Kick it! It’s time for Beastie Boys and a six pack.
Just like most of the population out there, good television is one way that I’ve been coping with the life-altering pandemic. From The Last Dance to Waco, TV has been something to look forward to. The newly released, Beastie Boys Story on Apple + was one new show I did not want to miss. It’s two hours of history, reminiscing and musings by the two living members at a live audience taping. It was heartfelt, fun, and informational, all wrapped up together.
Beastie Boys to me were a group that always delivered. Unlike many bands of the era, they were constantly reinventing and pushing themselves forward. From the bratty kids of License to Ill, to the underdog masterwork of Paul’s Boutique, to the live instrumentation of Check Your Head, the Beasties were constantly evolving.
Summer’s just about here, so pop a Beastie Boys cassette in the boom box, lace up your golf shoes, and crack open a beer because it’s time for Beastie Boys and a Six Pack. Sorry, no Brass Monkey here, but plenty of other beers to fit your Beastie Boys catalog from License to Ill to Hello Nasty.
When I was growing up, Beastie Boys had this universal appeal. They were artistically interesting enough for the music and art kids, fun enough for the jocks, and could rhyme for the hip hop kids. Without further ado, here’s Beastie Boys and a six pack.
The Alchemist’s Heady Topper and Check Your Head
Ch-Check It Out- it’s Heady Topper! Heady Topper is my favorite beer of all time, hands down. Check Your Head was the second Beastie Boys album I owned. (Of course, License to Ill was the first.) The difference between those two albums was so vast. Check Your Head brought new grooves to the table, some jazzy, some funky, some punky, all with live instrumentation. Just like Heady Topper, this album is my favorite of the Beasties.
The Alchemist delivered a craft beer revolution with this sixteen-ounce silver can. Check Your Head further established the Beastie Boys as a cultural force with the psychedelia of “Namaste” –long before that phrase was everywhere. “POW” is a funky instrumental and “Something’s Gotta Give” is a long way from “Fight For Your Right.” In just a few years, the Beastie Boys reinvented themselves and shed the pretenses of juvenilia. No more brattiness, these boys grew up. Heady Topper brings a whirl of flavors similar to the genre-bending of “Check Your Head.” So What’cha Want? Another Heady Topper, please.
Widowmaker Brewing Company’s Blue Comet and “Intergalactic”
When Hello Nasty mmmm dropped in 1998, it was monumental. The four years between 1994, the year or Ill Communication and 1998, was an eternity for me. When they released this album, it felt like everyone had to go and buy it. It was a more sophisticated set of Beasties. Continuing their outside influences and artistic endeavors, this album was more mature but still playful.
“Intergalactic” was the biggest single off the album. And what a single it was! They even sampled themselves. A catchy and innovative track coupled with a fantastic Spike Jonze directed video that had the band as mad scientists and dressed up like futuristic construction workers. The best part though is the homage to old monster movies, as a gigantic robot battles a squid creature among a cityscape.
For the beer, Widowmaker’s Blue Comet is “intergalactic” –cue the space reference. It’s a tasty IPA, slightly juicy and VERY drinkable. This could be an easy-drinking go-to beer. It’s so out of this world that you’ll be clamoring for another.
Foley Brothers Brewing’s Fair Maiden and “Girls” and “Hey Ladies”
The Beastie Boys are at their most juvenile with tracks such as “Girls” from Licensed to Ill and “Hey Ladies” from Paul’s Boutique. In the Beastie Boys Story, there is great emphasis on the transformation of the band from the immature group who wrote those tracks to the line from the song “Sure Shot” with the line “the disrespect to women has got to be through” from MCA.
The Foley Brothers beer, although accompanying these two earlier tracks, classes it up with the term “fair maiden.” This beer is a sure shot, a solid double IPA. No juiciness or haziness, a tad sweet though, but mostly it tastes like a good beer. Certainly far off from the Bud of the early Beastie Boys days.
Four Quarters Brewing Company’s Every Lovely Thing and “Lighten Up”
This sour from Vermont’s Four Quarters has an initial hit of sourness that quickly dissipates. It stays dry throughout, with tastes of passion fruit and guava. This version of “Lighten Up” comes from the Beastie Boys’ instrumental album, The In Sound From Way Out. This album features the instrumentation of the Beasties with tracks culled from their early 90s catalog. With a lighter beer such as this from Four Quarters, it’s easy to mellow out with “Lighten Up.” I chose the instrumental version, not that the original from Check Your Head has any lyrics other than “You’ve gotta lighten up right now.”
Brooklyn Brewery Company’s Defender IPA and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”
Of course, Brooklyn Brewery had to be represented here! Instead of the flagship lager, I pulled from the shelves the Defender IPA. It’s not too heavy, with the classic bitterness of an IPA. “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” is a classic Beasties track, and Brooklyn Brewery is a classic craft brewery. Brooklyn, along with the likes of Sam Adams and Stone, represents beers that forged their own paths long before craft beer was cool. Even though the elder Beastie Boys wanted to shake their frat rock anthems like “No Sleep Til Brooklyn,” it’s a catchy, rocking, simply fun song at the crossroads of rock and rap (something that groups like Limp Bizkit could never accomplish years later). No sleep ‘til you have a Brooklyn, so get that bed or couch ready after this beer.
Vitamin Sea Brewing’’s Kettle Charge and “She’s Crafty”
Yes, I have tried Vitamin Sea’s Mass Bronkey malt liquor, their take on Brass Monkey. They get props for brewing it, but I’ll give the shout out to Kettle Charge instead. Kettle Charge is simply a tremendous IPA. It’s got some haziness but with a dose of hoppiness too. “She’s Crafty” from Licensed to Ill works here since this is a definitive craft beer.
Beastie Boys crossed lines of musical tastes and kept on adding to their repertoire. Craft beer has gone way past the beer nerds of yore to mainstream palettes constantly adding more innovative techniques. I hope you’ve enjoyed the discography of the Beastie Boys and a six pack. For more artists and a six pack try: Kenny Rogers, Kenny G or The J. Geils Band.
