Mark's Favourite Albums and Songs of 2011

Magazine - Do The Meaning by Cargorecords

Fairytale 4.5% (45SPEC009)

You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap, lousy faggot

No, not you, beer drinkers - that's just a lyric from The Pogues' classic Christmas hit Fairytale of New York and the inspiration for our Winter Ale.  The beer is a pale-mid brown ale finished with festive spices.  The pump clip is a homage to the original record sleeve.  We invited local writer and broadcaster Ian Clayton for a pint or two in Castleford and while in town popped down to the new bridge over the Aire & Calder to get the photo.

Hope you enjoy the beer.  Merry Christmas your arse, I pray god it's our last...

Andrew's favourite albums & songs of 2011

Advent is almost upon us and in the past I've put together compilation CDs and MP3s of my favourite tracks of the year.  This year I thought I'd do it as a blog piece!

War On Drugs 'I Was There' from the album 'Slave Ambient'.

My first PJ Harvey album purchase this year and what a corker.  Here's the last track on side one.

More psych synth rock from Moon Duo

The mighty Blue Aeroplanes back with a fantastic album

This album was originally recorded in/near Castleford! However, the band ditched most of the material and re-recorded it in London. I think this might be one of the original Castleford sessions as it sounds more raw than the version on the album.  Anyways, this is Veronica Falls and the opening track from their debut album.

Still Corners are from London and specialise in dreamy indie pop.  This is, for me, the stand out track from their 2011 debut album (technically I think the song dates from 2010 but who cares?!).

Endless Summer by stillcorners

The first album to have a beer made for it this year before Elbow and The Rifles jumped on the bandwagon.  We got there first!  The album's brilliant - sharp, angular, witty and many other adjectives.

Piglet - Sarandon by Odd Box Records

Wooden Shjips are a band best appreciated after 2 or 3 pints (as a legal substitute for Class A or B drugs). Great live shows and The Brudenell Social Club is a perfect venue to see them.

Wooden Shjips: "Home" by alteredzones

Caught the following act as support to Veronica Falls and Dum Dum Girls recently. They're excellent!

Novella - The Things You Do by DirtyBingo

..and the best for last. My album of the year (All That We See and Seem by The New Lines) and this is the best song I've heard in a long while.

Man Machine 4.5% (45SPEC008)

In early November we brewed Man Machine, a new addition to our Rewind 33 series commemorating a classic album of 33 years ago.  This time the album in question is the iconic Kraftwerk album The Man Machine.  With its memorable sleeve of the band in red shirts and black ties against a red background, the album contained the well-known tracks The Robots and The Model.  The latter track became a hit a few years after it initially appeared on this album.

We had a bit of fun with the pump clip for this one!

The recipe is a 'remix' of our regular beer Kraftwerk Braun Ale.  It still has an English malt backbone and German hops but this time we have altered the hop regime to contain two lighter German noble hops.  We've also used a German ale yeast instead of an English ale yeast.

 

The Kick Inside IPA 4.5% (45SPEC007)

On the eve of the release of Kate Bush's much anticipated new album '50 Words For Snow' we celebrate the 33rd anniversary of the release of her debut album 'The Kick Inside'.

The album contained the classic single 'Wuthering Heights' and the haunting 'Man With The Child In His Eyes'. She was just 19 when the album was released but had written most of the songs when she was only 13!

 The beer is a very well-hopped IPA.  We wanted the beer to have its own 'kick inside' and that comes from large amounts of late addition Summit hops.  The beer is limited to 31 casks and is released late-October 2011.
 

The Scream Red Ale 4.5% (45SPEC006)

The latest addition to our Rewind 33 series of beers which commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the release of a classic album.  This time it's the Siouxsie & The Banshees debut album 'The Scream' released on 13th November 1978 and hailed by Sounds music paper as the best debut album of the year.

The album didn't spawn any singles (though the track Metal Postcard was re-recorded and sung in German with the new title Mittageisen and released in 1979).  It was 1978's debut single Hong Kong Garden released in August that launched the band, with The Scream following a few months later.

The beer we have brewed to tie in with the 33rd birthday of the album (and it also seemed appropriate for Hallowe'en!) is a red ale at 4.5% ABV.  It is limited to 31 casks.

Jumbo Records 40th Birthday Special (40SPEC001)

This year sees Leeds' Jumbo Records celebrate 40 years of selling music to the good folk of West Yorkshire and beyond.  We got talking to Jumbo earlier in the year and the idea of doing a special beer came up.  We were only too happy to mark this landmark by brewing a one-off beer.

The beer has already shipped to one or two places and those of you lucky enough to get to Nottingham beer festival 14-15 October will be the first to try it!  This coming week (commencing 17 October) will see the bulk of the beer shipped into bars all across Leeds (and a notable bar in Bradford).  Most of the following bars will have the beer on for Jumbo's official birthday celebrations over the weekend of 22-23 October (and if it doesn't all go, into the early part of the following week).  The store itself will have live acts and other special events.

Brudenell Social Club > North Bar > Mr Foley's > The Hop > Reliance Bar > Old Bar, Leeds University > Fox & Newt > Old Steps Bar (Friday night and into the following week - not open weekends)

Plus The Sparrow Bier Cafe in Bradford

Press Release # 1 (Jul-11) Brewing commences at Revolutions Brewing Company's Castleford brewery

The Revolutions Brewing Company announces that beer production has commenced at its new micro-brewery premises in Castleford.

The Company was created in the Autumn of 2010 by directors Mark Seaman (from Selby) and Andrew Helm (from Headingley, Leeds), with original production of their music-themed beers utilising spare capacity at a brewery in Sowerby Bridge.

Reflecting the speeds at which vinyl records revolve on a turntable, the beers are brewed to three strengths, 3.3%, 4.5% and, very occasionally, 7.8%.

With the fit-out and installation of brewing equipment in an industrial unit on the outskirts of Castleford now complete, the first brew, Clash London Porter (4.5%) is about to be shipped to customers throughout Yorkshire and further afield.

Production of four other core beers - Ravenscroft Pale Ale (3.3%), Severin Dark (3.3%), Devolution Amber Ale (4.5%) and Kraftwerk Braun Ale (4.5%) is planned for July and August.  In addition regular music-themed special beers will be available.

Further information can be found at:

Website: http://www.revolutionsbrewing.co.uk

Blog: http://revolutionsbrewing.blogspot.com

Twitter: @RevolutionsBrew

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/revolutionsbrewing

Contact details:

Revolutions Brewing Company Ltd.

Unit B7

Whitwood Enterprise Park

Speedwell Road

Whitwood

Castleford

WF10 5PX

This Year's Model Black IPA (45SPEC005)

Continuing our series of beers commemorating classic albums from the post-punk/new wave era (and released 33 years ago) we will be releasing in August a Black IPA called This Year's Model.  The beer commemorates the 33rd anniversary of the release of Elvis Costello's iconic album.

Why a Black IPA?  Well it seems that every Tom, Dick & Harry is making Black IPAs at the moment so we saw that style as being flavour of the month, or, perhaps 'this year's model'.  Stop that bandwagon, we want to get on...

The beer will be released in mid-August and of course we will update the blog as we know where it's going to be on sale.

Propaganda Russian Imperial Stout (78PROP001)

When we set up Revolutions Brewing Co. with turntable speeds at the heart of its theme, little did we know that the nasty government would throw a proverbial spanner in the works.  In the Spring budget a new beer duty was announced that would come into effect on 01-Oct-11.  This higher duty rate will apply to beers over 7.5%.  Commercially therefore it makes little sense to brew a beer at 7.8% as we would not expect customers to absorb the necessary price hike to cover the additional duty.

What we have decided to do now that we are up-and-running in Castleford is to brew one 7.8% beer before the duty change comes in.  To make the point that we think the changes to the beer duty levels penalise micro-breweries and pubs when the focus should be on retailers who sell super-strength beer and cider at irresponsible prices, we have named this one-off 78 'Propaganda'.  In a similar vein to songwriters who pen protest songs this is our protest beer!

There will only be 17 casks of this beer available (with a couple of pins).  It will be first available at three beer festivals over the weekend of 15-17 September - York Beer Festival,  Darlington Rhythm & Brews Festival and Tynemouth Beer Festival.  Thereafter we have confirmed orders from The Fox & Goose in Hebden Bridge, The Junction in Castleford, Mr Foleys in Leeds and the Nottingham Beer Festival (mid-October).  We are expecting to hold a cask back for Wakefield Beer Festival in early November (if the organisers want one!).

As of 26-Aug we have only 9 casks of this left (7 firkins plus 2 pins).  To avoid the extra duty you'll need to take delivery of the beer before the end of September.  Any takers for the final casks drop us a message via the website form.

www.revolutionsbrewing.co.uk

Brewery Fit Out & Installation

The fit out started on Wednesday 11th May with the contractors on site to cut the drainage channels in the brew house and cask-washing room.  Noise and dust prevailed for a couple of days.  Now we wait for the gullies to be cemented in before we pressure wash the place clean again.

This was going to be where the cold store would be until we found out how much it was going to cost to construct a room.  So regrettably the hospitality room is no more (it will be the cold store) but we'll still think of it as a chill out area.

The place where it will all happen.  The brew vessels will go here (note the approximate chalk marks on the floor).  There is a mezzanine level that we intend to use as an ingredient store.  We'll have a malt hopper (fitted to the left-hand wall as you look at the photo) above the mash vessel.

Day 06 and the drainage channels are all cut out and some of it is fully pointed.  You get a better view of the ingredient storage area on this one.

 

The dusty works were completed on Thursday 19th May and was immediately followed by the purchase of a pressure washer!  A couple of days of washing and cleaning and the place was ready for the brew kit to arrive.

On Monday 6th June at 7.55am a curtain sided truck drew up with the five brew vessels on board.

The vessels were manoeuvred into the unit and sited in their approximate locations awaiting installation.

Parallel Lines (45SPEC004)

1978 saw the release of Blondie's most famous album Parallel Lines.  To mark the 33rd anniversary of its release, Revolutions Brewing is releasing a special beer.  The beer is a dry-hopped version of its regular beer Devolution.  It is an American-style Pale Ale, 4.5% ABV.  It will be limited to 15 casks.

Availability:

We've had confirmed direct orders from The Maltings (York), Waggon & Horses (York), Brudenell Social Club (Leeds), Mr Foley's (Leeds), The Swan/The Slip (not sure which it will go on at) (York).


Our wholesalers are taking a cask to:


The Bon Accord (Glasgow) - http://www.bonaccordweb.co.uk
Cask & Kitchen (Pimlico, London) - http://www.caskpubandkitchen.com/ 
Alexandra Arms (Kettering)



More to follow...


Mark's favourite track from the album: 

Andrew's favourite track: Will Anything Happen?

Tell us yours - add a comment below!

Links:

Blondie official website: http://www.blondie.net/

Listen to Parallel Lines in its entirety: http://www.blondie.net/album/parallel-lines/

..It Was Really Nothing (45SPEC003)

On 29th April 2011, the UK will get an extra public holiday and an extra opportunity to spend all day outside the pub (weather permitting!) turning lobster red and drinking too much fizzy lager.  For this we need to thank William and Catherine who have presented us with an opportunity to forget about the impending economic cuts (..sorry 'savings') and at least temporarily take our minds of what we'd like to do to a banking CEO if we got our hands on one.

So, people of Britain - go out there, put drag-increasing flags all over your cars and then moan about the price of petrol; spend loads of money on commemorative mugs and plates and then moan that there's a recession; and finally bask in the late April sunshine on your extra bank holiday and drink to forget that it'll probably cost the economy around £2-3bn.  Grumpy?  Us?

To commemorate this special day, Revolutions Brewing will be releasing a special beer.  Entitled '..It Was Really Nothing', and part of our 45s series, it will be a 4.5% mid-brown bitter full of hop flavour.  Fans of 80s indie music will recognise the reference to The Smiths' early single and indeed the pump clip pays homage to those classic Smiths single covers with their retro images.

Bizarre fact - April 29th is Hitler & Eva Braun's wedding anniversary!

Andrew's favourite Smiths single:

"I've seen this happen in other people's lives and now it's happening in mine"


Mark's favourite Smiths single:

"I am the son and heir of a shyness that is criminally vulgar"




Links:


Smiths singles discography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smiths_discography#Singles
Morrissey's official website: http://www.itsmorrisseysworld.com/index.php
Johnny Marr's official website: http://johnny-marr.com/

Nightporter (45SPEC002)

We took two casks of The Original 45 and dry-hopped them as an experiment.  We've released the two casks under the name Nightporter and given it a beer catalogue number of one of our 45 specials.

The name Nightporter is a track by 80s band Japan from their 1980 album Gentlemen Take Polaroids.  It was also released as a single following the break up of the band.  In January we were saddened to hear of the passing of Japan's bassist Mick Karn (on the same day as Gerry Rafferty as it happens).  Mick Karn's fretless bass playing was revered by many bass players back in Japan's heyday and he was considered at one time as 'the bass player's bass player'.  So it was in honour of Mick that we chose to name the dry-hopped porter Nightporter.

One of the casks has just been delivered to Mr Foley's Cask Ale House in Leeds.  Will let you know where the other ends up.

Andrew: I was a huge fan of Japan back in the 80s and they were the first band I saw live.  I remember from row P seeing Mick Karn seemingly gliding back and forth across the stage.  I've chosen the track Alien as my track with which to honour Mick.  Being into synthpop I didn't have guitar heroes but Mick was as close as I came to having a guitar hero.

Sarandon's Age Of Reason (45SPEC001)

Here at Revolutions Brewing we are hugely, hugely excited to be doing our first beer to tie in with an album launch.  It was always our intention to brew the occasional beer to help promote albums, we just didn't expect it to happen so quickly!

About The Beer

The beer will be named after the album 'Sarandon's Age Of Reason'.  It will be a well-hopped 4.5% IPA.  We will definitely have casks of the beer available for pubs and we are can now confirm we will also have bottles of the beer.  We have secured the bottling run and it will become our first Revolutions 45s Club release and there will be around 175 x 8-bottle cases available.  The first 50 case orders will receive a free pump clip.  Follow the link earlier in this paragraph to sign up to the 45s Club.  You'll be the first to know about 45s Club beer releases and get priority on additional freebies!

We're also setting up a launch gig in the Leeds which will double as a launch event in Leeds for us and a gig for Sarandon.  We can now confirm it will take place at The Hop in Leeds which is in Granary Wharf immediately next to the train station.  There will be live blues all afternoon and Mark and Andrew will be there to answer questions about the brewery and future plans.  Sarandon and support (TBC) will play in the evening.  Admission is free although we intend to pass the hat round at the end of the gig.


About Sarandon

Sarandon return to the fray with nothing other than a concept album.

Flying the flag for Prog Rock? Maybe.

Still annoyed by Twee Pop? Definitely.

Sarandon’s “Age Of Reason” tells the story of Big Trev, a man frustrated with his lot and determined to change his life.  The album is narrated by The Shend (The Cravats, The Very Things) who plays the voice of the story’s hero.

Musically Sarandon have moved their sound forward. Produced once again by the inimitable Anthony Chapman (Collapsed Lung, Bis, Klaxxons, Ten Benson), the sound is a more mature take on the angular agit-pop of their previous outings. The cheese-wire treble of the guitars remains, the bass thuds and booms and the drums clatter at light speed, but the songs contained in “Sarandon’s Age Of Reason” are more carefully crafted and arranged.

There are songs to make you shout and songs to make you sing.

There are even songs to make you dance.

Sarandon are back with a vengeance.  Back to rescue you all from the mundanity of modern la-la-love-you indie pop.  Other guests on the album include Robert Lloyd (The Nightingales) and Rhodri Marsden (Scritti Politti).

Sarandon are currently:

Crayola (Colgates, Future Sperm Brasil): Guitar & Voice

Alan Brown (bIG fLAME, The Great Leap Forward): Bass & Voice

Tom Greenhalgh (World Sanguine Report): Drums & Voice

What people have said about Sarandon:

"An undeniable low-key genius." - the wire

"This is articulate, quintessentially British pop." - plan b

"you'll notice it because it's short but you'll remember it because it's blistering." - maps magazine

"Sarandon are awesome, like Big Flame fronted by Billy Childish." - go magazine

"Eternally recording the perfect John Peel Session" - guided missile

"Your songs kill me" - Kramer | Shimmydisc

"Sarandon make Futureheads sound like a marketing exercise for the new Kate Bush LP." - TrakMarx

"The most spastic pop I've heard in a while." - indiepages.com

"Catchy as the flu, incredibly listenable and very, very short." - The Fly

"Sarandon songs consist only of the ‘good bits'." - unpeeled

"Pretty much essential." – unpopular

Discography:

Singles and EPs:

“The Miniest Album” (7 track &”, Run Out Records, 2004)

“The Big Flame” (7 track 7”, Banazan, 2005)

“The Feminist Third” (7 track 7”, Wrath, 2005)

“The June Bride” (7 track 7”, Wrath, 2006)

“Joe’s Record” (3 track 7”, Slumberland, 2007)

“Every Conversation” (2 track 7” split with Phil Wilson, Every Conversation, 2007)

“Other People’s Records” (3 track 7”, Little Car, 2009)

“Spike Milligan’s Tape Recorder” (2 track 7” split with The Membranes, Slumberland, 2009)

Albums:

“The Completist’s Library” (28 track LP & CD, Wrath, 2006)

“The Completist’s Library” (32 track CD, Happy Happy Birthday To Me, 2007)

“Kill Twee Pop!” (12 track 10” & CD, Slumberland, 2008)