On pouring, I detected some floral notes and even a bit of honey, which was unexpected and delightful. The crisp mouthfeel perfectly accentuates the light flavor profile, which was a bit off-putting after drinking so many wintertime stouts recently, but was ultimately enjoyable. Scrimshaw has a very subtle bitterness thanks to the Hallertau hops and would make a great late-spring beer. While it might not be the pilsener of choice for many, it's a great one to keep on deck and would even be a welcome sight in a North Coast variety pack, if such a thing would ever exist and find its way to Missouri.
The label art on this beer is simple and gorgeous, and immediately made me think of one thing: Mastodon. I don't quite know what it is about North Coast and Mastodon, but just as Old Rasputin evoked a powerful need to blast their 2009 release Crack the Skye, Scrimshaw reminds me of Leviathan, for some obvious reasons.
Leviathan, released in 2004, is a concept album inspired by Herman Melville's Moby Dick. The opening track, "Blood and Thunder," sets the mood perfectly. "White whale, holy grail," Neil Fallon roars, detailing Ahab's obsessive quest in search of the legendary whale. The other tracks on the album, from "Iron Tusk" to "Hearts Alive" to "Megalodon" share the nautical theme. The album won the title "Album of the Year" from not one but three music publications, and was even dubbed the best metal album of the 21st century thus far by Metal Sucks.
The album, combined with its personal meaning to me (my dj name at KMNR ended up being White Whale through an interesting Saint Pat's turn of events) as well as the magnitude of Mastodon's discography has inspired me to tackle reading Moby Dick over my Christmas break- look for my thoughts on it in early January!
I'm going out of town on family business tomorrow, so no blog post tomorrow night- but I'll still be having a beer and will be doing a two-for-one post on Sunday!
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