To my friends over at the Two Drunk Ladies (https://www.facebook.com/TwoDrunkLadies), a pairing of The Rolling Stones' 1973 album, "Goats Head Soup" and a Lev Black Lion from Měšťanský Pivovar Havlíčkův Brod, A.S. Cheers ladies!!
Considered by some as the end of the "golden era" of the band, "Goats Head Soup" is the 11th British and 13th American studio album by The Rolling Stones and was recorded almost entirely in Jamaica, expect for "Hide Your Love," which was recorded in the Netherlands. Due to Keith Richards' drug issues, he was only allowed in a few countries at the time. "Jamaica was one of the few places that would let us all in! By that time about the only country that I was allowed to exist in was Switzerland, which was damn boring for me, at least for the first year, because I didn't like to ski... Nine countries kicked me out, thank you very much, so it was a matter of how to keep this thing together..." A far more "laid back" sound than predecessor, "Exile On Main Street," the "Goats Head Soup" album is a rather dark collection lyrically. Musically, there are elements of rock, R&B, funk, fusion, and blues. Mick Jagger said of the album, "I really feel close to this album, and I really put all I had into it... I guess it comes across that I'm more into songs. It wasn't as vague as the last album which kind of went on so long that I didn't like some of the things. There's more thought to this one. It was recorded all over the place over about two or three months. The tracks are much more varied than the last one. I didn't want it to be just a bunch of rock songs." Richards' guitars and Mick Taylor's guitars are wonderfully rich and warm at times, and aggressive and fiery at others. And the vocal deliveries by Jagger and Richards are smooth, honest, and emotionally mature. The album produced the big ballad hit, "Angie" and a few other great slow tracks like "Coming Down Again" and "Winter." But there are some great rocking moments as well like "Dancing With Mr. D," "100 Years Ago," "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)," "Silver Train," and "Star Star."
Lev Black Lion is a Czech dark lager. It pours a deep mahogany, almost black, opaque color with a frothy tan head with good retention and sustained spider web lacing. The nose is sweet and malty with notes of dark roasted malts and caramel with just a hint of smokiness. The mouthfeel is almost sensual with its mild carbonation, and smoothness and creaminess. The flavor is sweet and malty like the nose and almost more akin to a mellow stout than a dark lager. There are notes of cocoa, plum, toasted malts, barley, and creamy toffee. There are also some subtle earth notes. With a 4.5 ABV percentage, the Black Lion is a good session beer that is very drinkable and finishes nicely.
The Lev Black Lion is definitely a good beer for the groove of "Goats Head Soup"! A rather nice pairing for a mellow Sunday evening. Cheers!
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