June 13th, 2018 - Bite Down Hard On The Mangoveza!

Good evening rockers, rollers, and hop lovers!  The Meista here tonight pairing a Mangoveza Tropical Mango India Pale Ale from Latitude 33 and "Bite Down Hard", the classic sophomore album of Jo Jo Gunne!

Album Info:

• Artist: Jo Jo Gunne
• Title: "Bite Down Hard"
• Recorded: 1973 at the Record Plant North in Sausalito, California
• Release date: 1973 (2nd album by Jo Jo Gunne)
• Record company: Asylum Records
• Production: Bill Szymczyk
• Album cover art: Lorrie Sullivan (photography) and Pacific Eye And Ear (design) 
• Personnel: Matt Andes (guitar and backing vocals), Jay Ferguson (lead vocals and keyboards), Jimmie Randall (bass and backing vocals), and William "Curly" Smith (drums and backing vocals)
• Musical style: Hard rock, rock and roll, boogie rock, power pop
• Sound: Reminiscent of his work with Spirit, with "Bite Down Hard", Ferguson's writing is all about hard pop rock and roll!  The melodies are catchy, punchy, and well-crafted!  And Andes tears it up on the guitar!
• Major themes: Rock and roll, love, desire, , etc. 
• Tracks:   

1. "Ready Freddy"
2. "Roll Over Me"
3. "60 Minutes To Go"
4. "Rock Around The Symbol"
5. "Broken Down Man"
6. "Special Situations"
7. "Take Me Down Easy"
8. "Wait A Lifetime"
9. "Rhoda"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Latitude 33 Brewing Company (Vista, California)
• Website: http://lat33brew.com/
• Brew: Mangoveza 
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 7.2% 
• IBUs: 64
• Pour: The Mangoveza pours a murky caramel apple-gold with a 1+ finger, frothy, egg-shell white head with good sustain and lots of soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is very fruity, citrusy.   There are aromas of tropical fruits (mango, guava, kiwi, pineapple, and papaya), citrus (pink grapefruit rind, tangerine, and lemon zest), caramel, malt, and spicy peppers.
• Taste: The taste of the Mangoveza is fruity, citrusy, malty, and spicy.  There are flavors of sweet mango, guava, pineapple, pink grapefruit juice, tangerine, caramel malt, and spicy habanero.
• Mouthfeel: Medium in body and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp, slightly bitter, and dry with a spicy finish. 

Overall pairing:  The punchy, fruity, and spicy notes of the Mangoveza from Latitude 33 Brewing Company is a great summer brew... perfect for the rockin' punch of the very underrated "Bite Down Hard" by Jo Jo Gunne!

Cheers!!