August 15th, 2014 - Respect Your Little Queen

Hey all!  The Meista here today pairing a Squatter's Respect Your Mother Organic Amber Ale from the Utah Brewers Cooperative and a classic, "Little Queen" by Heart!

The Squatter's Respect Your Mother Organic Amber Ale is brewed with premium, USDA approved organic pale and caramel malted barley along with Cascade hops.  It pours a lovely deep amber with a thin, cream colored head that fizzes away rather quickly leaving only a residual ring.  The nose is malty and sweet with a some subtle bitterness from the hops.  There are big toasted malty notes of baked bread and semi-sweet toffee along with dark fruits.  The taste is characterized by big malty flavors.  More subtle raisin notes along with herbal hops mingle with the bigger malt flavors.  The herbal notes become a little more prevalent as the beer warms.  Medium bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is somewhat sharp and slightly astringent initially, but the finish is clean and fairly smooth.  The Squatter's Respect Your Mother Organic Amber Ale is a good, solid brew that goes down easy with great flavor... much like "Little Queen"!

"Little Queen" is the sophomore album by Wilson sisters led American rock band Heart.  Recorded at Kaye Smith Studios, Seattle, Washington from February–April 1977, "Little Queen" was released on May 14, 1977.  At the time of its release, Heart was made up of Ann Wilson (AMAZING lead vocals and flute), Nancy Wilson (acoustic and electric guitars, autoharp, mandolin, piano, lead vocals on "Treat Me Well", and backing vocals), Roger Fisher (lead guitar and mandolin), Howard Leese (acoustic and electric guitars, synthesizer, piano, Moog bass, mellotron, mandolin, backing vocals, orchestral arrangement and conductor on "Treat Me Well"), Steve Fossen (bass guitar), and Michael DeRosier (drums, chimes, tabla, percussion, and timpani).  Heart's "Little Queen" was one of the biggest sellers for the band.  By 1994, the album had achieved Platinum status 3 times over.  Heavily inspired and influenced by Led Zeppelin, the music of "Little Queen" is a combination of bluesy hard rock, folksy acoustic work, and melodic harmonies.  Songs "Barracuda", "Love Alive", "Dream Of The Archer", "Kick It Out", "Little Queen", and "Go On Cry" are steeped in rich, rockin' goodness!

Cheers!!