May 19th, 2017 - There's Nothing Wrong With A Cluster Fuggle

Hello!  The Meista here trying to get caught up with some old pairings I meant to post several months ago, but forgot about.  Today's pairing is a Cluster Fuggle California Common Beer from Desert Edge Brewery and Built To Spill's "There's Nothing Wrong With Love"!

Album Info:

• Artist: Built To Spill
• Title: "There's Nothing Wrong With Love"
• Recorded: May 1994 through June 1994
  Release date: September 13th, 1994 (2nd full-length studio album by Built To Spill)
• Record company: Up Records
• Production: Phil Ek
• Album cover art: Chris Takino
• Personnel: Andy Capps (drums), Doug Martsch (guitar and vocals), and Brett Nelson (bass)
• Additional musicians: Eric Akre (percussion on "Source" and "Twin Falls"), Phil Ek (spoken word on "Preview"), Wayne Rhino Flower (guitar on "Big Dipper" and bass guitar on "Cleo"), John McMahon (cello on "Fling" and "Stab"), Luke W. Midkiff (piano and keyboards), Chad Shaver (guitar on "Preview"), and Gretchen Yanover (cello on "Car")
• Musical style: Indie rock, post punk, alternative rock, power pop
• Sound: Bouncy and poppy, the sound on Built To Spill's sophomore album "There's Nothing Wrong With Love" is well-crafted and harmonious indie rock that helped define the genre's sound in the early 1990s.  Often overlooked by more radio-friendly bands of the time, Built To Spill's sound is simple, straightforward, and very artistic.
• Major themes: Life, existence, relationships, love, desire, friendship, knowledge, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "In The Morning"
2. "Reasons"
3. "Big Dipper"
4. "Car"
5. "Fling"
6. "Cleo"
7. "The Source"
8. "Twin Falls"
9. "Some"
10. "Distopian Dream Girl"
11. "Israel's Song"
12. "Stab"
13. "Preview" (unlisted track)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Desert Edge Brewery (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://desertedgebrewery.com/
• Brew: Cluster Fuggle
• Style: California Common (Steam) Beer
• Serving: Pint glass off the tap
• ABV: 4.0%
• IBUs: 35
• Ingredients: Pale, Dark Munich, CaraMunich, Crystal 45, and Honey malts, Cluster Fuggle hops, and Lager yeast fermented warm
• Pour: It pours a very cloudy copper with a big, billowy 2-finger, bright white head that dissipates to a thin ring with layered lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by toasted malts and citrus.  There are aromas of toasted bread, light and sweet grains, caramel, honey, tangerine, and orange zest.
• Taste: Very well-balanced, the taste is bready, sweet, citrusy, slightly bitter, and toasty.  There are notes of bready grains, floral hops, tangerine, light grapefruit, toffee, and honey.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is smooth and crisp with a clean, dry, and slightly bitter finish.
• Note: Sadly, this brew is no longer offered... at least for now.

Overall pairing: The sweet and malty smooth flavors of Desert Edge's Cluster Fuggle is perfect for the straight-forward, honest, mellow, and rocking depth of Built To Spill's great and very underrated "There's Nothing Wrong With Love"!   The more subtle bitter hop notes work really well with the hints of sadness in some of the lyrics.

Cheers!!