In this beer blog, we are going to get into one of many winter seasonal. I am talking about Revolution Brewing Fistmas. I had a chance to try it when I was visiting in Chicago over a few weekends ago. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on Revolution Brewing’s beers, you know the history of this brewery. If you have not read those posts, please, read them to get to know this brewery. Let us get into the beer.
It has a dark copper color with a constant white head. The smell is a heavy citrus. The taste is a slight carbonated ginger with citrus. The aftertaste is a hint of ginger. It is not really drinkable.
Red ale brewed for the holiday season with specialty malts to achieve a beautiful deep red hue and the aromas of fresh-baked bread, caramel, and stone fruits. Steeped with ginger root and orange peel.
Ending, in the last few years, I have not been overall impressed with many winter seasonals. I am hoping this year is the turning point for winter seasonals. I have to say this brew is a pretty good start. It might not be drinkable but it is pretty enjoyable for the time it is in your glass. I love the smelling notes to the tasting. There is a ton going on in this brew and it is a good thing for a winter and/or Christmas ale. If you are in the Chicago area, I recommend you trying this brew. If not, I would find a way to get some of this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
In this beer blog posts, we are going to get into the first brew on this blog from Rochester Mills Beer Company. I am talking about Milkshake Stout. Rochester Mills Brewery started in 1998 in Rochester Mills, Michigan. It is located just off the downtown around. This brewery is in one of the oldest buildings in the city. They brew several different beer styles and package them in 16oz cans. Let us get into the beer.
It has a jet black color without a head on this stout. The smell is a chocolate coffee. The taste is smooth creamy chocolate with a dark chocolate aftertaste. It is drinkable beer but not really drinkable beer.
Milkshake Stout is a sweet stout style Ale that combines four different malts along with a low hop level creating a deep dark beer featuring rich, roasted flavors. The addition of lactose (milk sugar, thus the name milkshake) adds complexity, body, and a residual sweetness that lends a smooth, creamy texture to this delightfully full-flavored brew.
In closing, this brewery has been on my radar before I moved back to Michigan from Chicago. When I had a chance to try this beer and several of their beers, I did it and I am really glad I did. This brew is smooth and creamy milk chocolate notes. This beer is like a beer milkshake like most milk stout. It is well balance and really good. I am glad I try it. I am looking forward to stop by their Brewpub in the near future. I recommend you trying this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
In this beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from Frankenmuth Brewery. It is their Hefeweizen. This beer style has really started to grow on me. If you read my earlier beer blog post on their beers, you know the history of Michigan’s oldest brewery. If you have not, please, read those posts to get to know this brewery. Let us get into this beer.
It has a hazel, unfiltered, and strew color without a head on it. The smell is banana. The taste is a banana with a wheat aftertaste. It is an extremely drinkable beer.
Hefeweizen Ale A sweet mixture of spices & fruit with hints of clove and banana, this refreshingly pale German wheat is top fermented, unfiltered and lightly hopped to achieve its smooth, pleasant flavor and unmistakable cloudy appearance.
ABV 5.2% IBU 13 Great with lighter foods, salads and seafood. Pairs well with lighter desserts.
Closing, if you asked me a year ago, I would be living back in Michigan and loving Hefeweizen. I would have said you are crazy. Both of these facts have come true. I am do not like whites and wheat ales just Hefeweizen. I love how the Germans make their Hefeweizen and how they influenced the beer world. I love the cove and banana notes. Frankenmuth Brewery, who is a German base brewery, knows how to brew those classic German beer styles. I can drink this beer anytime of the year. I highly recommend this brew. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
In this special beer blog, we are going to get into a project that Upland Brewing did not know was going on in their brewery. One of their assist brewmasters started a sour and package it. Everyone at the brewery loved his sours. Sour ales take years to make and is one hardest beer style to make. If you mess it up, you need to start over. If you read my earlier beer blog post on their Dragonfly IPA, you know the history of this brewery. If you have not, please, that beer blog post to get to know this brewery. Let us get into this sour ale.
It is a cloudy strawberry color without a head on the beer. The smell is a sour strawberry. The taste is extremely sour strawberry and tart with sour aftertaste. It is not drinkable.
Closing, I have to say I am a huge fan of sours and Upland Brewery. I was excited to get my hands on this brew. I know this sour is hard to get on the market. I have to say this brew is pretty sour. I like it but I wished I had cork to save it for the next day. The color, smell, and taste are sour strawberry notes. This is an awesome beer and they have done a great job on this brew. I hope to get a chance to try their other sours in the near future. I highly recommend their sours. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
In this Unknown Music Thursday blog, we are going to get into the latest super group that might be around a lot longer than most. You might know the names but not the band name. I am talking about The Winery Dogs and this is their first record, which is named after the record. The band is Richie Kotzen, who is Lead Singer, Keyboards, Guitars, and Percussion, Billy Sheehan, who is Bass and Back Up Vocals, and Mike Portnoy, who is Drums, Percussion and Back Up Vocals. Richie Kotzen was part of Poison for one record in the early 1990’s and put out several solo records. Billy Sheehan has been part of several bands like Mr. Big and Dave Lee Roth solo band. Mike Portnoy is best known for his time with his old band Dream Theater and was part of Avenged Sevenfold for one record. There is not much history on this band. They were formed in Brooklyn, New York in 2012. They were looking to a more of a classic hard rock sound for their music. Let us get into the music.
Track List:
Elevate
A classic hard rock start to the opening track. Richie is rocking it on the guitar while the bass and drums are solid. This is a solid song. I love the drumming and bass playing. I love Richie’s singing, which I have always loved it. This band wrote some nice lyrics to go along with the music. Mike is a mad man on the drums. I love the bass break that they gave Billy on this song. Mike is going nuts on the drums during the bass solo.
Desire
I love the guitar riff at the beginning of the song. Billy is dancing all over the place on bass. Richie’s singing is pretty strong with some really great lyrics. I love how everyone in this band is singing. It is a pretty rare situation. I am loving the music on this song. I love the bass break towards the middle of the song. There is a nice guitar break right after the bass solo.
We Are one
I love the heaviest on the bass and drums at the beginning of the song. The guitar riff is simple but bends nicely with bass, drums and the singing. I love how Mike and Billy sing with Richie on this song. I love the lyrics and he is singing is pretty strong. I love Richie guitar breaks between the singing. There is some pretty solid playing towards the end of this song. I am enjoying the music middle point and at the end.
I’m No Angel
I love the guitar playing at the beginning with some solid drums and bass playing that comes in seconds after the guitar playing. The slower is perfect at the point of this record. There is some solid lyrics. There is some really nice music on “I’m No Angel.” I really like the back up singing on this song. The guitar playing is pretty good with those short guitar solos.
The Other Side
I love the drumming at the beginning and the bass player enters with a nice riff. Richie comes in with a nice high-end guitar riff to float over the top. Richie’s singing is solid on this song. I love the lyrics. The music is pretty solid on this song. The guitar break brings on some nice fast pace drumming from Mike. It turns into a nice guitar solo at the midway point of the song. I love the trade-off from the drums and bass in the last two minutes of the song. The guitar solo over the top is just right and perfect.
You Saved Me
I love the fast pace acoustic guitar with the echo from the bass in the background. The drums are calm and fade which makes it just right. I love the layers on the guitars. I am not going to say this much but multiple guitars are just right for this song. It sounds good and right. I love Richie’s singing and there is some nice lyrics. There is some well placed back up singing. I am really loving the music on this song. I love the ending of this song.
Not Hopeless
I love the solid start of this song on a music stand point. Richie’s singing is solid with some nice back up singing. Winery Dogs wrote some nice music on this song. I love the trade-off on the solos from the guitar and bass player. There is some solid lyrics and music on “Not Hopeless.” I love the meaning and theme behind this song. There is a nice exiting guitar solo at the end.
One More Time
I love the guitar playing at the beginning of the song. Billy comes in dancing all over the bass with some solid drumming from Mike. I love Richie’s singing. There is some well written lyrics on “One More Time.” There is a solid ending.
Damaged
I love the music and the pace of this song. I love the lyrics and how Richie’s singing is calm and relax. This is a nice relaxing song. He has a nice melody on “Damaged.” I love drums and bass playing on this song. There is a nice guitar solo towards the end of the song.
Six Feet Deeper
I love the music at the beginning. It has a nice pace to it. Billy has some nice movement on the bass guitar. There is some nice lyrics and the lead singer singing is solid. I love the well placed back up singing. There is a nice guitar solo towards the middle part of the song. I love how they ended the song.
Time Machine
I love the guitar playing at the beginning. It reminds me of something you would hear from Soundgarden or Alice In Chains. This whole song sounds like something from the Grunge era of metal in the early to mid 1990’s. They did a great job on the writing between the lyrics and music. I believe this is my favorite song on this record. I love bass break at the end of the song. I love the ending of “Time Machine.” There is a nice guitar solos towards the end.
The Dying
“The Dying” starts off slow with some nice guitar playing. The singer has some solid singing. There is some nice lyrics. I love drumming from Mike. I love distorted guitar effected. It is not over the top but it is just right. He has a nice overdrive pedal to make that nice powerful warm sound. I love the how they are using the back up singing on this song. There is a nice build up to a guitar solo towards the middle part of the song. I love how they ended this song.
Regret
I love the drumming and the keyboard playing on “Regret.” They twisted some piano and organ playing. I love melody and lyrics from the singer. I could see Bruno Mars singing on this song and writing it. Richie and Bruno has some nice soulful singing voices. I love the music on this song. They put some thought behind this song. There is some nice guitar and piano action towards the middle of the song. It turns into a nice guitar solo. This is a perfect ending to this song and this great first record for this band.
Line Up:
Richie Kotzen – Lead Vocals, Guitars, and Keyboards
In closing, when I heard this band was happening, I was pretty excited to hear the music. I have always been a huge fan of Richie Kotzen and Mike Portnoy. This is pretty much what I thought the record would sound like. It reminds of a Richie Kotzen solo record. I mean that in a good way since I am a huge fan of this guitar playing and singing. Richie writes some great tunes and put Mike behind some of the songs to help write them. It is something else. The lengths of these songs are just right. They are not too long but not too short. Some I do feel need to be a little bit longer. The music on this record is off the charts good. I hope they have success with this record and tour. I would love to hear more tunes from this group. I highly recommend this band and record if you are a fan of the classic hard rock sound. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
In this beer blog, we are going to get into a newer brewery in the last ten years in the southeast part of Michigan. The brewery is called Liberty Street Brewery. They opened back in 2008. There is not much history on this young brewery. I did find some information on their website. Let us get into the beer.
American IPA
It has a clear copper color without a head on it. There is really no smell to me. The taste is piney to earthy notes with a weird but good aftertaste. It is almost like Jolly Rancher or candy aftertaste. It is a mild IPA but pretty drinkable beer.
A decidedly hoppy and bitter, moderately strong American pale ale. American hop character can be described as being citrusy, piney, fruity and resiny.
Starkweather Stout
It has a jet black color with a tan color. There is chocolate to a touch of coffee smell to this stout. The taste is a heavy coffee but a smooth taste to it. THe aftertaste is dry chocolate notes. It is drinkable for the type of stout.
This stout is full of chocolate flavor and aroma coming from grain only. A rich mouth feel mellows the slight hop bitterness and makes this an easy drinking stout, even in warmer weather.
Porter
It has a dark brown to black color with a fluffy tan color head. The smell is of burned chocolate. The taste is the same as the smell. There is an aftertaste but pretty fade. It is like dry chocolate. It is drinkable like the porter for the type of beer style.
American Farmhouse IPA
It has a cloudy bright yellow color without a head. The smell is a heavy farm like smell. This is a Belgian Saison. The taste is like a saison with some citrus to funky spices. It has citrus to slight dry hop finish. It is a pretty drinkable beer.
Closing, I have been wanting to stop by this brewery and check out their beers. I had a chances a few months ago and I am glad I did. I have been a little behind on my posts and I am glad I am getting it out now. I became a fan of this brewery pretty quickly. I loved both of their IPA’s. I had their C-Monster at the Michigan Brewer’s Guild Summerfest. I thought that was pretty good too. I love their porter and stout. Since I have moved back to Michigan, I will be by this brewpub a lot more. I highly recommend this brewery and now they are packaging their beers. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
In this New Music Monday Blog, we are going to get into their fourth studio record, which his called “The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 1.” There will be a volume 2 release in the later part of 2013 and that will their fifth studio record. We are going to get into the history of this band and then the music. Let us get into the history.
History:
Five Finger Death Punch was formed in 2005 by Zoltan Bathory, who is the guitar player, and Jeremy Spencer, who is the drummer. Zoltan Bathory was a bassist in his old band which was called U.P.O. Matt Snell joins the band in 2006. The band recorded music and then send it to Ivan Moody in Denver. The band named themselves after some classic martial arts movies. Ivan later that year flew out to Los Angeles. They began to record their first studio record, which was called “The Way Of The Fist.” The band did not have a second guitar player, however, Stevo “Shotgun” Bruno and Mike Sarkisyan recorded parts on the record while being mixed by guitarist Logan Mader. Caleb Andrew Bingham joined the band for a few shows as their second guitar player. He was later replaced by Darrell Roberts. During this time, the band signed with the record company, which was “The Firm.” In 2007, the band released their first EP, which was called Pre-Emptive Strike through American Itunes. “The Way Of The Fist” was released in 2007 and enter the Billboard Charts Top 200 at #199. They went on several major tours to support their first record. They were on the Maythm Festival and Korn’s Family Values Tour. They supported Disturbed during this time too. The band re-release “The Way Of The Fist” in 2008 with few bonus tracks. “Never Enough” was added on to the record and became the band’s second single off the record. Darrell Roberts was asked to leave and was replaced by Jason Hook in 2009. The band stop touring and supporting their first record at this time too. “War Is The Answer” which is their second studio record was release in 2009. It entered the Billboard Charts at #7. The record had several singles including the cover of Bad Company’s song, which was “Bad Company.” This is one of my favorite cover songs from a hard rock and metal band. The band went into the studio to work on their third record, which was called “American Capitalist.” The record was released in the later part of 2011. The band brought in bassist Chris Kael to replace Matt Snell, who departed from the band. The band had some success with this record but like their first two studio records. They had several singles off “American Capitalist.” Early part of 2013, the band began to work on their fourth record. By May of 2013, the band announced they will be putting out two records. “The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 1,” which is their fourth record and the one that will be review on this posted, and later in the year Volume 2 will be released. The band realize they were writing some good tunes and they did not want to stop writing. They dropped some tunes for a double studio record. The band brought in several special guests and one was Rob Halford from Judas Priest. They performed this song with Rob at 5th Annual Golden God Awards. The second volume will be released in November, however, they just release the first single off that record called “Battle Born.” Let us get into Volume One.
Track List:
Lift Me Up (Featuring Rob Halford Of Judas Priest)
There is some nice heavy guitars with the drums and bass. The drums have a nice beat to it. Ivan has a nice melody to his singing. I am loving the lyrics. I love how they are using Rob Halford on this song. Their voices match really well. This is a great opening track to this song. Metal God still sounds great when he is singing. I love the pace of this song. There is a nice guitar solo towards the end of the song. I love the ending of this opening track.
Watch You Bleed
I love the reverb on the singer’s voice and the nice acoustic guitar at the beginning. I love the heavy guitars and the drums during the main part of the song. Ivan wrote some nice lyrics on this song. I love the fact that the drummer is using double bass during the main part of the song. There is a nice guitar break that turns into a nice guitar solo towards the end of the song. Nice touch on the ending of this song.
You
There is some nice music at the beginning. I love the melody of this song. Ivan wrote some nice lyrics on “You.” I love the slower pace on this song. It gives this record a different element. This band reminds of Pantera back in the day. I have to say they are today’s Pantera. There is a nice guitar solo towards the end of the song. It kind of feels forced into the song. I am not a fan of the ending.
Wrong Side Of Heaven
I love the acoustic guitar with the second over the top of it in a semi guitar solo. I love how they had the drums in the distance and it comes front. I love Ivan’s clean vocals. I love the lyrics. They wrote some nice music on this title track. There is a pretty good guitar solo towards the middle of the song. I love how Ivan sings over the top of the back half of the guitar solo.
Burn MF
I love the heavy guitars and the drums highlighting parts at the beginning. There is some solid bass playing on this song. I am not fan of Ivan’s singing, however, the lyrics are solid. The drums are insane on this song. This song is straight to the point. I love the ending.
I.M.SIN
I love the music at the beginning of this song. I love singing and lyrics on this song. It fits the song and the theme. Ivan wrote a nice melody to this song. They pull a page out of Pantera’s music book and did the spoken words before a nice guitar solo. I love the ending of this song.
Anywhere But Here (Featuring Maria Brink)
I love the heavy guitars at the beginning with a nice backing from the drums and bass. I love the acoustic guitar with the heavy guitar at the front. I love the melody and lyrics from Ivan. I love the guitar solo at the back half of the song. I wish they would use Maria more on this song. There is another version of this song towards the end of this record. It is part of the bonus tracks. Why even have her on this song if you are not going to use her.
Dot Your Eyes
I love the drums and the guitar playing is pretty good at the beginning. There is a simple but to the point bass playing. This song reminds of “When Worlds Collide” from Powerman 5000. The rhythm and melody from the singer and how the music is playing. You can see that this band was influenced from the bands from the 1990’s. I love how they are using the back up singers. There is a nice guitar break at the end of the song.
M.I.N.E (End This Way)
There is some nice acoustic guitar playing at the beginning of this song. I wish they used it more and more. Ivan’s singing is good with some good lyrics. I love how the bass and drums calm to fit theme of this song. This song has a nice pace to it. There is another forced guitar solo towards the middle of this song. Can this band go one song on this record without a guitar solo? They are well written but some are just forced into the song.
Mama Said Knock You Out (Featuring Tech N9Ne)
I love the guitar and drums at the beginning of this song. This is the first cover on this record. It seems like they always has a cover on all their records. This is really bad. I wish they did not do this song. Are you kidding? Really?!?!?!?! This is the worse cover I have heard in a very long time. I am good. I cannot finish this song.
Diary Of A Deadman
I love the music at the beginning. I am really not a fan of the spoken words on this song. I love the guitar break. These last two songs at the end of this record have been really disappointing. I feel this is a bad way to end this great record.
I.M.SIN (Featuring Max Cavalra)
This is the first of three bonus tracks with guest singers. “I.M.SIN” has lead singer from Soulfly, who is Max Cavalra. I love the music as I said above. I want to see how they work Max into this song. They did a great job working him into this song. I love this version better than the regular record one.
Anywhere But Here (Duet With Maria Brink)
This song features Maria Brink, who is the lead singer of In This Moment. I love how they are using her on this version. This is a better version. They should have used this version on the main record not the other one. There voices work well together.
Dot Your Eyes (Featuring Jamey Jasta Of Hatebreed)
“Dot Your Eyes” features Jamey Jasta from Hatebreed. I love this version like the rest of the bonus tracks. The second lead singer gives another element to the songs and music from this band. This is a great song to end this record with the bonus tracks.
Closing, this record is by far their best work to date. I am pretty impressed because I thought their last two records were their best. This band is at the top of metal world right now and I do not see them going away anytime soon. They remind me of a modern-day Pantera. Is this what Pantera would be doing today if they were still around? It is a great question. There were only two songs on this great that I would do without. It was the last two songs before the bonus tracks. This is a solid record and I can see them doing really well with it along with their Volume 2. Volume 2 will be out later part of 2013. I highly recommend you checking out this great record. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Redhook Brewery Game Changer Ale is the featured brewery and beer on this beer blog. This is a beer that is exclusive to Buffalo Wild Wings. If you read my earlier beer blog on Redhook Brewery, you know the history of this brewery. If you have not, please, read those beer blog posts to get to know this brewery. Let us get into the beer.
It has a clear copper color with constant small bubbles raising up from the middle. There is a creamy like white head on this pale ale. The smell is notes of citrus and slight malty. The taste of this light to medium body is carbonated citrus with slight caramel notes. The aftertaste is creamy caramel. It is extremely drinkable.
Redhook Game Changer Ale is a sessionable ale with rich color to distinguish it as craft, just enough hops to cut the spiciness of wings, and the right amount of malt to cool the burn.
Closing, I am excited with every brew this brewery puts out on the market. I am a huge fan of Redhook Brewery and I am not going to hide that fact. I love the Dan Patrick beer, which is Audible Ale. Audible Ale has grown since its release. When I heard about this beer with Buffalo Wild Wings, I thought maybe they just rename Audible Ale. It turns out I was totally wrong. They are two different pale ales using different hops and malt. Game Changer is a little bit more on the copper color and maltier. These brews are really good and well made. However, I just feel Game Changer is the weak link in Redhook beer collection, it is still a great beer. Buffalo Wild Wings will sell a ton of this beer to make it worth wild for Redhook. I recommend you trying this brew at least once. Please let me know what you think of it. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Starting a new tab, Oskar Blues Brewery is the feature brewery and the beer is their Mama’s Little Yella Pils. If you read my earlier beer blog post on their Dale’s Pale Ale, you know the history of this brewery. If you have not, please, read that beer blog post to get to know this brewery better. Let us get into beer.
It has a clear golden color with small constant bubbles. It has small constant white bubbles. The smell is of import pilsner and lager. It has a malty notes. The taste of this light body has malty backbone but the hops shine through it. It is a drinkable beer.
Oskar Blues’ Mama’s Little Yella Pils is an uncompromising, small-batch version of the beer that made Pilsen, Czech Republic, famous. Unlike mass market “pilsners” diluted with corn & rice, Mama’s is built with 100% pale malt, German specialty malts, and Saaz hops. While its rich with Czeched-out flavor, its gentle hopping (35 IBUs) and low ABV (just 5.3%) make it a luxurious but low-dose (by Oskar Blues standards) refresher.
Closing out my tab, I have said this once and I will say it a few more times. There is not too many craft breweries that can make a good craft pilsner. Oskar Blues has brew a great pilsner. I am talking about great pils. This beer is well-balanced. I love selection of the hops. Mama’s Little Yella Pils can be consumed in the winter and middle of the hot summer. I highly recommend this brewery and beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
Oskar Blues Brewery Old Chub Scotch Ale is the featured craft brewery and scotch ale on this beer blog post. If you read my earlier beer blog on their Dale’s Pale Ale, you know the history of this brewery. If you not read those beer blog posts, please, read the blog post on Dale’s Pale Ale. Let us get into the beer.
It has a dark amber or dark brown color with fluffy white head on this scotch ale. The smell is caramel, malty, and hazelnut notes. The taste of this light to medium body beer is heavy hazelnut notes with a dry malty notes. It is a pretty drinkable beer.
This jaw-dropping Scottish strong ale (8% ABV) is brewed with bodacious amounts of malted barley and specialty grains, and a dash of beechwood-smoked malt. Old Chub features semi-sweet flavors of cocoa and coffee, and a wee-bit of smoke. A head-turning treat for malt heads and folks who think they don’t dig dark beer.
In closing, there is not too many craft breweries that make a scotch ale. However, it makes senses why this brewery makes one, they are located in an area where most of the year. It is cold more than it is warm in an average year. This is a great brew. This brewery makes some killer brews but I just feel they are all overpriced. Please, do not get me wrong. Oskar Blues Brewery makes some great brews. I just wish they were a little cheaper. In the Detroit market, they are little bit more of a value than the Chicago market. It is not by much and I hope you let me know your thoughts on this brew. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/
DJ Weiser 