July 28, 2017 - Taking A Hopscrusion To Find The Source

Hello and happy Friday!  The Meista here today pairing a delicious Hopscrusion Brett IPA from Uinta Brewing Company and wonderfully amazing "The Source" from Ayreon!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Ayreon
• Title: "The Source"
• Recorded: 2016 through 2017 at the Electric Castle in the Netherlands
• Release date: April 28th, 2017 (9th studio album by Ayreon)
• Record company: Mascot Label Group
• Production: Arjen Anthony Lucassen
• Album cover art: Yann Souetre
• Personnel: Arjen Anthony Lucassen (electric and acoustic guitars, bass guitar, mandolin, synthesizers, Hammond, Solina Strings, and all other instruments) with Russell Allen (vocals), Marcel Coenen (guitar), Michael Eriksen (vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitar), Jeroen Goossens (flute and other wind instruments), Guthrie Govan (guitar), Floor Jansen (vocals), Tommy Karevik (vocals), Mark Kelly (synthesizer), Hansi Kürsch (vocals), James LaBrie (vocals), Mike Mills (vocals), Ben Mathot (violin), Maaike Petersen (cello), Tommy Rogers (vocals), Nils K. Rue (vocals), Tobias Sammet (vocals), Simone Simons (vocals), Joost van den Broek (piano), Ed Warby (drums), and Zaher Zorgati (vocals)
• Additional vocalists: Jan Willem Ketelaars, Will Shaw, Lisette van den Berg, and Wilmer Waarbroek
• Musical style: Progressive metal/rock, power metal, symphonic metal, hard rock with elements of folk, electronica, experimental and classical music
• Sound: Incredibly powerful, complex, and mesmerizing, the sound on Ayreon's "The Source" is hard to describe... in a word BRILLIANT!  There are so many amazing elements, voices, musicians!  
• Major themes: "The Source" is a rock opera concept album and the prequel to the "01011001" album that describes the origins of the Forever, an alien race that created humanity.  Themes include survival, the misguided reliance on electronics, ecological and political decay and corruption, chaos, war, deception, inner strength, hope, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "The Day That the World Breaks Down"
2. "Sea Of Machines"
3. "Everybody Dies"
4. "Star of Sirrah"
5. "All That Was"
6. "Run! Apocalypse! Run!"
7. "Condemned To Live"
8. "Aquatic Race"
9. "The Dream Dissolves"
10. "Deathcry Of A Race"
11. "Into The Ocean"
12. "Bay Of Dreams"
13. "Planet Y Is Alive!"
14. "The Source Will Flow"
15. "Journey To Forever"
16. "The Human Compulsion"
17. "March Of The Machines"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Uinta Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.uintabrewing.com/
• Brew: Hopscrusion Brett IPA
• Style: India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 25 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.5%
• IBUs: 70
• Ingredients: 2 Row, Wheat, and Munic malts with Calypso, El Dorado, Lemon Drop, and Simcoe hops, and Brettanomyces. 
• Pour: The Hopscrusion pours a very cloudy and murky candied pear yellow with a billowy, 2+ finger white head with good retention and lots of intricate spider web lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a wonderful blend of tropical fruit, citrus, floral hops, and funk.  There are aromas of mango, pineapple, kiwi, guava, gooseberry, grapefruit rind, tangerine, hop flowers, pine resin, some barnyard funk, leather, and light grains.
• Taste: Like the nose, the taste is funky, fruity, citrusy, and malty.  There are notes of fuzzy kiwi, peach, mango, pineapple, grapefruit juice, tangerine, lemon zest, pine, funk, light grains, and a hint of caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, slightly tart, and punchy with a little biting bitterness and a dry finish.

Overall pairing: The bold, complex, and punchy flavors of Uinta's wonderful Hopscrusion Brett IPA is great for the bombast and sci-fi brilliance of "The Source"!  The intricate flavors of the brew are great for all the mind-blowingly awesome guest singers and musicians and how well attuned they are to one another, the songwriting, and storyline!  I cannot get enough of this album... I highly recommend both the brew and the album!!

HAILS!!  PROST!!