June 21st, 2014 - Pearl Jam Vs. Shiner's Wild Hare

Good evenin' my friends!  The Meista here with a pairing going out to my brother Dain.  Tonight I'm pairing A Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale from the Spoetzl Ale House from Shiner, TX and Pearl Jam's second album "Vs."!  Cheers Dain-o!!

Released on October 19th, 1993 through Epic Records, "Vs." is the sophomore effort by Seattle rock band Pearl Jam and probably my favorite album by the band.  The band took a different approach in recording "Vs."  "We pulled back after the second record pretty hard," bassist Jeff Ament said of the album. "A lot of it had to do with being in the eye of the storm and not being able to think straight."    Although the band decided to scale back their commercial efforts with "Vs." and also go with a rawer, more aggressive, heavier sound, the album was a huge commercial success, their biggest to date.  Though heavy, the album has a very organic sound.  This comes in part due to the fact that many of tracks were developed from jam sessions.  Musically speaking, the album is loose, rocking, and powerful.  As with all Pearl Jam albums, the lyrics are intensely personal, emotional, politically charged, and honest.  Some of the themes include child abuse ("Daughter"), gun violence and gun obsession ("Glorified G"), police brutality and racism ("W.M.A."), co-dependency ("Leash"), media sensationalism ("Blood"), aging and loss ("Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town"), and escapism ("Rearviewmirror").   Every track, every note, every lyric on "Vs." is rock and roll perfection... truly a brilliantly conceived and executed work of art!!

Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale from the Spoetzl Ale House is a classic American Pale Ale (APA).  It pours a slightly cloudy reddish copper with lots effervescence.  The head is a tannish white that dissipates rather quickly leaving only a thin veil of bubbles.  Brewed with Munich malts, the nose is very sweet and bready... almost more like a Scotch ale or amber ale.  However, there are some nice, subtle pine and citrus hop notes from the Golding and Bravo hop varieties.  The mouthfeel is slightly sticky, but crisp.  The flavor is heavier on the malt side with some doughy and sweet notes, but citrusy, floral, and piney hops flavors dazzle the pallet as well.  It finishes with a dry, sweet note that lingers for a spell like the fade-away on "Rats".  The Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale is a very good, sessionable pale ale that's hoppy brightness and rich malt flavor goes great with the rockin' prowess of Pearl Jam's "Vs."!

Cheers!!