February 7th, 2025 - The Waiting Fire of the Flötzinger Hell

 

Guten tag and happy Friday my hard rocking friends and beer lovers!  You pal the Meista here again with another killer brew and killer album pairing for ya!  I'm rocking out to the wonderful and very underrated "The Waiting Fire" by stellar rock outfit Highway Sentinels and a crisp and tasty Flötzinger Hell from Flötzinger Bräu / Privatbrauerei Franz Steegmüller!  Hell yeah!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Highway Sentinels
• Title: "The Waiting Fire"
• Recorded: 2021 through 2022
• Release date: July 22nd, 2022 (1st studio album by Highway Sentinels)
• Record company: Louder Than Loud Records / Pride & Joy Music
• Production: Giles Lavery and Jimmy Waldo
• Album cover art: ?
• Personnel: David Reese (lead and backing vocals), Steven Rosen (rhythm guitars and guitar solo on "Not Too Late"), Don Van Stavern (bass), Jimmy Waldo (keyboards), and Mark Zonder (drums)
• Guest musicians: Curt Anderson (rhythm guitar), Danny Andrews (rhythm guitar), Mike Flyntz (guitar solo on "Love And Hate" and "Victim Of The Night"), Herman Frank (guitar solo on "I Don't Care Anymore"), Paul Gilbert (guitar solo on "I'm A Loser"), Tracii Guns (guitar solo on "Face In The Crowd"), Matt Healy (guitar solo on "Afterlife"), Keith Howland (rhythm guitars), D. Kendall Jones (bass guitar), Giles Lavery (backing vocals), Tony Palacios (additional guitars), Rowan Roberson (rhythm guitar and guitar solo on "All Comes Crashing Down"), Joe Satriani (guitar solo on "How To Be Real"), Scott Snyder (additional rhythm guitar), Joe Stump (guitar solo on "Tortured Soul"), Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (guitar solo on "Hell In A Handbasket"), Nozomu Waki (guitar solo on "We Won't Be Forgotten"), and Greg Weiss (bass guitar)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal, AOR
• Sound: With a legendary and profoundly talented lineup, and well-rooted in classic rock and metal, the tracks are richly textured and wonderfully produced!  The overall sound on "The Waiting Fire" is at times bluesy and heartfelt, and at time in-your-face rockin' intensity!  There are elements that are very '70s and 'early '80s hard rock, yet it blends more modern sensibility perfectly into a timeless rock and roll stew!
• Major themes: Life, death, loss, love, heartbreak, hate, pain, honesty, survival, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "I'm A Loser"
2. "Face In The Crowd"
3. "Afterlife"
4. "Love And Hate"
5. "Victim Of The Night"
6. "Tortured Soul"
7. "We Won't Be Forgotten"
8. "All Comes Crashing Down"
   
9. "I Don't Care Anymore"
10. "Not Too Late"
11. "How To Be Real"
12. "Hell In A Handbasket"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Flötzinger Bräu / Privatbrauerei Franz Steegmüller (Rosenheim, Germany)
• Website: https://www.floetzinger.de/produkt/floetzinger-hell
• Brew: Flötzinger Hell 
• Style: German Helles / Lager
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.2%
• IBUs: 18
• Pour: The Hell pours a clear, bright golden yellow with a billowy, 2+ finger, bright white head with great retention and lots of soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is bready, grainy, musty, sweet, and grassy.  There are aromas of pale grains, cereal grains, crackery biscuit, apple, summer grass, and soft caramel. 
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Flötzinger Hell is grainy, grassy, yeasty, and semi-sweet.  There are notes of barley grain, apple, light corn, and soft caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium in body with lots of bubbly carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp and smooth with a rather clean, slightly sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The crisp, grainy, and sweet flavors and aromas of the Flötzinger Bräu / Privatbrauerei Franz Steegmüller Flötzinger Hell is the perfect foil for the power and hard rockin' depth of the fantastic tracks on "The Waiting Fire"!  The grassy and grainy notes are great for the more aggressive guitars, while the sweeter fruit ester aromas and flavors really compliment Reece's vocal range and the overall performance of the band!  I highly recommend this wonderful gem of an album!  Hopefully we'll see more from the Highway Sentinels!

And make sure to check out my interview with vocalist/producer Giles Lavery here: https://youtu.be/r5GsOuvaqs0

Prost!!  Rock on!!