Scottish metal pirates thrash best with a cosmic brew.

This article was originally published on FarFromProfessional.com (9/23/24).

Brewery: Escape Craft Brewery (Redlands & Laguna Nigel, CA)
Artist: Alestorm
Beer: “Space Pirate” (6.9% ABV)
Song: “Drink”

If you’ve read a few other “Hop-Heavy” articles I’ve written, then you’ve probably picked up on the fact that I drink a lot of beer from Escape Craft Brewery. It’s local to my residence, but my regular consumption of their brew is more than just a relationship of convenience. I dig their beers, particularly their IPA varieties. To close out the summer, I swung by Escape’s Nevada (Street) Barrelhouse to slap together a four-pack of tallboys, and the first beer I tried was their New England Hazy IPA “Space Pirate”.

The good people at Escape promise that “Space Pirate” will take the consumer on an interstellar ride with an abundance of hop varieties: Cashmere, Comet, Loral, and Simcoe. These buds stay true to their nature. The Comet, Loral, and Simcoe hops add citrus and floral notes to “Space Pirate”, so even when the beer has your head in the cosmos, your tastebuds can hang on to something terrestrial and familiar. The Cashmere hops give “Space Pirate” a smooth grace as the bitterness fades with the finish, like a space pirate unmoored from his tether, floating into the vast oblivion of the universe. This is an IPA for folks who don’t usually drink this type of beer because they find it too bitter.

There is no more appropriate dance partner for “Space Pirate” than the Scottish heavy metal pirates of Alestorm. Is this a bit on the nose, or is this one of those moments when two things that are perfect for each other find themselves together? It’s no coincidence that I tipped back my pint of Escape’s delicious brew to Alestorm’s “Drink”, but it is a fortunate circumstance that I didn’t have more “Space Pirate”. The band’s relentless chanting of “Drink, Drink, Drink” turned what should have been a “sip and chill” into a chug fest.

Do I sound like I’m complaining? Shame on me. It was fun. Thanks for the memories Alestorm and “Space Pirate”.