quasix

Whenever I see that an album I have has recently been remastered I am naturally curious to see if the "new" version sounds "better". From my experience however, often the original CD release is superior, and such is the case with the Boston s/t remaster. Now this is saying a lot since band member Tom Scholz was the one responsible for the remastering job, but to me it sounds like he got a little carried away with ProTools. The major differences are evident even to the casual listener: the remaster is considerably louder, more compressed, has more distortion in the higher frequencies, but has more emphasis on bass.

There is no question that the remaster is louder. Simply listen to track 4 - "Rock & Roll Band" from the original at a comfortable level. Then without altering the volume level, pop in the remaster, skip to track 4, and feel your eardrums explode.

The remaster definitely is more compressed. Pay close attention to the keyboards in "Foreplay" on track 3 and how much comparatively louder they are to the other instruments present in the remastered mix versus the original release. Need more evidence - how about Brad Delp's vocals being buried by the guitars on pretty much every track on the remaster?

Combine compression and more loudness and you're bound to get more distortion across the entire spectrum, but this is most evident on the high end. Listen to how crisp the cymbals are in the original versus the remaster and this becomes clear.

Bringing the bass up in the mix is the one positive thing to come out of this remaster. But when you're cringing from the noisy highs and develop tired ears after two minutes of listening to very loud, compressed music, the added bass just isn't enough to balance everything out.

All things considered, this remaster is nothing short of a disappointment. Seek out the old Epic release in used CD stores for $5. Your ears (and your wallet) will thank you.

Pours very clear, looks very similar to and smells a little like apple juice. Appears to have little carbonation, but the first taste reveals that this is not the case. A few sips later, I'm apt to label this "handcrafted ancient ale" as an "American Duvel". Yet Midas Touch has a little less carbonation, virtually no head or lacing, and has a more prominent apple flavor. At the halfway point my throat is warm and grapes override apple flavors. By the end I have concluded that Midas Touch has enough to separate itself from Duvel that it's worth checking out.

Finally, a beer that lives up to its name from Flying Dog. This IPA has great aroma and hop flavor, two things that are very important in the IPA style. It pours golden brown with a nice thick white head, and leaves a nice lace behind on the glass. It's not the most well-balanced IPA around, but very drinkable.

Duinen Tripel from Hughye was an interesting find at the Pit Stop. It was bottle conditioned in one of those white plastic-covered bottles, complete with gold foil covering the cap. The Tripel pours gold with an aggressive white head that quickly thins out, but doesn't disappear. Apples strongly dominate the aroma. It is highly carbonated, and while again apples are prominent in the flavor, alcohol (9.0%) is also strong, overriding the subtle caramel malt and cutting through the syrupy texture of the aftertaste. However the high ABV is concealed fairly well; its strength is only revealed through a persistent warmth in the throat and tingling on the lips. Duinen reminds me a lot of the character of my first attempt at homebrewing -- a belgian wheat -- and brings back good memories of standing around the brew pot on a 20-degree day in January, waiting for the wort to boil. Worth a try.

This "dark ale on lees" pours very black, so black that light cannot cut through it, and has a thick, white, fluffy head. However, the head soon thins out to a white lace. The ale itself is easy-drinking with a light roasted and nutty flavor. Over time, a slight fruity essence is left behind on the tongue and becomes present in the aroma. While most of the ales I've tried from Unibroue are of the high-ABV and dessert variety, this relatively low-ABV ale could be a good session beer. The unique appearance of Chambly Noire and its drinkability entice a positive recommendation from me.

Trappist Westvleteren 12 is currently ranked #1 in the world on beeradvocate.com. Trying desperately to not let that influence my review, I must first say that this is one of the best beers I've ever had. Most certainly it is the best I've had from Belgium. Nevertheless, it pours dark reddish-brown with a thin head that quickly subsides but never completely disappears. Immediately I smell sweet malt and alcohol, but over time, for whatever reason, apple dominates the aroma. Each sip is perfectly carbonated and well-balanced. The caramel malt hides the 10.2% ABV extremely well, and while each sip has a slightly syrupy finish, this soon fades as does the warmth in the back of my throat from the alcohol. Westvleteren 12 is surprisingly easy-drinking and has the best finish of any high-ABV beer I've had. It is not, however, a session beer. One and you're done. Luckily I've got a couple more stashed away for a special occasion.

This wheat beer has a great fruity aroma that is immediately noticeable, with a head that quickly climbs up and down the glass from a light tan but cloudy body. Each lightly-carbonated sip is filled with subtle flavors of citrus, mild hops, and finishes with a dry saltine cracker-like taste. Very drinkable, perfect for hot summer nights. This is the best Leinenkugel's has to offer.

Pours a dark caramel color, with a thin head. It definitely carries a strong scent of vanilla, but taste-wise it is fairly well balanced, if not on the sweet side. A good indicator of this is that if the vanilla was removed, the porter might be hopped too much. All too often, vanilla is added to porters as an afterthought, but in this case, it complements the traditional porter characteristics well. What is intriguing about this beer is the initially sweet but warm finish; it is almost brandy-like. I am pleased with my first taste of Breckenridge, and with that recommend this Vanilla Porter over all other I've tried thus far.

I've been eyeing this beer for some time, as for whatever reason I had not been able to obtain a single bottle before, and was not willing to shell out $8 for a 6. But Mix-and-Match Monday at the Pit Stop finally brought a bottle of this into my crate. Naturally, expectations were high...too high. Pours with a light thin head and pale golden body. The first taste is loaded with malty, bready goodness, but somehow the hop finish on successive sips is somewhat disagreeable. I conclude that this is one of Bell's weaker offerings, but I wouldn't turn it down on a hot day.

My expectations for this brew were pretty low, as I've not had much luck with fruity-titled beers in the past (Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale comes to mind). It pours with a thick but light pink/purple head, pink and slightly cloudy body, and moderate to heavy carbonation, all while the intense aroma of berries does a number on your nostrils. Despite being comprised of what seems like berry-flavored soda and alcohol, Berry Weiss does exceed Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale in all aspects; heck, it even passes "the wife test". While I don't think I'd ever drink this beer again, it's probably one of the few beers that could be paired up with sweet-tasting food such as cake and ice cream and not finish with a horrible aftertaste.

Ah, what a great session beer this is. Kind of on the expensive side for those of us in the States, but I imagine Belgian beer connoisseurs partake in this brew on a weekly basis. Pours with a thick, fast, and tasty head into a chalice, with moderate to heavy carbonation. Has light, fruity flavor and aroma with a dry finish, which conceal the 6.7% ABV very well. Definitely recommended.

Having never heard of an "imperial porter", but not surprised from the title, since breweries these days will slap "imperial" in front of just about any traditional style in sometimes a weak attempt to make their (higher ABV) beer stand out, I added Flying Dog's "imperial porter" to my cardboard crate while beer shopping. After a few days in the fridge I pulled it out tonight and poured it, dark, thick, and syrupy into my favorite glass. But something was amiss with the scent coming from the bottle as I poured. It smelled...off...for a porter. Nevertheless, it looked okay in the glass; it had a nice thick tan head and a light-stopping black body. Upon the first, full, syrupy taste I suddenly realized what the problem was -- it was hopped to hell and back! Typically porters have just enough hops to balance out the alcohol and sweeter malt present and let the roasted and chocolate malt shine through, but not this "imperial porter". I was literally smacked across the palette with hops. Don't get me wrong, I love hops, but everything has its place, and there should not have been this much hop content in this particular beer. Perhaps the justification for this was to balance out the "imperial" 9.5% ABV, but in any case Gonzo seems to be a failed experiment in establishing a new variety of porter.

Pours very dark with a thick dark brown head. The head soon thins out, lightens in color, and reveals a scent comprised of oatmeal and roasted malt. No surprises taste-wise, it tastes very much like it smells, initially. A chocolate aftertaste presents itself as you get farther down the glass. Shakespeare is a straight-up, no-frills, meaty stout.

This brew should really be called "Sam Adams Amber Bock" since it is pretty much an overpriced version of Michelob Amber Bock (which shouldn't even be called a bock, but I digress). If you gave me samples of each, I'd be hard pressed to tell them apart. If anything, I'd say the Sam Adams has more carbonation, but that's it. Amusingly, there is a blurb on the side of the Brown Ale's carton that says "2005 Beer Lover's Choice". On the bottom of the carton it says this "choice" was made among other Sam Adams brews! It looks like Sam Adams is turning into a marketing company with a brewing department. This is not to say that SA doesn't make good beer anymore; I'd still enjoy a Black Lager or Chocolate Bock from them any day, but if this is a sign of things to come, it's time to look elsewhere for good new brews.

I'm back from hiatus now that I've completed my Master's degree. To celebrate, I cracked open a New Holland The Poet stout. I found that I had to pour from the bottle quite aggressively to achieve a reasonably thick head, but the porter-like result was worth it. This brew has great texture; the carbonation is just right and the syrupy finish lets me keep tasting the beer long after a sip. I also enjoy its moderately heavy smoky flavor, which reminds me more of a porter (a very good thing) than your run-of-the-muck stout.

This reddish-brown ale pours clear with a moderate head. It initially tastes very malty but evens out when the alcohol kicks in, with hints of nutmeg. This is a pretty decent Great Lakes offering -- good stuff, very drinkable.

This tasty ale pours reddish-brown with a moderate amount of carbonation. The white head starts out thick but quickly thins and leaves a slight film on the glass. Each malty taste ends with a mild alcoholic bite, and is accompanied by a flavor whose source I am not able to discern but certainly reminds me of autumn. While not one of Weyerbacher's best offerings, Autumn Fest has quickly become one of my favorite fall seasonal beers.

A day after sloshing my way through a Bell's Batch 7000, 20th Anniversary Ale (aka Batch 7100) caught my eye at the Pit Stop. A considerable portion of my beer budget for this month (okay, more than my monthly beer budget) has been spent on brews from Bell's, and I have no regrets. The 6-pack of 20th Anniversary Ale was worth every penny of $9.99. In fact, *one* bottle of this stuff tastes like it's worth $9.99. It poured reddish-brown with a healthy, creamy head and went down smooth with a hint of molasses aftertaste. I enjoyed this bottle on its own -- as I often do -- but I imagine that it complements a variety of foods very well. Highly recommended, but unfortunately this brew won't be around for long.

So yesterday I'm in Kroger, doing the usual pass-through of the beer section. Lo and behold, they had a six of Leinie's Oktoberfest Lager for $4.99. Now I've had plenty of Leinie's in the past and can tell you that it's not much to get excited about. In fact, Leinie's Red is downright repulsive -- but that's another story. Keeping that in mind I purchased a six of the Oktoberfest and let it cool in the fridge overnight.

Today was a typical Ohio fall day: overcast and light rain. Some trees had started turning color and the air was crisp...perfect time to bust out the Oktoberfest. What a disappointment. My wife said, "It reminds me of that blueberry ale." I completely agree. The "blueberry ale" she spoke of is the infamous Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale. God-awful stuff (and the topic of yet another story). Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest Lager is light, virtually tasteless, and forgettable, but I wouldn't pass one up on a hot autumn day after breaking a sweat. Was it worth the $4.99? Absolutely not. Stuff like this should sell for as much as a six of Big K's soda ($1.08).

I came across this over at collisionbend.com and wondered exactly how much music I've managed to stuff on infokeg (the not-so-little file server that could) during the past couple years. So here goes:

Total volume of music files on my computer:

17856 tracks, 452GB (give or take a few GB)

The last CD I bought was:

The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan

The three most interesting recent additions to my collection:

The Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks 1 (1985 German pressing, contains extremely rare stereo mixes)
The Black Keys - 2005-09-01: Knoxville, TN (The 'Keys play a scorching rendition of R.L. Burnside's "Goin' Down South")
Leaf Hound - Growers Of Mushroom (Short-lived and similar-sounding contemporaries of Led Zeppelin)

Song playing right now:

Judas Priest - "Living After Midnight"

Five albums I listen to a lot, or mean a lot to me:

AC/DC - Back In Black

For AC/DC in the Brian Johnson era, it doesn't get much better than this (Flick Of The Switch is a close second). Every song rocks so unbelievably hard that it's amazing the speakers don't light on fire while the album's playing. That my friends is the definition of a great, five-star, [insert other highest ranking here] album.

AC/DC - Powerage

This is probably my favorite of the Bon Scott era, as the recording is as rough and raw as the bootlegs from the following '78 tour. Though the guitars are not as overdriven as those in Let There Be Rock, they've got more bite. Tracks such as "Down Payment Blues", "Kicked In The Teeth", and "Up To My Neck In You" lyrically rank towards the top of my all-time favorite songs.

The Black Keys - Thickfreakness

Though I have virtually everything officially released by The Black Keys (and a ton of live shows not officially released), Thickfreakness was the first time I heard them. And for me, it has the best sound of their studio work. Dan's guitar is heavy and distorted, Pat's drums are in your face, and few overdubs are used (only obvious on "Midnight In Her Eyes", perhaps that's why they've never played that tune live).

Hound Dog Taylor & the House Rockers - Natural Boogie

Probably the most overlooked Hound Dog Taylor album, Natural Boogie is the best $7.95 I've ever spent. This album was in constant rotation in amaroK for about six months after I bought it.

Judas Priest - Point of Entry

The tempo and lyrics of this album make it great to drive to.

Five people to whom I'm passing the baton:

The baton stops here. Of the people I know who do like music, few have up-to-date blogs.