July 30th, 2016 - A Little Marmalade At The Budokan

Can you think of anything better on a sunny Saturday afternoon than a delicious cold craft brew and a classic rock album?  Hallo!  Your buddy the Meista here today pairing Cheap Trick's groundbreaking live album "Cheap Trick At Budokan" with a Marmalade Wheat Ale from Proper Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Cheap Trick
• Title: "Cheap Trick At Budokan"
• Recorded: April 28 and 30, 1978 at the Budokan in Nippon Budokan, Tokyo
  Release date: February 1979 (1st live album released by Cheap Trick)
• Record company: Epic Records
• Production: Cheap Trick
• Album cover art: Koh Hasebe
• Personnel: Bun E. Carlos (drums), Rick Nielsen (lead guitar and backing vocals), Tom Petersson (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Robin Zander (lead vocals and rhythm guitar)
• Musical style: Rock, hard rock, power pop
• Sound: In a word, definitive!  This is the album that launched Cheap Trick into superstardom.  It is pure and honest rock and roll perfection!!  'Nuff said!! 
• Major themes: Love, lust, sex, rock and roll, heartbreak, life, etc.
• Tracks:   

Original LP:

1. "Hello There"
2. "Come On, Come On"
3. "Lookout"
4. "Big Eyes"
5. "Need Your Love"
6. "Ain't That A Shame"
7. "I Want You To Want Me"
8. "Surrender"
9. "Goodnight"
10. "Clock Strikes Ten"

The Complete Concert CD

1. "Hello There"
2. "Come On, Come On"
3. "ELO Kiddies"
4. "Speak Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace"
5. "Big Eyes"
6. "Lookout"
7. "Downed"
8. "Can't Hold On"
9. "Oh Caroline"
10. "Surrender"
11. "Auf Wiedersehen"
12. "Need Your Love"
13. "High Roller"
14. "Southern Girls"
15. "I Want You to Want Me"
16. "California Man"
17. "Goodnight"
18. "Clock Strikes Ten"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Proper Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.properbrewingco.com/ 
• Brew: Marmalade Wheat
• Style: Amber Wheat Ale
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 4.0%
• IBUs: 24
• Ingredients: 3 varieties of orange peel, American hops, and house-toasted wheat
• Pour: The Marmalade Wheat pours a deep, murky mahogany with a 2-finger, frothy, off-white head with good retention and intricate and sustained lacing.
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, sweet, and malty.  There are aromas of tangerine peel, orange marmalade, caramel/toffee, freshly baked bread, and hints of bitter hops.
• Taste: The Marmalade Wheat tastes of hearty wheat bread, soft caramel, orange zest, light marmalade, light tangerine, and subtle hops.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, slightly chunky, and smooth with a slightly dry and sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The wonderfully honest and masterful rock and roll stylings of Cheap Trick's "Cheap Trick At Budokan" deserves nothing short of a perfectly balanced and innovative, yet very drinkable brew... which is exactly what you get in a tall glass of the delicious Marmalade Wheat from the great folks at Proper Brewing Company!  Those sweet malt flavors and citrusy orange notes along with the hearty and bready malt notes are perfect for the straight-ahead rock and roll brilliance that is late seventies Cheap Trick!!

Cheers and rock on!!!