Good evening! The Meista here with another pairing for you tonight... and I'm going BIG... BIG, BOLD, and COMPLEX! I'm pairing prog rock/metal opera "The Theory Of Everything" (2 CD/1 DVD set) by Ayreon with a 22 ounce Uinta Brewing Company seasonal Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Ale from their Crooked Line Series! This one goes out to Jeff as a belated birthday pairing! Cheers buddy!!
Although Halloween is over, fall is still upon us... and what better way to celebrate the season than with a good pumpkin brew? The Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Ale is outstanding! In fact, it is quite possibly the best pumpkin beer on the market... it definitely is the best I've ever had the privilege of experiencing splashing over my taste buds! Incredibly complex, flavorful, and engaging, the Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Ale is not your average pumpkin ale. I've often found that many pumpkin ales out there are too sweet and/or over-spiced. Not so with Oak Jacked. It has that homemade pumpkin pie flavor to it, but with a real solid oak punch with more subtle notes of vanilla and bourbon. Oak Jacked pours a deep mahogany/rusty nail color with a huge, billowing tan head that displays both excellent retention and complex lacing. The squash-like aroma of pumpkin is definitely present in the nose, but not overpowering. There are also notes of smooth vanilla, spicy cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg along with some smoky oak and boozy bourbon notes. The flavor follows suit, but more on the bourbon side. The pumpkin flavor is upfront and prevalent, but perfectly balanced with the other flavors. Coming in at 10.31% ABV, there is some big booze flavor, but nothing overpowering. Medium to full-bodied, the mouthfeel is silky smooth, somewhat sticky, and quite creamy. Jacked has a nice, slightly smoky and oaky finish... that makes for a nice foil to the complex flavors.
And speaking of complex... Ayreon is prog rock opera brainchild of the insanely talented, gifted, and visionary Dutch songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer Arjen Anthony Lucassen. "The Theory Of Everything" is the 8th studio album of Ayreon and was released just this week on October 28th, 2013. As with all Ayreon albums, "The Theory of Everything" features the talents of multiple guest singers, who portray various characters in the storyline. Theses singers include John Wetton (King Crimson, UK, Asia, Uriah Heep, etc.), Marco Hietala (Nightwish, Tarot), Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), Janne JB Christoffersson (Grand Magus), and Tommy Karevik (Kamelot, Seventh Wonder), along with backing vocalist Wilmer Waarbroek and Lucassen himself. Joined with these singers are several guest musicians including keyboardists Rick Wakeman (Yes), Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake & Palmer), and Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), and guitarist Steve Hackett (Genesis, GTR). I won't ruin the story for you, but Lucassen has been quoted as saying it is the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He has described the album as "less heavy and more instrumental than "01011001" (the previous album by Ayreon. He and also cited the films A Beautiful Mind and Rain Man as inspirations for some the of lyrical content. The balance of the talent and warmth of the vocals along with the musical prowess of the musicians is almost overwhelming. Musically, "The Theory Of Everything" is pure genius! My silly words won't even begin to describe the brilliance of what Lucassen has accomplished with this album!
Oak Jacked and Ayreon make for strange, but complimentary and very complex bedfellows! Check both out!! Uinta Brewing Company: www.uintabrewing.com. Ayreon: http://www.arjenlucassen.com/content/arjens-projects/ayreon/.
Prost!!
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