December 20th, 2013 - Hop Rodding In The Sonic Temple!

Good evening!  The Meista here doing a pairing for my brotha Fischbox... The Cult's "Sonic Temple" and a Hop Rod Rye Specialty Ale from Bear Republic Brewing Company!!  Cheers buddy!!

"A high gravity IPA brewed with 18% rye malt," the Hop Rod Rye from Bear Republic Brewing Company is an American IPA with big floral hop flavors and a spicy rye backbone.   This bad boy pours a very cloud, light mahogany with a frothy 1-2 finger head.  The nose is a slap in the face of pine, grapefruit rind, tree sap, and peppery rye spiciness with just a hint of maybe sage or rosemary.  Flavor-wise we are talking a perfect balance of sweet, bitter, and spice.  There are wonderfully complex and rich notes of pine, citrusy grapefruit, black pepper, and buttery and sweet toffee/caramel.  Those strong hop and rye notes linger on the tongue for a good few minutes as well.  Coming in at 8% ABV, this is a pretty big brew (especially in a 22 ounce bottle!), but the hoppiness and spiciness hide the boozy flavor well. 

For an "edgy" brew like the Hop Rod Rye, I needed an album of equal aggressiveness and integrity... Released in 1989, "Sonic Temple" is the 4th studio album by The Cult and probably their heaviest, most successful, and my favorite of the band's efforts.  Following the more hard rock sound of their previous two albums, "Sonic Temple" is a monster of a rock album!  I was always a little baffled why this album was played on the local "alternative" rock station at the time rather than the hard rock/metal stations... but that's the goofy state I live in for ya.  Just listen to the driving rhythm section on "Fire Woman" or the ferocious guitar work on "American Horse"!  This is pure, kick-ass hard rock/metal!   Ian Astbury provides the explosive lead vocals and percussion, Billy Duffy provides the wonderfully rich and aggressive guitars, Jamie Stewart provides the thunderous bass guitar and keyboards, and Mickey Curry provides the booming drums!  Check out this face-melting track list!

1. "Sun King"
2. "Fire Woman"
3. "American Horse"
4. "Edie (Ciao Baby)"
5. "Sweet Soul Sister"
6. "Soul Asylum"
7. "New York City"
8. "Automatic Blues"
9. "Soldier Blue"
10. "Wake Up Time for Freedom"

 Raise your beers... raise your fists... and bang your heads... cheers!!