July 3rd, 2015 - Alice Goes To Hell On Easy Ryeder

Good afternoon rockers, rollers, and hopsters!  Today I'm pairing an Easy Ryeder IPA from Alameda Brewhouse and Alice Cooper's "Alice Cooper Goes To Hell"!  Oh, "hell" yeah!!
 
Album Info:

• Artist: Alice Cooper
• Title: "Alice Cooper Goes To Hell"
• Recorded: 1976 at the Soundstage, Toronto; the Record Plant East, New York; and RCA Recording Studios, Los Angeles
• Release date: June 25th, 1976 (9th studio album by Alice Cooper)
• Record company: Warner Bros.
• Production: Bob Ezrin
• Album cover art: Brian Hagiwara and Rod Dyer
• Personnel: Alice Cooper (vocals) with the Hollywood Vampires: Bob Babbitt (bass), Jim Gordon (drums), Tony Levin (bass), Jimmy Maelen (percussion), Allan Schwartzberg (drums), and Dick Wagner (acoustic & electric guitars, vocals)
• Musical style: Hard rock, rock, glam rock, and power pop with elements of progressive rock, Broadway music, and jazz
• Sound: Far more polished and mellower than earlier albums, "Alice Cooper Goes To Hell", is still a worthy rock album filled with great hooks, melodies, and riffs along with one of the best vocal performances by the Coop.
• Major themes: A loose concept album, "Alice Cooper Goes To Hell" continues the story of fictional character Steven from "Welcome To My Nightmare" and his journey into hell.  Themes include judgement, denial, alcoholism, loss, and regret.
• Notes: The character of Steven resurfaces several times on later Alice Cooper albums: "Hey Stoopid" (1991), "The Last Temptation" (1994), "Along Came a Spider" (2008), and "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" (2011).
• Tracks: 

1. "Go To Hell"
2. "You Gotta Dance"
3. "I'm The Coolest"
4. "Didn't We Meet"
5. "I Never Cry"
6. "Give The Kid A Break"
7. "Guilty"
8. "Wake Me Gently"
9. "Wish You Were Here"
10. "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows"
11. "Going Home"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Alameda Brewhouse
• Website: http://alamedabrewing.com/
• Brew: Easy Ryeder IPA
• Style: Rye India Pale Ale (RIPA)
• Serving: pint off the tap at The Barrelhouse (Ogden, Utah)
• ABV: 4.0%
• Pour: Hazy clove honey-amber with a bright white, 1-finger head with good sustain and intricate lacing throughout.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by tropical fruit, citrus, pine, peppery rye, and bready aromas.  There are notes of lemon, tangerine, passion fruit, mango, pine resin, lots of rye, and some sweet toffee.
• Taste: Following the nose, the flavor of the Easy Ryeder IPA is spicy, hoppy, and malty.  There are big peppery notes of rye well-balanced with popping citrus notes of grapefruit and lemon and finished off with sweeter caramel/toffee notes.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Easy Ryeder IPA is crisp, clean, and refreshing with a dry and peppery finish.

Overall pairing: The smooth and refreshing drinkability of Alameda Brewhouse's Easy Ryeder IPA goes great with the poppier, more radio-friendly vibe of "Alice Cooper Goes To Hell", while the sharper, peppery notes are perfect for the Coops sarcastic sense of humor and punchier track... specifically "Go To Hell"!

Cheers!!