7/7/10


Harviestoun Bitter & Twisted IPA- Brouweij Lane- Greenpoint, Brooklyn- 32 oz- Poured into a Pub Glass- 4.2% ABV- Golden, pilsener color. About a half a finger of head dissipating quickly. Medium amount of lacing. Subtle fruit and hops to the aroma. This is a nice blend, not overpowering but it lets you know there is something going on in this beer. Medium bodied mouth feel with a bit of creaminess and nice carbonation. Compared to last week’s beer this is more to my liking. Goes down smooth. I almost bought a Smuttynose Double IPA but after I tasted it I realized it was a little too much for today. It has been a brutally hot week in NYC and this really is a pretty refreshing beer. It is low on the ABV but has some complexity to it which is nice. I would definitely buy this on tap in a bar. This actually is the second Scottish beer I have had this week. My wife and I had a Twisted Thistle IPA at Shoolbred’s in the East Village on Saturday night which was very good yet different in character than this. At least in presentation that beer appeared more like a traditional IPA. This IPA I am drinking now looks more like a pilsner to my eyes. I don't think I've had too many Scottish beers in my day but I would like to try some others.



On the turntable is Area Code 615- Area Code 615- This was a record which had been on my radar but I had no real hope of finding it in a local record store. Then I found it, in a local store, sitting in the front of a record bin when I was looking for something else. This is an instrumental record recorded by the cream of the 1960's Nashville session musicians. The 615 refers to the area code in Nashville and its surrounding areas (I am not sure if it is the same now). The album was recorded in 1969 in a place called Cinderella Sound Studios, which from the photograph on the back cover appears to be a small house in Madison, Tennessee. Weldon Myrick- pedal steel guitar, David Briggs- keyboards and Wayne Moss- guitar are some of the names I am familiar with from the group and have seen noted on many country and pop records from that era. Wikipedia stated these musicians helped Bob Dylan record parts of Blonde On Blonde and Nashville Skyline. David Briggs went on to play keyboards with Elvis Presley’s TCB (Taking Care of Business) Band during parts of the sixties and seventies. Members of Area Code 615 went on to play in Barefoot Jerry a group who appeared, albeit briefly, in the film, Heartworn Highways about Texas based songwriters in the 1970's including Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark. Barefoot Jerry was featured playing a fierce instrumental in the film. The Area Code 615 album has a Soul/ Country vibe with surprisingly thick, Fender Bass and some drumming which wouldn't sound out of place on a break beats compilation. There were a few originals and some nice cover versions of Otis Redding's I've Been Loving You To Long, Bob Dylan's Just Like A Woman and The Beatles Lady Madonna and Hey Jude. Nice record.