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Thus Let Us Drink Beer – Aether and Bojak Brewing

Aether Brewing is another craft brewery that over the last couple of years has been on my peripheral vision, yet it took five years into their existence for me to finally sample some of their finely brewed emissions.

With the name being a thinly veiled reference to Greek mythology, their mission statement being centred around the pursuit of not merely brewing perfection but on creating experiences for their customers based on the aromas and flavours of their beers along with  the design of their artwork adorning their tins offering eye candy by following an overarching theme, expectations were quite high.

With a core range offering staples like a mid-strength Pilsner and sessionable lager along with an accolade decorated Pale Ale, I was first drawn to their much fabled out Hop, Skip & Jump IPA and their black IPA, with the latter being one of the more unusual offerings within the realm of India Pale Ales. 

Being a West Coast IPA variant, Aether’s Hop, Skip & Jump overwhelms with an avalanche of citrussy aromas that are married with deliciously resinous characteristics derived from the quartet of Citra, Simcoe, Columbus and Galaxy hops, which are accentuated by stone fruity nuances.

The whole affairs is rounded out nicely by a perfectly calibrated malty bitterness, clocking in at 70 IBU. An excellent strong-bodied IPA that makes me deeply regret that I missed out on Aether channelling its alchemy in the creation of a hemp based IIPA and a much fabled about Irish red ale with bone marrow. The latter should give an indication of Aether’s intrinsic willingness to experiment to push the envelope and take things to the next level flavour-wise.

Let’s move on to the oxymoron that is the Black As Your Heart India Pale Ale. Being not exactly the biggest fan of dark beers, I was intrigued as to where the verdict was going to land on this one. 

While one might think that flavours would clash or overwrite one another, what Aether has accomplished in this case is a well-composed melange of hoppy, resinous fruitiness with the expected rustic, malty roastiness of the malty backbone shining through. 

The result is the diametric opposite of a one-dimensional experience as it starts off with a taste of what one would normally expect from an IPA to then take a left turn into stouty territory, with coffee and dark chocolatey flavours taking on a dominant role

I paired it with a dram of Ledaig 10 and it resulted in one of the more enjoyable and intense boilermaker experiences I have recently had. Despite the strong flavour components and an ABV of 6.7%, the Black IPA is a dangerously moreish little number.

Talking of darker brews – towards the end of the eighteenth century scientist John Michell proposed that gravity in the vicinity of massively compact objects can be powerful enough for not even light to escape. 

Not claiming that Aether’s Event Horizon expression was brewed in a black hole but as the name suggests, Danzig would be proud as it is the equivalent of Burzum in the world of beers. Compared to Aether’s Event Horizon, the abovementioned Black As Your Heart IPA shines fluorescently in comparison.

Porter by nature, as the blackness of the pour suggests, flavours are dominated by a malty, roasty richness, which still leaves space for subtler notes of dark chocolate and delicately sweet highlights to shine through, courtesy of vanilla beans that have been aged in spiced rum. 

With their attentional to detail as far as every facet of their brews is concerned, I can only hope that Aether Brewing will continue to expand their distinctly flavoured IPA range and am looking forward to their future creations.

Let’s travel South to Victoria, where a fiercely local brewery operates under a moniker derived from the founding couple sons names’ being merged. 

Bojak Brewing started out as a small brewpub before spreading its wings to make a splash on the crowded Melbournian craft beer scene, which given the amount of quality brews on offer around Melbourne is not an easy feat to accomplish.

With a core range comprised of a Teutonic pilseners, stouts and sours, Bojak’s Calypso Hazy IPA won me over straight away. 

As the name suggests, this lil’ number comes with a bit of a Caribbean vibe with flavours being on the juicier end of the mango and pineapple spectrum, accentuated by earthy hints of wheat and oats, culminating with a deliberately subdued bitterness. 

With an ABV of 6.4%, an extremely sessionable IPA that lends itself perfectly well to become a trusted companion on hot summer days.

Let’s venture on have a look at an expression with quite a fitting name, i.e. the Season Changer.

The season we are changing to is colder one, where one feels like cosying up in front of a fireplace, lusting for a US style brown ale with bold malt-based flavours.

Low on fruity esters and resting on a backbone of caramelly, nutty dark chocolate flavours, the melange of Chinook and Centennial hops complete the picture by counterpointing the malty backbone with their citrussy and resinous characteristics.

A medium dry finish rounds things out with a mid-high hop bitterness.

My favourite of the expressions I sampled from Bojak is the Legal Mess extra pale ale, the malt base of which is situated on the lighter end of the spectrum, with a well-calibrated subdued bitterness that leaves the spotlight for the hops to shine through.

Essentially, Legal Mess is the best of both worlds - an incredibly hoppy Pale Ale with IPA characteristics:  Medium bodied, refreshing and with just the perfect amount of supporting malt character.

Carpet Bombing Culture – Banksy and Punk in London

In the realm of counter culture, there is no shortage of publishers pumping out the good word with the best of intentions. 

However, when it comes to offering more than the barren message and an added layer of aesthetically pleasing attention to detail and a tad bit of eye candy, pickings are slim.

Enter Carpet Bombing Culture.

Essentially, Carpet Bombing Culture is a publishing house that thoroughly understood early on that the delivery of premium quality art does not have to compromise the intensity of the messaging that is meant to be conveyed – au contraire, with their premium offerings and meticulous attention to detail, they infiltrate the mainstream and capitalise on en vogue topics to leap in with maximum input without ever diluting the tenets of them pursuing the guerrilla warfare that is 21st century everyday life.

Carpet Bombing Culture has accomplished a business model which enables them to be agile, affordable and relevant without running danger of being less compelling than any of its mainstream competitors, with the added bonus of Carpet Bombing Culture having its focus firmly set on being a catalyst to ignite action and provoke thoughts.

An example par excellence for Carpet Bombing Culture’s approach is the book on a street artist that has been covered a myriad times before by both mainstream and independent media, i.e. Banksy.

CBC’s “You Are An Acceptable Level Of Threat” clocks in at two-hundred and forty pages and not only comprises the depiction of Banksy’s street work from the late 1990s to the present day via five hundred photographs, but embeds it in contextualising commentary, descriptions to help the uninitiated understand and illuminating essays. 

In a sea of books on Banksy, this definitely constitutes a highlight and the essential one to have in your library.

Let’s enter the time machine and head back to examine the genesis of punk rock in a photographic manner, shan’t we?
 
Carpet Bombing Culture’sPunk London 1977 zeroes in on the epicentre of where punk rock emanated from, i.e., the venue known as the Roxy situated in the middle of a derelict slum called Covent Garden via the photography of Derek Ridgers. 

The result is a collection of over one hundred and fifty photographs, which expertly and opulently document how birth was given to one of the most significant subcultural phenomena of the twentieth century.

No matter if you have been there and done that or joined the movement when it became more palatable in the mid-1990s, this book will engage your senses as it captures the spirit, youthful energy and uniqueness of the first wave of protagonists shaping a movement for which there was no blueprint at the time. The result is a raw and beautifully intense depiction of what rebellion looked like when it was in its most original state, long before it became commodified.

Highlights include photographs that I have not seen in this form before, e.g. Adam performing before Adam & The Ants formed; a very early incarnation of The Slits fronted by Ari; Debbie Harry channelling her exuberance at the Hammersmith Odeon and a youthful Dave Vanian of The Damned.

Given the quality of the abovementioned release, if you got a modicum of appreciation for underground culture, checking out Carpet Bombing Culture’s catalogue of releases is a mandatory exercise.

The Folio Society – Everest and Mythical Beasts

No matter how much one subscribes to the notion that one should not judge a book by its cover, if you feel passionate about the arts – whatever medium they may be channelled in – the packaging and overall presentation offers an opportunity to extend, elevate and celebrate the story at its core by putting emphasis on craftmanship and meticulous attention to detail, with the result being not only a feast for the eyes but a tangible experience.

Enter The Folio Society.

Founded in the old world nigh to eight decades ago, the central tenet of The Folio society has always been firmly set on the creation and publishing of carefully crafted editions of carefully curated heavyweights of what the world of literature has to offer. 

No matter what your favourite work of fiction or non-fiction is, chances are that if there is a Folio Society edition of it, the enjoyment you get from their highly imaginative and timeless editions and choice of materials will augment your enjoyment exponentially, with the common denominator of Folio Society’s editions being the quality of the product and the focus on variety as far as the aesthetic is concerned: While there is no cookie-cutter formula as far as their approach to design elements is concerned, I can guarantee that if you ever experienced one of the illustrious cloth-bound Folio Society versions of a tome, you will recognize their other releases from a long way off during your next bookstore visit as they stand out as works of art.

Each release is unique in that it features uniquely commissioned artwork that either zeroes in on elements of the story / subject matter or characters and events depending on the respective theme, giving each book the third dimension representation it deserves and making it an ideal thoughtful gift for any bibliophile.

Given the abovementioned, stating that I was thrilled when I learned that Folio Society was going to dedicate a book on Mount Everest would be an understatement par excellence.

With its 8,848m, Mount Everest has fascinated me for the longest time and after a visit to Tibet and a trek up to the base camp, my ambition to one day scale it solidified: I finally managed to secure a permit for the ascent in May 2020 but then Covid hit and plans have been put on the backburner indefinitely.

The Folio Society’s two-volume edition Everest: From Reconnaissance to Summit is a veritable heavyweight both in the literal as well as metaphorical sense: The first part is a wonderfully illustrated selection of close to three hundred mountain photographs with the focus set on the beauty and immense proportions of the mountain, shedding light on 360 degree panoramas, pinnacles, iced plateaus and other visually appealing aspects. 

Produced in collaboration with the Royal Geographical Society, the second part is dedicated to the history and accounts of eyewitnesses, embedded in essays, official reports, private communiques and contextualising commentary by authorities in the field of mountaineering and Mount Everest expeditions. 

As far as historical depictions are concerned, it is specifically interesting how political agendas played part over the years.
Bound in printed and blocked cloth with silver tops and housed in a pictorial slipcase, a truly well-produced release that is bound to excite both the uninitiated as well as the aficionado of mountaineering.

Another recent intriguing Folio Society release is Mythical Beasts – a telling name as the focus is set on the protagonists and creatures that infuse myths and folklore with colourful incarnations and motifs. Needless to say, given the subject matter, it proves to be a perfect release for The Folio Society to go to town in terms of design to add its idiosyncratic enriching facets.

With a fact based and borderline scientific approach, the opulently illustrated tome travels through time from antiquity to the present day to shed light on the origins of half-human creatures, gods, demons, dragons and everything in between.  

Contextualised and embedded in carefully researched essays by subject matter experts, the focus is on lending a voice to a variety of sources to paint a comprehensive picture of how mythical beast have played an integral role in the shaping of some cultures and it expertly identifies their appeal, backed by imagery, artistic interpretations and depictions, culminating in a glossary detailing alphabetical references.

The Formative Years - Die Ärzte

If you read the previous instalment of this series, you might recall that reference was made to two Teutonic bands that at some stage have played an integral part and contributed to the descent of youth into the maelstrom of punk in the 1980/90s.

Die Toten Hosen was one of those and their fierce rivals back in the day were based in Berlin: Founded in the same year as Die Toten Hosen, Die Ärzte started as a trio and not unlike DTH rose out of the ashes of a previous punk band, in this case Soilent Grün.

Funnily enough, both bands appeared on the compilation 20 schäumende Stimmungshits, which features a ditty called “Vollmilch”, which pretty early on signified their musical style and self-deprecating sense of humor. 

In 1983 they recorded their first 7”, before they were signed to the major label CBS, which – again a parallel to DTH - helped to get them exposure outside the confines of underground music and resonated immensely well with teenagers.

A range of albums followed, which saw the band evolve from a minimalist style to more traditional means of distorted rock with their trademark tongue-in-cheek humor remaining the reliable constant USP.

Lyrically, they moved to taboo subjects like incest and bestiality, which got them indexed by the German government equivalent to the PMRC and resulted in the band being unable to play the respective songs live or promote their albums. 
Needless to say, this kind of censorship only added to their appeal as it infused it with a sense of danger, and it became en vogue to trade tapes and sing their songs publicly wherever inappropriate.
Eventually, record sales dropped because of their albums being forcefully removed from record shops and the ever-resourceful band circumvented the ban by releasing all censored songs on an album that was not to be sold to minors, which was also put on the index.

Momentum built and when they released their next album, “Das ist nicht die ganze Wahrheit”, it charted immediately. The band decided to end things on a high, did one last sold out tour and ended their first chapter in 1987 with a fantastic triple live album, which was celebrated frenetically and sealed their legacy.

When they reformed in 1993, they reformed with a powerful statement against the emerging right-wing development in reunified Germany, the album on which it appeared instantaneously resonated with its varied compositions comprised of rock, punk but also ballads, which were still performed in their trademark ways yet lacked the childish humour and urge to forcefully ridicule everything in their path.

The following albums and decades saw them continue to carve their own niche while scoring number one hits along the way.

All three protagonists ventured out to launch successful solo careers, with Die Ärzte only convening when they deemed that the stars aligned to record a new album or play selected shows and tour, sometimes incognito in little clubs under pseudonyms.

Not unlike Die Toten Hosen, Die Ärzte are pioneers of German punk, which due to their idiosyncratic style is largely unknown outside the confines of countries where their language and humour is not understood and they remain one of the very few bands in Germany with a punk rock pedigree that maintains relevance and successful while not succumbing to any formula.

Water of Live

Glenlivet Caribbean Cask and Bellarine Distillery

Glenlivet is an interesting brand as its portfolio ranges from very affordable mass compatible offerings to expressions that cater to the discerning aficionado. 

Given what Balvenie accomplished with their fourteen-year-old Caribbean cask expression, I was intrigued when I learned about Glenlivet looking at introducing their own rum cask variant to their entry level range and if it would add another facet to its DNA of staple affordable whiskies.

As far as first expressions go, it is essentially a drop that lives up to how Glenlivet announced it, i.e., “a well balanced and exceptionally smooth whisky” with it being bottled at 40% ABV.

Looking for further details as to the maturation, the type of rum barrels and the length of the rum cask barrel finish do unfortunately not yield a result, but given that Pernod Ricard is associated with Havana Club and Montilla, so an educated guess would have me think that casks that previously housed these rums could have been used.

Honey-esque in colour, what tickles the nostrils upon approach is a welcoming melange of syrupy, brown sugar, ripe apples, sultanas, butterscotch, sugarcane and citrussy highlights.

On the top of the mouth, what the aromas hinted at materializes in terms of apples, oranges and vanilla flavours, which are accentuated by white pepper notes and oaky tannins. 

The most interesting part is the mid-length finish as it constitutes the part where caramelly, soft fruity flavours blend in with notes of coffee and rich wood flavours, culminating in a crescendo of dried spices.

Summa summarum, Glenlivet’s Caribbean Cask is a good quality affordable entry point for the uninitiated into the realm of rum cask finished whiskies with a bit of a tropical tinge.

Located south-west of Melbourne and separating Bass Strait from Port Phillip Bay lies the Bellarine Peninsula. 

Being an ever evolving tourist region with a variety of resorts, beaches and wineries, it was only a matter of time until the first distillery was to be established – a feat that was accomplished with the inception of Bellarine Distillery in 2015.

With inspiration drawn from a trip to the Scottish highlands a couple of years prior, the seed was planted for Lorelle and Russell Watson to commence channelling their alchemy in the distillation of gins, for which they found an ex-chicken farm to not only build their empire on but also grow botanicals to refine their unique range of gins.

Fast forward six years and Bellarine Distillery has become an institution in the realm of gin with their idiosyncratic “Teddy and the Fox” gin, named after the real-life fable that occurred with their pooch Teddy having an incident with the local equivalent of Reynard the Fox. 

With the precedent of drawing on occurrences relating to the interaction of their pets with surrounding wildlife having been set, a theme was found for the nomenclature of their range.

Utilizing their custom-made still, Bellarine Distillery honours traditional distilling methods with the focus firmly set on using organic, local ingredients to infuse their had crafted emissions with botanicals giving a sense of provenance.

Bellarine’s Teddy and the Fox’ core expression rests on a juniper forward foundation, which is enriched in equal measure by star anise, orris root, lemon myrtle, orange and coriander, with the result carrying refreshing citrus notes, backed by the melange of the aforementioned botanicals unfolding their magic. 

Being into whiskies, I specifically enjoy that it lends itself perfectly well for sipping.
  
As far as Bellarine Distillery’s gins are concerned, Rosey & the Rabbits, Aged Gin is my favourite expression: Made in small batches and refined with a maturation period in retired Pinot Noir barrels from Scotchman’s Hill Winery, this one offers much more than the standard juniper heavy variant. 

As one would expect, the cask infuses the spirit with delicate oaky nuances and sugary highlights, which are set against a backdrop of 
sweet and tart flavours, limes and hints of salt, culminating in a peppery crescendo, which adds immensely to the complexity.

Again, perfectly sippable and another expression I would refrain from diluting it with tonic.

The Old Dodger is Bellarine’s heavyweight in terms of alcohol content, being a Navy Strength Gin. Marrying botanicals from terra australis with ones from the old worlds, The Old Dodger is being created through a deliberately long distillation process to ensure that the heavier oils are fully extracted, resulting in a flavourful experience. Team it up with a Mediterranean tonic and you got a winner.

Trooper & the Roo rounds out Bellarine Distillery’s portfolio with a desserty lil’ number: With the emphasis resting on the nutty end of the flavour spectrum, the cacao and roasted wattle seed imbue this expression with delicate dark chocolate, dark cherries, almond flavours and just the faintest hint of citrus.

Given the quality and uniqueness of Bellarine’s gin range, I cannot wait to try their whisky expression.