October 30th, 2016 - True Stories Of True Blondes

Good evening!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here tonight pairing "True Stories" by Talking Heads and a True Blonde Ale from Ska Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Talking Heads
• Title: "True Stories"
• Recorded: 1986 at Sigma Sound Studios in Manhattan, New York with additional recording at
  O'Henry Sound Studios in Toluca Lake, California, Studio Southwest in Sunnyvale Texas, and  the Arcadia Theater in Dallas, Texas (with Omega Audio remote)
• Release date: September 15th, 1986 (7th studio album by the Talking Heads) (1969-04-16)
• Record company: Warner Bros.
• Production: Talking Heads
• Album cover art: Michael Hodgson and Jeffrey Kent Ayeroff
• Personnel: David Byrne (guitar and vocals), Chris Frantz (drums), Jerry Harrison (keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals), and Tina Weymouth (bass guitar and backing vocals)
• Additional musicians: Bert Cross Choir (vocals on "Puzzlin' Evidence"), Tommy Camfield (fiddle on "People Like Us"), Paulinho Da Costa (percussion on "Papa Legba", "Radio Head", and "People Like Us"), Steve Jordan (accordion on "Radio Head"), Gloria Loring (backing vocals on "Wild Wild Life"), Tommy Morrell (pedal steel guitar on "People Like Us", and "City of Dreams"), and the St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School Choir (vocals on "Hey Now")
• Musical style: Rock, pop, post punk, world music
• Sound: Uptempo, danceable, foot-stomping good fun!
• Major themes: Love, joy, living life, relationships, human interactions, dreams, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Love For Sale"
2. "Puzzlin' Evidence"
3. "Hey Now"
4. "Papa Legba"
5. "Wild Wild Life"
6. "Radio Head"
7. "Dream Operator"
8. "People Like Us"
9. "City Of Dreams"
10. "Wild Wild Life" (extended mix)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Ska Brewing Company (Durango, Colorado)
• Website: http://skabrewing.com/
• Brew: True Blonde Ale
• Style: American Blonde Ale 
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 5.3%
• IBUs: 20
• Pour: It pours a clear, bubbly golden yellow with a frothy 1-finger, bright white head with good retention and inctricate spider web lacing.
• Nose: The nose of the True Blonde Ale is toasty, citrusy, sweet, and malty.  There are aromas of lemon, hay, toasted malts, corn, light caramel, and honey.
• Taste: The taste is mildly sweet, bready, tangy, and citrusy.  There are notes of honey, soft caramel, bready malts, wheat bread, grassy hops, and lemon zest.
• Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp, with a slightly hoppy, clean, and dry finish.

Overall pairing: The uptempo, optimistic, and uplifting music and lyrics of the Talking Heads' "True Stories" is a great companion to the crisp, sweet, and malty deliciousness that is the True Blonde Ale from Ska Brewing Company... a pairing that makes for a nice, mellow Sunday evening!

Cheers!!