December 29th, 2012 - Good Morning Fifth Element

Good afternoon!  The Meista here with another local (Salt Lake City, Utah) pairing for you!  Today I'm pairing Squatters Fifth Element Farmhouse Ale and Son of Ian's "Good Morning September." 

The Fifth Element Farmhouse Ale is an old world Belgian-style farmhouse sour ale.  Aged in oak barrels for one year and bottle conditioned, the Fifth Element has plenty of complex and "rustic" flavors.  It pours a cloudy, honey/wheat amber with a crisp, white, 1-finger head with sustained lacing.  The nose is fruity and citrusy with notes of lemon, grapefruit, and pineapple.  The flavor is very tart, very lactic with notes of chardonnay, lemon, green grape, and farmhouse funk.  There are some nice, subtle notes of dill and black pepper as well.  Although very tart, it is also dry and crisp... very drinkable with a nice, clean finish.  It comes in at 6.75% so it isn't too heavy.  Great beer to share with good friends while listening to good music!

Speaking of good music, I paired the Fifth Element Farmhouse Ale with "Good Morning September" by Son of Ian.  Son of Ian is made up of members Trenton McKean (lead vocals/guitar), Patrick Neville (lead guitar), Carl Ross (bass), Evan Powell (drums/percussion), and David Oster (saxophone).  Combining folk, blues, jazz, R&B, a little funk, and a whole helluva lotta talent, Son of Ian's music is honest, deep, and totally engaging.  Trenton's voice along with his guitar work is soulful and bluesy... a joy to listen to while sipping a farmhouse sour ale.  Patrick's guitar work is wonderful, rocking at times, bluesy at others, but with warm and rich tones throughout.  Carl's bass work and Evan's drumming swing with soulful and driving precision.  And David's sax work is flawless and complex.  Songs like "Bitter World," "Down Below," "Stop But Think," "Starshine (my favorite track)," "Overcome," and "Painting The Picture" are all lyrically honest and heartfelt, musically complex, crisp, and demand your attention.  Their work reminds me of musicians like Michael Dean Damron, Drive By Truckers, Bruce Springsteen, and Ben Harper, with a touch of Steely Dan.

Check out Son of Ian's website at http://SONOFIAN.NET and learn more about Squatters Fifth Element Farmhouse Ale at http://squatters.com/our-brew/reserve-series.aspx... you won't be sorry on either account!  

Cheers!