February 10th, 2017 - Hoppy Birthday To The Dearly Departed

Good afternoon and happy Friday!  The Meista here today pairing Adrenaline Mob's "Dearly Departed" EP and Hoppy Birthday Session India Pale Ale from Alpine Beer Company to help get the weekend started off right!  This pairing is dedicated to the memory of A.J. Pero.  Rest in peace!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Adrenaline Mob
• Title: "Dearly Departed" EP
• Recorded: Late 2014
• Release date: February 10th, 2015 (5th album (3rd EP) by Adrenaline Mob)
• Record company: Century Media
• Production: Russell Allen and Mike Orlando
• Album cover art: Mark Sasso
• Personnel: Russell Allen (vocals), Erik Leonhardt (bass guitar), Mike Orlando (guitars, bass, and backing vocals), and the late A.J. Pero (drums) 
• Musical style: Heavy metal, hard rock
• Sound: Heavy duty rockin' tunes with powerful vocals, the sound on "Dearly Departed" is similar to the pervious work by Adrenaline Mob... and that is a very good thing!  Orlando's guitars are fast and fiery and Allen's vocals as are rich, emotional, and as huge as ever!
• Major themes: Drinking, drugs, love, sorrow, death, good versus evil, honesty, life, etc.
• Notes: Sadly, A. J. Pero passed away 1 month and 10 days after "Dearly Departed" was released.
• Tracks:   

1. "Snortin' Whiskey" (Pat Travers cover)
2. "Dearly Departed"
3. "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" (Charlie Daniels Band cover)
4. "Crystal Clear"
5. "Black Sabbath Medley: Into the Void/Sabbath Bloody Sabbath/Killing Yourself to Live/Sweet Leaf/Electric Funeral" (Black Sabbath covers)
6. "Gets You Through The Night"
7. "Angel Sky"
8. "All On The Line"
9. "Tie Your Mother Down" (Queen cover)

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Alpine Beer Company (Alpine, California)
• Website: http://alpinebeerco.com/
• Brew: Hoppy Birthday Session India Pale Ale
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 5.25%
• IBUs: 69 
• Pour: The Hoppy Birthday pours a clear, bright gold with a billowing white head that dissipates quickly, leaving only trace lacing.
• Nose: The nose piney, citrusy, herbal, and malty.  There are aromas of pine resin, lemon zest, grapefruit, wild flowers, herbs, caramel, and hint of garlic. 
• Taste: The taste of the Hoppy Birthday is dank, earthy, citrusy, and slightly malty.  There are notes of melon, lemon zest, orange peel, grapefruit juice and rind, pine, bitter herbs, and floral hops along with mellow caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the Hoppy Birthday is very drinkable with a smooth, crisp mouthfeel and a somewhat dry and slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The crisp, hoppy, and very drinkable flavors of Alpine's Hoppy Birthday Session India Pale Ale is great for the wonderful rockin' goodness and artistic integrity found in each and every track of Adrenaline Mob's "Dearly Departed" EP! 

Cheers!!  Hails!!