8 Wired Brewing Co.: iStout

New Zealand, while it sits in the southern hemisphere, its summer (our winter) yields a mighty hop harvest that allows brewers in the northern hemisphere to make fresh, wet hopped beers year round. (Although the common wet hop beer season is around now) While I definitely think of this country's hop output I rarely think of their beer scene. Thanks to a trip to Oakland's Beer Revolution (and a bit of curiosity) I have in my hands the iStout: A 10% Russian Imperial Stout, brewed by a "nomadic Danish brewer, who has finally found permanent ground in Marlborough, New Zealand," according the the bottle's label.

Upon the first pour, the pitch black beer begins to form a golden bronze head that dissipates shortly after I place my glass on the table. After letting this brew sit for a moment I dip my nose into the glass. (What? Like you don't?) Because the beer is still frosty, and without a foamy head, I'm having a hard time getting big aromas. Dark, roasted malts make their way to my nasal pallet. Additional notes of dark, strong coffee begin to show up to the party. Nothing entirely out of the ordinary, but not bad.

The first sip can only be describe as BIG. This beer is not a toy, it's for the big boys. Big notes of dark chocolate, sweeter malts and something acidic. For those familiar with the style, there are definitely a lot of familiar flavors, but not in the same combination that you'd expect with an American variety. The texture is viscous, and somewhat dry. Each sip leaves a chalky, roasted flavor in the finish.

I'm definitely glad to know that the nomadic Danish brewer was not just someone from Mikkeller. (a A Danish brewery known for occasionally renting facilities around the world) That shit would be 10 times more wild! This is definitely a good effort by the Kiwis. I'm curious to try more of there stuff. This beer definitely stands up to standards. Definitely worth aging to see what changes.

Why a classic era Sepultura reunion shouldn't happen (more thoughts on reunions)

There has been a lot of talk in recent months regarding a possible reunion of Sepultura's classic line up. You know, the one with both Max and Igor Cavalera. Hopes were high when Igor not only quit the band (and being the last very original member) to join forces with his brother in the Cavalera Conspiracy, but quashed any hopes of a reunion. There continues to be talk about the never ending possibility of a reunion (which as been documented ad nauseum on the Internet), with different thoughts from all sides, but nothing close to conclusive.

For whatever reason, the departure of Max began Sepultura's downward spiral towards irrelevance. While their earlier catalogue can still be held with high pantheon-like regards, their music has arguably taken a nosedive while Max's bread and butter, Soulfly, has cruised on along nicely. (Even though a considerable number of Sepultura songs have made it into the band's live set) It would be dangerous to say that the band has shared a similar fall from grace as Metallica, but the later still manages to bask in some kind of glory. It wasn't until I came across THIS ARTICLE that I found a solution to the great Sepultura Reunion questions: Don't do it!

"SOULFLY has had so many different formations," says Sepultura axeman Adreas Kisser, "so you lose kind of a characteristic sound there. Of course, Max and his vocals is what it is. I mean, he's been writing the same stuff over and over again. And in that sense, I don't think he has really evolved too much."

And this is where we say, "Hey! That sounds hypocritical!" As I wrote in my review for Sepultura's latest folly, Kairos, Sepultura hasn't written anything new, exciting or otherwise in quite a long time either. Dare I say that they haven't put out a solid album since Roots? An album which could also arguably serve as the foundation and jump-off point for Soulfly.

Derrick Green, Max's replacement in the band, has not gotten his due justice. Although he's been a member of Brazil's famed metal export longer than Max, he has not helped the band's efforts. While there may be a movement of fans that side with Green and support his efforts, it's very clear that the band relies on pre-Green efforts to keep a float. For the past 14 years the band has not been able to make a musical impact.

Go on Youtube; search through your music collection; listen to post-Max Sepultura, and then go listen to Soulfly. Both bands are lost. They are both riding on the success of what once was, when Sepultura wrote classic, ground breaking jams.

"When working with different musicians all the time, it's kind of hard to have a characteristic sound or try to do something original." Says Kisser. While Soulfly may have a rotating door of musical support it has been made clear from day one that Soulfly is Max's band. And at least there seems to bee some kind of effort in the Soulfly camp to do something different. Kisser's point may be valid, but it seems rather contradictory. Sepultura, with a different frontman and now a different drummer, have failed to do anything with a lasting impact (and for whatever I feel as if I hold my breath with each new release, hoping to exhale in celebration). With the release of each new album, Sepultura sounds more and more tired, playing through a dirge of uninspired riffs. Soulfly (whose music I haven't been a fan of since I was 16, when it at least sounded like a good Sepultura knockoff) sounds like rehashed nümetal and -core riffs. How either have managed to succeed is beyond me. Mr. Kisser, what you have said is true for both bands, and you're in denial.

With that said, what good would a reunion do for anyone? Between Soulfly and the Cavalera Conspiracy Max has gone in a direction far from anything resembling Sepultura past or present. What good would reuniting to play some old jams and recreating something that hasn't existed for quite some time? And judging by the caliber of songwriting of either band, would anyone really want a reunited Sepultura to make new music?

Putting aside the gossip, hearsay and ill will; a reunion of the classic lineup of Sepultura would hardly provide salvation for anyone. Dwelling on the same things for 14 years, or merely having to live with the fact that fans will never be happy, is an uphill battle of Sisyphus-like proportions. Even if there was a reunion, they'd probably just play songs off Roots and Chaos A.D. anyway.

New Belgian Brewing Co.: CLUTCH (Lips of Faith)

I've always thought it a bit odd for a brewery and a band to collaborate. Lagunitas named a series of beers after Frank Zappa albums, but that was done in celebration of the 40th anniversary of each album. And while I have heard of breweries naming beers after the spirit of certain genre's (and of course Decibel Magazine's inaugural edition of Brewtal Truth, in which styles of beer were compared to sub-genre's of metal), this seems new to me.

The maker's of the some of the most medicore beer in the USA has continued to surprise me with their Lips of Faith Series. How can the makers of Fat Tire simultaneous produce fine, well crafted Belgian styled beers is beyond me. Whatever it is, it's working.

While on a recent excursion to Portland, Oregon I picked up the gem at the famed Belmont Station. Lips of Faith has collaborated Maryland's Clutch on a new beer, a dark sour ale to be exact. They had me at the logo. You may be asking how does such a collaboration occur? It's not uncommon for a band to be fueled by beer, and maybe fans with a good ear for booze can detect the elixir's influence on the band. So perhaps the inverse can happen to the beer.

This beer pours a viscous black with some tan head scatters shortly after its arrival. Big notes of coffee, toffe, some caramel malts and dare I throw in chocolate, for the hell of it. There is also just a hint of wild yeast.

I haven't had many sour dark beers, not this dark, but the good ones are top notch. Allow me to add Clutch (the beer) to this exclusive group. This drinks like a stout and a sour. Dry start, nice smooth sour finish. Some subtle wood notes in the middle. Towards the end the sour notes begin to wash over what little stout flavors survive. I suppose I could describe the this beer as a battle between bass and treble, in which J.P. (the band's drummer) on the skins comes out the victor. There's some sweet notes that linger, but the wood and the sour seem to really dominate this palate. No complaints, though. The bitterness of the hops and chocolate notes seem to really help carry the sour flavors, which are dominant, but not overpowering. After letting this beer sit a bit the roasted malts make themselves known, but still cannot compete.

I don't know how they do it, but the guys at New Belgian Brewing know how to make a good sour. And not just a good sour, an accessible sour. Trying to match a beer to a band's personality is definitely challenging, if not interesting task, but most of all a fun one. I'd be interesting in seeing how the Minutemen get translated into beer.