METAL BREWS — We are here to drink your beer.
Some things just go together: black and red, hummus and pita, me and my cats. And also one of the most enduring and iconic love stories: beer and heavy metal.
Beer is, and has been for millennia, part of the humans diet and culture. And metalheads are known to love to drink! And just as in our quest for the unique, the underground, the ultra-particular bands that suits our ultra-particular tastes, many of us like to apply the same logic to our drink of choice. In recent years, craft beer has risen from the kitchens, basements and garages of adventurous amateur brewers, and microbreweries sprouted all over the globe, offering a brand new drinking experience. Craft beer gives us endless possibilities of flavour palettes, the option to go beyond 6% alcohol, and is a great alternative to chugging the content of cans of mediocre bland and bitter piss to forget how terrible beer is and regret not ordering a rum and Coke.
Band saw the opportunity to create more than music, and put their creativity and personal tastes to work. Every year, new collaborations are released by bands and band members who team up with breweries to deliver a multitude of unique beers to hoardes of thirsty fans and beer enthusiasts alike. In 2018 we were treated to some prime products, some of which we would like to share with you.
Behemoth — Wolf ov Siberia Brewery: Kings County Brewers Collective (Brooklyn, NY, USA)
IPA - Imperial / Double 7.7% ABV Availability: KCBC Taproom, select craft beer spots in NYC.
Behemoth has been rather prolific when it comes to beer collaborations. Starting in 2015, under Polish brewery Perun Brewery’s guidance they have released a whole collection of craft beers, however you would have had to take a little trip to enjoy this beer if you were not a local. Now Behemoth has teamed up with an American brewery to bring a new brew across the pond. Named after the second track off their new album, Wolf ov Siberia is a double IPA crafted in collaboration with KCBC Brewery in Brooklyn.
Described as “fierce, fresh and dangerously drinkable”, the brew utilizes 3 types of hops, and has notes of citrus, melon and pine.
A launch party was held this week at the KCBC Taproom in Brooklyn, where you can currently experience the bite of the Wolf. It is also available at select craft beer purveyors in the NYC area, and there are discussion of a US-wide release in the near future.
The Black Dahlia Murder — Warborn Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing (Easton, PA, USA)
Rye Pale Ale 5% ABV 50 IBU Availability: USA
Named after the closing track of The Black Dahlia Murder’s 3rd album Nocturnal, Warborn is the band’s second beer collab — the first one, Funeral Thirst, was a Hefeweizen brewed by Danish brewery Mikkeller. This one was made possible thanks to American brewery Weyerbacher Brewery. It is a rye ale, aged on white oak, and brings rye spiciness with warm notes of oak and vanilla. The label describes it as “dank and piney”, which means it probably pairs well with your current stash.
Decibel Metal & Beer Fest Los Angeles edition has added The Black Dahlia Murder to the bill, and has announced feature brews from Weyerbacher Brewery — the lucky fans who attended were most-likely able to get a taste of Warborn in the best setting possible: crushing cans while enjoying The Black Dahlia Murder’s crushing live show!
Diego Cavallotti (Lacuna Coil) — Drink ‘Em All Brewery: The Wall Pale Ale 5.4% ABV Availability: Italy, very limited.
Started as a joke when Diego, guitarist of Lacuna Coil, who works at a pub when he is not making music, decided to pull a prank on customers and make up a fake beer that he stealthily added to the menu. After a few days however there it still was, and customers started asking for it. So was born the idea of Drink ‘Em All.
Created with the help of Italian brewery The Wall, this beer is, according to Diego, unpretentious and pairs well with most everything. This golden pale ale was brewed with European hops and a light malt base giving it a fragrant bread crust aroma, with spicy floral notes and a touch of honey. It is a fresh, crisp beer with a good balance of sweet and bitter.
There was a launch party on October 12 at HT Factory in Seregno that became the first Drink ‘Em All Festival, with 5 bands hand-picked by Diego himself as well as plenty of Drink ‘Em All beer for everyone to get a taste.
Only a nanobatch of about 2,000L of this beer was produced, so unfortunately this is more of a local specialty and you’d be hard-pressed to find it anywhere outside of Lombary. That being said, if you happen to be in the area, a few bottles is mandatory!
Rotting Christ — Non Serviam Brewery: Dark Crops Brewery, in collaboration with Elis Brewery (Athens / Pyrgos, Greece)
Stout - Imperial / Double
11% ABV
55 IBU
Availability: Greece, select locations in Europe.
This collaboration between black metal legends Rotting Christ and two local Greek breweries, Dark Crops and Elis Brewery, came out earlier this year, but we feel it deserves a mention on sheer merit — plus it is still relatively new.
This strong, velvety potion is a bourbon barrel-aged Imperial stout. Non Serviam pours pitch black — of course — with a creamy brown head and a strong dark chocolate nose. This beer has a well-suited low carbonation that gives a very thick, silky finish boasting big notes with vanilla, chocolate, coffee and bourbon barrel/oak. A definite must-try for stout and porter lovers such as myself, but be warned this one may be a hard to track down outside of Greece.
Whitechapel — PosSession IPA Brewery: Elkmont Exchange (Knoxville, TN) IPA 4% ABV Availability: Knoxville and select TN locations.
One of the newest collaborations of 2018 is the PosSession IPA. Whitechapel paired up with Knoxville’s Elkmont Exchange for this special brew. Qualified as “not for the faint of heart”, it is an unfiltered session IPA brewed with jalapeños and fresh citrus peel.
Its launch party was held at the Elkmont Exchange Brewery on October 22 and allowed guests a first taste of this beer, and the opportunity to buy some to take home as well. With the guys of Whitechapel in attendance, and a raffle for a signed vinyl and tickets for Whitechapel’s upcoming show in Knoxville, for fan of not just beer but of the band as well, it was a must-attend.
