Cranky Reviews

1969 “Flash”backs and Back Tracks

Pale Ales

Pale Ales

American Pale Ale

Beer Type

15 to 20

15 to 20
Super Suds

Rating

IBU 55

Other Info

1969 “Flash”backs and Back Tracks

Pinball Wizard

Clifford Brewery Co.

5.7% Alcohol

Groovy

1969 was quite a year for rock music. Woodstock was 3 days of peace love and mud, with the notorious Altamont * at the other end of the peace and love spectrum. The Beatles parked their Yellow Submarine on Abbey Road and Bowie was a space oddity. We were introduced to Led Zeppelin that year.**

But perhaps the most notable 1969 album release was the Who’s “Tommy”. It was nothing like the Who had ever done before, or anyone had ever done before for that matter. A rock opera? That sounds as crazy as crowd surfing. The first single, released the same year, was “Pinball Wizard”, a great tune with intriguing lyrics “That deaf, dumb and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball.” Since that time “Tommy” has gone Broadway and Hollywood and sold 20 million albums.

Back in the day I was no pinball wizard, but I flirted with high score on our favourite machine, The Flash. Free games and extra balls were happening and three of the bars in town had our machine. Then two, then 1, then done and gone. Pong, then Pac Man, then Asteroids, then Galaga, the video games were the new thing and the era of the pinball wizard was over.

The Flash, 3rd Best Selling Pinball Machine of all Time

Wow, more flashbacks in this review than a Timothy Leary*** reading. How about a beer review.

This Clifford beer of the month club APA pours a muted golden orange brown amber hazy. An ideal bright white head. Smells soooo gooood, fruit and hops mild not wild. The taste is fruity with malt and some mild hops on the finish, a great combo, mouthfeel and sequence. It’s big swig suds, maybe not crushable let’s just say squeezable. A very enjoyable brew that took me for a walk down rock and roll memory lane. No tilt here, no flailing flippers, just responsive bumpers and that oh so inviting extra ball alley, all add up to a high score. Deserving of a replay.

Pinball Wizard, a great year, a great tune, and it turns out to be a great beer too.

*Editor’s Comment: Altamont was a 1969 free concert in California organized by the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead. In turned into a violent gathering of 300,000 people, with a murder and 3 accidental deaths, many injuries, looting and extensive property damage. Things got so bad that the Grateful Dead, one of the concert organizers and headliners, declined to play their set due to the violence. Rolling Stone magazine proclaimed the event “ rock and roll’s worst day.”

**Editor’s Comment: in 1969 Diana Ross introduced us to the Jackson 5. Joe Cocker was looking for some friends for help and Simon was still with Garfunkel. The Stones let it bleed while MC5 were kickin’ out the jams. Creedence, Dylan, Santana, Yes, The Doors, The Kinks, The Band. We were grateful for The Grateful Dead and said goodbye to Cream. Janis, Roberta, Cher, Gladys and Aretha were all garnering our respect. Johnny Winter, Free, Deep Purple and Elton John were in the house. Stevie Wonder was a wonder. Alice Cooper and Frank Zappa were shocking us. Frank Sinatra was doing it his way while Elvis was suspicious in the ghetto. James Brown said it loud and Johnny Cash went to Folsom prison to sing the blues. The Archies were too sweet. Joni Mitchell, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Neil Young, Steppenwolf, The Band and the Guess Who all came in from the great white North, eh. James Gang, Humble Pie, Rare Earth, The Velvet Underground, The Byrds, Pink Floyd, the list goes on and on. 1969 was truly an epic year for rock and roll.

Final Rating: Flirting with a High Score at 16 out of 20

Pale Ales

Pale Ales

American Pale Ale

Beer Type

15 to 20

15 to 20
Super Suds

Rating

Other Info

IBU 55

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