Good afternoon! The Meista here starting off the day pairing "proto-metal" gods Blue Öyster Cult (BÖC) and their album "Secret Treaties" with a Payback Porter from Speakeasy Ales & Lagers out of San Francisco, California!
Released in 1974, "Secret Treaties" is BÖC's 3rd studio album (3rd of what many fans call the "black-and-white" period trilogy). Musically the band set out to create a "timeless" album with some of the hardest rock ever recorded at the time, according to guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser. And that the BÖC boys accomplished! Eric Bloom's vocals, stun guitar, and keyboards are absolute perfection! Buck Dharma's guitar work is otherworldly! Just listen to him tear it up on "ME 262"! The Bouchard brothers (Albert and Joe) are one of the tightest and most talented rhythm sections out there! And their vocal performances have always been spot on! And Allen Lanier's rhythm guitar and keyboard work was and always will be superior! Lyrically dark, arcane, and mystical, the tracks helped codify the band's mysterious and occult persona. The punchy "Career of Evil" was written by punk poetess Patti Smith. Smith became a longtime contributor to the band, co-writing songs for at least five other BÖC albums along with "Secret Treaties." (She also dated keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Lanier.) Other lyric contributions came from producer Sandy Pearlman and the music critic Richard Meltzer (both of whom would contribute throughout the years and leave their marks on the bands direction and legacy). Thematically speaking, the songs' subject matter ranges from telepathy, eyeball collecting, sexuality, WWII air warfare, villainy, deception, and black magic. Most definitely a classic album in every sense of the word, tracks "Career of Evil," "Subhuman," "Dominance And Submission," "ME 262," "Astronomy," and "Harvester of Eyes" all became standards of the BÖC live set over the years. The remastered cd version includes 5 previously unreleased bonus tracks including "Boorman The Chauffer," "Mommy," "Mes Dames Sarat," and a cover of Steppenwolf's classic "Born To Be Wild."
Payback Porter is a big, thick, and complex American ale that is perfect for the richness, complexity, and dark imagery of "Secret Treaties"! Poured from a 22 ounce bomber into a mug, the Payback's color is a deep brown... almost black with a dense and creamy, 1-2 finger mocha head, which is very frothy and leaves soapy lacing with strong retention. The nose is all about the dark chocolate aromas with hints of coffee and woodsy/oaky aromas. The mouthfeel is insanely creamy and silky smooth with very low carbonation. The flavor is smoky, chocolaty, and earthy, which really resonates with songs like "Subhuman," "Dominance And Submission," and the brilliant "Astronomy." There are notes of bittersweet dark chocolate, creamy milk chocolate, blonde coffee, bitter dark coffee, rich malts, sweet butter toffee, and even a hint of creamy marshmallow. There are some nice piney hops in there too, which help balance out the sweetness giving the Payback and very mellow, yet big character. The Payback is deceptively smooth... any awareness or residual kick of the 7.5% ABV is completely unapparent. Good stuff!!
Check out Speakeasy Ales & Lagers at http://goodbeer.com/wordpress/! And if you don't own BÖC's "Secret Treaties," GO GET IT... RIGHT NOW!!
Cheers!!
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