May 10th, 2015 - Hitting And Running With Some Shady Maidens

Good afternoon!  The Meista here today rocking out on Mother's Day with a pairing of the brilliant "Hit And Run" by Girlschool and a Maiden The Shade Summer-Style IPA from Ninkasi Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Girlschool
• Title: "Hit And Run"
• Recorded: Jackson's Studios, Rickmansworth, UK, December 1980 through January 1981
• Release date: April 20th, 1981 (2nd studio album by Girlschool)
• Record company: Bronze Records (UK) / Stiff America (US) 
• Production: Vic Maile
• Personnel: Denise Dufort (drums), the late Kelly Johnson (lead guitar and vocals on tracks 1, 2, 7, 11, and 12), Kim McAuliffe (rhythm guitar and vocals on track 4), and Enid Williams (bass and vocals on tracks 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, and 14) 
• Musical style: Heavy metal/hard rock with elements of punk and heavy blues
• Sound: In the vein of Motörhead and other NWOBHM bands of the time, "Hit And Run" is fast and furious, raucous, high-octane, rebellious, straightforward rock and roll! Johnson's and McAuliffe's guitar work is mean, aggressive, and fiery!  Dufort's drumming is heavy-duty machine gun fire coupled by thunderous artillery!  Williams' bass is a Lemmy inspired thunderclap of goodness!  And the vocals?  Like butta!   
• Major themes: The wild rock 'n' roll lifestyle, partying, sex, sexism, romance, revenge, etc. 
• Tracks:   

1. "C'mon Let's Go"
2. "The Hunter"
3. "(I'm Your) Victim"
4. "Kick It Down"
5. "Following The Crowd"
6. "Tush" (ZZ Top cover)
7. "Hit And Run"
8. "Watch Your Step"
9. "Back To Start"
10. "Yeah Right"
11. "Future Flash"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Ninkasi Brewing Company (Eugene, Oregon)
• Website: http://www.ninkasibrewing.com/
• Brew: Maiden The Shade Summer-Style IPA
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.8%
• IBUs: 72
• Gravity: 1065
• Ingredients: 2-Row Pale, Flaked Barley, and Vienna, malt along with Amarillo, Centennial, Columbus, Crystal, Magnum, Palisade, Simcoe, and Summit hops     
• Pour: Golden apple with a big, frothy, 1-finger white head that leaves lots of intricate, sticky, spider web lacing.
• Nose:  The nose is grassy, piney, and very citrusy.  There are aromas of pink grapefruit, orange juice, tangerine zest, summer grass, light pine resin, and softer cracker and sweet caramel. 
• Taste: The Maiden The Shade Summer-Style IPA has a big, upfront hop profile. Lots of citrus notes in this one (grapefruit, orange, tangerine, and lemon) along with lighter, well-balanced notes of crackery biscuit, barley, and toffee. 
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with good carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp and clean with a somewhat dry and slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: With the alcohol-fueled, heavy-duty rock and roll aggression of "Hit And Run", you need a brew that has the same punchy bite, but with refreshing drinkability!  Thus, the Maiden The Shade Summer-Style IPA!  The bright, citrusy flavor of the Maiden is a great complimentary beverage to the fun, fast, and rockin' style of Girlschool!

Cheers and hails!!