Overkill 4.5% (45SPEC014)

For our May special we thought we'd experiment a little, well a lot actually.  First of all this is our first wheat beer and secondly it's the first time we've used fresh fruit in a beer.  So, coming soon to a bar near you is Overkill a rhubarb wheat beer named after the Motörhead album from 1979.

Why Overkill you may ask.  Well, as well as a cynical attempt to appeal to heavy rock fans (just kidding), we thought that since the wheat beer is a German beer style the fact that Motörhead use an umlaut in their name was kind of appropriate.

Why rhubarb you may also ask.  Well here in Whitwood, West Yorkshire we are on the edge of the largest rhubarb growing area in the UK - known locally as The Rhubarb Triangle.  So the fruit used in the beer is locally grown here in West Yorkshire.

Andrew:  I'll be honest I'm not a fan of Motörhead apart from a couple of classic singles.  I don't own an album but I'm going to try and find a secondhand vinyl copy of Overkill!  Ahh, I still remember eagerly sitting down to watch the first episode of series two of the Young Ones featuring Ace of Spades as the musical number while Mayall, Edmundson, Planer and Ryan tore around Bristol flicking the Vs at bemused British Rail staff at Temple Meads.  After me everyone 'crop rotation in the 14th Century was CONSIDERABLY more widespread after...'.

 

Replicas 4.5% (45SPEC013)

In February 2012 we launched a brewing competition with the Leeds Homebrew Society, the winner getting to have their recipe brewed commercially as our April 2012 special 'Replicas'.

Firstly, a bit about the competition.  The parameter we set for the entrants was that the beer must contain only European hops.  We received eight entries and a distinguished panel of tasters convened at Mr Foley's Cask Ale House in Leeds at the end of February to decide a winner.  After much slurping and beard stroking (literal and metaphorical) the winner was announced as Peter Hindle from Doncaster.

Peter came and brewed with us in the middle of March and the beers started shipping late March/early April.  Casks made it as far afield as the Euston Tap in London and more locally at Doncaster Beer Festival, Doncaster's Cask Corner and Pontefract's The Golden Ball.  There are a few casks still out there so keep your eyes peeled.  There'll be one going to Coopers in Guiseley for a beer festival on 18/19 May.

Secondly, the album reference.  'You know I hate to ask but are friends electric?'.  Enough of a clue?   Yes, it's the classic Tubeway Army album Replicas from 1979 featuring the No.1 smash hit single (not 'arff) 'Are Friends Electric?' and the less well known 'Down In The Park'.

Andrew:  I came to this album only in the last few years though I had the single from way back.  Are Friends Electric has always been one of my favourite singles.  Despite singing the song in his cold, automaton style, Gary Numan still manages to inject a huge amount of emotion into the song.  The line 'you see you mean everything to me' still raises the hairs on the back of the neck.

 ..and finally the beer.  It is described as a pale ale but is actually somewhere between a pale ale and a traditional bitter.  It's a pale brown colour and drinks with a medium body.  There is a degree of sweetness on the finish.  The hop profile is spicy and citrus with a little peppery note.

Secondhand Daylight 4.5% (45SPEC012)

Magazine are perhaps one of the less well known/more unheralded bands from the post-punk era.  Formed by ex-Buzzcock Howard Devoto the band released a classic early single 'Shot By Both Sides' - if you've never heard it, go check it out.  That single was from the first album 'Real Life'.  Their second album 'Secondhand Daylight' was released in March-79 and peaked at No.38 in the UK album chart.  The band reformed in 2009 and released a new album 'No Thyself' in 2011.

The image we used in the pump clip is from a small cemetery close to the brewery.  Our brewery is on a former colliery site (Whitwood) and many of the graves tell the story of tragic accidents that befell miners as well as other workers at the colliery.  Mary Alnie died in her 20s accompanying a party on a tour of inspection of the mine.  We are reminded of this almost daily as our brewery dog Lily often gets her walk in the graveyard.

The beer is a very pale ale with a little rye added to the grain bill.  Lightly hopped with classic European noble hops and infused with a little fresh ginger in the cask.

Background on the band: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magazine_(band)

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/magazineofficial

Record label website: http://www.wire-sound.com

Milk & Alcohol 4.5% (45SPEC011)

"White boy in town - big black, blue sound
Night club I paid in
I got a stamp on my skin"

So begins one of the classic singles of the post-punk era, Dr Feelgood's 'Milk & Alcohol'.
Had no idea until we started researching the piece that the song was co-written by Nick Lowe.  It was released in January 1979 and peaked at No.9 in the UK charts.

This is not a 'spot the difference' competition - as usual we've had a bit of fun with the pump clip design making reference to the original Kahlua bottle design.  If you want to know more about the origins of the sleeve design read the wiki article - it's rather interesting.

Dr Feelgood wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milk_and_Alcohol

The beer is a milk (or sweet) stout.  For the uninitiated, milk stouts use lactose in their production.  Lactose is unfermentable and so adds body and sweetness to the final beer.  We are indebted to Dean Pugh of Mr Foley's Cask Ale House in Leeds and Leigh Linley (The Good Stuff blog) for their help in formulating the recipe and participating in the brew day.
Mr Foley's: http://www.mrfoleyscaskalehouse.co.uk

The Good Stuff: http://goodfoodgoodbeer.wordpress.com

Unknown Pleasures 4.5% (45SPEC010)

This really is going to make a lot of you feel very old.  33 years ago saw the release of Joy Division's seminal debut album Unknown Pleasures.  Great sleeve, fantastic songs and amazing production by legendary studio wizard Martin Hannett.

We had a bit of fun with the pump clip to take the homage just that little bit further.

There's a possibility we might do some t-shirts of this one - kind of lends itself to it we think.  Watch this space.

Andrew's memories of the album: "Well actually Joy Division passed me by back in 1979 - I hadn't started buying records regularly at this time.  Actually I still don't own Unknown Pleasures in any sort of physical form - only an MP3 version!  I do intend to purchase every special we do if I don't already have it so off to my local record emporium I go.  I do own a copy of Substance however and if I have a favourite Joy Division track it is probably Dead Souls which I think is taken from the album Still."

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

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.

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.

NYE 2010 Shuffle

And now, from the sublime to potentially ridiculous....

I am handing my next hour or so's listening to the iPod gods. 15000 songs to choose from....here's the shuffle.

1. Dirt Crew-Largo - Marc Romboy (90's electronic dance / chillout, ok I guess)

2. Sunburn - Muse (Yeah!! Love this track. From their first album, Showbiz)

3. Run Like Hell - Pink Floyd (From The Wall - apt given recent student riots)

4. The Next Episode - Dr. Dre (Great stuff, lots of Dre & Snoop Dogg fluffin' and chuffin')

5. Got To Get You Into My Life - The Beatles (From Revolver)

6. Battery In Your Leg - Blur (From Think Tank)

7. Trampled Under Foot - Led Zeppelin (There's always a time and place for some Led Zep)

8. Happiness - Goldfrapp (From Seventh Tree)

9. Climbing Up The Wall - Radiohead (From the perennially No.1 ranked album OK Computer)

10. What You Need - Powerhouse (Random dance tune - I feared this might happen :-)

11. Confide In Me - Kylie Minogue (My fave Kylie tune - and no gold hotpants in sight!)

12. Hanna Hanna - China Crisis (Meh! Never a big fan, this must be N's!)

13. Death Will Never Conquer - Coldplay (75 seconds long - next!)

14. The Bones Of You - Elbow (Fantastic song from the brilliant Mercury prize winning album The Seldom Seen Kid)

15. Jilted John - Jilted John (Apparently Gordon is a moron)

16. Good Morning Good Morning - The M's (No idea what this is!)

17. Lessons In Love - Level 42 (I can picture the slap-bass....yawn!)

18. Don't Get Lost In Heaven - Gorillaz (I like all their albums, this track's from Demon Days)

19. Where Angels Play - The Stone Roses (Not one of their best - IMHO)

20. Let's Get High - Dr.Dre (I've only got one Dre album and this is the 2nd track shuffled?)

21. Parklife - Blur (A classic, one does try not to get intimidated by the dirty pigeons)

22. Once I Flew - White Town (I doubt I've ever listened to this before, bought the album for Your Woman)

23. Sure Took Magic - Re-Birth (Not sure I've ever heard this either!)

Gonna do just a few more - I do want to end on a high note though.......let's see.......

24. Short Circuit - Daft Punk (OK, but not the high note I'm looking for)

25. Alive - Black Eyed Peas (From The E.N.D.)

26. Come Live With Me - Heaven 17 (I was 37, you were 17??)

27. Do Nothing - The Specials (Still waiting for the big finish!)

28. Spooky - Dusty Springfield (Sheer class!)

29. The Wonderful World Of The Young - Danny Williams (A croony tune from 1962)

30. Alternative Ulster - Stiff Little Fingers (Their wish came true, eventually)

And that will do. As a wrap up, I would say that it's been great listening to music and having to think about what, if anything, it means to me.

As well as reminding me that there is a lot of music I own that I never listen to, more than anything I think it illustrates music's ability to transport oneself back to a specific time and place.

Now to drink some of our beer to celebrate a fun day. Happy New Year!

Kate Bush - The Dreaming / Siouxsie & The Banshees - Kiss In The Dreamhouse

I don’t listen to enough Kate Bush – I was 15 when Wuthering Heights came out and I bought her first 4 albums between 1978 and 1982, The Dreaming being the last of those. It reminds me of leaving home, getting a flat and living on beans on toast. I’m glad I listened to it today, great stuff.

The woman is not exactly prolific – the fact she has only released a further 4 albums to this date illustrates that well – fortunately they are all available to me at any time as my darlin’ GF is a proper Kate geek / fan!

The other female led music I keep returning to from that period is Siouxsie and the Banshees. They were deeply involved in the nascent punk scene, though to my mind developed musically to embrace a broad set of influences. For the sake of comparison I listened to their 1982 album A Kiss In The Dreamhouse, it makes me want to sing along out of tune, jump about and dance wildly, unfortunately the years have taken their toll on my joints and dancing ability! Brilliant stuff, should be compulsory listening for today’s indie boys and girls. Educashunal, innit?

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads / Delphic - Acolyte

Kanye West might think his music is dark, but if dark is what you want then Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds’ album Murder Ballads is properly dark. The stories of Stagger Lee and O’Malley’s Bar will well and truly test your ability to embrace darkness!

As an antidote to tales of death and murder some electronic, poppy dance tunes were in order – Delphic’s January 2010 album Acolyte got an airing. Notable to me for 1) having been support at a Little Boots gig I saw in Leeds and 2) providing the theme to Sky Sports cricket coverage of England over the summer with the first track Clarion Call.

Interpol - Interpol / Imelda May - Mayhem

Interpol’s 2007 album Our Love To Admire is one of my all time favourites. I’ve only just got their 2010 self-titled album, which was not especially well critically received. I’m hoping it’s a grower, as I’ve not really been able to “get” it yet.

Imelda May is a Dublin rockabilly style artist. I really enjoy the energy and simplicity of the tunes and musicians. I saw her play in York over a year ago and although this new album doesn’t quite capture the sweaty vibe of her live performance, it does have a great cover of Tainted Love on – and that is never a bad thing.