Thursday, November 19, 2015

November 19th, 2015 - The Reality Of David's Port O' Call


Good evening!  The Meista here tonight pairing a brand new Crooked Line series brew from Uinta Brewing Company, a Port O' Call Belgian-Style Dark Ale with David Bowie's "Reality"!  This one goes out to my brother Dain... cheers buddy!!

Album Info:
  • Artist: David Bowie
  • Title: "Reality"
  • Recorded: January 2003 through May 2003 at David Bowie's house in SoHo,  Looking Glass Studios on Broadway, and Mike Garson's home studio in Bell Canyon, California
    Release date: September 16th, 2003 (23rd studio album by David Bowie)
  • Record company: Iso Records / Columbia Records
  • Production: David Bowie and Tony Visconti
  • Album cover art: Barnbrook Design (Illustration: Rex Ray and Photography: Frank W. Ockenfels III)
  • Personnel: David Bowie (vocals, guitar, keyboards, stylophone, baritone saxophone, percussion, synthesizers, and backing vocals) with Sterling Campbell (drums), Matt Chamberlain (drums), Gail Ann Dorsey (backing vocals), Mike Garson (piano), Gerry Leonard (guitar), Mark Plati (bass guitar and guitar), Catherine Russell (backing vocals), Earl Slick (guitar), and David Torn (guitar)
  • Musical style: Rock, power pop, art rock, progressive rock with elements of jazz, alternative rock, and experimental music
  • Sound: Wonderfully composed and executed, the sound on "Reality" is honesty, warm, and up-beat.  Bowie's vocals are perfect and the musicianship is top notch from the opening notes of "New Killer Star" to the fade out of "Rebel Rebel"!  Notable moments include the guitar work on "New Killer Star" and "Reality" and Garson's mind-blowing piano work on "Bring Me The Disco King"!
  • Major themes: Of the album's title and themes, Bowie stated, "I feel that reality has become an abstract for so many people over the last 20 years.  Things that they regarded as truths seem to have just melted away, and it's almost as if we're thinking post-philosophically now. There's nothing to rely on any more.  No knowledge, only interpretation of those facts that we seem to be inundated with on a daily basis.  Knowledge seems to have been left behind and there's a sense that we are adrift at sea.  There's nothing more to hold on to, and of course political circumstances just push that boat further out."
  • Tracks:  
  1. "New Killer Star"
  2. "Pablo Picasso" (The Modern Lovers cover)
  3. "Never Get Old"
  4. "The Loneliest Guy"
  5. "Looking For Water"
  6. "She'll Drive The Big Car"
  7. "Days"
  8. "Fall Dog Bombs The Moon"
  9. "Try Some, Buy Some" (George Harrison cover)
  10. "Reality"
  11. "Bring Me The Disco King"
  12. "Fly"
  13. "Queen Of All The Tarts (Overture)"
  14. "Rebel Rebel"
Brew Info:
  • Brewery: Uinta Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
  • Website: http://www.uintabrewing.com/
  • Brew: Port O' Call Belgian-Style Dark Ale (part of the Crooked Line series)
  • Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale
  • Serving: 22 ounce bottle
  • ABV: 9.4%
  • Pour: A very opaque, deep mahogany brown with a light tan 1-finger head that slowly fades to a sublet ring and cap with sparse, amoeba-like lacing.
  • Nose: The nose of the Port O' Call is vinous, sweet, fruity, and malty.  There are notes of Port, lightly spiced raisin, plum, toffee, soft caramel, spice bread, Belgian yeast, very soft banana, and hints of cloves.  Those sweeter malt and caramel/toffee notes become more prevalent as the beer warms.
  • Taste: Like the nose, the taste of the Port O' Call is characterized by a blend of vinous and sweet Port, bready malts, dark fruits, and spices.  There are notes of red grape, banana, raisin, prunes, rich caramel, cloves, and nutmeg. 
  • Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with lower carbonation, the .  The booziness is initially deceivingly well-hidden in the sweeter notes, but becomes a little more prevalent as the beer warms.
  • Notes: Just released (mine was bottled only 3 days ago!), the Port O' Call is aged for 6 months in Port barrels imported from Portugal’s Douro Valley.
Overall pairing: An amazingly rich, intricate, and wonderfully executed album like David Bowie's "Reality" deserves nothing less than a big, bold, and beautifully complex Belgian-style brew... thus the Port O' Call Belgian-Style Dark Ale from Uinta Brewing Company!  The spicy notes go great with Bowie's darker lyrics while the sweeter, fruitier notes go well with the rockin', toe-tapping rhythms and melodies.  Great stuff all around!!

Cheers!!

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