March 11th, 2017 - Vanilla Fudge With Peaches And Cream

Good evening!  The Meista here with one more for you tonight... I'm pairing Vanilla Fudge's self-titled, debut album with a Peaches And Cream Wheat Ale from Bonneville Brewery!  This pairing is dedicated to Mr. Mark Stein... a very happy and healthy 70th birthday Mr. Stein!!  Cheers!!


Album Info:

• Artist: Vanilla Fudge
• Title: "Vanilla Fudge"
• Recorded: 1967
• Release date: August 1967 (1st album by Vanilla Fudge)
• Record company: Atco Records
• Production: George "Shadow" Morton
• Album cover art: Haig Adishian (design) and Richard Stevens (photography) 
• Personnel: Carmine Appice (drums and backing vocals), Tim Bogert (bass and backing vocals), Vince Martell (guitar and backing vocals), Mark Stein (lead vocals and Hammond organ)
• Musical style: Psychedelic rock, hard rock, progressive rock
• Sound: Heavy, slow, and sludgy, the sound on Vanilla Fudge's debut album is incredibly imaginative and original... especially for the time!  Who in 1967 would have thought to record an album of mostly covers that have been slowed way down and drenched in Hammond organ heaviness, intense rhythm grooves, electrified guitar, along with powerful vocal harmonies?!  Brilliant!!  I cannot express in words how much I love this album!!
• Major themes: Loss, love, freedom, peace, solitude, death, heartbreak, joy, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Ticket To Ride"
2. "People Get Ready"
3. "She's Not There"
4. "Bang Bang"
5. "Stra (Illusions Of My Childhood, Part One)/You Keep Me Hanging On/Wber (Illusions Of My Childhood, Part Two)"
6. "Take Me For A Little While/RYFI (Illusions Of My Childhood, Part Three)"
7. "Eleanor Rigby/Elds"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Bonneville Brewery (Tooele, Utah)
• Website: https://bonnevillebrewery.com/
• Brew: Peaches And Cream Wheat Ale
• Style: Fruit Ale / Wheat Ale
• Serving: 12 ounce pint poured from a 64 ounce growler
• ABV: 4.0%
• IBUs: 10
• Ingredients: Wheat, caramel, and honey malts with peach juice and lactose
• Pour: The Peaches And Cream pours a slightly hazy straw gold with lots of effervescence and a 1-finger, creamy white head that displays good retention and soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is sweet, fruity, creamy, and malty.  There are aromas of candied peaches, peach cocktail syrup, crackery biscuit, cracked wheat, sweet cream, and sugar.
• Taste: The taste of the Peaches And Cream is surprisingly more malty than the nose.  The sweet and fruity peach flavor is there, but much more subdued.  There are notes of cereal grain (Cream of Wheat), fresh cream, fresh peach, crackery biscuit, caramel, and a hint of honey.
• Mouthfeel: Light-bodied with good carbonation, the mouthfeel is very creamy, smooth, and thirst quenching with a clean, crisp finish.

Overall pairing: The wholey original sound of Vanilla Fudge can only be paired with a unique and satisfying brew... thus the Peaches And Cream Wheat Ale from the fine folks at Bonneville Brewery!  Those sweet and smooth peach and cream notes are perfect for the wonderful harmonies, musicianship, and melodies of the very underappreciated rock monsters known as Vanilla Fudge!

Cheers!!  Rock on!!