalo Sweat has that rich, coffee taste as I’ve described, which kind of governs its whole flavor. Swishing a swig around a bit reveals other flavors, all of them good and beer-y. The finish is smooth, the aftertaste is basically more java, and I now want to take these to work in the morning and put them in a coffee mug. Nobody would notice anything but the fact that Buffalo Sweat is cold.

Here’s how Tallgrass describes it:

What we really like about this beer is the smoothness that brewing with cream sugar brings to the palate. This smoothness balances out the copious quantities of roasted barley used in the brewing process to create a rich, complex, and delicious beer. If you have not been a stout drinker in the past, give this beer a try. It might just change your mind about how dark beers should taste. It tastes so rich, but is surprisingly easy to drink!

What I pick up is that Tallgrass was maybe trying to make a palatable, easy-drinking stout, perhaps to show that people who would usually hold their nose to them could change their minds. I think it’s a good thing. Not everyone wants a Wychwood Hobgoblin or St Peter’s stout (Nothing wrong with those, of course), and the milk stouts like Left Hand‘s personally leave me feeling too full. Others might think different, but hey it’s a critique not science.

The Buffalo Sweat is 5% ABV/20 IBU, so it’s not gonna get you ripped that fast, but it sure will taste good getting to the buzz. Plus unlike most of its stout cousins, Buffalo Sweat won’t make you feel like post-Thanksgiving by the time you get there. If anything it shares about as much in common with a nut brown in terms of viscosity and fullness, as it does with stouts in terms of ingredients and flavor.

There you go, another flyover state craft beer showing that it’s not all East/West coast when it comes to making good, domestic beer. Go getcha some.

 

Stick Music

I ran into this guy at the Omaha Arts Festival today. Bob Culbertson plays what’s called a Chapman Stick. It’s a multi-stringed instrument invented back in 1974 by Emmett Chapman, a guitarist who was looking to expand his dimensions and creativity. The stick has both bass and guitar strings, allowing the player to go from bass, to baritone, to treble tones, all while using just his/her fingers.

Bob’s got a few discs out, which he sells himself. The one I got is called AcouStick Dawn, a collection of tunes done on the acoustic stick. He jumps from jazz to blues to classical to world music, brewing them up in a kind of new age/contemporary/folk stew. If you have ever heard of Andy McKee, Michael Hedges or other fingerstyle acoustic guitar virtuosos, Bob Culbertson’s in their school but takes things much further with his use of the stick over six string guitar. For those who haven’t heard of those cats, well, YouTube is your friend. Look ‘em up.

The music Culbertson plays is very technical, melodic and ethereal at times. His work is the kind you stick in for atmosphere if you want to chill out. For a musician, he’s a thrill just because of what the man can do with a big plank of wood with strings attached to it.

Here’s a video. He’s got a YouTube channel, so please go see more for yourself. The video is Bob doing “Little Wing,” a Jimi Hendrix classic, which is a good entry into the kind of arrangements Culbertson does.

 

Beers in the Heartland (Updated)

Long before Prohibition or the rise of mega-brews, American beer was much more regional and most brewers were family-owned. Legend has it that it was better too. We’ll never know that for sure, but even though mainstream beer is ruled by your SABMillers and Anheiser InBevs, the microbrewing industry is around to provide lots of tasty alternatives.

Having lived in the Midwest for most of my life, I’ve grown familiar with many brewers based in this region. I don’t consider myself as thorough as Beer Advocate, but I know what I like, and I enjoy trying new things. What I especially like finding are new breweries in the Midwest. Coming across a quality brewery here does many things for this region. One, it provides competition to the microbrews out in Oregon and Northern California. Two it provides some homemade culture and industry in a region too often derided as flyover territory.

This is by no means a top 10 list (Those are way overdone by blogs and sites writ large). It’ s just a random list of good to great brewers I’ve found across Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and other places. Feel free to check them out for yourself. If this is a bit Nebraska-heavy, I apologize. I’ve just spent the last 5 years living here and have managed to find a number of them. Comments to add to this are greatly, greatly appreciated.

Lucky Bucket Brewing Co.
Home base: LaVista, NE
Specialty: beer and vodka
Best brew: Lager

Lucky Bucket is only one on here that makes hard liquor too, called Joss Vodka. It’s beers are limited to just a lager, IPA and a belgian-style strong ale. The lager is very tasty; hoppy without being bitter, dark cinnamon in color, and with a light caramel finish. Brewmaster Zac Triemert went to Scotland to earn his Masters in Brewing and Distilling, so he brings a ton of brain power to the brewing process. They aim to capture pre-Prohibition recipes and flavors.

Tallgrass Brewing Co.
Home base: Manhattan, KS
Specialty: Lagers/ales
Best beer: Tallgrass Ale

Tallgrass proves there are good things in Kansas. The Tallgrass Ale is fantastic. It’s a red ale with this smooth texture, no aftertaste and some characteristics of a scotch ale. Founder Jeff Gill is a geologist-cum-brewer, and believes in canned beer – kind of an edgy attitude for the microbrewing crowd. He explains why in his Canifesto.

Schlafly Beer
Home base: St. Louis, MO
Specialty: Ales, Hefeweizen
Best beer: Pale Ale

Schlafly is brewed right my old stomping grounds. It’s a shame it isn’t quite as big as Boulevard, but it does make up for the swill being made across town by InBev Budweiser. Schlafly has broken out into two brewpub restaurants in the area, and is served in several bars also.

Schilling Bridge Brewing Co.
Home base: Pawnee City, NE
Specialty: Scotch ales, lagers
Best beer: 70 Schilling Scotch Ale

Schilling Bridge is also a winery. It’s beers are limited to a wheat, lager (Which I’ve already said was just so-so), scotch ale (Which is fantastic), stout, IPA and a seasonal. The scotch ale tends to show up in bars and disappear, so I don’t know if this is due to demand or if the brewery struggles to meet supply.

Empyrean Brewing Co.
Home base: Lincoln, NE
Specialty: Variety
Best beer: Third Stone nut brown/Burning Skye Scotch ale

Empyrean is aces for producing great tasting beer. It has a huge variety of them too, from a golden lager, to stout, nut brown ale, scotch ale and others. Empyrean is widely available in Nebraska, and is the primary beer served at Lazlo’s. It’s also available at the several Old Chicago restaurants around Omaha.

Nebraska Brewing Company
Home base: Papillion, NE
Specialty: Pale ales
Best beer: Hop God

NBC exists primarily as a brewpub restaurant inside a shopping complex. It’s beers were okay at first but have grown better with time. They are fond of wheats and pale ales there, so if you like your beer strong and hoppy, it’s the place to go. Hop God is an IPA/Belgian blend that is both sweet and bitter in the same cup. I didn’t like it on the first try, but after the second I was hooked. Their nut brown is very good too, and they serve growlers you can get refilled for cheap.

Update: NBC has won numerous awards this year at the US Open Beer Championship and Great American Beer Festival.

Surly Brewing Co.

Home Base: Minneapolis, MN

Specialty: American India Pale Ale

Best beer: Furious

It’s so good to get a Twin Cities brewer on here. Surly cops the eclectic attitude of Uptown and puts it all over their cans and straight into their beer. Furious, their American India Pale Ale, is boldly served up in an aluminum container, with a amber-gold color flowing from inside. Furious has fruity undertones and finish with a hoppy haze hanging over the flavor. If you ever get a chance, saunter down to the Town Talk Diner and have a Surly with some fried pickles.

Upstream Brewing Co.

Home Base: Omaha, NE

Specialty: Variety

Best Beer: Dundee Scotch Ale or their changing Cask Conditioned Ale

Upstream is a very popular brewpub in Omaha’s Old Market district. It features a large menu of hearty meals. Their chili, black bean burger and NY strip are my personal recommendations. Their beers range from American lager, to Scotch ale, to IPA along with seasonals and experimental beers, but the most unique feature they have is their cask ales. Upstream routinely takes a batch of beer and cask conditions it at cellar temperature rather than cold storing it, so you get the experience of a slightly warmer beer. This brings out flavors not usually taken in when it’s drank cold. IPAs, Scotch Ales and Pale Ales for example “pop” a lot more when you drink them. Upstream is one of very few establishments in Omaha who have this feature.

Gottberg Brew Pub

Home Base: Columbus, NE

Specialty: Variety

Best Beer: English Brown Ale

I reviewed Gottberg’s Oktoberfest when I attended the Brew Haha. Gottberg are some upstarts from Columbus who are trying a lot of different styles. They are worth keeping an eye on, for considering their remoteness and their inclusion of German lagers, hefeweizens, Belgian porters and a peach ale on their menu, Gottberg could maybe be a surprise victor in beer contests one day.

**Updates: I added Upstream, Surly and Gottberg to this article, especially since I just submitted it to Reddit/r/Beer. I hope you Beerits like it. If anyone thinks a Midwestern brewer should be included, please, contact me or comment on the article. I’ll take outside reviews and give you proper credit, and I certainly welcome the chance to try new beer.

 

The Kraken Reviewed

For my 30th birthday, my awesome fiancee got me the Kraken! I wrote about this great-looking rum back on the Jan. 14th, and today was my first chance to try a bit of it.

First thing, the appearance. It looks ominously dark on the official website, and sure enough in real life Kraken is the darkest rum I’ve ever seen. It’s darker than Capt. Morgan Private Stock, and has the same dark, oxblood character as Capt. Morgan Tattoo. The bottle design is a kick and the label looks incredible. It really calls out to the drinker.

After opening the bottle I took a whiff of the substance inside. Kraken is sweet, with a caramel distinction, and had no obvious alcohol characteristics in its odor. Everything about it so far was inviting. I took my trusty, empty Mason jar (We like to drink out of Masons in our household), and poured it straight. The flavor was very smooth, and I wanted a comparison, so previous to having Kraken I took a sip of Pyrat and a drink of Sailor Jerry. Pyrat and Kraken are so different you’d be hard pressed to think you were drinking rum each time. Pyrat burns, has a strong odor and light color, with a slightly higher proof than Kraken. Kraken is very laid back, sweet, the caramel aspect is very strong, and there is a tinge of smokiness. It tastes as dark as it looks, and you could sip it straight all night with no burn, no after taste, and enjoy a hard liquor with no chaser all night. Compared to Jerry, which has some burn and stoutness to its flavor, but leans more to the sweet side than Pyrat, Kraken had more subtlety and was much darker.

As for mixing, while Pyrat mixes great in spite of its strong taste, Kraken (whose color was as dark as my cola, if that paints a picture) actually enhanced the flavor of my soda. Jerry affects the soda so you always know its there. Capt. Morgan tends to lend a spiciness and sweetness to cola, while Kraken makes it an altogether tasty drink, sweeter but richer. I could detect the caramelly smokiness with each sip, and I just wanted more each time a drop went down.

Overall the Kraken is a great rum, and I am very happy to have received it as a gift. Top notch!