FNBP: New Belgium's Explore Series & The Gaslight Anthem

One day The Gaslight Anthem wasn't on my radar, the next they where everywhere. The same, I believe, can be said for New Belgium Brewery's ever-growing fleet of beers—one day they weren't anywhere to be found, the next day they were popping up on the shelves of every neighborhood market and the beverage lists of any self-respecting watering hole. For tonight's Friday Night Beer Pairing I would like to focus on New Belgium's Explore Series (consisting of Ranger IPA, Mothership Wit, Abbey and Trippel) and The Gaslight Anthem's American Slang.

The good people at New Belgium, with special credit to Belgian brewmaster Peter Bouckaert, are helping Americans from coast to coast expand their malted beverage horizons by "brewing delicious beers with loads of character and aspiring ingredients." Abbey is a Belgian dubbel brewed with six different malts and authentic Belgian yeast and weighs in at 7.0% alcohol. Trippel is smooth and complex, but the strongest of the four. Mothership Wit, named after the Fort Collins Brewery, is a citrusy, refreshing white beer. Lastly, the Ranger IPA is a deliciously hoppy butt-kicker of a beer with hints of citrus and fruit, but mostly awesomeness. All four make for great sipping and enjoying, and especially with the right musical pairing. When I think New Belgian, I think fresh and refreshing, but with an old-style influence and character. This is almost precisely the way I feel about the amazing things The Gaslight Anthem have been doing with their Boss-esque, invigorating sound.

I think it's fair to say that The Gaslight Anthem's music goes well with a wide variety of beers; however, something about the trailblazing, multi-influence approach of the New Belgium Brewers couples well with the diverse and dynamic music generated by Brian Fallon and the rest of the band. Gaslight's music on American Slang ranges from introspective and touching to jubilant and uplifting. The influences are comprised of the obviously heavy touch of punk and classic rock to more subtle strains of rockabilly and blues. Regardless, the tracks off of this effort are just as catchy and well-structured as those found on The '59 Sound.

Great beer; great album. It is undeniable that you will look and feel ridiculously cool while enjoying both.

Friday Night Beer Pairing: Upright Brewing & Nick Jaina

Tonight I'm pairing two regional adaptations of traditionally rustic genres.

Any beer lover visiting Portland will notice the abundance of pale ales; every brewery seems to have at least three kinds. So the founding of Upright Brewing and its experimental, loosely Belgian-style beers was great news for Brasilliant and me, who were forced to fly to Germany and Belgium to satisfy our thirst for doppelbocks and tripels. Upright uses a Belgian-based brewing process, but are not beholden to any one recipe, which makes a visit to Upright's tasting room so much fun. They are still playing around with their beers, so while you may not love every sip, the flavors are bold and unique. My favorite is the Upright 7, their version of a farmhouse Saison. It's dry, aromatic, and just slightly spicy. Even at 8% it goes down easy.

I'm not sure which Portland loves more, beer or folk music. Probably beer, but judging from the abundance of good singer-songwriters, indie folk isn't far behind. Nick Jaina is one of my favorites and is set to release his new album, A Bird In The Opera House, next month. "Sleep Child" (mp3) captures the album's warm vocals and rhythmic strumming that gently pushes the songs forward. The album incorporates bits of Portland into the lyrics along with subtle layers of strings. It's comfortable, catchy, and perfect for kicking back at home.

Friday Night Beer Pairing: Unibroue & The Dirtbombs

I live a city that loves both beer and indie rock passionately, and since they always improve each other, it makes sense to talk about them together. While I could have started this series with any of the many local microbrews and indie bands I love, I decided to start with the combination that gave the idea – Unibroue and the Dirtbombs "La Fin Du Monde".

The connection here is of course obvious and for some reason once I made that connection I could not have one without wanting the other. It helps that I love both. While We Have You Surrounded is far from my favorite Dirtbombs' album, "La Fin Du Monde" is a great song. It's sung in French, so I have no idea about the lyrics, but figure that the apocolyptic theme of the album carries into a song about the end of the world. Somehow they make it sound wistful and pleasant. The beer pays homage to "great explorers, who believed they had reached the end of the world when they discovered America" and at 9% the beer is a heavy weight and could make you tackle hedges on your way home from the bar.

La Fin Du Monde - The Dirtbomb...