Newcastle Werewolf

This is my first time trying this beer.

A British import from Newcastle, the Werewolf is advertised as a "blood red ale". It's only 4.5% abv, so it doesn't have quite as much bite as the name suggests, but that's okay. The label has some cool features like claw marks, a werewolf in the middle of the Newcastle star, and the tagline "escaped from Britain", but that's all irrelevant to the beer itself.

The first thing I noticed before even pouring is that this beer has an oddly sweet, fruity scent. Evidently there's some combination of berries used in this brew, which I'm guessing also account for the deep reddish hue. It really is an appetizing looking beer, with a very appealing color and a creamy, moderate head.

In terms of flavor, the berries don't taste as sweet as they smell. Instead, apart from the occasional sweetened hint, they mostly seem to feed into the beer's slightly skunky flavor. It's not a strong enough taste to be really offensive to anybody, but I think this is a bit hoppier than their standard brown ale. Beyond that, the flavor is mild to the point of near absence. There is very little aftertaste, and the whole thing, while perfectly drinkable and probably fairly sessionable, is pretty underwhelming. I'd certainly sit back and crack a few of these open if I was looking for an easy-drinking beer to share with friends, but there's not enough substance to make this something worth actively seeking out to try.

1959 Handlebar Club Silliness

This just made my day better, so I thought I'd share it.

Moustaches vs Spaghetti.

Grave Digger - Clash of the Gods

A classic heavy metal act, Grave Digger have been pumping out records in one form of another since the 1980s. Last summer they put out Clash of the Gods.

This is one of those albums I wish I'd heard last year, because despite the tough competition there's a solid chance it could have made the year-end list. Gritty and tough with sharp hooks, compelling melodies, gnarly vocals, and lyrics dripping in fantasy violence, this album had everything a good heavy metal release should have. In addition, it took no time at all to feel completely immersed. I initially plugged in the title track just to get a sample, and by the midpoint of that track, I was hooked.

The band brings in some really good background instrumentation and atmosphere, but it keeps the central emphasis on the crunchy riffs and the almost-too-harsh-to-be-traditional-heavy-metal vocals. For me, the overall blend was just right.

To be totally honest, while I'm familiar with them by name I don't really know much of the band's back catalog, so I can't comment on where this falls relative to their prior work. For good, recent, straight-up heavy metal, though, it's excellent. It made me want to start digging into their other work, and that's always a good sign from a record.

Grade: A-

The Beards - Having a Beard is the New Not Having a Beard

I've mentioned The Beards on this blog more than once. The comedy folk-rock group from Adelaide, Australia exclusively write and record songs about facial hair. Their style is pretty flexible, in stark contrast with their subject matter.

The band have, on their two previous albums, been rather funny and pretty descent on a musical level. Last year they released album number three, and while I didn't laugh quite so much this time around I think it might be their best release yet. The band has really focused on the musical aspect of their writing, and it shows. With tracks ranging from piano ballads to ZZ Top-esque rock, and even some lovely sax solos here and there, they really put together a good sounding record. Admittedly, the songs taken individually are not stylistically groundbreaking, but what The Beards demonstrate is an ability to play several different types of folk, rock, and pop with skill and energy.

I'd actually enjoy listening to this even with more conventional lyrics, so given the band's fixation with one of my favorite subjects, I really dig this.

Words of Wisdom