May 10th, 2025 - The Serpent is a Vagabond of the Western World

 

Hello and rockers, rollers, and craft beer freaks!  Happy Saturday!  The Meista here pairing one of my all-time favorite albums, Thin Lizzy's phenomenal "Vagabonds Of The Western World" and a crisp and hoppy The Serpent Green Pale Ale from White Hag Brewing!  Hells yeah! 

Album Info:

• Artist: Thin Lizzy
• Title: "Vagabonds Of The Western World"
• Recorded: October 1972, and April through July 1973 at AIR Studios, Decca 4, and Tollington Park in London, England
• Release date: September 21st, 1973 (3rd studio album by Thin Lizzy)
• Record company: Decca
• Production: Nick Tauber and Phil Lynott
• Album cover art: Jim Fitzpatrick
• Personnel: Eric Bell (acoustic and electric guitars), Brian Downey (drums and percussion), and Phil Lynott (bass and vocals)
• Additional musicians: Kid Jensen (narration on "The Hero And The Madman"), Jan Schelhaas (organ on "Mama Nature Said" and "The Hero And The Madman"), and Fiachra Trench (string arrangement on "A Song For While I'm Away" and "Little Darling")
• Musical style: Hard rock, blues rock, Irish folk music
• Sound: Prior to the monstrous sound of Thin Lizzy in the mid to late seventies, the "Vagabonds Of The Western World" line-up consisted of the Irish trio of Philip Lynott on bass and vocals, Eric Bell on acoustic and electric guitars, and Brian Downey on drums.  Opening with the environmentalist rocker, "Mama Nature Said" and closing with heavy blues number, "Broken Dreams," Thin Lizzy's "Vagabonds Of The Western World" is a bridge between the 1960's "hippy" movement and the hard rock of the early 1970's.  Inspired by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy combined hard-rocking blues with a more psychedelic/progressive and angrier sound.  Bell plays a mean guitar and a mean slide as well, which coupled with Phil and Brian's fierce rhythm section creates a refreshing and sharp sound.  And of course, don't forget the heaviness of "Black Boys On The Corner," which really is a telling track regarding Phil's trials of growing up black in the UK in the 1950s and 1960s... and this track really foreshadows the monumental intensity soon too come from the band as the guitar lineup changed along with a second guitar player.
• Major themes: Love, life, alcohol, despair, betrayal, loss, rebellion, rock and roll, and Celtic themes.
• Tracks: 
1. "Mama Nature Said"
2. "The Hero And The Madman"
3. "Slow Blues"
4. "The Rocker"
5. "Vagabond Of The Western World"
6. "Little Girl In Bloom"
7. "Gonna Creep Up On You"
8. "A Song For While I'm Away"
9. "Whiskey In The Jar"
10. "Black Boys On The Corner"
11. "Randolph's Tango"
12. "Broken Dreams"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: White Hag Brewing (Ballymote, County Sligo, Ireland)
• Website: https://thewhitehag.com/
• Brew: The Serpent Green Pale Ale
• Style: Spring Pale Ale
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV 4.5%
• IBUs: 23
• Ingredients: Antipodean, Motueka, and Nelson Sauvin hops
• Pour: The Serpent pours a bright Kelly green hue with a thin, yet sustained, bright white, frothy head with good retention and sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, citrusy, and grainy.  There are aromas of freshly picked gooseberries, lychee, and ripe peach along with lemon zest, tangerine, grapefruit rind, freshly cut hay, and soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste of The Serpent follows the nose with notes of pink grapefruit juice, orange, tangerine, lychee, peach, dried apricot, ripe gooseberries, herbal tea, and light caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of The Serpent is very crisp with a clean, but slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing:  The Serpent is a crushable, yet complex and hoppy brew... perfect for the soulful, heartfelt, rockin' goodness that is Thin Lizzy's fantastic "Vagabonds Of The Western World"!  Songs like "The Rocker," "Gonna Creep Up On You," and the quintessential "Whiskey In The Jar" (a rock version of a tradition Irish folk song) pair beautifully with the intensity of the hops, while the more mellow "Slow Blues," "Little Girl In Bloom," and "A Song For While I'm Away" fit in well with the more subtle flavors of the beer and the clean finish.  'Nuff said!

Sláinte!!  Rock on!!