April 14th, 2017 - St. George And The Saison

Good evening and happy Friday!  The Meista here tonight with a pairing of Toto's sophomore album, Hydra and a Saison from Fisher Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Toto
• Title: "Hydra"
• Recorded: January 1979 at Sunset Sound and Reggie Fisher Recording Studio in Los Angeles, California
• Release date: October 1979 (2nd studio album by Toto)
• Record company: Columbia Records
• Production: Tom Knox, Reggie Fisher, and Toto
• Album cover art: Philip Garris (design) and Jim Hagopian (photography)
• Personnel: David Hungate (bass and guitars), Bobby Kimball (lead and backing vocals), Steve Lukather (guitars and lead and backing vocals), David Paich (keyboards and lead and backing vocals), Jeff Porcaro (drums and percussion), and Steve Porcaro (keyboards and electronics)
• Additional musicians: Michael Boddicker (keyboards), Lenny Castro (percussion), Roger Linn (synthesizers), and Marty Paich (string arrangements)
• Musical style: Progressive rock, hard rock, funk rock, R&B
• Sound: An insanely underrated album, the sound on "Hydra" is wonderfully progressive, richly textured, and simply put... brilliant!  The guitar work on the title track alone is worth every penny!
• Major themes: Sword and sorcery, mythology, science fiction (particularly the film THX 1138), love, courage, desire, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Hydra"
2. "St. George And The Dragon"
3. "99"
4. "Lorraine"
5. "All Us Boys"
6. "Mama"
7. "White Sister"
8. "A Secret Love"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Fisher Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://fisherbeer.com/
• Brew: Fisher Saison
• Style: Saison
• Serving: 32 ounce crowler
• ABV: 4.0%
• Pour: The Fisher Saison pours a very cloudy pear yellow with a bubbly and frothy 1-finger head with good sustain and soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, malty, and slightly tart.  There are notes of lemon zest and juice, Chardonnay, Belgian yeast, a hint of barnyard funk, soft banana, pink bubblegum, and light hops.
• Taste: Following the nose, the flavor of the Fisher Saison is characterized by notes of Chardonnay, pear juice, lemon, soft banana, very light bubblegum, Belgian yeast, and light hops and grains.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Fisher Saison is crisp and refreshing with a dry, slightly tart finish.

Overall pairing: The complex, yet very drinkable Fisher Saison is a great brew for a mellow evening and equally great for the intricate and wonderfully melodic harmonies of Toto's sadly overlooking and brilliant "Hydra"! 

Cheers!!