Meritorious wine-barrel aged Belgian-styled ‘sparkling Saison ale’ retains herbaceous hop-dried candi-sugared citrus nature. White-peppered orange peel, lemon rind, and juniper bitterness counters malt-lacquered grape-sugared champagne-fizzed white wine sweetness. Bubbly carbolic briskness brightens immense lemongrass-soured yellow-fruiting and ancillary banana-vanilla wince overriding earthen barnyard leathering to mildewed fungi yeast backdrop.
CAPTAIN LAWRENCE BIRRA DE CICCO
Rangy rust-hued Belgian dubbel ale may pass for chic sour ale. Unsweetened dry-smoked ‘Italian chestnut honey and jam’ overridden by tart orange-dried Courvoisier penchant, oaken cherry sourness, cider-y white wine sharpness, and fizzy carbolic pep. Mild herbal spell wavers through fruit-spiced Abbey-styled moderation.
TYPE O NEGATIVE’S PETER STEELE MEMORIALIZED VIA ‘OCTOBER RUST’
PETER STEELE: I am. The Goth term was thrust upon us by the media. People, in general, need to know where to put product. It’s like trying to hammer a semi-circular piece of wood into a circular hole. We kind of fit, but kind of don’t.
Both songs are only four chords – which is all we know. Those are obvious choices.
How was October Rust a learning experience?
I learned to listen to my heart and not the business minds of people who’d rather do things for financial gain instead of a dignified reason like personal satisfaction. I’m going against the wishes of the record company and sometimes the band. I’d rather prostitute myself and be to blame for my own destiny. The record company wants more sensationalism, more sex, perhaps a pornographic booklet. I’m on a small label thriving on sensationalism. They need shock value to sell albums. I hope I’m passed that. The highest form of art is civil engineering and architecture. It’s not just something that looks good, but also is functional as well.
Art should have function. It shouldn’t sit on the wall and do nothing. Art should have an organic function. Paintings should be so imposing they change the room.
Definitely to make a statement and not sit there.Timothy Leary was an interesting role model. He lived his life, didn’t try to be politically correct, and did his thing. He never backed off of advocating psychedelic drugs.
In this society that kills creativity, you need some kind of emotional rollercoaster to just stand outside the prism, look at the colors, step back inside, and remember what you saw.What about drug abuse inside the art community?
I think people do drugs because they have too much time on their hands. Lately, with technology, the quality of life’s improved. 200 years ago you tended fields for 12 hours, drank wine, and went to sleep. Life to me is work, coming from a father that implanted that in my head. If I wanted to, I could make my life one continuous party schmoozing. But I’m not the life of the party, I’m the death of it.
-John Fortunato
DOGFISH HEAD THEOBROMA
Insanely interesting ‘food of the gods’-referenced old ale built on a recipe scientists claim may be earliest kiln-smoked alcoholic chocolate elixir (from 1200 BC). Subtle honey-dripped brown chocolate and vanilla influence upended by lingered chili-peppered burn. Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs bolster sunflower-seeded ginger-snapped cinnamon spicing and teasing orange-cherry fruiting. Just a tad elusive to be perfect.
STONE SUBLIME SELF-RIGHTEOUS ALE
Earthen piney nuttiness, wood chip-burnt hop bitterness and grain-smoked charcoal tarring nearly overwhelm dry-spiced tropical-fruited nature of creamy coal-hued khaki-headed strong ale previously named Stone 11th Anniversary Ale. Grapefruit, orange, peach, and pineapple tang deepens black cherry pureed tartness to sweet sherry offing. Serve to India Pale Ale connoisseurs.
STONE CALI-BELGIE INDIA PALE ALE
Truly stunning West Coast-Belgium combination overhauls Stone IPA’s California-styled wood-hopped citric tang with Belgian-like candied yeast. Bright grapefruit-pinked pineapple, melon, nectarine and apricot tropicalia reinforces tangy orange-apple conflux countering resinous pine-hopped bittering. Creamy caramel malting sweetness undercoats subsidiary black-peppered coriander-clove spicing and lingered dark floral reminder.
MIKKELLER STATESIDE I.P.A.
A lighter pine-embittered fruiting than typical IPA fare comes to the fore. Cascade-hopped oats-flaked fig-dried orange-tangerine tang lost to phenol spicing, earthen fungi, musty peat resin, and diacetyl vegetal snip. Astringent alcohol burn buries green apple tartness and apricot-dried grapefruit bittering below ethanol whir. Serve to exploratory ESB fans.
(PIETRA) COLOMBA WHITE ALE
Lackadaisical moderate-bodied chartreuse-hazed Belgian-styled witbier from France brings sunny lemon zest, sour-candied tartness, and dry Kaffir lime illusions to fizzy herbal-spiced modicum. At the midst, grassy-hopped juniper berry, orange peel, and peppercorn bittering outweighs coriander-spiced browned banana sweetness. A certain something lacks throughout.
SLY FOX ROYAL WEISSE ALE
Canned straw-hazed Bavarian-styled hefeweizen brings soft German pilsner malting to sour lemon-candied green apple tartness and billowy vanilla-creamed banana-clove-bubblegum sweetness. Metallic detergent-like oxidation relegates looming orange-fig-prune conflux, herbal woodruff -jasmine twinge and dark floral aspect. Bark-dried vegetal astringency at honeyed citric finish lowers appeal.
HIK BRUIN
Fluctuant Belgian dark ale brings aromatic cider souring to dry-hopped herbal citric tranquility. Bruised lemon, green apple, dried fig, red currant, and oaken grape esters inform unassuming 12% alcohol luster of bronzed grist-grained medium body. Marinated tealeaf finish secures refermented-in-the-bottle fizzle.
HIK BLOND
Pour thin gold-hazed moderate body slowly or risk overt carbonation. Cat urine aroma, astringent alcohol smudge, and murky yeast funk bring off-putting opulence to dry pepper-spiced raw-honeyed citric-soured white wine billow. Tart lemonade, green apple, and white grape illusions underscore mild orange peel serenade. But putrid odorous opening spells trouble.
SHMALTZ CONEY ISLAND MERMAID PILSNER
Originally known as The Chosen Spot, murky dry-hopped rye-malted pilsner places mild Scotch wisp above sour-fruited tartness. Toasted cereal-grained oats-dried caramelizing reinforces rotted orange-apple pungency, carbolic lemon spritz and grassy horsehide leathering. Ample alcohol astringency wearily consumes cracker-salted citric finish of medium-bodied triviality.