January 16th, 2015 - Two Sufficiently Breathless Captains

 

 

Hallo!  The Meista here with another rockin' pairing for you... today I'm going with Squatters Captain Bastard's Oatmeal Stout (on nitro) from the Utah Brewers Cooperative (Squatters) and "Sufficiently Breathless" by Captain Beyond!

Album Info:

• Artist: Captain Beyond
• Title: "Sufficiently Breathless"
• Release date: 1973 (second album by the band)
• Record company: Capricorn
• Album cover art: Pacific Eye and Ear (Joe Petagno and Carl Ramsey)
• Personnel: Lee Dorman (bass), Rod Evans (vocals), Guille Garcia (congas, timbales, and percussion), Paul Hornsby (organ on "Starglow Energy"), Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt (guitars), Marty Rodriguez (drums and backup vocals), and Reese Wynans (keyboards) 
• Musical style: Hard/progressive rock and jazz fusion
• Sound: A bit more mellow than their debut album, with "Sufficiently Breathless" Captain Beyond incorporates jazz fusion, Latin funk rock, and progressive rock into their classic hard rock sound. Several songs on the album have a very Santana kind of vibe. Although not has charged and heavy as early work, Rhino's guitar tone and execution is really quite breathtaking.
• Major themes: Somewhat cinematic themes of space travel, introspection, relationships, and connectivity.
• Tracks:

1. "Sufficiently Breathless"
2. "Bright, Blue Tango"
3. "Drifting In Space"
4. "Evil Men"
5. "Starglow Energy"
6. "Distant Sun"
7. "Voyages Of Past Travelers"
8. "Everything's A Circle"

  Brew Info:

• Brewery: Utah Brewers Cooperative (Squatters)
• Website: http://www.utahbeers.com/
• Brew: Squatters Captain Bastard's Oatmeal Stout (on nitro)
• Style: Oatmeal Stout
• Serving: pint glass off the tap
• ABV: 4%
• Pour: Ink black with 2-finger creamy mocha head.
• Nose: Sweet, earthy, and malty, the nose is characterized by aromas of soft dark chocolate, light coffee, cream, burnt toffee, vanilla, hearty oats, and subtle smokiness.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste is characterized by flavors of sweet malts, cocoa, rich coffee, vanilla bean, marshmallow, fresh cream, and more subtle liquid smoke.
• Mouthfeel: Velvety smooth and very creamy with nitro carbonation.
• Finish: Fairly clean and dry with some lingering chocolate and smoke notes.

  Overall pairing: With the smoother and jazzier direction Captain Beyond took with "Sufficiently Breathless", the Squatters Captain Bastard's Oatmeal Stout (on nitro) seemed to be the perfect match. 

Cheers!!