Hip 🎧 Hops 🍺

🇦🇺Six Albums from Australia🇦🇺 Over the last few years the Australian music scene has made itself the predominant voice in cinematic funk and soul instrumentals through labels like College of Knowledge. It’s also become a hotbed for punk and surf rock acts. Here are six albums from Australia that I hope inspire you to dig into their scene. 1. @Glass_Beams - “Mahal” on @NinjaTuneProductionMusic 2. @MilouMoon_ - “Rêverie” 3. @Skegss - “My Own Mess” 4. @KarateBoogaloo - “Hold Your Horses” on @ColemineRecords & @CollegeOfKnowledgeRecords 5. @Jnboooooo - “& Friends” on @CollegeOfKnowledgeRecords 6. @surprisechef - “All News is Good News” on @MrBongoWorldWide #AustralianMusic #Vinyl #VinylRecords #GlassBeams #KarateBoogaloo

♟️🤴Check Mate🥥🍫 . Today’s pairing is Flossmor Station Brewing Co.’s “Double Barrel Almond Joy Pawn & the King” matched up with “Let’s Play Chess” by Chess Records. . 🍺: “Double Barrel Almond Joy Pawn & the King” by @FlossmoorBrewCo is a double barrel aged imperial milk stout. The base beer was aged eight months in Thornton bourbon barrels and then an additional four months in Journeyman Buggy Whip barrels, which is a wheat whiskey. Before bottling the beer was rested on chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut, and coconut. The result is a decadent beer full of coconut flavor that’s mellowed by the chocolate and vanilla. The beer is on the sweeter side, as you’d expect with an almond joy inspired beer, but does not cross the cloying line for me. Coming in at 13% you don’t get too much heat on the sip, as the beer comes cross surprisingly drinkable. Flossmor station is a Chicagoland staple in the craft beer game, and is located in Flossmoor, Illinois, just south of Chicago. Next time you’re down in the south suburbs check out what head brewer @rakaduke is cookin up! . 🎧: “Let’s Play Chess” by @Chess.Records was released in 2025, and is a compilation celebrating 75 years of Chess Records. The album features 25 blues classics from the likes of @MuddyWatersOfficial , Little Walter, @HowlinWolfOfficial , @ChuckBerry , @EttaJamesOfficial , @TheRealBuddyGuy , @TheRealBoDiddley , and others. Chess Records was based in Chicago’s southside and was one of the primary outlets for blues and R&B musicians. This two LP release features a different iconic Chess center label on each side. . Song: “Spoonful” by Howlin’ Wolf #HipHops #CraftBeer #Blues

🎤North Carolina Hip-Hop Pt. 1🎤 North Carolina is one of the most slept on states for hip-hop, and is one of my favorites. It offers the perfect blend of northern and southern hip-hop to make it something of their own. Hope this video inspires you to check out the world of NC hip-hop. 1. @LittleBother_NC (@Phontigallo , @RapperBigPooh , & @9thWonder ) - “The Listening” 2. @Rapsody - “The Idea of Beautiful” on @JamlaRecords 3. Marlowe (@LOrangeMusic & @SolemnBrigham ) - “Marlowe” on @MelloMusicGroup 4. @RealColeWorld - “2014 Forest Hills Drive” 5. @Khrysis_ - “The Hour of Khrysis” on @JamlaRecords 6. GYamazawa - “Money is Time” 7. @KooleyHighNC (@Tab_One , @Charlie_Smarts , @DJIllDigitz , @Fffoolery , & @TheSinopsis ) - “Presents…David Thompson” #NorthCarolinaHipHop #NorthCarolina #HipHop #HipHopVinyl #VinylHipHop

🛫☀️Somewhere Bright☀️🛬 . Today’s pairing is Hopewell Brewing’s “Going Places” matched up with “!!Going Places!!” by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. . 🍺: “Going Places” by @HopewellBrewing is a 6.5% abv Bright IPA. In brewing a “bright tank” is the vessel in the brewing process where the beer gains clarity, gets carbonation, and matures before packaging. Playing off that naming convention, this beer delivers on clarity and balance. For today’s standards this beer does have quite a bit of bitterness that comes across with pine resin and a big punch of grapefruit pith in the best way possible. All of this while still being easy drinking. Hopewell is located in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood and to me specializes in doing a lot of substyles really well. They’re pushing the boundaries of beer naming conventions in a fun way to try to find the next innovation. . 🎧: “!!Going Places!!” by @OfficialHerbAlpert and the Tijuana Brass was released in 1965 and is the groups fifth album. Herb Alpert is most known as a trumpeter and band leader. This album has a poppy Latin jazz vibe that feels humorous and fun in a way. . Song: “Spanish Flea” #HipHops #CraftBeer #LatinJazz

🎸🎺UK Jazz Part 1🎷🥁 Here’s five albums from the UK jazz scene! One thing about jazz music is that these short snippets don’t do it justice…for example the build up in the Sons of Kemet track…or the beautiful soundscape created by Nala Sinephro. Hopefully these soundbites inspire you to check out the whole tracks. 1. @AlfaMist - Antiphon 2. Yussef Kamaal - Black Focus on @Brownswood Recordings 3. @YussefDayes & @TomMisch - What Kinda Music 4. @SonsOfKemet - Your Queen is a Reptile on @VerveRecords 5. @NalaSinephro - Endlessness on @WarpRecords #vinyl #ukjazz #jazzvinyl

🌊🏝️Coastal Grooves🩸🍊 . Today’s pairing is Sketchbook Brewing’s “Coastal” matched up with “Coastal Grooves” by Blood Orange. . 🍺: “Coastal” by @SketchbookBrew is a Midwest ode to the west coast IPA. Coming in at 6.5% abv this beer is brewed with Wisconsin grown and malted barley and hopped with midwestern Cascade and Centennial hops. The result is a bitter IPA with a slight sweetness from the malt to balance it out. The bitterness comes across like grapefruit pith and finishes out with a pine resin. Sketchbook has two locations in Skokie and Evanston. . 🎧: “Coastal Grooves” by Blood Orange (@DevHynes ) was released in 2011 and is the debut full length release from the Blood Orange project. Dev Hynes singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist from London. His sound incorporates elements of RnB, indie rock, jazz, and funk in a sort of new wave electronica package. . Song: “Champagne Coast” #HipHops #CraftBeer #Indie

✶ ✶ Chicago Hip-Hop Pt. 1✶ ✶ Here’s seven albums from Chicago hip-hop artists. Know I’m missing some big ones…but look for those in future parts to this series. Just hoping to spread some good hip-hop from the best city in the world. 1. @PhilmoreGreene - “Cost of Living” Produced by @ApolloBrown on @MelloMusicGroup 2. @SabaPivot - “Bucket List Project” 3. @Neak_Undefined - “Kwesbaar” on @CulturePower45 4. Jeremiah Jae (@Jjaer ) - “And The Night Took Us In Like Family” Produced by @LOrangeMusic 5. @MolemenRecords (@PanikOfTheMolemen , @Mem0riza , & @JuvenalRoblesJr ) - “Ritual of the…”featuring Chicago MC @QwelOne 6. Prime Diesel (@ThePrimeridian & @RashidHadee ) - “Prime Diesel” 7. @NonameHiding - “Telefone” #chicagomusic #chicagohiphop #hiphopvinyl #vinyl #nowspinning

🦠Exposure, Infection, Shelter In Place🦠 . Today’s pairing is Old Irving Brewing’s “28 Months Later” matched up with “Shelter In Place” by Thes One. . 🍺: “28 Months Later” by @OldIrvingBrewing is a bourbon barrel aged barleywine. A rich barleywine base aged for 28 months in a Willett 13-year bourbon barrel that finishes at 18% abv. This tastes like an amped up version of an English style barleywine, with strong notes of dark fruit and bourbon soaked toffee. This beer drinks way too smooth to be 18% and will probably go down as one of my beers of the year. OIB is located in its namesake neighborhood in Chicago and makes great beer and food! . 🎧: “Shelter In Place” by Thes One @Piecelock70 is a beat tape released the beginning of 2022. In late 2021 Thes contracted the virus and went through a 10-day lockdown that resulted in this release. Thes is one half of the lauded California hip-hop duo People Under the Stairs. The album is track listed as “Side A” and “Side B” and is chock-full sample based funky boom-bap tracks that you’d expect from Thes. This pressing is limited to 400 copies on purple splatter vinyl. . Song: “Side B” #HipHops #CraftBeer #Beats

🌷6 Albums with Spring Themed Titles!🌷 -@NoahAndTheWhale - “The First Days of Spring” -@Common - “Resurrection” -@ChillhopMusic Essentials - Spring 2018 - @Flofilz -Haley Heynderickx (@Hhhendrix ) - “I Need to Start a Garden” on @MamaBirdRC -@PsalmTreesBeats & @GuillaumeMuschalle “We must believe in Spring” on @ChillhopMusic -@WallowsMusic - “Spring” Hey everyone! Wanted to find a way to share more music than an album per week so trying something new! Plan on coming up with some fun themed videos showcasing 5ish albums at a time. Still trying to figure out being on video lol. #vinyl #nowspinning

🍑Verry Special Old Fruit🍑 . Today’s pairing is Revolution Brewing’s “Peach Brandy Barrel DBVSOJ” matched up with “Old Fruit” by Wun Two. . 🍺: “Peach Brandy Barrel DBVSOJ” by @RevBrewChicago is the next installment in Rev’s highly sought after VSOJ series. The beer is a Straight Jacket Barleywine blend of young and old components that spent time in French oak bourbon (ex-wine), Cruzan rum barrels, @BuffaloTrace Mash No. 1 Bourbon, and @WillettDistillery barrels. All of this was then finished in Peach Brandy Barrels. The result is a smooth 15.8% abv beer that showcase what malt and barrel aging can do for a beer. This being a cuvée of old and young barleywine presents bready malt forward notes you’d expect from a younger beer with the raisiny dark fruit notes you get from the extended barrel aging. The rum barrel also provides a coconut note to the mid sip while I got the peach notes on the backend. It’s important to note that there is no peach added to this beer, so you’re not hit over the head with it. Think of the peach brandy barrel as providing a mixing zone for the greater blend that helps to smooth its edges and provide a hint of peach. The beer drinks with a perceived sweetness from the flavor notes, but does not leave you with a cloying sugar coated mouth. Always love what @v.s.o.marty & @v.s.o_mexican_brownie cook up! The beer is available from Rev on their site and is limited to one 4-pack per order. . 🎧: “Old Fruit” by @Wun__Two was released in 2021 on @Mutombo_Records . Wun Two is one of the founding fathers of the German beat-making scene. This 10” LP is a collection of old unreleased beats he found in his files from the time he was working on his albums “Penthouse” and “Ships”. The result are drum heavy boom bap beats clearly influenced by the likes of Dilla. This release was limited to 300 copies. Label art by @No.Can.Control . . Song: “Peach” #HipHops #CraftBeer #LoFi

🦘🪃Heading Down Under🇦🇺🐊 . Today’s pairing is Old Irving Brewing’s “Crikey” matched up with “Business As Usual” by Men at Work. . 🍺: “Crikey” by @OldIrvingBrewing is an Australian Pale Ale that comes in at 6.2% abv. A hop driven beer with tropical notes coming from the additions of Citra, Galaxy, Galaxy Quantum, and New Zealand Cascade. The beer finishes dry with a nice bitterness that leaves you wanting another sip. If you’re like me you’re wondering “What is Galaxy Quantum???”. It’s a hop extract made by the company @AbstraxHops designed to increase aroma notes from hops. They use a low temp extraction process that focuses on aromatics rather than the traditional method that extracts alphas increasing bitterness. Think of it as a cold brew method. Old Irving is located in its namesake neighborhood of Chicago and not only has great beer but also amazing food. This is a taproom only exclusive that won’t see distro this go around at least. . 🎧: “Business As Usual” by @MenAtWork was released in 1981 and is the bands debut album. Men at Sork is a Melbourne, Australia based band that’s fronted by singer/guitarist @ColinHay . Everyone knows these hits from the 80’s with the sax in “Who Can it Be Now?”, and the flute in “Down Under”. I was reintroduced to the band through Colin’s solo work being prominently featured in the television show Scrubs. . Song: “Down Under” #HipHops #CraftBeer #NewWave

🐰Easter Pairing!🐰 . Today’s pairing is is/was Brewing’s “Rightful Hare” matched up with “Dear” by Keaton Henson. . 🍺: “Rightful Hare” by @iswasbrewing is a buckwheat saison brewed in collaboration with @SchenkerBeer . A beautifully crafted saison with and earthy note from the buckwheat that flows into a lemongrass flavor that finishes dry. is/was is located in Chicago and I’ve written a ton about them. Schenker is based out of New York and is the brainchild of Joey Pepper-Mellusi, the former headbrewer of Folksbier in Brooklyn. . 🎧: “Dear” by @KeatonHenson was released in 2010 on Motive Sounds Records. Keaton formed his own record label and reissued the album in 2012. Including a wooden box vinyl version with original handpainted artwork inside. This was limited to 50 copies. The album is stripped down, full of vocals with raw emotion and intricate guitar. The albums themes tell stories of love and loss. . Song: “Small Hands” #HipHops #CraftBeer #FolkMusic