Beer Review: Konig Ludwig Weissbier Hell

Name: Konig Ludwig Weissbier Hell

Origin: Furstenfeldbruck

Style: Weissbier

Brewey: Konig Ludwig

Alcohol content: 5.5%

Appearance: Light and Cloudy

Aroma: Banana and Honeycomb

Taste: Creamy and mild. Very pleasant but doesnt hang around long

Rating: 8/10

Mercury Music Prize - the thoughts of someone who's no listened to half the albums

So its that time of year again for the premier, oh-so-highbrow-and-important Mercury prize. The number one prize named after a defunct and short lived phone company (though im sure i still see some old phone boxes with Mercury card slots). So who's in the running and who's going to win. Lets have a looky.

Disclaimer: I haven't listened to the all but that won't stop me making sweeping statements and generalisations.

1. Arctic Monkeys - AM

A belter of an album. Wasn't overly impressed on first listen but its really grown on me. The music press have maybe overstated it's brilliance a bit though and its use of beats. I think it sounds a bit like a band simplifying their sound whilst cranking out some cracking tunes and sounding a bit classic rock.

2. David Bowie - The Next Day

The bookies favourite and i think undeseverdly so. Its got the stench of one of those oscars where the winner is known beforehand because its 'their turn'. Its a decent album, but its nothing more than that, there's no really stand out tracks but the nature of its release from out of nowhere from a legend presumed-retired has levitated it to an album of importance.

3. Disclosure - Settle

I have not heard this but a quick investigation and it seems like its a decent electro effort.

4. Foals - Holy Fire

Not really listened to it - but it seems like a nice enough indie effort

5. Jake Bugg - Jake Bugg

Its a good album, theres some good songs but the whole hype around, and the man himself annoys me. I get bored of the 'real music' fans that adopt artists like this and there boring insular outlook on music. He's good but not that good, and his patter about no good music being made since the 60s suggest we cant expect much development in his sound either.

6. James Blake -Disclosure

Meh

7. Jon Hopkins - Immunity

Excellent album. Should've won last year with King Cresote but this is always going to be viewed as a curio with no chance of winning.

8. Laura Marling - Once I Was An Eagle

I really like Laura, and i was gutted a few years back to miss a gig of hers at the Liquid Rooms due to snowy weather. This album though is not as good as her previous efforts and if she was going to win the award it would've been for one of her first two albums.

9. Laura Mvula - Sing to The Moon

I've heard that one song. Its alright - she's alright. She won't win.

10. Rudimental - Home

My Wife likes them - i haven't heard them.

11. Savages  Silence Yourself

Fantastic band and a fantastic album. They have a lovely sound reminiscent of Siouxsie and The Banshees or similar. Excellent live as well.

12. Villagers - Awayland

Not heard it - but heard his first album. He does what he does, its not exciting but its nice.

Who i want to win - Arctic Monkeys

or - Savages

Who will win - Bowie: He wont turn up either.

Saturday Beer Review:

Name: Schofferhofer Hefeweizen                          

         Brewery: Schofferhofer

Origin:  Frankfurt

Style: Hefeweizen

Alcohol Content: 5%

Aroma: Woody

Appearance: Light and Cloudy

Taste: Lime, Bitter, Caramel aftertaste

Verdict: An intriguing aroma and a nice rounded flavour make this an excellent beer. The satisfying caramelly aftertaste is very pleasant and it generally goes down very well.

8/10

Friday Football Preview. 18th October.

After another boring international break (okay if Scotland hadn't long ago horsed their efforts to qualify for Rio it wouldn't be boring - damn you Craig Levein) its back to domestic matters this weekend. The midweek Scotland game was more encouragement for the future as we competed the double over Croatia. A result that can't be underestimated in its importance with the forthcoming Euro 2016 qualifying draw. A larger European championships means that qualification will become easier and winning our last game will help no end with the FIFA ranking. Seedings for the qualifying draw will be determined by ranking and therefore a higher ranking will mean a place in a higher pot for Scotland and an easier draw. A second place in a group will see automatic qualification - much like it did when we were qualifying all the time, and it should be achievable.

The international break has been good for Dundee United.. We're providing the captains for both the u21s (Stuart Armstrong) and u19s (Darren Petrie) and Adrian Coots also scored twice for the schoolboys. The youth set-up started by Craig Levein is really paying dividends. Ironically, given his poor performance as national team manager, his vision at United may very soon start helping the national side out. Especially if young Ryan Gauld keeps on progressing as he has.

This weekend is a massive game for United and big test. They've been playing some really exciting football and earning the plaudits of late, however, if they are to be a team that wins things and challenges at the top end of the table, they have to get a result against Aberdeen. The dons under Derek McInnes look favourites for 2nd with their blend of proven SPL talent and youngsters. It's a tough one to call but i'm hoping a fast start can see United take a 2-1 victory. Elsewhere in the SPL this weekend i expect Hibs to be shown up by Cetlic and take a real hammering, Motherwell to heap more misery on Hearts and my game to watch is the Saints derby where i think Danny Lennon will further his case to stay in charge by taking a victory 1-0. 

Down south, the press will be cock-a-hoop at England's professional job of taking care or Montenegro and Poland to get to Rio. Back to premiership duty, theirs no games that really stand out. However, Newcastle v Liverpool always makes you harp back to the 4-3's and hope for a high-scoring game. Liverpool will be hoping for a win to keep them back on the right track for a title challenge,with Gerard still on a high from his midweek goal. Likewise, Arsenal will want to stay top with a straight forward win against Norwich. Where they my be intrigue is where West Ham  meet Man City at Upton Park. West Ham will be bouyant after their 3-0 win against Tottenham last time out but i think Man City will ruthlessly see them off.

In Germany, they national team finished their campain with the entertaining 5-3 win against Sweden. DoHibernmestically, can the Polish contingent at Dortmund get their heads back up and get their side back to winning ways against Hannover? Can Schalke's resurgance continue apace against Eintracht Braunschwieg - with the Boatend the new Prince of the Veltins-Arena. This weeks player to watch is Schalke youngster Julin Draxler - expect some goals from him this week.

Predictions:

SPL

Hibernian 0 Celtic 4

Aberdeen 1 Dundee United 2

Kilmarnock 1 Ross County 1

Motherwell 2 Hearts 0

St Mirren 1 St Johnstone 0

Inverness 2 Partick 1

EPL

Newcastle 1 Liverpool 3

Arsenal 2 Norwich 0

Chelsea 1 Cardiff 1

Everton 1 Hull 0

Man Utd 2 Southampton 0

Stoke 1 West Brom 1

Swansea 0 Sunderland 1

West Ham 0 Man City 2

Aston Villa 2 Spurs 2

Bundesliga

Dortmund 2 Hannover 1

Braunschweig 0 Schalke 4

Eintracht Frankfurt 1 Nuremburg 1

Bayern Munich 2 Mainz 0 

Werder Bremen 1 Freiburg 1

Hertha Berlin 1 Borussia Moenchengladbach 3

Hamburg 2 Stuttgart 1

Augsburg 1 Wolfsburg 2

Music Talk Thursday: Morrissey appraised.

                                                                        (source)


So Morrissey's autobiography is finally coming out and there's already a lot of chatter about what revelations their may be about his sexuality, relationship with Johnny Marr and general thoughts on all the subjects he's never been shy of making a contentious comment about. This blog post is not here to judge the contents of the book though, but rather take the opportunity to take a look at Morrissey's career.

Whatever you think of him as a person though, as lets face it he is very much a marmite artist - you either love him of hate him. Well, that's not strictly true, i don't mind a bit of marmite on my toast but i don't crave it and i like a bit of Morrissey but i'm not a crazed fan. I think he does say some things that really are a little but out there but i also find that it's heartening to find someone who is so true to his principles. A man who will stand up and make a point to back up his beliefs, even when he knows it won't be received well, and when he knows the press will take quotes out of context and blow them up out of proportion. However, he also doesn't help himself with the way he expresses himself sometimes.

When it comes to The Smiths  and his music though, there is nothing but love. There's were a near perfect career where nearly every album, every single and even every b-side was a joy. It took me a while to really jump in and discover their music properly, contenting myself initially with the excellent compilation 'Louder Than Bombs'. I got this vinyl and loved it almost immediately, songs such as Half a Person, Sweet and Tender Hooligan and You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby really grabbed me. The latter really spoke to me at the time - questioning why i wasn't having as much luck in love and life as i would've like at that time in my life.

There's nothing i can really say about The Smiths output that hasn't been said before, the lyrics do speak to me about my life, the tunes are excellent and the look was iconic. Instead i'll give you a top 5 of my favourite Smiths songs.

5. Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
4. Half A Person
3. Paint A Vulgar Picture
2. These Things Take Time
1. Reel Around the Fountain

I'm less keen on Morrissey's solo output as a whole. However, the first album and in particular the singles Suedehead and Everyday is Like Sunday were amongst the first songs i ever loved. Having heard them on my Now! compilations and from taping the charts each week. Indeed the first album Viva Hate, is a masterpiece and despite containing the contentious Bengali in Platforms, is one of those few albums that to me is perfect from start to finish. what followed though was a careerof diminishing returns, he's always had the ability to come up with a great single but the albums have failed to really grab me.

Morrissey will always be considered an important artist in the history of British music but with each average release his legendary status is dimished a little bit. This mirrors the effect that his statements and media image in recent years have done to his legacy too.

The good news is that he has that little bit of genus that means he can still turn it around with one more great record. He just needs to find the right people to work with i feel.

Beer Review: Maisels Weisse Original

Name: Maisels Weisse Original                                         

Brewery: Bayerisches Bier

Origin:  Bayreuth

Style: Hefe-Weissbier

Alcohol Content: 5.2%

Aroma: Almond, Honey and Lime

Appearance: A fizzy slightly cloudy lager colour.

Taste: Smoky with a bitter after taste.

Verdict: Reading around online i was expecting big things from this beer. It's rated rather well on the beer rating websites. However, from the pour it looked a little disappointing, looking more like a lager thats a little misty rather than a nice murky cloudy hefe-weissbier. The taste was nice but weak and it didn't really hang around long. 

Pleasant enough but nothing much to excite the taste buds.

6/10

The Notwist - One Step Inside Doesn't Mean You Understand (+playlist)

This is todays obscure album recomendation is the 2007 album Neon Golden from German band The Notwist. Hailing from Willheim, The Notwist have been going since 1989 and this album showcases them at thier best with a chilled out, electronic sound that makes for excellent headphone music.

Check out their website.....here

Buy the album.....here

Synth Brittania

(Source)

Once again on Friday night last week, BBC Four were having a music theme and showing the excellent Synth Britnnia, and some performances of Synth bands from the archives. I love the 'something' britannia series of music documentaries and this is my favourite of the series. For two reasons, it covers an area of music that i'm fascinated with and, secondly, it beautifully sums up why i've always wanted to have synthesiser and try to make my own music.

The program serves as a brisk walk through the history of electronic music, from its role on the sidelines or as a tool to make atmospheric film music, through experimental synth pop on to its ubiquitous use as a tool to make formulaic pop. The development of newer and easier to use technology and the pressures of record companies seems to have left too short a period where interesting tuneful, catchy yet experimental synth music was being made.

Take the career of The Human League as an example. They made two excellent albums of experimental synth pop, before a lack of chart success and the ability to quickly make catchy pop songs using new technology lead them to abandon their experimental nature to make pop music that uses synths rather than synth music. Though Dare was excellent, they soon became just another pop band.

For me, there's always been a hunger to hear more like their experimental first two albums and there just doesn't seem to be enough of it around. Synths seem to have developed like computers, as they've become more sophisticated and easier to use, there seems to be less onus to work out how to use it to its full ability.

Therefore, i've always felt that the only way im going to hear the music i want to hear - i'm going to have to try and make it myself.

Beer Review: Fortuna Hefeweizen

So my delivery from Beers Of Europe was finally in my possession on Friday. 12 new beers, wheat beers to be exact, to try out. Yassssss!!!!!

The first one i've tried is the Fortuna Hefeweizen. This is brewed by Hasen Brau of Augsburg and is a Hefeweizen style beer, so a yeasty wheat beer. Its got a rather charming old style label depicting a lady carrying a large glass of beer. The appearance of the beer is misty rather than cloudy.

Its got a rather banana-y aroma and doesn't leave much a trail on the glass as it goes down. The flavour is a little citrusy and refreshing but not particularly strong, which could be dangerous as it means you could easily down a lot of it without noticing. Its also disappointing as it doesn't leave much of an impact on the taste buds. Its a shame as it was very promising on first taste.

Overall its a nice enough beer and pleasant but with no presence and for that reason, it will only score an average

5/10

Event Review: Edinburgh Oktoberfest - 11th October 2013

When the wife and i first heard that they were holding an Oktoberfest event in Princes Street Gardens, we jumped at a chance to go. What a great chance to sample some excellent German beers, sample some wursts and munch some pretzels. So naturally, we quickly snapped up tickets to reserve or seats and vouchers for beer and food quite quickly.

However, the expectations were really lowered in the week leading up to the night we'd be going. Firstly, the wife wasn't going to be able to come along because she'd been suffering with a bad back for the whole week and was on pain killers which wouldn't mix well with beer. Secondly, reports from people on facebook regarding the event were far from positive. The prices were to be sky high, the queues for the bars and toilets were far too long, and what you got with your tickets was far from enough to satisfy. Worst of all though for me, there was only one type of beer and it was a lager. Nooooooooo - where's my wheat beer? This is gonna be dreadful but the moneys been paid so i had to go.

As i arrived at the tent on the west side of Princes Street Gardens, i noticed that there was quite a queue to get in. This wasn't a massive surprise as it was almost 6pm and people with tickets were told to arrive no later than 6.30pm to ensure they got their seats. When i entered i was given an envelope with my vouchers - 1 for a bavarian dinner plate and 'dessert surprise' and 2 for a 1.5 pint glass of beer, oh and my snacks (a packet of walkers crisps each). The tickets said to hand them to your waitress for service. It was hard to tell who was who as there was a whole load of ladies dressed in the traditional German garb. One lady took my envelope and said she show me to my table where i joined a group of lads who had been there for a while. I was in an excellent spot right in front of the stage where a band where in full flow playing some German songs and some party songs.

After sitting for a while and not seeing a waitress come to my table, i decided to just go to the bar and get my beer myself. There was no queue at this stage so i was happy to do so. The beer was nice enough but nothing special - it was just like a half decent beer but my word it was either strong or i'd not properly lined my stomach because it soon had me feeling a little tipsy. This combined with the atmosphere meant i was actually starting to enjoy myself despite all the reasons that i shouldn't. I think everyone there was clearly in the mood to let of some steam at the end of the week and have a good night no matter what, many where in comedy costumes and all where getting into the spirit of things. Even joining in when the band played the birdie song (in German).

After going up to get my second beer myself as well, i tried to go and get my own food but was told that you can only get your food by handing your voucher to a waitress. This was annoying as i still couldn't see one coming to my table. The queue for the bar was now getting ridiculous as well. Booo. However, evetually a waitress came and i got my food and a beer in no time and it was nice to be served at the table - just would be nice if there was more staff to serve. The food when it came was a schnitzel with some potato salad (not exactly filling) which was nice enough but nothing special. I'd have liked a choice from the menu where the Weiss Wurst really stood out. The dessert surprise was a strange thing in a tube which no one seemed to take as the other choice was a gingerbread heart which looked more substantial. Also for me it was wrapped and the perfect thing to take back to the wife to make up for her missing out.

So, overall a good time was had and the atmosphere and entertainment was there for a good party night out. However, it did come at a price - it was 70 quid for the two tickets which in the end got me 4 drinks and a meal, if i'd wanted to continue drinking after that, the 8.50 for a 1.5 pint beer was a bit steep. Not what i expected and if i'd known what it was going to be i doubt i'd have got tickets but the atmosphere has made me keen to go to Munich next year and sample the real thing regardless.

Gig Review - Manic Street Preachers. 29th September. Glasgow Barrowlands.

                                                                         (source)

Last weekend, the wife and i headed through to Glasgow to go and see the Manics. For me this was the 15th time seeing them, so you can probably tell that i'm a bit of a fan. I went to this gig with mixed expectations. On the one hand, its the Manics and they've never really disappointed live, on the other hand the new album is very low key and acoustic and if the set draws heavily from Rewind The Film it could be a little bit disappointing. Especially as the last time i saw them at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange in support of Postcards From a Young Man, they were probably the best i'd ever seen them. Then they had a set list that drew from their entire career with at least one song from each album and something to please everyone.

We arrived at the Barrowlands about half way through the support band Public Service Broadcasting's slot. Their sound seemed to consist of drum loops, and soundscapes with spoken word samples over the top of it. Given the right frame of mind to give it a go, i can seem me enjoying their work but tonight it just didn't work for me and so we decided to hand around downstairs for a while until the Manic were on. What struck us is how old most of the crowd was. It seems that the Manics have got their core support and aren't really attracting much interest from the younger generations now - which isn't much a surprise i suppose.

Anyway, the Manics finally took to the stage to the strains of Manorbier - the atmospheric instrumental from Rewind The Film. Then the launched straight into Motorcycle Emptiness, which i don't think works as a set opener, that's a song you want to hear later on (they should keep Sleepflower as an opener - that worked really well last time round) and followed up with Ready For Drowning from This is  My Truth. Its a song i've not heard them do since the 90s and i can see that it fits with the new stuff but it was the first of too many times this evening when the attention wandered during the gig because it's not a great live song. The set then kind of never really got going launching from big hit and big song to meandering new song.

  (source)

Don't get me wrong, they sounded good and the songs are good but the energy and excitement that i associate with the Manics was missing and you got the feeling that the bands heart wasn't fully into it. Then it really got going with You Love Us, Sleepflower and If You Tolerate This and the seemed to be hitting their stride only lose it again by entering James Dean Bradfields acoustic section which brought the mood down again. After that the last 8 songs where fantastic and like the Manics of old and you got the feeling that Nicky Wire was only half joking when he commented during Motown Junk on James being finally let of the leash after too much acoustic guitar.



Overall, the sounds was great and the Manics did a great job as always but the setlist just didn't work as a whole and there where too many troughs and not enough peaks in the performance. They announced that the venue was on standby for next April where they'll be back to tour in support of Futurology which promises to be a more upbeat and presumably more live sound friendly album than Rewind The Film which i think works better on record than in a live setting.

7/10

                                                                        (Source)

Saturday Football Preview and Predictions.

Each saturday i'll be looking forward to some of the top games in Scotland, England and Germany and giving some predictions. Starting as ever with Dundee United.

Today we are home to Kilmarnock, a team that down the years we have struggled to get a result against but who this season so far don't like that great. If it was away from Tannadice i'd be confident of predicting a big win for United but the home form just isn't that great (too many draws) and i worry that if we continue to mess about with the starting line-up to try and incorporate Goodie, rather than sticking with the side that was so impressive against Ross County, that a disjointed performance may lead to a slow start and a tought game. I'll plump for a 3-1 United win though.

                                                                             (source)

Elsewhere, in the SPL, i'd expect Celtic to see of Motherwell with a 2-0 victory. Aberdeen should see off Ross County and i'd expect Inverness to remain at the top by edging out St Johnstone. The real intrigue today is with the Hearts v St Mirren game. St. Mirren have had a horrendous start to the season and a defeat against Hearts today could not only see Hearts get closer to wiping out their points deduction and reeling in the Saints but may also see Danny Lennon become the first SPL manager to lose their job this season.

Down south, my eye is drawn to the two Manchester sides and how they bounce back from their European exploits. Everton have looked impressive under Martinez so far and it'll be interesting to see how City bounce back from their humbling against Bayern. I can see a 1-1 draw here. Sunderland still looking for a new manager host United, and on paper you'd expect an away win. David Moyes however, hasn't had the greatest of starts and teams can often find a bounce when a manager leaves so Sunderland could well cause an upset here. Outwith the Premier, i'll be keeping an eye on Derby v Leeds. Following Derby this season because they have Johnny Russell and quite a few Scottish players, and it'll be interesting to see how Steve McLaren gets on in his first game in charge.

                                                                           (source)

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In the Bundesliga, it's the day of tenous link derbies. The two Borussia's play each other, where we'll see if Dortmund can continue their fantastic start to the season and keep their noses in front of Bayern, who face Leverkusen in the Bayer(n) derby. 2nd v 3rd and an excellent game in prospect - expect plenty of goals and more from the unluckiest striker in Germany. Stefan Kiessling has been banging them in for years and could easily do a Klose style job for the national team but is always overlooked. I'm going to plump for Leverkusen to get the draw. My team Werder will be looking to get some consistency and i expect a close fought game with Stuttgart with whom they are level on points.

                                                                       (source)

The Predictions

Scottish Premier

Celtic 2 Motherwell 0
Dundee United 3 Kilmarnock 1
Hearts 1 St Mirren 0
Ross County 1 Aberdeen 2
St Johnstone 0 Inverness 1

English Premier

Man City 1 Everton 1
Cardiff 0 Newcastle 1
Fulham 1 Stoke 1
Hull 1 Aston Villa 3
Liverpool 4 Crystal Palace 0
Sunderland 1 Man United 2

Bundesliga

Mainz 1 Hoffenheim 2
Borussia Moenchengladbach 1 Borussia Dortmund 2
Schalke 1 Augsburg 0
Stuttgart 0 Werder Bremen 1
Wolfsburg 3 Eintracht Braunschweig 1
Bayer Leverkkusen 2 Bayern Munich 2

Beer Review - Weihenstephaner Vitus.

It's payday, woo-hoo. It's also October. That can mean only one thing - and that is Oktoberfest. Next friday, the wife and i shall be heading off to the Princes Street Gardens version of this, for some Weissbier, Brattys and Schlager music. In the meantime however, i thought i'd take advantage of the increased volume of German beer available in the UK during this month.

A few weeks ago, whilst browsing about in Comely Bank, i had noticed that what was once Winehouse, was now Appelation Wines and that they had a fine range of beers in. I resolved to make sure that come pay day i would get me some. I e-mailed them to ask if they could reserve a case of something for me, and if they could give me an overview of the lines they had available. They were excellent, and replied promptly and with a great deal of information (i couldn't rate them highly enough for their customer service). I perused the list and as i love Paulaner, i thought i'd play it safe and ask them to reserve me a case of the Oktoberfest variety for pick-up on

This was on wednesday that i reserved my bier. That evening out of interest i thought i would Google and see what people were saying about all the biers on the list they had given me. Given that recently i have been crazy for the wheat bears, i was a little disappointed to learn that what i had plumped for wasn't one and it seemed that i'd have been better plumping for the Weihenstephaner Vitus out of what had been mentioned. Then i pondered as to what was available to order online for delivery. This is where i came across the wonderful Beers of Europe website. They had a massive range and i quickly found myself with a basket of 24 bottles (2 each of 12 varieties) to order. I thought this would at least take til next week to arrive to thought nothing more of it.

Imagine my disappointment when i see this on my doorstep when i get home from a little lunch out with the wife today.

Now, because they don't deliver weekends and i'm not off work again til Friday - its another week before i gets my beer. Boooo. So to stave off the disappointment I headed off to Comely Bank to pick up my Paulaner a day early....and because it looked so good from the reviews, I added a bottle of the Weihenstephaner Vitus to try out as well. So how was it?

Well, the reason i wanted to try it was that it was described as being multi-award winning - indeed it was 2011 beer of the year. It also fitted the bill of being a wheat bier and being a weiss bier. It was Weihenstephaner's Kristall Weissbier that first got me interested in German biers after i added it once to my basket during an Asda shop, so i know they a brewery to trust.

On, first taste it was very similar to a Leffe or Hoegaarden. Very citrusy and a refreshing but lacking that smooth finish that you would normally get from a weissbier. As i worked my way throught the bottle though i grow more complex and certainly seemed to form a darker and heavier aftertaste that was definitely more like a wheat beer. Nice, but nothing outstanding in my opinion, certainly not worth the £3.90 a bottle that they were charging for it. I will concede though that it does seem like a bit of a grower in terms of taste and if i had more than one bottle it'd maybe have impressed me more.

Overall, i would give it a 7/10.

Next up will be a review for the Paulaner Oktoberfest bier.

A Little about me....

Hi Everyone,

My Name is Phil and I am 35 year old man living in Edinburgh, Scotland.

I have three passions in life (aside from the wife!) Beer (especially German Wheat Biers), Bands (of the shouty lo fi indie variety, that are normally followed by two man and their dogs) and Football ( if you can call watching Dundee United "football"!)

I hope you enjoy reading my general witterings and hopefully we will have a most pleasant journey together.

So until the next post.......