November 27th, 2025 - 30 Days In The Pie Hole

 

Hello rockers, rollers, and craft beer lovers!  Happy Thanksgiving!  How's about a little Pie with your turkey today?  The Meista here today getting the holiday off to the right start with a double heaping of Pie... "Extended Version: The Encore Collection" by the mighty and legendary Humble Pie and a juicy, tart, and fruity Pie Hole Strawberry Rhubarb Tart Ale from Chappell Brewing!  Hell yes!

Album Info:

• Artist: Humble Pie
• Title: "Extended Version: The Encore Collection'"
• Recorded: Live on May 6th, 1973 at the Winterland Theatre in San Francisco, California
• Release date: August 15th, 2000 (live compilation album by Humble Pie)
• Record company: BMG Special Products
• Production: 
• Album cover art: 
• Personnel: Clem Clempson (guitar and backing vocals), Steve Marriott (lead vocals and guitar), Greg Ridley (bass and vocals), and Jerry Shirley (drums)
• Additional musicians: Billie Barnum, Clydie King, Venetta Fields aka the Blackberries (backing vocals)
• Musical style: Blues rock, boogie rock, and hard rock with elements of soul, gospel, and R&B
• Sound: As the 1960s closed out, the overall rock and roll sound of the time shifted from pop-driven singles to darker and heavier album-based writing.  Probably a reflection of the socio-political landscape.  During this time, former Small Faces frontman, Steve Marriott put together a soul and blues-based hard rocking outfit called Humble Pie.  With roots and influence in the African American blues and soul of Motown along with a healthy dose of English hard rock in the tradition of Cream, the Yardbirds, and the Rolling Stones, Humble Pie (along with Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin) would help define the early 1970s heavy (proto metal) rock sound.  I won't go into great detail about each song but know this my friends... Humble Pie is one of the greatest hard rock bands to emerge from the 1960s and the song "30 Days In The Hole" alone is the holy grail of English hard rock!  Steeped in old-fashioned rock and roll, blues, and soul, but with a heavier and raunchier edge, Humble Pie's "'Extended Version: The Encore Collection" is one of those seminal early '70s live collections... every song on this album is perfection... it draws you in.  But for me, "30 Days In The Hole" is IT!!  It has it all, soul, gospel, blues, girls, sex, booze, and drugs, and a hard rockin' punch that cannot be beat!
• Major themes: Rock and roll, the blues, love, lust, sex, loss, soul, booze, drugs, girls, fast living, celebration, joy, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Up Your Sleeves"
2. "4 Day Creep" (Ida Cox cover)
3. "C'mon Everybody"
4. "Honky Tonk Woman" (The Rolling Stones cover)
   
5. "Stone Cold Fever"
6. "Blues I Believe To My Soul" (Ray Charles cover)
7. "30 Days In The Hole"
   
8. "Road Runner" (Junior Walker & the Allstars cover)
9. "Hallelujah, I Love You So" (Ray Charles cover)
10. "Hot N' Nasty"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Chappell Brewing (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://chappell.beer/
• Brew: Pie Hole Strawberry Rhubarb Tart Ale
• Style: Sour / Fruited Gose
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Pour: The Pie Hole Strawberry Rhubarb Tart Ale pours a bright pinkish orange hue with a thin and frothy light pink, half-finger head that dissipates quickly, leaving a thin ring with light lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, tart, and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of freshly sliced strawberries and rhubarb, strawberry jam, lemon zest, light cracked wheat, pale malts, a hint of salt, and a splash of wild honey.
• Taste: The taste follows the nose with lots of tart and fruity flavors along with more subtle maltiness.  There are notes of strawberry preserves, fresh strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice and zest, a hint of orange juice, crackery biscuit, and light honey.
• Mouthfeel: Light-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Pie Hole Strawberry Rhubarb Tart Ale is crisp and tart, yet very smooth with a dry, slightly sweet finish.

Overall pairing: Those fruity, tart, and very crushable flavors of Chappell Brewing's Pie Hole Strawberry Rhubarb Tart Ale are a great companion the rockin' punch of Humble Pie's live music!  The bright juiciness is a nice companion to the soulful, blues-based rock and roll attack, while the tarter flavors go great with the crunch of the fiery and emotive guitars, thunderous and intricate bass lines, and hard-hitting, rhythmic drumming!

Cheers!!  Rock on!!