May 22nd, 2015 - Bourbon Barrel Aged War Heroes

Good evening!  Your pal the Meista here tonight pairing a Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout from Full Sail Brewing Company and "War Heroes", the posthumously released compilation album from the mighty guitar god Jimi Hendrix!!  Oh, hell yeah!!  

Album Info:

• Artist: Jimi Hendrix
• Title: "War Heroes"
• Recorded: Throughout Jimi's career from April 1967 to July 1970
• Release date: October 1st, 1972 (6th studio album, 3rd studio album released posthumously)
• Record company: Polydor
• Production: Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Kramer, John Jansen
• Album cover art: Paul Jansen
• Personnel: Jimi Hendrix (guitars, lead vocals, bass guitar on "Bleeding Heart", and backing vocals on "Izabella") with Billy Cox (bass guitar on "Peter Gunn Catastrophe", "Stepping Stone", and "Izabella"), Buddy Miles (drums on "Izabella"), Mitch Mitchell (drums), and Noel Redding (bass guitar on "Highway Chile", "Tax Free", and "Midnight")
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy blues, psychedelic rock, soul, R&B, and funk
• Sound: Geez... where do you even start??  How does one come close to describing the brilliance, intensity, complexity, and depth of Hendrix??  Seriously?!  All I've got is one phrase.... MIND-BLOWING!!
• Major themes: The blues, rock and roll, love, loss, freedom, etc.
• Notes: "War Heroes" was engineered, mixed, and compiled by Eddie Kramer and John Jansen 2 years after Jimi's death.  Several songs on the album were part of the recording sessions for the album Jimi was working on at the time of his death.
• Tracks:   

1. "Bleeding Heart" (recorded at the Record Plant, New York City on March 24th, 1970)
2. "Highway Chile" (recorded at Olympic Studios, London on April 3rd, 1967)
3. "Tax Free" (recorded at the Record Plant Studios on May 1st, 1968)
4. "Peter Gunn Catastrophe" (recorded at the Record Plant Studios on May 14th, 1970)
5. "Stepping Stone" (recorded at the Record Plant Studios on November 14th, 1969 and overdubs on June 26th, 1970)
6. "Midnight" (recorded at Olmstead Studios on April 3rd, 1969)
7. "3 Little Bears" (recorded at the Record Plant Studios on May 2nd, 1968)
8. "Beginnings" (recorded at Electric Lady Studios, New York City on June 16th and/or July 1st, 1970)
9. "Izabella" (recorded at The Hit Factory, New York City on August 28th and 29th, 1969)

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Full Sail Brewing Company (Hood River, Oregon)
• Website: http://www.fullsailbrewing.com/
• Brew: Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
• Style: Imperial Stout or American Double Stout
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 10.5%
• IBUs: 40
• Pour: Deep, dark ink black with a subtle mocha head that dissipates quickly, leaving a thin ring around the edges.
• Nose: Pungent, boozy, earthy, and rich, the nose of Full Sail's Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout is a wonderful.  There big aromas of bourbon, oak, bready dark roasted malt, dark fruits (dried cherries, figs, and raisins), dark chocolate, vanilla bean, and hints of marshmallow, molasses, and brown sugar.
• Taste: Woody, boozy, and rich, the taste of the Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout is a wonderful tapestry of big bourbon flavor along with dark chocolate, fudge, vanilla bean, cherry, plum, figs, dates, smoky oak, and more subtle hints of molasses, brown sugar, and dark roasted coffee.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout is thick, creamy, smooth, and warming.  The finish is fairly dry with lingering bourbon and cocoa notes.
• Notes: The Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout is aged for a year in Kentucky Bourbon casks from Jim Beam and Four Roses.

Overall pairing: Nothing compares to the depth, passion, honesty, musicianship, and genius of the late Jimi Hendrix!  For music this rich, this complex, this wonderful, you need a big, bold, in-your-face brew... Full Sail's Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout seems fitting!   (And "War Heroes" seems like a fitting album to be paired with a bold stout on this Memorial Day weekend as well.)

Cheers!!  Groove on!!