December 12th, 2015 - All Shook Up Over This Holiday Cutthroat!

Good evening from your drinkin' buddy the Meista!  Continuing the holiday pairings Brews and Tunes style, I'm going with a Cutthroat Holiday Pale Ale from our friends at Uinta Brewing Company and Cheap Trick's amazing and very underrated "All Shook Up"!  Yeah baby!

Album Info:

• Artist: Cheap Trick
• Title: "All Shook Up" (Bonus Tracks)
• Recorded: 1980
• Release date: October 24th, 1980 (5th studio album by Cheap Trick)
• Record company: Epic
• Production: Sir George Martin
• Album cover art: Rick Nielsen (art direction), Ria Lewerke (art design), and Moshe Brakha (photography)
• Personnel: Bun E. Carlos (drums and percussion), Rick Nielsen (lead guitar and backing vocals), Tom Petersson (bass and backing vocals), and Robin Zander (lead vocals and rhythm guitar)
• Musical style: Rock and roll, hard rock, power pop
• Sound: Somewhat quirky and more experimental, the sound on "All Shook Up" combines a Beatle-esque pop sensibility with crunchy hard rock power!  I honestly think this is one of the most fun albums in my collection.  It seriously make me wanna move!
• Major themes: Relationships, love, sex, lust, life, hope, dreams, etc.
• Notes: Sadly, after becoming disillusioned with the band and touring, Tom Petersson left the band soon after the release of "All Shook Up".  But he returned to the band in 1987 for the "Lap of Luxury" album.
• Tracks:  

1. "Stop This Game"
2. "Just Got Back"
3. "Baby Loves To Rock"
4. "Can't Stop It But I'm Gonna Try"
5. "World's Greatest Lover"
6. "High Priest Of Rhythmic Noise"
7. "Love Comes A-Tumblin' Down"
8. "I Love You Honey But I Hate Your Friends"
9. "Go For The Throat (Use Your Own Imagination)"
10. "Who D'king"
11. "Everything Works If You Let It"
12. "Day Tripper" (Live Bonus Track)
13. "Can't Hold On (Live Bonus Track)
14. "Such A Good Girl (Bonus Track)
15. "Take Me I'm Yours (Bonus Track)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Uinta Brewing Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.uintabrewing.com/
• Brew: Cutthroat Holiday Pale Ale
• Style: Herbed / Spiced Ale
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 4.0%
• IBUs: 34
• Ingredients: Star aines, cinnamon, and clove added to the regular Cutthroat recipe
• Pour: The Cutthroat Holiday Pale Ale pours a cloudy copper-clover honey amber with a rocky and sustained slightly off-white head that displays intricate spider web lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a big spicy blast... that smells like "Christmas".  There are also really nice grassy hop notes along with a solid malty backbone.  There are notes of cloves, cinnamon, pine, caramel, soft black licorice, and subtle citrus.
• Taste: Like the nose, the flavor of the Cutthroat Holiday Pale Ale is an interesting blend of a pale ale and a spiced ale.  There are big, spicy notes of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and anise in the finish along with floral hops and sweet caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with good carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp

Overall pairing:  The more experimental sound of Cheap Trick's amazing "All Shook Up" goes great with the experimental flavors blended in Uinta's Cutthroat Holiday Pale Ale!  The spicy flavors work well with Zanders crooning while the crisp flavors work well with the tight professional musicianship of the band!  I think you should buy both the album and the brew as a gift to yourself this holiday season!!

Cheers to you and yours!!