October 10th, 2015 - That Damned Damned Damned Habanero Sculpin!

Good afternoon!  This pairing goes out to Fischbox and Jesse (who is flipping me off in the background of the beer photo)!  Cheers my friends!!  The Meista here today pairing "Damned Damned Damned" by The Damned and an Habanero Sculpin from Ballast Point Brewing Company! 

Album Info:

• Artist: The Damned
• Title: "Damned Damned Damned"
• Recorded: September and December 1976 through January 1977 at Pathway Studios, London, England
  Release date: February 18th, 1977 (debut album by The Damned)
• Record company: Stiff Records
• Production: Nick Lowe
• Album cover art: Peter Kodick
• Personnel: Raymond Ian Burns  aka Captain Sensible (bass and backing vocals), Brian James (guitar and backing vocals), Christopher John Millar aka Rat Scabies (drums and backing vocals), and Dave Vanian (vocals)
• Musical style: Old-school punk rock
• Sound: Fast, energetic, and fun as hell, "Damned Damned Damned" is probably one of the best albums to come out of the English 1970s punk scene in my humble opinion.  Like The Ramones, The Damned found inspiration in 1950s rock and pop, sped it up a bit, and injected humor and sarcasm.
• Major themes: Rebellion, critiques of social mores and traditions, girls, crime, jealousy, and vengeance
• Notes: The album cover depicts the band members covered in pie.  Captain Sensible recalls, "I had more pie on my face than any of the other buggers and on the back of the sleeve.  I had my back to the picture, so I went down a photo booth and got some pictures, cut one out and said 'put that on there' so I would have something to show my relatives, because I didn't think we'd be invited to make another album."
• Tracks: 

1. "Neat Neat Neat"
2. "Fan Club"
3. "I Fall"
4. "Born To Kill"
5. "Stab Your Back"
6. "Feel The Pain"
7. "New Rose"
8. "Fish"
9. "See Her Tonite"
10. "1 Of The 2"
11. "So Messed Up"
12. "I Feel Alright"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Ballast Point Brewing Company (San Diego, California)
• Website: http://www.ballastpoint.com/
• Brew: Habanero Sculpin
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA) / Chili Beer
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 7.0%
• IBUs: 70 
• Pour: Very hazy brass orange hue with a billowy half-finger, off-white head that leaves lots of intricate and sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, citrusy, earthy, and spicy.  There are aromas of pink grapefruit, apricot, peach, mango and lemon along with pine resin, floral hops, and habanero peppers.
• Taste: The taste of the Sculpin is dominated by those big, juicy hops... lots of citrus, pine, floral flavors, and of course, HEAT!  There are big notes of pink grapefruit, pine, tangerine, lemon zest, orange zest, mango, white pepper, habanero chili peppers, and ever-so-slight caramel sweetness.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the Sculpin's mouthfeel is very crisp, very dry, very HOT, and refreshing with a bitter, spicy, and very dry finish.  That heat lingers for a good long time!

Overall pairing:  With fast-paced early punk rock, I tend to go with a brew that goes down easy, but still has some punch to it.  Those crisp citrus flavors in the Habanero Sculpin work great with the fiery fast songs of The Damned, while that big habanero spice is perfect for the sarcastic humor and aggression!

Cheers mates!!