According to the 3 Floyds website, “backmasking” is “a recording technique in which a sound or message is recorded backward onto a track that is meant to be played forward.” Back in the 60s and 70s this technique appeared in the works of various popular artists such as The Beatles and Pink Floyd. Somehow at the tail end of that era it became associated with Satanism and the occult, and pissed off a lot of staunch Christians by inciting their hysteria and evoking a subsequent call of Christian duty to take up arms against SATAN and his evil musical minions!

At some point it made its way into dark, heavy, doom and gloom metal and thrash metal music. I’m not sure if the public outcry of Christian figureheads came before or after backmasking became popular in the metal scene. All I know is: when a rabid Christian evangelical gets in front of a microphone and camera and condemns an act in the music business, he is guaran-fucking-teeing it will not only continue, but increase in frequency. And thus, thanks to the hardcore, fundamentalist Christian subculture, the use of backmasking will remain embossed in metal music history for eternity.

What does this have to do with beer? I can only speculate that Backmasking was named because the beer is dark brown, almost black, with a deep tan head that even displays a tint of grey. The brew team at 3 Floyds, I believe, are metalheads, which, apart from their beer recipes, would explain perfectly why they are just plain fucking awesome. And darkness affixed with metal music = Backmasking, of course!

The aroma of this brew contains coffee, chocolate, and plums. Detceted natas fo ecart a.  The upfront flavor profiles contain chocolate and blackberries, then the profiles shift gears into roasted coffee and oats, and it finishes with dark chocolate and bitter metal. The texture of the beer is average; it has a light and slightly creamy feel to it with a fair amount of carbonation. Tsirhc-itna eht era uoy. Its aftertaste provides the flavors of black cherry, metal, and bitter coffee. A light garnish of smoke caps it off nicely.

The lacing doesn’t last long, but it is impressive with goopy and glassy small flecks left over from the head and the liquid. Natas, retsam ruoy pihsrow. At 5.9% ABV, the flavor completely boxes out any traces of alcohol in it at all, and you will need to drink at least a 22 ounce bomber if you want to feel a buzz. Selur gnikcuf sdyolF 3!

Overall, Backmasking is a delicious and worthy oatmeal stout. I am a little disappointed in the low alcohol content, though. With bright red artwork on the bottle depicting a goat-headed Satan, skulls, candles, and cloaked skeleton zombie dudes listening to The Beatles in reverse on a record player I expected a chewy, boozy oatmeal stout with an ABV of at least 10. But it’s still damned good and highly recommended.

In closing, below is (allegedly) the 1981 radio broadcast of Michael Mills, evangelist, “exposing” some classic rock bands (including Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, and Queen) for sending satanic messages through backmasking… and other such nonsense. Someone needs to ask this guy how many church choir boys were skull-fucked and ass-raped by Led Zeppelin’s records… and then hand him a 3 Floyds Backmasking to calm him down.

The Deltoid has spoken.