August 27th, 2016 - Hubert In Black And White

Good afternoon my friends!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here today pairing "The Best Of Zebra: In Black And White" by Zebra and a Hubert MPA from Melvin Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Zebra
• Title: "The Best Of Zebra: In Black And White"
• Recorded: 1983 through 1986
  Release date: 1998 (1969-04-16)
• Record company: Mayhem Records
• Production: Jack Douglas, Randy Jackson, and Zebra
• Album cover art: ?
• Personnel: Guy Gelso (drums, percussion, and backing vocals), Felix Hanemann (bass, keyboards, strings, and backing vocals), and Randy Jackson (guitars, lead vocals, keyboards, piano, Mellotron, percussion, and Prophet 5 synthesizer)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal, progressive rock
• Sound: Richly textured, melodic, yet very rocking, the sound of Zebra is familiar and very listenable, but also very unique and challenging.  Jackson's distinct vocals (with his crazy falsetto) works really well with the intricacies and wonderfully executed music!
• Major themes: Relationships, loss, love, life and death, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Tell Me What You Want"
2. "But No More"
3. "Better Not Call"
4. "Bears"
5. "The La La Song"
6. "Lullaby"
7. "Hard Livin' Without You"
8. "One More Chance" (1978 Workshoppe Demo)
9. "Children Of the Heart" (Unreleased From 3.5 Sessions)
10. "Time"
11. "Take Your Fingers From My Hair" (1978 Workshoppe Demo)
12. "Wait Until The Summer's Gone"
13. "Riverside" (3.5 Pre-production Demo)
14. "As I Said Before"
15. "Who's Behind The Door"
16. "Your Mind's Open"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Melvin Brewing Company (Alpine, Wyoming)
• Website: www.melvinbrewing.com  
• Brew: Hubert MPA
• Style: American Pale Ale (APA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 6.0%
• Pour: Hubert MPA pours a very hazy honey-gold amber with a bubbly and fluffy, bright white, 1-finger head with and intricate, sustained lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a really nice blend of tropical and citrus fruits with sweet malt.  There are aromas of grapefruit rind, tangerine, orange zest, mango, passion fruit, grassy hops, pine resin, caramel, and fresh bread.
• Taste: The taste of the Humbert MPA is not as citrusy as the nose with more of a solid malt backbone.  There are notes of caramel/toffee, pine, pink grapefruit juice, mango, lemon, and grassy hops.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with lots of bubbly carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Hubert MPA is very crisp, very refreshing, and slightly bitter, with a clean finish.

Overall pairing: The incredibly refreshing, yet complex drinkability of the Hubert MPA from the fine brewers at Melvin Brewing Company is a perfect companion to the very underrated brilliance of Zebra!  Those citrus and tropical fruit notes compliment Jackson's broad vocal range while the solid malt backbone works wonderfully well with the harmonies, melodies, and rich rhythms!

Cheers!!