January 29th, 2012 - Friends of Hell and Beer

Tonight I am pairing Canadian Unibroue Maudite with New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) band, Witchfinder General's 2nd album "Friends of Hell."  The whimsical mood of the beer, the label, the brewery, and the band (and album cover) seem fitting.

From Unibroue's website: "The word 'Maudite' refers here to the Legend of 'Chasse-Galerie' a tribute to the early lumberjacks of Nouvelle-France. The legend tells of eight daring woodsmen who, during winter, yearned to be home for the Holidays. They conjured up the Devil and all of them pledged their soul in return for flying them in their canoe to their village."  Unibroue Maudite is a strong, amber ale in the Belgian tradition.  Brewed in Chambly, Quebec by the Unibroue Brewery, the Maudite (translation: "damned") is a malty and spice Belgian ale.  It pours a cloudy, red copper with very fine bubbles and a thick, two to three finger, "rocky" head.  The nose is rich with citrus, coriander, spices and banana.  The flavor is characterized by that same spicy, banana flavor with a hint of sharpness, almost sour, but counter-balanced by the clove spice bite.  It has a medium body and finishes slightly hoppy.  This is definitely a strong ale that requires attention and respect, but retains a fun, flavorful palette. 

Likewise, 1983's "Friends of Hell" is a fun, flavorful album with a bit of wickedness and whim, very fitting for the Nouvelle lumberjacks and their spicy ale.  Witchfinder General hails from England and the NWOBHM movement with a sound similar to Diamond Head, Budgie, or Tygers of Pan Tang.  With such songs as "Love on Smack, " "Shadowed Images," and "Friends of Hell," Witchfinder General combines Black Sabbath-esque, doom with a bit of tongue-in-cheek misogyny and "cheeky," 1960s, English horror, as their name denotes (Vincent Price flick).  If you are a fan of late '70s and early '80s NWOBHM, this is definitely a band you should check out.

Learn more about Unibroue Maudite (and the legend) at http://www.unibroue.com/en/beers/maudite/product#/serve.