February 7th, 2026 - A Centennial of Modern Music

 

Good evening rockers, rollers, and craft beer lovers!  The Meista here tonight with another great pairing for you... a hoppy and delicious Centennial Pale Ale from Offset Brewing and Be-Bop Deluxe's classic "Modern Music" album!  Woohoo!

Album Info:

• Artist: Be-Bop Deluxe
• Title: "Modern Music"
• Recorded: June through July 1976 at Abbey Road Studios in London, England
• Release date: September 3rd, 1976 (4th studio album by Be-Bop Deluxe)
• Record company: Harvest / EMI / Capitol
• Production: John Leckie and Bill Nelson
• Album cover art: Bill Nelson (concept design) and John Thornton (photography)
• Personnel: Andy Clark (keyboards), Simon Fox (drums), Bill Nelson (guitars, keyboards, and lead vocals), and Charlie Tumahai (bass guitar and backing vocals) 
• Musical style: Art rock, power pop, progressive rock/pop with elements of glam rock
• Sound: A criminally underrated band, Be-Bop Deluxe's sound blends power pop, art rock, and new wave with classic glam rock.  Nelson's vocals and underrated guitar work really stand out on this album along with the heavy-duty rhythms of Fox and Tumahai... outstanding!
• Major themes: Science fiction imagery, love, music, the human condition, modern life, solitude, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Orphans Of Babylon"
2. "Twilight Capers"
3. "Kiss Of Light"
4. "The Bird Charmers Destiny"
5. "The Gold At The End Of My Rainbow"
6. "Bring Back The Spark"
7. "Modern Music"
8. "Dancing In The Moonlight (All Alone)"
9. "Honeymoon On Mars"
10. "Lost In The Neon World"
11. "Dance Of The Uncle Sam Humanoids"
12. "Modern Music (Reprise)"
13. "Forbidden Lovers"
14. "Down On Terminal Street"
15. "Make The Music Magic"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Offset Bier Company (Park City, Utah)
• Website: https://offsetbier.com/
• Brew: Centennial Pale Ale
• Style: American Pale Ale
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Ingredients: Centennial hops
• Pour: The Centennial pours a somewhat hazy, pale golden-yellow hue with a frothy, off-white, 2+ finger head with great sustain and lots of sticky, sudsy, layered lacing. 
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, dank, floral, and malty.  There are aromas of tangerine, grapefruit rind, stone fruit (apricot), yuzu, lemon zest, light pine resin, a hint of toffee, and light, crackery biscuit.
• Taste: The taste is like the nose: citrusy, hoppy, grainy and malty.  There are notes of pink grapefruit juice, yuzu, lemon, light mango, dank pine, light strawberry, white pepper, and soft, sweet toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Centennial is very crisp, yet smooth with a dry, clean, and slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The Centennial Pale Ale from the folks at Offset is a delightfully hoppy and very drinkable brew with loads of bright citrusy notes... perfect for the rockin' good time of Be-Bop Deluxe's "Modern Music"!  'Nuff said! 

Cheers!!  Rock on!!