Pairing music with beer

I was reading an article about beer & food pairings in my latest issue of Beer Advocate last night. It really got me thinking about other types of pairings for beer. What about pairing beer with music? It's not exactly a pairing in the sense of taste, but it could certainly work.

What type of beer would enhance your enjoyment of a particular music group or style? These are some of the matches I came up with for my favorite music and beers. What would you suggest?


1. Newcastle Brown Ale & Oasis


Okay, a decidedly British beer with a decidedly British band. No-brainer, right? Newcastle has always made me think of some old, well-worn neighborhood pub with a giant, dark-wood bar dominating the single room and a Manchester United game on the television. I can just hear "Don't Look Back In Anger" playing on the jukebox in the corner.

2. Dogfish Head 90-Minute IPA & My Morning Jacket

IPA's have been an acquired taste for me. I remember the first time someone handed me a Sierra Nevada in college. I didn't like it at all... Now that my palate has had some time to mature, I am starting to appreciate bitterly hoppy beers more and more. I am getting particularly fond of stronger, high gravity varieties like Dogfish Head.

In a similar way, I couldn't quite wrap my ears around My Morning Jacket until a couple years ago when I heard their song "Aluminum Park" - just enough hard rock to counter the jam band roots that sometimes turn me off.

Still, a little goes a long way for me, and too much can easily go straight to my head...

3. Yazoo Hefeweizen & Zac Brown Band

This is my favorite wheat beer ever, only more so because it's brewed right here in Nashville. To me, it invokes summer evenings on the coast, hot weather and an outdoor patio with a band playing. When I think of my toes in the water and my ass in the sand, this is definitely the cold beer in my hand.

The subtle taste of citrus and banana, along with the light yellow opaque color, give this beer a subtle tropical vibe. Zac Brown's "Toes" is one of my favorite summer getaway songs, and Yazoo Hefe is hands down my favorite summer beer.


4. Magic Hat #9 & Grace Potter

At the risk of violating common-law Man Code, I have to admit that I love beers with hints of citrus or apricot. What I love most about Magic Hat #9 is that it combines both these flavors with something close to a pale ale. It's pretty-looking with a lot of flavor, but it keeps just short of being too heavy. Ironically, that also happens to be what I like most about Grace Potter... "Medicine" is the perfect pairing for this beer.

A shot in the dark for Augustana

Take equal parts Bruce Springsteen and the Killers with a dash of Tom Petty and a dusting of Kings of Leon, and you have the recipe for the latest, self-titled release from Augustana. Produced by Jacquire King, who's spacey reverb and dark echo fingerprint has graced recent offerings from KOL and Norah Jones, Augustana is a classic mix of guitar rock, rootsy country hooks and folk sensibilities.

The starting track and lead-off single "Steal Your Heart" is a soaring anthem in the vein of the Killers, almost begging for a large arena to fill. It's no wonder that the four core band members were supplemented by an extra guitar player, keyboard and percussionist when they performed "Steal Your Heart" on a recent Jay Leno appearance. The layered guitars, driving drums and group sing-along choruses reinforce what might have otherwise been middle-of-the-road lyrics and a simple melody. While some long-time fans might be a little thrown-off by the Killers-esque vibe of "Steal Your Heart," it is an undeniably catchy song.

"Wrong Side of Love" echos the driving groove of Tom Petty in his prime, while "Borrowed Time" mixes in some country/folk-spiced accents. My personal favorite is the catchy rock-shuffle of "Shot in the Dark," a song that conveys a mix of tempering disillusionment and cautious hope while looking back at dreams and plans from a younger life that didn't quite come to pass.

Singer Dan Layus is grittier and less polished here than on the band's previous two albums. Some of the record's best moments come when he relaxes the rock sparkle and lets a little bit of his vulnerability show through, as he does on the not-giving-up-on-us "Just Stay Here Tonight," lonely-in-the-city, Wallflowers-esque "Hurricane" and the slow-but-steady closer "You Were Made For Me."

The band has done some growing up in the years since their freshman release. The songwriting on Augustana seems to reflect the paradigm shift that comes with years on the road and the strain it causes on love and family, something that was only post-teenage speculation on their debut six years ago.
 
There is a subtle optimism hovering in the background throughout Augustana, but the band seems to be careful to temper it with a sense of Great Recession-era realism. Times are still tough, and the future's uncertain, but there's still some fight left for the things that matter. Good thing we have great music to arm ourselves with.

Highlights of 2011... so far...

I can't believe all the great music I've been discovering this year - so many great new additions to the My Top Rated playlist on my iPod. There's some old friends, new departures and fresh faces, for sure...

Ari Hest - Sunset Over Hope Street

I've been following Ari Hest for over 10 years - and in full disclosure, I interned with his management for a semester - and I've watch him grow from New York coffee house crooner through major label aspirations to master songwriter (see the "52" Project). I was lucky enough to catch Ari in Nashville last week on the home stretch of his supporting tour for Sunset Over Hope Street, and I was completely blown away by his musicianship, unusual chord voices, and the phenomenal drummer, Doug Yowell, he brought with him.

Check out the tracks "If I knew You'd Say Yes," "Sunset Over Hope Street," "Swan Song" and "How Would I Know."

The Damnwells - No One Listens to the Band Anymore

I am a sucker for classic guitar-driven pop a la Tom Petty, and the latest from the Damnwells hits that sweet spot on the nose. I can't help but feel a lot of raw hope for these guys, who seem to be the perpetual underdogs of pop rock. I was blown away by their major label release Golden Days several years ago, but deflated shortly after when their label dropped them in favor of groups like the Fray.

No One Listens to the Band Anymore shows that you can't keep a good band down for long. My favorites so far include "Werewolves," "She Goes Round," and "The Same Way."


The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow

These harmonies hit me like a brick. While co-member Joy Williams has made a big name for herself in the CCM world with several Dove awards, I can't help but feeling that she's secured a big place for herself in the Americana/Roots scene that's been bubbling up for the last few years. The beauty of their sound is in the simplicity of the production. There's no need for layers of sound when you have two truly skilled musicians blending well together. Listening to this record makes me want to pack my plain guitar, crumple up my humble self-penned songs up and find a new hobby...

Check out "Barton Hollow" (picking up rotation on VH1), "20 Years" and "Birds of a Feather."

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - The Rome Project  

 When I heard about a collaboration featuring Jack White, Norah Jones and Danger Mouse ominously titled Rome, my immediate thought was "this is going to be very interesting." What I was not expecting was a tribute to the classic Spaghetti Western soundtracks from the 1960s, i.e The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and A Fistful of Dollars.

The two pre-release singles that debuted a few weeks ago on iTunes, Jack White's "Two Against One" and Norah Jones' "Black," hint at a fantastic concept album. Plus, you can't beat Italian composer Daniele Luppi's mustache - pure James Bond meets Dos Equis guy, if you ask me. If only I could pull off a look like that...

Middle Brother - Middle Brother

I wish these guys would make a stop in Nashville sometime soon...

Middle Brother is a collaboration of members from Dawes, Delta Spirit and Deer Tick. It's rough around the edges, with clear hints of The Band, CSN and Neal Young. I'm loving the jangled twang in "Blue Eyes," the trying-to-care-but-can't in "Blood and Guts," and the subtle bitterness of "Thanks For Nothing."

Augustana - Augustana

The full album is due the last week of April, but judging by the lead single "Steal Your Heart," I'm very hopeful this record will be in heavy rotation on my iPod this summer just like their previous two. Augustana was produced in part by Jacquire King, the same guy who produced the last two Kings of Leon albums. You can definitely hear a KOL mark in the production and spacey reverb of the record.

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Maybe I just have a little too much affection for the folk/Americana trend that seems to be coming out of the woodwork right now. I can't get enough of the current cadre that boasts Mumford & Sons, the Avett Brothers, the Civil Wars and Fleet Foxes. The Foxes' second album drops in a couple weeks, and I managed score a pair of tickets to see them at the Ryman here in Nashville a few days later. I hope the rest of the disk keeps pace with this pre-release track.