Beer pairs well with so many things: Food, cigars, more beer. But more people need to know that beer pairs really well with music. Everybody here at Beer Chronicle has their own preferred flavor of beer as well as music. I prefer my beer to mirror my taste in music: complex, heavy, and dark. The crew at Southern Star seems to think so too because they made Negura Bunget, their “Transylvanian inspired dark ale,” that is named after a Romanian black metal band.
I had never heard of Negura Bunget, so I decided to give their “OM” album a listen. It was pretty damn killer! The music is so atmospheric and dark. I had no idea what the lead singer is saying (the vocals are in Romanian), but it sounded like an amazingly ominous story. I could only hope the beer would be as enjoyable as the band.
The can design for Negura Bunget was actually done by the lead singer of the band, Gabriel “Negru” Mafa, who unfortunately passed away in March. It featured black and grey colors that depicts something I couldn’t really make out. It reminded me of a forest shot from overhead.
Negura Bunget poured like black water into my glass and there was no head whatsoever when I was done. I was afraid it would be flat, as there wasn’t a lot of carbonation going on. I took a few whiffs and came up with coffee and nothing else. Imagine what a watered down porter might smell like and you’re where I was.
The mouthfeel was light like water, and Negura Bunget completely lacked in flavor complexity. The coffee flavor wasn’t strong enough to carry this beer over the mountain and that was really the only flavor that was present. Sadly, it was disappointing and didn’t meet my expectations at all.
I gave Negura Bunget 2 stars because the music that it is meant to pay tribute to is fantastic and I probably would’ve never known about it if Southern Star didn’t make this beer. While I would drink this again if it was offered to me, there are better beers out there that are similar with better flavor, such as Brazos Valley Brewing 7 Spanish Angels or Buffalo Bayou Sam’s Wake n Bake.
What’s your favorite kind of music to pair with beer? Let us know below! Beers to you, Houston.
Southern Star Hoppy Elixir Hop Water Southern Star Hoppy Elixir Hop Water is absolutely delicious. For water, it's still kinda expensive, but hopefully it begins to…
Nick is originally from the Corpus Christi area, but found himself in Houston as of 4 years ago. You can spot him wearing a Hooks hat and drinking a glass of craft beer around the city. He typically prefers his beers to mirror his taste in music: complex, heavy, and dark.
No Comments