December 5th, 2014 - Blind Pig(s On The Wing)

Good evening!!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here with a couple of classics for you tonight... I'm going with the amazing Pink Floyd's "Animals" and a brilliant Blind Pig IPA from Russian River Brewing Company outta Santa Rosa, California!

Album Info:

• Title: "Animals"
• Recorded: April - December 1976
• Release date: January 23rd, 1977 (10th studio album by the band)
• Record company: Harvest/EMI
• Personnel: David Gilmour (guitars and vocals), Nick Mason (drums and percussion), Roger Waters (vocals and bass), Richard Wright (keyboards), and guest guitar work by Snowy White
• Album art by: Hipgnosis (concept by Roger Waters)
• Themes/content: An astoundingly brilliant concept album based loosely on George Orwell's novel Animal Farm. The album is a rather scathing critique of the social-political conditions in England at the time and capitalism in general.  Writer Glenn Povey described the album as "the apparent social and moral decay of society, likening the human condition to that of mere animals."  Each animal (pig, dog, and sheep) represents a different social status or class.  The pigs represent the top of the social/business ladder, the ruthless backstabbers.  The dogs represent the combative opportunists.  And the sheep represent the "mindless and unquestioning herd". 
• Musical style: "Animals" is a marked change in style for Pink Floyd.  Darker and more aggressive, the album still displays the band's wonderful progressive rock style, but departs from their earlier more psychedelic and ambient works with a more straight-ahead approach.  Gilmour's guitar work on "Dogs" is arguably some of his best.
• Tracks:

1. "Pigs On The Wing (Part One)"
2. "Dogs"
3. "Pigs (Three Different Ones)"
4. "Sheep"
5. "Pigs On The Wing (Part Two)"

 
Brew Info:

• Brewery: Russian River Brewery
• Website: http://russianriverbrewing.com/
• Brew: Blind Pig IPA
• Style: American India Pale Ale
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.10%
• Pour: A hazy, golden-orange with a soapy, white head that leaves thin and wispy lacing.
• Nose: Sweet, fruity, and bitter, the nose is characterized by citrus, pine, and malt aromas.  There are big notes of grapefruit, pineapple, mango, and pine resin with more subtle notes of
• Taste: Very hoppy with medium bitterness, the Blind Pig is a world-class IPA that perfectly blends hoppy bitterness and sweet malts.  Like the nose, there are big citrus and pine flavors blended with barley and caramel malt. 
• Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, crisp and refreshing, the mouthfeel is dry and somewhat sharp with moderate carbonation.
• Finish: Dry and crisp with lingering grapefruit notes.
• Overall: A fantastic example of the style that fits perfectly with one of my all-time favorite albums, Pink Floyd's "Animals"!!

Cheers!!