June 10th, 2017 - Balancing On The Top Rope

Good evening!  The Meista here today pairing a delicious Top Rope Rye Ale from Deseret Edge Brewery and the very underrated and very wonderful "Balance" by Ty Tabor!


Album Info:

• Artist: Ty Tabor
• Title: "Balance"
• Recorded: 2008 at  Alien Beans Studios in Katy, Texas 
• Release date: 2008 (6th studio solo album by Ty Tabor)
• Record company: Molken Music
• Production: Ty Tabor and Wally Farkas
• Album cover art: Sketch Media Group
• Personnel: Ty Tabor (vocals, guitars, bass, programming, keys, and drums) with Alan Doss (pedal steel on "Coma"), Wally Farkas (acoustic and electric guitar on "Thank God"), and Randy St. John (drums)
• Musical style: Hard rock, progressive rock
• Sound: Highlighting Tabor's exceptional guitar prowess as well as his great sense of melody and songwriting skills, the sound on "Balance" has a dark and brooding feel with powerful heaviness and melodic beauty!  
• Major themes: Socio-political criticism of greed, advertising, and deception, as well as themes of honesty, pain, loss, hope, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Money Mouth"
2. "Cause We Believed (Blame It)"
3. "Don't Bring Me Down"
4. "Good That Way"
5. "Everything Changed"
6. "Angry Monster"
7. "Coma"
8. "My Own Superstition"
9. "Maybe Crazy"
10. "Thank God"
11. "I'm OK With You"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Desert Edge Brewery (Salt Lake City, Utah) 
• Website: http://desertedgebrewery.com/
• Brew: Top Rope Rye Ale                 
• Style: Rye Ale
• Serving: Pint off the tap at the brewery
• ABV: 4.0%
• IBUs: 27
• Ingredients: Pale, Vienna, Rye, Biscuit, and Chocolate Rye malts with Northern Brewer and Perle hops
• Pour: The Top Rope Rye Ale pours a light copper-amber hue with a frothy 1+ finger white head with great sustain and lots of intricate and layered lacing.
• Nose: The nose is bready, spicy, and slightly hoppy.  There are aromas of spicy rye bread, bready dough, and light grass hops.
• Taste: The taste of the Top Rope Rye Ale is characterized by low hops and bitterness, sweet malts, and spicy, but light rye flavor.  There are notes of  light grains, spicy rye, herbs, and semi-sweet caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Top Rope Rye Ale is very smooth with a slightly spicy and dry finish.

Overall pairing: The fantastically subtle and very tasty Top Rope Rye Ale from Desert Edge Brewery brings just the right amount of rye spice, sweet malt, and light hop flavors and aromas to pair perfectly with Ty Tabor's brilliant album "Balance"!  A great beer and album to kick back and enjoy on a Saturday afternoon!

Cheers!