Author: shugahailey

Take it Slow After the Big Bangin’ Holiday with these Chicago Sessions

by Kevin Sterne

If you we’re anything like me this past holiday, you ate for America, drank for America and possibly barfed in the name of ‘merica. I feasted my through beans, greens, hogs, dogs, chickens and turkeys slathered with sauce. I imbibed sheer gallons of frothy IPAs, double IPAs, lagers and pilsners. All the while cursing the name of the Donald.

I woke up for work the next day in a sticky, sweaty t-shirt…swathed in a blanket of empty beer cans, needing about three more recovery days. And perhaps even a lifestyle change—nothing too drastic though. Because I have a New Year’s resolution to uphold.

Maybe just turning back the dial on the ABVs. This means shagging the malty, ultra bready double IPAs in lieu of bright, effervescent hopdom. Thankfully, Chicago has plenty of crushable session beers to get me through this week and the looming dog days of summer.

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Daytime IPA by Lagunitas

Unbuckle your slacks, hop on the diving board and jack-knife into this juicy, tropical thirst-pool. It’s a downright chuggable juicy blend made for hop lovers. Chug away, just don’t try shot-gunning these stubby bottles. DO stay hydrated with this crisp, refreshing nectar, just be sure to wait 20 minutes before jumping back in the water.

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Flywheel by Metropolitan Brewing

A Chicago-style pilsner from a brewery bucking the IPA trends—Metro Brewing, like Hopewell Brewing Co, focuses mainly on lagers. But this isn’t your dad’s beer by any means. Flywheel packs spicy hops that are evident in the nose and the taste. Pair this one with some backyard grilling or summer pizza.

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Lil Citra by Pipeworks Brewing

An enormously juicy session that somehow keeps the ABV below 5%. True brewing prowess by the masters at Pdubs. With hordes of citrus flavor, including mango and guava, this is a beer that demands a companion. A Chicago-style hotdog makes a great pair. Hold the ketchup.

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Troublesome by Off Color Brewing

Crisp, tart and refreshing, this beer gives no trouble going down the gullet. So why is it troublesome? Well, it uses Lactobacillus, which I had to look up too. If you’re not clicking on that hyper-informative hyperlink, then you’re missing out on the bacterial properties that lend to the sour flavor of this here Off Color wheat brew. I guess they call it a Gose.

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Mango Guppy by Pipeworks Brewing

Does anyone do scintillatingly citrus beers in Chicago better than Pipeworks? Anyone? Bueller? How about session IPAs brewed with mango puree and honey? Mango Guppy is like your cool step aunt’s fruit salad. You know, the one without the shitty honeydew.


Kevin Sterne is a writer and journalist based in Chicago, the editor of LeFawn Magazine. Apart from Shuga Records, he’s written about beer and music for Mash Tun Journal, The Tangential and Substream Magazine. His creative fiction has appeared in Drunk Monkeys, Potluck Mag, Defenestration, Praxis Magazine, Down in the Dirt Magazine, and Word Eater, among many others.

kevinsterne.com
Twitter: @kevinsterne
Instagram: Kevinsterne
Instagram: LeFawnZine

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New Vinyl Releases 6/30/17

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  • The Acacia Strain – Gravebloom (Limited Ed. 1st Pressing Gatefold 2LP on Colored Vinyl)
  • Badcop Badcop – Warriors
  • Baio (Vampire Weekend’s Chris Baio) – Man Of The World
  • Beach House – B-Sides And Rarities (Sub Pop ‘Loser Edition’ on Clear Vinyl)
  • William C. Beeley – Gallivantin’ Reissue
  • William C. Beeley – Passing Dream Reissue
  • Carpenter Brut – Live
  • Celtic Frost – Morbid Tales (1984) (180 Gram Gatefold 2LP Reissue w/ 36 Page Booklet, Posters and Bonus Material)
  • Celtic Frost – To Mega Therion (1985) (180 Gram Gatefold 2LP Reissue w/ 36 Page Booklet, Posters and Bonus Material)
  • Celtic Frost – Into The Pandemonium (1987) (180 Gram Gatefold 2LP Reissue w/ 36 Page Booklet, Posters and Bonus Material)
  • Celtic Frost – Vanity / Nemesis (1990) (180 Gram Gatefold 2LP Reissue w/ 36 Page Booklet, Posters and Bonus Material)
  • Charged G.B.H – Leather, Brisles, Studs and Acne (Limited Edition Red & Clear Vinyl)
  • Charged G.B.H  – Race Against Time
  • The Coathangers – Parasite (Single Sided 12″ on Sea Green Vinyl w/ Etched B-Side)
  • Coheed and Cambria – Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV Volume One: From Fear Through Eyes Of Madness
  • The Cranberries – Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We
  • The Cure – Greatest Hits (2LP Standard Pressing)
  • The Cure – Acoustic Hits (2LP Standard Pressing)
  • Dead Head – Swine Plague
  • Ani DiFranco – Binary (Etched 4th Side)
  • Discharge – Never Again (Grey Limited Edition Vinyl)
  • Discharge – Live in The City Garden New Jersey (Limited Edition Clear Vinyl)
  • Discharge – S/T Limited Edition Red Vinyl
  • Discharge – Grave New World (Limited Edition Clear Vinyl)
  • Discharge – Shootin’ Up The World
  • Discharge – Society’s Victims Volume 1
  • Discharge – Society’s Victims Volume 2
  • Discharge – Massacre Divine (Limited Edition Red Vinyl)
  • Echo & The Bunnymen – It’s All Live Now (Ltd. Ed. Comp on 180 Gram Vinyl, Numbered to 2987)
  • Fear Before The March Of Flames – The Always Open Mouth (Gatefold 2LP Reissue on Transparent Yellow/Red Vinyl)
  • From First To Last – Heroine
  • From First To Last – Dear Diary, My Teenage Angst Has A Body Count
  • Ghost Bath – Moonlover (Limited to 500 Pressing)
  • Goatwhore – Vengeful Ascension
  • Lany – Lany
  • Mayhem – De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas Alive (Gatefold 2LP Reissue Ltd. To 750)
  • Oceano – Revelations
  • Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer (2007) (10th Anniversary 2LP Tri-Fold Deluxe Reissue on 180 Gram Red/Yellow Vinyl)
  • Ohmme (Formerly Homme) – Ohmme
  • Origin – Unparalleled Universe (Available on Aqua Blue or White Vinyl)
  • Pine – Pillow Talk E.P. (Ltd. to 500 Single Sided 1st Pressing on Light Pink/Green Swirl Vinyl w/ Etched B-Side)
  • Pond – The Weather (Ltd. Ed. Blue/White Splatter Vinyl)
  • Max Richter – Infra (180 Gram German Reissue)
  • Shakey Graves and The Horse He Rode In On… – Nobody’s Fool and The Donor Blues
  • Soulwax – From Deewee (Black and White Vinyl 180 gram)
  • Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – Live in Hammersmith Odeon, London ’75
  • Stone Sour – Hydrograd (2LP Gatefold w/ CD)
  • The Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground & Nico (50th Anniversary Gatefold Reissue w/ Banana Sticker And Original Back Cover ‘Torso’ Photo)
  • Weedeater – God Luck and Good Speed (Limited to 300 World Wide)
  • Wheeler Walker Jr. – Ol’ Wheeler
  • Zyklon – World Ov Worms (2001) Reissue
  • Zyklon – Disintegrate (2006) Reissue
  • Zyklon – Aeon (2003) Reissue

Stop by the shop today or order online NOW!

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CRAFT CREATIONS: ODDBALL BREWS FOR THE HIPSTER PALATE

Three of the Midwest’s off-kilter beer offerings
By Kevin Sterne

Given that the Chicago craft beer market is so saturated with pale ales, I’ve been on a mission to find beers that don’t carry the typical “hoppy” and “citrus” descriptors. Don’t get me wrong, I love pale ales. Those beers are fun, and plenty of Chicago breweries have rolled out solid, if not spectacular pale ales, including some of my favorite IPAs on the planet. But, to appreciate these delightfully pungent and citrusy brews, it helps to diversify. Last week I drank nothing but adjunct lagers. And got really, really sick. This week I’m trending back to the craft beers, but not just any beers. These are beers that tickle the tastes buds with somewhat off-the-wall flavors.

Lionstone Brewing’s Back 40 Peanut Butter
ABV: 4.7%
Brewed in Geneseo, Illinois

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Sink your teeth into this prideful peanut butter-packed brew that demands to be served in a repurposed Smuckers jar. You’ll have the lion share of high-brow hipster nod when you aptly pointing out that this beer tastes like Ritz Bitz crackers. “Your taste is so refined,” they’ll say, “this Wicker Park brunch is divine, I wish there some musical equivalent to this, perhaps on bandcamp.” But the best part about sipping this scrumptious peanut-butter-infused nectar? It doesn’t get stuck to the roof of your mouth.

OddSide Ales’ Passion Juice
ABV 6%
Harvested in Grand Haven, Michigan

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These aptly-titled OddSide brew keepers have pollinated a flavor fusion in full blossom. Result: botanical brew that lends more than just a floral aroma. The passion fruit is potent yet pleasant, both in the smell and the taste. A full depth of flavor in this one, including a biscuit mash, though it is light on the malt. Still, a heartier and more refreshing beer than some other flowery ales out there. Sprinkle this little flower into a tulip glass for maximum pollination. And remember to save the bees.

Revolution Brewing’s Rosa
ABV: 5.8%
Pollinated in Chicago

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Another pollinated brew, this one features Hibiscus flowers and a touch of orange peel. This one pours a golden amber, is light in body and delightfully drinkable, especially for an ABV north of 5%. I could go on about the sensual flowers, the delicate arrangement of aromas and the silky-smooth flow of this nectar. But I’ll leave that to you. Enjoy.


Kevin Sterne is a writer and journalist based in Chicago, the editor of LeFawn Magazine. Apart from Shuga Records, he’s written about beer and music for Mash Tun Journal, The Tangential and Substream Magazine. His creative fiction has appeared in Drunk Monkeys, Potluck Mag, Defenestration, Praxis Magazine, Down in the Dirt Magazine, and Word Eater, among many others.

kevinsterne.com
Twitter: @kevinsterne
Instagram: Kevinsterne
Instagram: LeFawnZine

 

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New Vinyl Releases 6/23/17

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  • 311 – Mosaic 2-LP Gatefold
  • BardSpec(Ivar Bjomson of
  • Enslaved) – Hydrogen
  • Bedouine – S/T Debut Album
  • Bestial Raids – Master Satan’s Witchery (Czech Import)
  • Big Boi (OutKast) – Boomiverse (‘Blue and White Swirl’ Vinyl)
  • Broken Hope – Mutilated And Assimilated  (180 Gram Neon Pink Vinyl)
  • Joe Bonamassa – Live at Carnegie Hall (180 Gram 3 LP)
  • Kirin J. Callinan – Bravado
  • The Chain Gang of 1974 – Felt
  • Celebration – Wounded Healer (Limited Edition Clear Vinyl)
  • Chimmney – S/T
  • The Deslondes – Hurry Home (150 gram Pressing)
  • Dying Fetus – Wrong One to Fuck With (‘Oxblood’ Colored Vinyl Limited to 500 Pressing
  • Ex Eye – S/T
  • Health – Disco3 (2 LP Pressing)
  • Helmet – Meantime (1992) 2017 Repressing
  • Gracie and Rachel – S/T Debut Album
  • Immortal – Diabolical Fullmoon Mysticism ‘Limited Edition Beer Colored Vinyl’
  • Iron Maiden – Rock in Rio (180 3-LP)
  • Iron Maiden – Dance of Death (2003) 180 gram 2-LP reissue from the 2015 remaster
  • Iron Maiden – Brave New World 180 gram 2-LP reissue from the 2015 remaster
  • Iron Maiden – A Matter of Life and Death 180 2-LP Reissue
  • JJ Doom – Bookhead (2017 Lex EU Pressing)
  • King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Murder of the Universe (‘Indie Exclusive’ Blood Pool colored Vinyl, Limited to 3000)
  • King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Murder of the Universe
  • Meshuggah – The Violent Sheep of Reason ( Grey with Black Splatter Limited to 1000)
  • The Monks – Hamburg Recordings 1967
  • Municipal Waste – Slime and Punishment (Bottle Green Vinyl Limited to 2300)
  • Willie Nile – Sings Bob Dylan
  • OneRepublic – Native (2 LP Reissue)
  • Post Malone – Stoney (2-LP Deluxe Reissue on Orange vinyl)
  • Prince and the Revolution – Purple Rain (1984)
  • Prince and the Revolution – Purple Rain/GOD 12″ Single Reissue
  • Prince and the Revolution – Purple Rain  Limited Edition Picture Disc
  • Prince and the Revolution – Let’s Go Crazy/ Erotic City 12″ Single Reissue
  • Prince and the Revolution – When Doves Cry/ 17 Days 12″ Single Reissue
  • Prince and the Revolution – I would Die 4 U / Another Lonely Christmas 12″ Single
  • Rozwell Kid – Precious Art  (Side One Dummy Limited Edition Colored Vinyl)
  • Ruts DC – Music Must Destroy
  • Schammasch – The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite
  • Selena – The Last Concert (Recorded Live from the Houston Astrodome Feb 26,1995)
  • Slim Cessna’s Auto Club – Cipher
  • Soundtrack – 13 Reasons Why (Cassette Tape)
  • Steelism – Ism
  • Tigers Jaw – Spin (Black Cement Pressing on Turquoise Colored Vinyl)
  • Jeff Tweedy – Together At Last (Limited Edition Opaque Yellow Vinyl)
  • Tyrannosorceress – Shattering Light’s Creation (2-LP on 200 Gram Silver Vinyl Etched D-Side (Czech Import Limited to 300!)
  • Delroy Wilson- Go Away Dream
  • Jaymes Young – Feel Something
  • Neil Young – Decade (1977) 3-LP Tri-fold Remastered Pressing
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Chicago’s own Pipeworks Brewing Company and Dark Matter Coffee have a threesome with 18th Street Brewery.

Review by: Kevin Sterne

Pipeworks Brewing Company and Dark Matter Coffee are two institutions of experimentation in Chicago, consistently twisting tongues and bending palates with S’mores and Chile flavored lagers and hop-infused roasters, respectfully. The two cross pollinate the other’s nectar on many occasions; DM releases beans aged in Pipeworks barrels during holidays. In turn Pipeworks has brewed several coffee-forward beers: Dark Matter Machine Coffee Cream Ale and Grand Guignol: Act Two Oatmeal Stout.

For their latest sexual intermingling, they invited a third party, 18th Street Brewery. The child of this threesome—Attack of the Devil’s Lettuce, whose name and artwork alone raise expectations as high as a Wicker Park hipster’s brow. ADL is ultra-dank, coffee-infused imperial IPA that leaves the tongue pulsating from so much flavor arousal.

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My tongue felt how my brain does when heavily caffeinated. I was wired to everything. And with so much going on in this beer, the stimulation can be a bit overwhelming. But I’ll break it down in simple terms:

• Look: No filtering leaves this golden child hazy and deep amber.
• Smell: Coffee, Coffee, Coffee. Some hops, a bit of malt. But mostly Coffee, Coffee, Coffee.
• Taste: A tome of flavor. Coffee in the front accented by tones of peppercorn, lemon, orange peel. The Sorachi Ace hops lend intense Earthy flavors, giving the swallow a pucker of vegetables plucked from the soil—maybe lettuce? This makes for a flavor clash that’s difficult to reconcile.
• Feel: Big and bulbous, with noticeable alcohol.
• Overall: The bomber size demands two mouths. Full disclosure: I didn’t finish the whole thing, there too many flavors fighting for attention, making the drink experience more taste chore than drinkation.

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While this three-pronged sexual conquest may have resulted in some tainted birth flued, this is by no means a bad brew. There’s a lot for the tongue to touch, and if you can get your slimy paws on it, pick up the Brain Tentacles and Wild Jesus & The Devil’s Lettuce record to stimulate your audio nodes in conjunction. A droning chamber of bass, sax and metal darkness pulled from the murky pools of Lou Reed’s long ago Berlin. Stir the brew and the tunes in a cauldron and puff on your devil’s lettuce. Now THAT is a sensory orgasm.


Kevin Sterne is a writer and journalist based in Chicago, the editor of LeFawn Magazine. Apart from Shuga Records, he’s written about beer and music for Mash Tun Journal, The Tangential and Substream Magazine. His creative fiction has appeared in Drunk Monkeys, Potluck Mag, Defenestration, Praxis Magazine, Down in the Dirt Magazine, and Word Eater, among many others.

kevinsterne.com
Twitter: @kevinsterne
Instagram: Kevinsterne
Instagram: LeFawnZine

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