PERFECT PAIR: HEAPS NORMAL’S HALF DAY HAZY PALE ALE X PAUL MCCARTNEY’S ‘UNCLE ALBERT/ADMIRAL HALSEY’
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SLEEVE NOTES
Paul McCartney: Bored with his day job (The Beatles) McCartney joined forces with his wife Linda to create his second non-Beatles album, Ram. This time he wanted new bandmembers to join him and Linda. Under the guise of ‘recording a commercial jingle’, McCartney held secret auditions in a New York attic to do the recruiting. It ultimately led to ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’, McCartney’s first #1 post-Beatle hit.
Heaps Normal: Similarly bored with his day job (pro surfer), Jordy Smith, got together with a new band – specifically, a brewer, a designer and “a ginger” to start a brewery. Seeking to normalise ‘mindful drinking’, the Heaps Normal no-alc range is for everyone, whether you need a spacer on a night out, or you’re having a dry month. Smith’s goal was to make a delicious beer that stands the ‘pub test’. The Half Day Hazy Pale Ale passes with flying colours.
TASTING NOTES
‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’: A complex tune with a new beginning around every corner. Comprising multiple unfinished songs, it was stitched together by Norwegian engineer Eirik Wangberg and features the New York Philharmonic. What starts as a slow ballad from Paul (in memory of his Uncle Albert) becomes a playful upbeat ditty recalling the life of an American admiral (Admiral Halsey). The song is full of twists and turns with 11 studio musicians and an entire orchestra introducing various instruments throughout the song.
Heaps Normal – Half Day Hazy Pale Ale: Packing less than 0.5% alcohol, the Half Day Hazy is the ultimate in sessionable Haze. Many no-alc beers fall flat alongside their naughty 5-10% siblings, thin in texture and lacking any real taste. The Half Day Hazy manages to pack enough juicy flavour into a can to make it a top-level alternative that you can sit on all day without waking up with a sore head, fast food on the bed and regret.
IN CONCLUSION
Is there such a thing as a ‘great substitute when you can’t have the real thing’? Yes and yes. McCartney’s album Ram can hold its own next to some of The Beatles’ great presses of vinyl. The same goes for the Half Day Hazy. Will they be remembered as the best? Likely not. Though they will be remembered for proving that the unthinkable – even stripping alcohol out of a hazy and stripping McCartney out of the Beatles – needn’t be a barrier to a good time.
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