February 1st, 2015 - The Alchemy Of Skunkworks

 Good afternoon!  Your pal the Meista here pairing A Widmer Brothers Brewing Company Alchemy Pale Ale and "Skunkworks" by Bruce Dickinson!

Album Info:

• Artist: Bruce Dickinson
• Title: "Skunkworks"
• Release date: February 19th, 1996 (3rd solo album)
• Record company: Castle Records
• Personnel: Bruce Dickinson (vocals) with Chris Dale (bass), Alex Dickson (guitars), and Alessandro Elena (drums)
• Musical style: Hard rock/alternative rock/post-grunge
• Sound: Moving further away from sound of his former band (Iron Maiden), with "Skunkworks" Dickinson embraced a more "alternative" rock/grunge approach to song writing similar to Soundgarden or Pearl Jam.
• Major themes: Science and technology, space travel, self-awareness, discovery, and loss.
• Notes: "Skunkworks" is a code name  the military uses for a testing program.  The album title was intended to be the name of a new band Dickinson put together, but his record company insisted that he release the album as a solo album and not as a new band called Skunkworks.
• Tracks:

1. "Space Race"
2. "Back From The Edge"
3. "Inertia"
4. "Faith"
5. "Solar Confinement"
6. "Dreamstate"
7. "I Will Not Accept The Truth"
8. "Inside The Machine"
9. "Headswitch"
10. "Meltdown"
11. "Octavia"
12. "Innerspace"
13. "Strange Death In Paradise"

  Brew Info:

• Brewery: Widmer Brothers Brewing Company
• Website: http://widmerbrothers.com/
• Brew: Alchemy Pale Ale
• Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 5.8%
• IBUs: 40
• Original gravity: 13.8 Plato
• Ingredients: Caramel, Munich, Pale, and Vienna Extra Special malts with Alchemy hops
• Pour: Clear golden-copper with 1-finger, bright white head that displays sticky lacing throughout.
• Nose: Nice blend of citrus and pine hop aromas along with sweeter caramel and fruit notes.
• Taste: Very well balanced and very drinkable, the flavor combines a nice mix of hop notes, citrus notes, malty sweetness, and a hint of spicy flavors.
• Mouthfeel: Light bodied with moderate carbonation, the Alchemy is crisp and refreshing with a bit of oily resin.
• Finish: Smooth and clean

Overall pairing: With the album's more "grungy" sound, the hop forward and refreshing Alchemy Pale Ale makes for a great bedfellow to Dickinson's very underrated "Skunkworks"!

Cheers!!