July 10th, 2015 - If You Want Blood, You Got It, But Just Get Me To the Hopspital!

Good afternoon!  The Meista here with a pairing dedicated to the memory of the late Bon Scott on this, his birthday... AC/DC's live "If You Want Blood You've Got It" and an Hopspital IPA – American Session IPA from Avenues Proper Restaurant & Publick House!
 
Album Info:

• Artist: AC/DC
• Title: "If You Want Blood You've Got It"
• Recorded: April 30th, 1978 at the Apollo Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland
• Release date: October 13th, 1978 (1st live album by AC/DC)
• Record company: Atlantic Records
• Production: Harry Vanda and George Young
• Album cover art:  Bob Defrin (concept) and Jim Houghton (photographer)
• Personnel: Phil Rudd (drums), Bon Scott (lead vocals), Cliff Williams (bass guitar and backing vocals), Angus Young (lead guitar), and Malcolm Young (rhythm guitar and backing vocals)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy blues rock, rock and roll
• Sound: High octane rock and roll here kids!  The energy on this album is electric!  Scott is on the top of his game vocally and as the entertaining front man, while Angus the boys lay down licks with the brilliance that can only be late '70s AC/DC... this is the real deal my friends! 
• Major themes: Rock and roll, women, sex, partying, living life to the fullest, hell, etc.
• Notes: Reportedly, the album's title was inspired by Bon Scott's response to a journalist who asked what the audience could expect of their show.  Scott simply replied, "Blood."
• Tracks: 

1. "Riff Raff"
2. "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be"
3. "Bad Boy Boogie"
4. "The Jack"
5. "Problem Child"
6. "Whole Lotta Rosie"
7. "Rock 'N' Roll Damnation"
8. "High Voltage"
9. "Let There Be Rock"
10. "Rocker"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Avenues Proper Restaurant & Publick House (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.avenuesproper.com/
• Brew: Hopspital IPA – American Session IPA
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: pint off the tap at the brewery
• ABV: 4.0%
• Ingredients: English pale malt, German Vienna malt and Chilean crystal malt along with Chinook and Glacier hops, and Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand at the end of the boil
• Pour: A lovely, hazy golden orange with a 2-finger, very frothy mashed potato head that leaves layered and intricate lacing with great sustain.
• Nose: Lots of citrus and pine in the nose along with tangy notes of tropical fruit and sweet malts.  There are aromas of pink grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, pine resin, peach, mango, kiwi, and sweet toffee.
• Taste: Like the nose, the flavor of this very refreshing brew is citrusy and piney with a solid malt backbone.  There are big fruity flavors of grapefruit, orange, wild berries, mango, kiwi, pine, cedar, and more subtle notes of sweet toffee/caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with good carbonation, the Hopspital IPA is crisp and refreshing with a slightly bitter and dry finish.

Overall pairing: With the unbridled energy that rips out of your speakers when playing "If You Want Blood You've Got It", you've got to go with a brew that you can easily throw back, but a brew that has all the complexity, intensity, and bursting flavor ... and that beer my friends IS the Hopspital IPA – American Session IPA from brewmaster Rio at the Avenues Proper Restaurant & Publick House!!

Cheers!!  Keep it craft and keep it heavy!!