HOPS N DROPS MIX VOLUME I

At last the long wait is over. After painstaking arrangement and countless re-recordings, I present to you Hops N' Drops Mix Volume I. This half-hour mix includes a handful of talented producers/artists that you may or may not have heard as of yet and is sure to get your head bouncing and your party jumping. Featuring DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill, Mallow, HeRobust, My Dry Wet Mess, Bruxa, Kendrick Lamar, and the talented producer duo TNGHT. Check out the full track list below and head over to my bandcamp for that free download. Cheers. 

DJ Muggs - Sound Clash Business 

Mallow - Together at Last

Lil' Wayne - A milli(BUSTED by HeRobust)

My Dry Wet Mess - Lick 

Bruxa - Trill Witch 

Kendrick Lamar - Bitch, don't kill my vibe 

Wiz Khalifa - Roll up [Interlude] 

TNGHT - Higher Ground 

YoungReevesy.bandcamp.com

Alaskan IPA // ALASKAS

  Welcome to Tape and a Brew volume II. Today's theme is Alaska. Alaska is a pretty depressing place from what I hear, which is fitting because today we're feelin' pretty blue. Have no fear though, the good people at Alaskan Brewing co. in Juneau, Alaska are doing something about that. 
  
  This morning I picked up a sixer of their Alaskan IPA. For those unaware, an India Pale Ale is a style of beer developed in early 19th century England with higher alcohol and hop levels than a standard ale. The British held a large colonial presence in India, and it's colonists demanded delicious beer imported from Britain. The problem however, the darker more malty porters and brown ales popular at the time would spoil on the long hot journey across the seas. The solution was found by a man named George Hodgson of Bow Breweries in London. He found that brewing a beer with a stronger alcohol content and adding a considerable amount of dry hops would help retard the spoilage of the ale, thus making IPAs a travel ready brew to be shipped across the globe. Pretty cool, right? now you can impress your friends and family with your wealth of knowledge of the history of ales.

        Anyways, back to the beer...  
  
A hearty brew at 6.2% alcohol by volume, lightly malty and dry hopped to the bitter end (ha) with cascade hops, Alaskan IPA showcases all of the qualities of a well crafted India Pale Ale. On a one to ten scale, Alaskan IPA sits around a seven. Not the best of IPAs I've experienced, but its crisp flavor is smooth and floral, something many IPAs I've tried tend to lack. Some have the tendency to be "too hoppy" in taste without a delicate background flavor to balance, but the folks up north did a good job in finding that equilibrium. Points were lost on the finish, or aftertaste if you will, for a slightly twangy kick that leaves a weird sour taste in your mouth. All in all though, Alaskan IPA is a well rounded brew, definitely worth a purchase if you're looking for a new IPA to try.

                                

on to the tape

 

 Following the theme, we have ALASKAS with "Dillon James Rego is FEELIN' BLUE". Appropriate, as I mentioned before, ALASKAS croons about the girl next door, ending relationships, and lost love, all over a surprisingly twisted amalgam of beats and wacky noise. Definitely an adventurous listen for those less versed in the world of strange music, but if you enjoy art that is produced ars gratia artis, or art for the sake of art, then I would recommend giving it a listen. Head over to Prison Art's bandcamp to cop this release, and check out the link below to learn more about Alaskan Brewing co. 

  

 Cheers. 

www.alaskanbeer.com

prisonart.bandcamp.com

    

DOUBLE DOOM // "Sixth Glass"

  Ahoy mateys. This is your captain speaking. After a long hiatus we've returned. Our mission, to hook you up with fresh jams, and also as you know, our recent favorite tasty craft beers to compliment your listening experience. Without further ado, I, the captain, present to you the first installment of my new series, "Tape and a Brew".

  First and foremost, shouts out to the United States Postal Service for their dependable, albeit exceptionally slow service.  My friendly neighborhood mailman dropped off a nice little package the other day, a tape I had been expecting from the homie Coyote Clean Up, aka "ice cold chrissy", aka CJ Sienkiewicz. Upon unwrapping the goods I noticed he had sent me a lil' somethin extra (THANKS!), a split-tape between himself and another artist "DenMother", which was a great listen, by the way. The main attraction however, was a "Beautiful lavender cassette with sparkly artwork" i had been awaiting called "Double Doom", a cassette sent from the far away land of Detroit, Michigan, Sienkiewicz's city of residence. After much anticipation Walt IV and I finally pop it in the boom-box for a listen. 

  There's something magical about the fuzzy feel of a cassette blasting pure nostalgia into your ears.Reminiscent of the days we all rocked out to the noise of a giant stereo playing a small reel of tape; "Double Doom" is nothing short of such. 
  Upon the first few notes, you're transported to that comfy leather chair in the back of your conciousness, a spacey and glitchy trip yet it releases you into a realm of relaxation. Sienkiewicz, through layered repition of sounds and beats, and a minimal background of blips and blurbs creates a soundscape worthy of every explorer of music to enjoy. With a somewhat "chill-house" vibe this tape is perfect for that throwback dance party or a private dance party alone in your bedroom. But i digress, "Double Doom" remains, in my opinion a spectacularly composed,  well executed ride on the chill train. 

  Now for those of you in anticipation of the brew selection for the first edition of  T&B, wait no further. I give you Boulevard Brewing Company's "Sixth Glass" Quadruppel Ale. For those of you not familiar with the Belgian style ales, a Quadruppel is an ale usually on the dark side in color, and heavy in malty flavor which "Sixth Glass" has in every sip. Boulevard Brewing is based out of Kansas City, Missouri. Brewing since 1989, they have produced some of the finest ales and lagers in the mid-west and remain Missouri's largest independent brewer.

  On to the brew.

  On the nose of opening the bottle you're smacked in the face with an aroma of yeasty bitterness, balanced with an almost flowery scent. A dark red-amber color with a thick off-white head on the crest rests in the glass as you pour. Its beautiful color alone is enough to tell you this ale is crafted by brewers who know exactly what they're doing. With the first sip a heavy malt and slightly fruity taste hit the palate and not a second sooner off the finish, you will taste a mild bitter hoppiness and the smashing 10.5% alcohol that makes drinking this Quad a truly rewarding beer drinking experience. Now pour up the rest of your "Sixth Glass", queue up "Double Doom", press play and enjoy the ride. 

   Check out the links below for more information on "Sixth Glass" or the homie Coyote Clean Up. Also, stream his "Double Doom" release below.
  Stay tuned for more "Tape and a Brew" coming soon, and also keep watch for the first Hops 'n Drops mix I've got in the works.
Cheers and happy listening! 

http://www.boulevard.com/

http://www.boulevard.com/BoulevardBeers/the-sixth-glass/

welcome.

First, the story:

Reeves and I headed up to the local Fox and Hound for Karbach Rodeo Clown drafts on the cheap. By cheap, I mean two dollars a pint, which is even less than the store will sell it to you for. Now you know. We ended up trying the Karbachtoberfest, which is the fall seasonal from the Houston brewery. More on that coming soon. As we drank we eyed a bomber from Stone Brew that we had never seen before. Anyone who knows me well knows I love Stone Brew, so we inquired and learned that it was a Stone Cali-Belgique, a Belgian IPA brewed year-round by the California brewmasters. We also learned that it was somehow only seven dollars, which we gladly paid. We poured up a glass each, grabbed a smoke, and headed outside to give it a try. As Frank the Tank said best, once it hit the lips it was so good. We started to reminisce about our time working on my old blog Spaced City until the idea hit me. "What do we love most?" I asked Reeves. "Beer and beats," he replied. So here we are.

Name: Cali-Belgique IPA

Brewery: Stone Brewing Company, Escandido, California, USA

Hops: Columbus, Chinook, Centennial

ABV: 6.9%, IBU's: 77

This brew is a combination of Stone's standard IPA with a Belgian yeast strain. The yeast gives the beer a delicious Belgian wit taste while still allowing the brew to retain the crisp hop flavor of Stone IPA that we all love. The result is a beer which is at once refreshing and heavy.

Sticking with the California theme, we have been getting down to the new Death Grips album "NO LOVE DEEP WEB" all week since it's unscheduled release by the band on Monday. This album is just as hard-hitting as their previous albums The Money Store and Ex-Military, and will get your blood flowing strong for the whole duration. Check out a couple of our favorite tracks from "NO LOVE DEEP WEB" below, head here to grab the whole thing, and keep coming back because there's much more to come. We're headed to Spec's now for some more bombers. Cheers and stay tuned.