Struise Danko Power IPA – Another beer brewed by yours truly

“Hazy amber orange with a creamy off-white head. Smells of pine resin, herbal hops with a touch of rye and black bread, nicely hoppy. Tastes of raw pine, creamy malts, faintly herbal, bay laurel, touch caramel,… Solid body considering the ABV. Nice beer.” – 77ships @ RateBeer

“Probably the cleanest session pale ale you ever gonna get from Struise.” – Untappd

During my stay in Belgium working at De Struise Brouwers I was given the amazing opportunity to brew my very own beer and collaborate together with Head Brew Master Urbain Cotteau. I figured since they tend to brew very strong and bold beers why not let’s try and see how the brew house handles a low alcohol thirst quencher.

The beer is called Struise Danko Power IPA and is a 3.5% abv Session IPA.

Disclaimer: I did not get to name it, nor did I get to decide on the bottle label art. I don’t mind the outcome though.

Link to Danko Power IPA on RateBeer
Link to Danko Super Power IPA on RateBeer
Link to Danko Power IPA on Untappd

Julius Unfinished

“So let’s command our legions to walk across the river, and the omens of the Gods will make our enemies quiver.” – Julius Caesar (paraphrased)

I started out producing this electronic industrial dance music album seven years ago. The entire album revolves around Julius Caesar and his Legion XIII (aka The Gemini Legion) who did the forbidden thing when crossing the Rubicon to overtake Rome.

Somewhere along the line it never got finished all thanks to working every awaken hour making audio for video games. The album was made by Kenneth “Slaygon” Mutka and myself, we are both featured on vocals as well. The decision was made to release it “as-is”, hence the title.

Zeitgeist – Julius Unfinished

Enjoy!

Link to Zeitgeist on iTunes
Link to Zeitgeist on Spotify

De Struise Brouwers – Brewing With Attitude

“We never ignore new developments, not because we want to be fashionable, but because we want to do better.” – De Struise Brouwers

I decided to leave the video game industry and do something more sustainable with my life. Audio for games consumed my entire being for the last six years, although I’ve already been professionally active in the industry for over twenty two years. It was time to do the other thing, which to everyone who knows me well comes as no surprise.

Brewing beer.

So I moved briefly to Oostvleteren in the West Flanders of Belgium to brew beer with the best.

De Struise Brouwers.

Head Brew Master Urbain Cotteau and myself mashing in early in the morning

Link to De Struise Brouwers website
Link to De Struise Brouwers on RateBeer
Link to De Struise Brouwers on Wikipedia
Link to article at beertourism.com

Ölstilarnas Svarta Guld – Stout & Porter

“Med 2250 belgiska öl under bältet är det ingen underdrift att kalla Danko belgofil. I detta nummer skriver han tillsammans med Skrubbe om ölstilen Porter/Stout.” – Quote from c/o HOPS Magazine

I’ve co-written an article about Porter and Stout together with Jens Skrubbe. You can read the twelve page cover article in the third issue of 2013 of the c/o HOPS beer magazine. The magazine is in Swedish and distributed in hard copy.

Link to c/o HOPS
Link to Jens Skrubbe’s blog

All Hail Helghast!

“The voice acting ranges from passionate and precise from the lead cast and audio logs to disingenuous and stunted in background conversations.” – Gavin Greene, Venture Beat

Killzone Shadow Fall was released on the 15th of November in 2013. It was the original release title for Playstation 4. I worked as Senior Dialogue Producer handling all things dialogue (VO) as well as Narrative.

This was the last video game I worked on before moving on to better things in life.

Link to Killzone Shadow Fall Official Site
Link to Killzone Shadow Fall on Wikipedia
Link to Killzone Shadow Fall on IMDB

Pubrunda Amsterdam

“Jag blev ombedd att på sedvanligt Maltesen-manér beskriva en ölpromenad i stan, så det var lika bra att plocka på sig tangentbordet, iPaden, kameran och plånboken för att kliva ut i solen och spankulera omkring en dag.” – Quote from article

I’ve written an article about the specialty beer pubs in Amsterdam. You can read the four page article in the third issue of 2013 of the Maltesen beer magazine. The magazine is in Swedish and distributed in hard copy and prescription only although members of Svenska Ölfrämjandet can download the magazine in PDF-format.

Link to Maltesen
Direct link to issue 2013-3 and the article in PDF-format
Link to PDF archive of the magazine

Prepare 4 Battle

“Try imagining Battlefield without its collective soundscape. You quickly realise how crucial the shouts of squad members, the bullet cracks, jets roaring, or just the sound of your soldier vaulting over a concrete slab, are for the overall Battlefield experience. With several BAFTA, GANG and AIAS awards under their belt, the DICE audio team was confident in taking on Battlefield 4 – but there were many new challenges along the way.” – Slyokapi

Battlefield 4 was released on the 29th of October 2013 across multiple platforms (PC, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One). This was one of the last titles I handled at DICE before moving to Guerrilla Games at Sony. I finalized preproduction doing the complete design and planning, in addition I also worked partially throughout the production run. Just as with Battlefield 3, I worked on all things dialogue (VO).

Link to Battlefield 4 Official Site
Link to Battlefield 4 on Wikipedia
Link to Battlefield 4 on IMDB

26 – 28 sept & 3 – 5 okt 2013 at Nackastrandsmässan, Stockholm

“This is one of the most important beer festivals in the world.” – A Sweden Attraction

I have the honor of once again being deputy head judge at one of the three biggest beer festivals in the world. This is a highly prestigious competition with a high level of integrity and International profile. It is a tough task but someone has to do it.

Link to Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival
Link to Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival on Facebook

Brew Wharf vs Danko II (Danko Kong) – another real ale made by yours truly

“Clear and bright refractive amber-gold with a small white drool of head. Smells like a somewhat grassy light hefe – pretty solid, not much alcohol. Taste – yep, noble hops, hefeweizen sweetness, interesting scotch peat and mineral tang overlay – one of the most tantalizing beers I have had this trip. Light body, a real “tang” To it, but quick-finishing. Good stuff.” – Harry Heatherington

For the seond time I was invited by brew master Angelo Scarnera to brew a collaboration beer at the Brew Wharf brew pub in London.

I created the recipe and brewed 820 liter of this beer at the brewpub in May this year, and it was available on cask a few months later. The pump clip pictured to the left was designed by Veronica Tenglin, who also participated working on our brewing day.

The beer itself is a summery take on an otherwise very traditional Belgian Blonde ale style using noble hops and fermented using live Chimay yeast, 5.2% ABV.

Link to Brew Wharf vs Danko entry at ratebeer
Link to the brewpub Brew Wharf in London
Link to pump clip in high resolution

Music+Sound Awards UK 2013

“Best Use of Sound Design –
The Wave Studios Award for Best Sound Design in Gaming” – masawards.com

Battlefield 3 has been given The Wave Studios Award for Best Sound Design in Gaming at the Music+Sound Awards UK 2013. I am credited as VO Producer in the game and created all the dialogue.

Link to masawards.com

Killzone: Shadow Fall

“Geometry detail, lighting and effects work are a leap beyond anything we’ve seen on the current generation consoles.” – Digital Foundry

Now that Sony finally announced the upcoming Playstation 4 console, with the event showing Killzone: Shadow Fall played 100% live on the PS4 in real-time, I can at last reveal what I have been working on recently. After having worked on several titles such as for instance Battlefield 3 and 4 at DICE in Stockholm it was time for a change of scenery and the stars were all aligned so I have moved over to Sony Computer Entertainment at Guerrilla Games where I work as Dialogue Producer.

Yes, I now live in Amsterdam. Tot Ziens!

Link to PS4 Event Demo Live Playthrough in HD on YouTube
Link to Official Announcement at Sony Playstation Blog
Link to Jimmy Fallon Show Live Play Preview
Link to Announcement Trailer on YouTube
Link to Digital Foundry’s Tech Analysis of Live Demo at Games Industry
Link to Killzone: Shadow Fall at Wikipedia

Kimchi: 8 Bit Veteran

“Tomas Danko landed in amsterdam to work on still secret games for even more mysterious machines, today he is in the studio to talk about his work with audio in the field. Expect 8bit, computer classics and other samples. Apparently Danko is also into beer brewing, so that might become an interesting toppic and a BOTW (Beer Of The Week) of course.” – Rick Nelson

I was featured and interviewed during one hour on the live radio show Kimchi Radio broadcasted over Red Light Radio on the 5th of February 1800-1900. We discussed topics such as sounds and dialogue for video games, old Commodore 64 music and of course drinking and reviewing the beers of the week. All this while playing some electronic music including 8-bit compositions. The radio station is actually broadcasting in a red lit room in the red lights district in Amsterdam. Bypassers looked fairly surprised when they did not find the usual service minded woman behind the window, but instead myself and Rick Nelson.

Link to a recording of the show at Soundcloud
Link to Red Light Radio
Link to Kimchi Radio
Link to Kimchi Radio on Facebook

Felsmaker i Öl – This Shit is a Science

“Tomas Danko, vän och gästskribent, öldrickare av rang, tillika vice huvuddomare på Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival tillika Belgisk admin på Ratebeer, reder ut en del trendiga begrepp som vi nog alla kan ha nytta av att lära oss. Han kan sin sak, det lovar vi. Korka upp en öl, mys ner dig i soffan och förkovra dig. Det är en rejäl bit text att bita tag i!” – M2 @ Manker Beer

I’ve written an article, or is it a rant, on current buzz words regarding off-flavors and bi-products in beer and how some beer journalists, bloggers and forum warriors tend to have an opinion on those with no fundamental knowledge to base it upon. To remedy this I explain what some of these words mean in terms of flavor, smell and what causes them. Read up on diacetyl, oxidation, DMS, 2,4,6-Trichloroanisole and more. The article has been published on one of the biggest beer blogs in Sweden, and caused quite a stir.

Link to Article at MankerBeer.com
Link to Mankerbeer at Facebook.com
Link to MankerBeer.com

Bryggeri Nyckelbydal – Att Välja Hur Man Vill Leva

“Med sig till Farfar Pär hade man två stycken saisons, Treudd Saison Insidieux och Treudd Saison Régulier samt deras special ale Lurudden. Tillsammans med Ölhunden Fredrik och den för många kända ölkunskapsbasen Danko så provade vi de tre ölen.” – Manker Beer

I’ve written an article on the new belgo inspired brewery Bryggeri Nyckelbydal situated on Ekerö outside of Stockholm. You can read the three page article in the third issue of 2012 of the Maltesen beer magazine. The magazine is in Swedish and distributed in hard copy and prescription only although members of Svenska Ölfrämjandet can download the magazine in PDF-format.

Link to Maltesen
Direct link to issue 2012-3 and the article in PDF-format
Link to PDF archive of the magazine

27 – 29 sept & 4 – 6 okt 2012 at Nackastrandsmässan, Stockholm

“This is one of the most important beer festivals in the world.” – A Sweden Attraction

I have the honor of being deputy head judge at the second biggest beer festival in the world. This is a highly prestigious competition with a high level of integrity and International profile. It is a tough task but someone has to do it.

Link to Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival
Link to Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival on Facebook

Manker Beer Meets – Inför SBWF 2012 – Tomas Danko / Vice Huvuddomare

“En av de som har lärt åtminstone Manker oerhört mycket om öl och på oanade sätt inspirerat honom att lära sig mer om Belgisk öl är en man med namnet Tomas Danko. Vissa känner han genom diverse ölrelaterade forum (Belgisk admin på Rate Beer, BeerSwedenForum etc), andra för hans kunskap om öl, bryggning och livet i allmänhet och än andra efter att ha sett honom svänga åtskilliga Westmalle Tripel på diverse krogar runtom i Stockholm.” – Manker

The well known and highly esteemed Swedish beer blog Manker Beer is doing a series of interviews with people involved in the upcoming Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival, myself being part of the event which resulted in this interview. I am sharing my thoughts on current trends in the world of beer as well as recommending food and beer pairings for an all nighter hangout with good friends and even better beer.

Link to article at mankerbeer.com
Link to Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival Homepage

The Voice Over Story behind Battlefield – An Interview With Tomas Danko

“With the recent large budget allocated for higher caliber sessions, incredible actors were hired for the latest series. Unlike recording for singing or broadcasting, the days of using traditional ultra-expensive microphones and other gear are starting to shift.”

“To find out more about this I have interviewed Tomas Danko who is the Voice Over Producer and Engineer at Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment (aka DICE) in Sweden.”

“Tomas was very generous to share with me his years of experience of using various gear for the “best sound”.” – Watson Wu

In this interview I share some information regarding my work techniques and thoughts on developing dialogue for video games, including details regarding my work on Battlefield 3.

Link to article
Link to Designing Sound
Link to Creating Sound
Link to Über Patrol
Link to New Media Garden

European Games Awards 2012

“Over 230.000 votes have been submitted and a new record has been broken in the biggest online voting for games in Europe.” – gamasutra.com

Battlefield 3 has been given four awards at the European Games Awards 2012. We at the DICE Audio team won Best European Sound. The awards were announced during Gamescom in Cologne, Germany. I am credited as VO Producer in the game and created all the dialogue.

Battlefield 3 received the following awards

Best European Sound
Best European Action Game
Best European Multiplayer Game
Best European Console Game

Link to Eurogamer Article
Link to European Games Award Website

“Trappistöl – En munkskänk från ovan” at SMÖF Beer Festival in Söderbärke, Dalarna

“Med tvåtusen olika Belgiska öl provade under bältet är det ingen underdrift att kalla Tomas Danko för belgofil. Som skribent i Svenska Ölfrämjandets tidning Maltesen, hembryggare, öldomare samt hållande av många ölprovningar genom åren på Belgiska ölbarer är han en etablerad figur i Sveriges ölvärld. I detta seminarie följer vi med Danko på hans sex veckor långa cykeltur runt Belgien från Trappistkloster till Trappistkloster. Med fokus på de anrika kloster-bryggerierna runtom i Belgien vilka drivs av Trappistmunkar tillhörande den romersk-katolska Cisterciensordern berättas det om historia, religion, munkar och så öl förstås men bjuds även på lättsamma habila anekdoter från resan.”- SMÖF

The good people of SMÖF have for the second year asked me to hold two seminars, this time on the topic of Trappist beer (i.e. beer brewed at Trappist monasteries in Belgium and The Netherlands) on Saturday 27th of October at 1400 and 1700. I will also be part of the jury of beer judges for the festival beer competition.

Link to Seminar Information
Link to SMÖF Söderbärke Beer Festival

19th Annual Develop Industry Excellence Awards for Audio Accomplishment

“With a focus on replicating the sensory experience of being on a real battlefield, the game’s multi-layered audio benefitted from a process of constant refinement that enabled the sound to compliment impressive visuals.” – www.developawards.com

DICE Audio won the 2012 Audio Accomplishment award at the 10th Annual Develop Industry Excellence Awards in Brighton for Battlefield 3. I am credited as VO Producer of the title and created all the dialogue in the game.

Link to Article at ComputerAndVideoGames.com
Link to Article at Games Are Evil
Link to Develop Industry Excellence Awards Website
Link to Develop Awards 2012 Nominees