Good afternoon! The Meista here with a pairing of cosmic and timeless proportions! Today I'm pairing Ayreon's space rock opera, "Into The Electric Castle" with a Pliny The Elder Double India Pale Ale (IPA) from Russian River Brewing Company out of Santa Rosa, California! With a name like Pliny The Elder (which sounds like a '70s prog-rock band name or concept album title), I had to go with something really progressive... thus "Into The Electric Castle"! This pairing is dedicated to my lovely wife, who bought me this great beer and to my pal over at Progressive Power (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Progressive-Power/205541442875714?fref=ts), the best prog-metal/rock page out there! Cheers Vassi and Jeff!!
According to the Russian River Brewing Company website, Pliny The Elder's namesake comes from "Pliny, the man, [who] lived in the first century- 23 to 79 A.D... he and his contemporaries either created the botanical name or at least wrote about Lupus Salictarius, or hops, currently known as Humulus Lupulus. That was a very early reference to an important part of any Double IPA!" (Sadly, it is believed that Pliny the Elder died during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. trying to help save his fellow citizens.) Regardless of his story, Pliny, the beer is fantastic... in fact, as close to perfection as you can get! An incredibly well-balanced Double (or Imperial) IPA, Pliny The Elder is made from Amarillo, Centennial, CTZ, and Simcoe (my favorite!) hops and American malts, giving it an exquisitely well-balanced and hoppy flavor. Pliny The Elder pours a transparent (slightly hazy) golden amber with a big, frothy, and rocky head that displays very strong and sustained lacing throughout. Upon finishing, my glass looks like it has captured several cumulonimbus clouds. The nose is a burst of citrus and pine... notes of freshly cut grass, strong pine resin, and citrus fruits. Medium bodied, the mouthfeel is very crisp with a very slight stickiness in the back... very drinkable! The flavor is an "explosive hop character"! It is like biting into a fresh grapefruit... tart, citrusy, and bitter, but oh so refreshing! There are also subtle notes of malty bread and sweet toffee. Being a Double IPA there's a good amount of alcohol (8% ABV), but is well hidden by the hops... and only apparent by the residual buzz you feel even before the first bottle is finished. The finish is crisp and dry and very, very clean. The Pliny The Elder is quickly becoming my favorite IPA! Simply put, this is one amazing ale!!
And for an IPA this amazing, I thought we'd better go with "Into The Electric Castle", an equally amazing and complex album! Released in 1998, "Into The Electric Castle" is the 3rd album by progressive metal concept "band" Ayreon. Ayreon is the brainchild of multi-talented Dutch guitarist, keyboardist, singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Arjen Anthony Lucassen. "Into The Electric Castle" tells the story of 8 individuals (each played by a different vocalist) from various eras of Earth's history that have all been transported together to another planet and/or plane of existence. These adventurers find themselves brought to this place of "no-time and no-space" by an ancient alien race that wants to study human emotion. They are guided to the Electric Castle by a mysterious Voice. The characters are all exaggerated stereotypes inspired by B-movies. Arjen stated that he rented old B-movies for inspiration to see how Romans, Barbarians, and Egyptians were portrayed in the 1950s and 60s. “I like this tongue in cheek-thing, although I take the music itself very seriously.” The characters are played by the following vocalists:
In their review of the album, webzine Metal Storm (http://www.metalstorm.net/home/) stated that "Into The Electric Castle" is a "a true masterpiece of progressive rock music." I couldn't agree more! Ayreon employs elements of hard rock, metal, folk, symphonic, and progressive rock in the tradition of bands like E.L.P., Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Kansas, and Gentle Giant, but with a fresh, modern approach. This album "is the most pleasant sounding album I’ve made so far", says Arjen. “And that is mainly due to the analog equipment I used. Like vintage synthesizers from the 70′s, which still have that warm, instantly recognizable sound. I had enough of triggered drums, samples and prefab digital sounds. I’m a sucker for contradictions. "Into The Electric Castle" is one to start with. But I also like the idea of telling a sci-fi story and using equipment that – in some cases – people might find out-dated."
Learn more about Pliny The Elder and all the other great beers from Russian River Brewing Company at their website: http://russianriverbrewing.com/ and learn more about Ayreon at http://www.arjenlucassen.com/content/arjens-projects/ayreon/!!
No comments:
Post a Comment