Friday, November 29, 2013

November 29th, 2013 - Stand Up And Welcome Winter!



Good evening!  The Meista here tonight pairing a couple classics... with the cold fingers of winter reaching out to us, I'm pairing Jethro Tull's "Stand Up" and a Winters Welcome Ale from Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)!  And this pairing is dedicated to my nephew and fellow Tull fan and craft beer fan, Mikey!  Cheers buddy!!

Considered a "Winter Warmer," the Winters Welcome Ale from Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster) is a full-bodied, malty, and sweet ale, perfect for the cold months of winter!  The Winters Welcome Ale pours an almost clear deep copper amber with a very thin head.  The nose is characterized by roasted malts, caramel notes, and a hint of spice.  The flavor is a wonderful balance of sweet malts and sharper slightly bitter, whole-dried hops... Fuggle and Golding to be exact.  There's a an interesting fruitiness to the ale as well... spiced apple and pear. With these intermingling, well-balanced flavors, "Stand Up" seemed the perfect match...

"Stand Up" is the second album by British rockers Jethro Tull and was released in 1969... and may very well be my favorite of the band.  Combining jazz, Celtic folk, classical symphonic, and heavy experimental blues and rock elements, "Stand Up" is a full-bodied and rich album, an album that really defined the Jethro Tull sound and the first that frontman Ian Anderson was in full control of the writing of both the music and lyrics.  It was also the first album to feature guitarist Martin Barre (after Mick Abrahams' sudden resignation due to musical differences with Anderson).  The amazing track "A New Day Yesterday" opens the album and the fantastic musical journey continues from there... with other amazing tracks like "Jeffery Goes To Leicester Square," "Back To The Family," "Fat Man," "Reasons For Waiting," and "For A Thousand Mothers" among others!

Cheers and good evening my friends!!

1 comment:

  1. I'll drink to this with Winters Welcome Ale and every TULL album you can find!

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