December 16th, 2016 - Wetter Of Red Days Comin'

Hello and happy Friday friends!  The Meista here today pairing a Wetter Off Red from Proper Brewing Company and Winger's "Better Days Comin'"!

Album Info:

• Artist: Winger
• Title: "Better Days Comin'"
• Recorded:
  Release date: April 23rd, 2014 (6th studio album by Winger)
• Record company: Frontiers Records
• Production: Kip Winger
• Album cover art: Pride Smith
• Personnel: Reb Beach (guitars and backing vocals), Rod Morgenstein (drums), John Roth (guitars and backing vocals), Kip Winger (lead vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, and keyboards)
• Additional musicians: Cenk Eroglu (keyboards), Marco Giovino (percussion), and Paula Winger (backing vocals)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal, progressive metal
• Sound: Forget the pretty-boy glam look of Winger in the 1980s.  This is a band with musical chops that put a lot of other metal and hard rock bands to shame!  The fiery guitar acrobatics of Reb Beach alone is worth every penny of this album!  This is an incredibly well-written, well-executed, and well-produced album with rich and layered compositions, melodies and harmonies, but oh does it rock!
• Major themes: Life, death, rock and roll, love, loss, honesty, power, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Midnight Driver Of A Love Machine"
2. "Queen Babylon"
3. "Rat Race"
4. "Better Days Comin'"
5. "Tin Soldier"
6. "Ever Wonder"
7. "So Long China"
8. "Storm In Me"
9. "Be Who You Are Now"
10. "Another Beautiful Day"
11. "Out Of This World"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Proper Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.properbrewingco.com/
• Brew: Wetter Off Red
• Style: Amber Ale
• Serving: Pint off the tap
• ABV: 4.0%
• Pour: The Wetter Off Red pours a clear, golden-amber with a 1-finger, creamy off-white head with good retention and lots of intricate spider web lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, bready, earthy, and citrusy.  There are aromas of pink grapefruit juice and rind, orange zest, light pine resin, toasted malts, light hazelnut, and grassy hops.
• Taste: The flavor of the Wetter Off Red follows the nose.  It is hoppy, citrusy, piney, sweet, nutty, and malty.  There are notes of tangerine, orange, and pink grapefruit along with light nuts, hearty bread, sweet caramel, and light herbs.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, refreshing, and hoppy with a clean, slightly bitter and slightly dry finish. 

Overall pairing: The very drinkable, very refreshing, and crisp hoppy flavors of Proper's Wetter Off Red intermingle perfectly with the well-textured rockin' goodness that Kip and the boys have produced with "Better Days Comin'"!   The hearty, toasted malts are great for the heavy, rockin' tracks while the sweeter, more citrusy notes work well with the ballads and poppier songs.

Cheers!!  Rock on!!