October 16th, 2015 - In A Rêve

Good afternoon and happy beer Friday!  The Meista here today pairing Italian goth metal band Lacuna Coil's debut album "In A Reverie" and a Red Rock Rêve Belgian-style Tripel from Red Rock Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Lacuna Coil
• Title: "In A Reverie"
• Recorded: October through November 1998 at Woodhouse Studios, Hagen, Germany
  Release date: June 8th, 1999 (debut album by Lacuna Coil)
• Record company: Century Media
• Production: Waldemar Sorychta
• Album cover art:  Media Logistics (Carsten Drescher) and Wolfgang Bartsch
• Personnel: Marco Coti Zelati (bass), Andrea Ferro (lead vocals), Cristiano Migliore (guitars), Cristiano Mozzati (drums and percussion), and Cristina Scabbia (lead vocals)
• Additional musicians: Valerie Lynch (lyrics adaptation) and Waldemar Sorychta (keyboards)
• Musical style: Gothic metal, progressive metal, alternative metal
• Sound:  Mid-tempo, down-tuned, guitar driven gothic sound with melodic and contrasting female/male vocal harmonies.  Along with the wonderful guitar work, Scabbia's crystalline vocal range and delivery is pure magic!
• Major themes: Gothic imagery, depression, loss, survival, self-awareness, and self-preservation, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Circle"
2. "Stately Lover"
3. "Honeymoon Suite"
4. "My Wings"
5. "To Myself I Turned"
6. "Cold"
7. "Reverie"
8. "Veins Of Glass"
9. "Falling Again"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Red Rock Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://redrockbrewing.com/
• Brew: Red Rock Rêve
• Style: Belgian-style Tripel
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 10.3%
• Ingredients: Pilsner and Pale malts with Belgian candy sugar and Brettanomyces barrel-aged in medium toast French oak for a year
• Pour: Very cloudy golden-yellow hue with a bright, billowy white head that dissipates to a frothy ring with good retention and lacing.
• Nose: The nose is an intriguing blend of fruity, yeasty, tangy, woody, and funky aromas.  There are notes of tart sour apple, light citrus, pineapple, Chardonnay, Brett, oak, and light spices.
• Taste: The flavor of the Red Rock Rêve is initially tart followed by the Belgian funk, oaky woodiness, and light spice.  There are notes of pink bubble gum, soft banana, leather, lemon, orange, Chardonnay, and cloves.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel is effervescent and crisp with a very dry and slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The dry, tart, and complex flavors of the Red Rock Rêve are great for the darker, gothic feel of Lacuna Coil's "In A Reverie" while those lighter fruit flavors work well with the depth and beauty of Scabbia's vocals!

Salute!!  À votre santé!!