Hello again! The Meista here with the second pairing in a series of three... David Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy". Today I'm pairing the brilliant "Heroes" with a Weihenstephaner Original from Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan! This one goes out to my brother, Dain-o, who requested this trilogy pairing. Cheers bro!! (The third and final pairing will be coming in the next week or two.)
"Heroes" is the 12th studio album by the enigmatic artist Davie Bowie. It was produced by Brian Eno and recorded in Berlin, Germany from July to August 1977, and released on October 14th, 1977. Developed from the sound and writing/recording approach of the previous album, "Low" (reviewed here on Brews and Tunes last weekend), "Heroes" is a "brighter" album, both lyrically and musically and includes some of his greatest recordings of the period: "Beauty And The Beast", "Joe The Lion", "Sons Of The Silent Age", "Blackout", "V-2 Schneider", and "The Secret Life Of Arabia". And it of course contains one of Bowie's biggest hits (and a favorite of mine), the amazing title track, "Heroes", a timeless tale of two lovers meeting at the Berlin Wall. The album also contains a couple rather dark and very atmospheric electronic soundscapes ("Sense of Doubt", "Moss Garden", and "Neuköln"), which are heavily influenced by the "Eno-sound". Along with Bowie (lead vocals, keyboards, guitars, saxophone, and koto), the "Heroes" band included Carlos Alomar (rhythm guitar), Dennis Davis (drums/percussion), Brian Eno (synthesizers, keyboards, and guitar treatments), Robert Fripp (lead guitar), George Murray (bass guitar), and backing vocals by Tony Visconti and Antonia Maass. What more can I say? This album is genius!!
The Weihenstephaner Original from Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan is a Munich Helles Lager. "Helles" is German for "bright." These "bright" were the German answer to the Bohemian clean lagers (Czech Pilsners), which were gaining popularity in Europe in the mid-1800s. Maltier and a bit more mellow than the Czech Pilsners, Helles Lagers are very drinkable brews. The same can be said of the Weihenstephaner Original. It pours a transparent straw gold with a big, white, foamy head that leaves good lacing throughout. The nose is a rather interesting combination of tart and sweet. There's almost a farmhouse ale aroma to it, but with some nice biscuity undertones. Light-bodied, the mouthfeel is smooth and somewhat creamy. The flavor is very malty with some very pleasant fruitiness. There are notes of sourdough bread, toasted biscuit, apple, pear, lemon, and a hint of black pepper. The finish is dry, very clean, and rather dry.
Prost!!
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