These Go To Eleven: 11 Strong Beers for a Cold January Night.

The great Nigel Tufnel said "These go to eleven".   With that I introduce the first Hoppy Notes 11: 11 Strong Beers for a Cold January Night.  Sit in front of the fireplace, and pour yourself a glass.

11. Great Lakes Blackout Stout.  Cleveland, OH.  9%ABV.

http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/uploads/Beer/Profile%20Blackout%20Stout.pdf

10. Victory Storm King Stout.  Downington, PA.  9.1%ABV

http://victorybeer.com/beers/storm-king-stout/

9.  Dark Horse Double Crooked Tree IPA.  Marshall, MI.  12%ABV

http://www.darkhorsebrewery.com/content.asp?PageName=OurBrew

8.  Three Floyds Dreadnaught IPA.  Munster, IN.  9.5%ABV.

http://www.3floyds.com/our-beers-2/

7. Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout.  Denver, CO.  9.5%ABV.

http://greatdivide.com/#/beer

6.  Three Floyds Dark Lord Imperial Stout.  Munster, IN.  15%ABV.

http://www.3floyds.com/our-beers-2/

5.  Stone Imperial Russian Stout.  Escondido, CA.

http://www.stonebrew.com/irs/

4. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Style Ale.  Chico, CA. 9.6%ABV

http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/bigfoot.html

3.  Hoppin' Frog B.O.R.I.S. the Crusher.  Akron, OH.  9.4%ABV

http://www.hoppinfrog.com/beers/

2. Bell's Expedition Stout.  Kalamazoo, MI.  10.5%ABV

1. Bell's Hoplam!  Kalamazoo, MI.  10%ABV

http://www.bellsbeer.com/brands/

The Afghan Whigs: The soundtrack of my 1990's.

It was a Saturday
I came home early drunk with love
And other things
I must confess I love it all       
(Double Day - Dulli/McCollum)


 I'm sitting here on a winter's night sipping a glass of Left Hand's Fade to Black.  I start my music writing with a band that I adore.  It's also appropriate timing as the Twilight Singers (frontman Greg Dulli's current band) will be releasing their next CD in February.


The Afghan Whigs came out of Cincinnati, Ohio in the late 80's and became one of the few bands to sign with Subpop not from Seattle.  The early efforts were a little raw, but not grunge.  Greg Dulli's inner soul singer filtered through.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54NNFMOfJJw


1992 bought Congregation.  The inclusion of "The Temple" from Andrew Lloyd Weber & Tim Rice's Jesus Christ Superstar is clue that this band had different influences than the average alternative (does anyone use that in 2011?) band.  The Afghan Whigs were finding a unique voice.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf7CymaNbes


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNFgLKJDmao


What should I tell her?
She's going to ask
If I ignore it, it gets uncomfortable
She'll want to argue about the past
(If I Were Going - Dulli)


This the opening of Gentlemen.  By this point, the Afghan Whigs have transformed into a post-grunge blue-eyed soul ensemble.  There's no teen angst, but there is heartbreak, cheating and abuse in their songs.  These are confessionals.  It's safe to say that the Afghan Whigs found their sound with Gentlemen.  


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C26BI1kJdkk


Black Love followed in a similar vein.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8r5Xvz9CjE


Then their final studio album, 1965.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9hLB0p2tFA


and that was it.  The whigs were the next big thing that never quite broke into the mainstream, but Congregation, Gentlemen, Black Love and 1965 are still favorites of mine.  They contain rock music for adults. (adults with issues perhaps, but still adults)

In the beginning...

Let me introduce myself.  My name is Brian, and I'm here to write about a couple things I enjoy: music and beer.  Why would I combine these topics?  Really, there is no grand reason.  Those are just a couple topics I enjoy.

The beer I'm going to discuss isn't going to be the big multinational brands.  I'd much rather write about what most people call craft beer, and for the most part, I'll be writing about beer from the midwest.  I'll write about events, people and places.

My music notes should be varied.  Like beer, the music I like won't be found at the top of the pop charts.  I'm a guy with a wide range of musical tastes.  Every thing I write about won't be new, but I hope to throw out some music that's new to some of you.

Thanks for reading
Brian