April 1st, 2022 - Rock And Schwarzbier Believer

 

Guten tag and happy Friday!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here tonight pairing the Scorpions' latest kick-ass album, "Rock Believer" and a tasty and bold Köstritzer Schwarzbier from Bitburger Braugruppe GmbH!  Hell yes!

Album Info:

• Artist: Scorpions
• Title: "Rock Believer"
• Recorded: 2020 through 2021 at Peppermint Park in Hannover, Germany 
• Release date: February 25th, 2022 (19th studio album by the Scorpions)
• Record company: Vertigo
• Production: Scorpions and Hans-Martin Buff
• Album cover art: Jeff Thrower (photography) and Klaus Voormann (design)
• Personnel: Mikkey Dee (drums), Matthias Jabs (lead guitars, rhythm guitars, acoustic guitars, and slide guitar), Paweł Mąciwoda (bass), Klaus Meine (lead and backing vocals), and Rudolf Schenker (rhythm guitar and backing vocals)
• Additional musicians: Hans-Martin Buff (backing vocals and claps), Pitti Hecht (percussion), Jakob Himmelein (backing vocals and claps), Alex Malek (backing vocals and claps), and Ingo Powitzer (additional guitars, bass, backing vocals, and claps)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal
• Sound: "Rock Believer" is a testament to not only the perseverance of the Scorpions, but to the fact that they still can kick some ass!  Although the album revisits several tropes and motifs of their yesteryears, the band sounds fresh and revitalized.  As with any and all Scorps' albums, Meine's vocals are top notch, the dual guitar work of Jabs and Schenker is pure fire, and Dee and Mąciwoda lay down some heavy-duty rhythms! 
• Major themes: Rock and roll, fame, desire, sex, life, relationships, freedom, peace, escape, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Gas In The Tank"
2. "Roots In My Boots"
3. "Knock 'Em Dead"
4. "Rock Believer"
5. "Shining Of You Soul"
6. "Seventh Sun"
7. "Hot And Cold"
8. "When I Lay My Bones To Rest"
9. "Peacemaker"
10. "Call Of The Wild"
11. "When You Know (Where You Come From)"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Bitburger Braugruppe GmbH (Bitburg, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany)
• Website: https://www.bitburger-international.com/en/
• Brew: Köstritzer Schwarzbier 
• Style: German Schwarzbier
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 4.8%
• Ingredients: Water, barley malt, hops, and hop extract
• Pour: The Köstritzer Schwarzbier pours a very dark mahogany brown (almost black) with a creamy and billowy light mocha head with great retention and lots of sudsy lacing.  It looks like a Coke!
• Nose: The nose is malty, bready, nutty, roasty, and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of bready dough, malted barley, roasted chestnuts, roasted walnuts, light herbs (sage), dark honey, light cocoa, and sweet biscuit.
• Taste: The taste of the Köstritzer Schwarzbier is a balanced blend of malty sweetness, crackery grains, bittersweet herbs, and mildly bitter hops.  There are notes of hearty malted barley, roasted hazelnuts, light chocolate, burnt toffee, and light German hops. 
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is smooth, crisp, and very drinkable with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: The bready, malty, slightly sweet flavors and aromas of the Köstritzer Schwarzbier is a great brew to enjoy whilst rocking out to the hard rock grooves, melodies, and harmonies of the mighty Scorpions and their new, very wonderful "Rock Believer" album!  'Nuff said!

Prost!!  Rock on!!