March 12th, 2016 - I Need An Umbrella For Delain's April Rain!

So I probably should have held off on this pairing until April for effect, but your pal the Meista is here today pairing Delain's "April Rain" and an Umbrella Single-Hop India Pale Ale from Pelican Brewing Company!  This one goes out to the fine folks at Slackwater Pub & Pizzeria... cheers!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Delain
• Title: "April Rain"
• Recorded: September through November 2008 at Jacob Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark,
  SpaceLab Studios in Grefrath, Germany, and  Excess Studios in Rotterdam, Netherlands
• Release date: March 20th, 2009 (2nd studio album by Delain) (2009-02-03)
• Record company: Roadrunner Records
• Production: Martijn Westerholt and Oliver Philipps
• Album cover art: Mark Janssen
• Personnel: Ronald Landa (guitars and vocals on tracks 3 and 6), Rob van der Loo (bass guitar), Charlotte Wessels (lead vocals), Martijn Westerholt (keyboards and production), and Sander Zoer (drums)
• Additional musicians: Maria Ahn (cello on tracks 5 and 6), Guus Eikens (guitars on tracks 4 through 6 and 8), Marco Hietala (vocals on tracks 4 and 11), Oliver Philipps (guitar solos on all tracks except 6, orchestral arrangements, and co-production)
• Musical style: Symphonic metal with elements of power pop and power metal
• Sound: Like a warm April rain storm, the sound on Delain's "April Rain" is at times ethereal, at times heavy and thunderous, and always engaging.  The guitars and keyboards soar, while the bass and drum pound, and Wessels' voice is fully engrossing and beautiful!
• Major themes: Love, lust, relationships, human nature, pain, loss, heartbreak, redemption, and hope.
• Tracks:   

1. "April Rain"
2. "Stay Forever"
3. "Invidia"
4. "Control The Storm"
5. "On The Other Side"
6. "Virtue And Vice"
7. "Go Away"
8. "Start Swimming"
9. "Lost"
10. "I'll Reach You"
11. "Nothing Left"
12. "Come Closer"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Pelican Brewing Company (Pacific City, Oregon)
• Website: www.pelicanbrewery.com
• Brew: Umbrella Single-Hop India Pale Ale
• Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 7.4%
• IBUs: 60
• Ingredients: Australian grown Ella Hops, pure local yeast, Demerara raw sugar, Pilsen malt, and Gold Pils Vienna malt
• Pour: Very hazy straw gold with lime green around the edges and a huge, frothy, bright white head with good retention that leaves lots of intricate lacing.
• Nose: The nose of the Umbrella is bright, fruity, earthy, and herbal.  There are aromas of gooseberry, pineapple, bitter herbs, and pine with hints of bready malt and caramel.
• Taste: Combining tropical fruits, dank earthiness, and hints of crackery malt, Pelican's Umbrella Single-Hop India Pale Ale is a great way to experience the intensity of one hop, the Ella from Australia.  There are fruity notes of tart gooseberry, sweet passion fruit, pear, and pineapple along with some pine, wildflowers, herbs, and subtle pale malt flavors.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Umbrella is very crisp, slightly tart, and very dry with a dry, somewhat bitter, but clean finish.

Overall pairing: The Umbrella Single-Hop India Pale Ale from Pelican Brewing Company is seemingly a simple brew, but upon further imbibing, complexities reveal themselves... a truly wonderful experience.  Likewise, Delain's "April Rain" at first seems like a pretty straight-forward symphonic metal album, but there are significant complexities that become more prevalent with additional listens! 

Geluk!!