October 4th, 2014 - Permanent Waves for the Surfer's Summer Ale

Good evening!  The Meista here with another rockin' craft ale and music pairing for you my friends.  Tonight I'm going with one of my all-time favorite albums, "Permanent Waves" by Rush and a Surfer's Summer Ale from Pelican Pub & Brewery!

The Surfer's Summer Ale is an English-style blonde ale.  It is brewed with Golden Promise, Wheat, and Torrefied malts, Glacier hops, and pure ale yeast.  It comes in at 5.3% ABV and 25 IBUs.  It pours a golden yellow apple color with a very thin white head that dissipates quickly leaving virtually no lacing.  The nose of Surfer's Summer Ale is characterized by a floral , sweet, and fruity aroma with hints of herbs and spices.  The mouthfeel is crisp and prickly on the tongue, but with some nice creaminess to the body.  The taste is characterized by bready malt flavor, crackery biscuit flavor, and floral hops.  The finish is smooth, crisp, and clean.  Surfer's Summer Ale is a very well-balanced, very refreshing, and delicious ale that goes down easy and leaves you wanting more!  Learn more about Pelican Pub & Brewery beers at http://www.yourlittlebeachtown.com/pelican!

The first album released in 1980 (literally on January 1st), "Permanent Waves" is the 7th studio album by Canadian progressive rock trio Rush.  With two of their biggest hit songs ("The Spirit Of Radio" and "Freewill"), the album was the first for the band to break the top 5 in the U.S.  It was also the band's 5th gold (eventually platinum) album.  Bassist, keyboardist, vocalist Geddy Lee was stated that the album's title refers to "a theory that was going [within the band] about, like, culture waves; and there was a night when Neil [Peart] said that a big album was like a permanent wave and I told him, 'that's our title.'"  Musically, "Permanent Waves" is a significant departure from their earlier work.  Gone are the epic conceptual pieces.  Instead, Rush focused on a more radio-friendly style with accessible hooks and melodies, but at the same time not losing their artistic integrity.  The album also found Rush experimenting more with reggae beats and electronics.  For me, "Permanent Waves" is simply brilliant... every track is a perfect gem in itself!  Here's the incredible track list:

1. "Spirit Of The Radio"
2.  "Freewill"
3. "Jacob's Ladder"
4. "Entre Nous"
5. "Different Strings"
6. "Natural Science"

Cheers!!