August 16th, 2018 - The Singular Logic Of Crystals

Good evening rockers and craft brew lovers!  The Meista here with a pairing dedicated to the memory of legendary rocker Mark "The Shark" Shelton, who passed away last month.  Tonight I'm pairing SaltFire Brewing Company's A Series Of Singularities: Vic Secret Single Hop IPA and Manilla Road's classic "Crystal Logic" album!

Album Info:

• Artist: Manilla Road
• Title: "Crystal Logic"
• Recorded: April through June 1983 at Miller Studio in North Newton, Kansas
• Release date: December 1983 (3rd studio album by Manilla Road)
• Record company: Black Dragon Records / Iron Glory Records
• Production: Mark Mazur
• Album cover art: Cinda Hughes 
• Personnel: Rick Fisher (drums, percussion, and backing vocals), Scott Park (bass), and Mark Shelton (guitars and lead vocals)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal
• Sound: With influence from the NWOBHM (particularly Angel Witch and Iron Maiden) and Black Sabbath, Manilla Road's "Crystal Logic" saw the band going in a more heavy metal direction from their earlier progressive vibe.  What really stands out on this album for me is Shelton's flawless guitar attack!  It is heavy, pure, organic, and wonderfully aggressive!
• Major themes: Mythology, fantasy, heavy metal, good vs. evil, darkness, death, vengeance, sword and sorcery, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Prologue"
2. "Necropolis"
3. "Crystal Logic"
4. "Feeling Free Again"
5. "The Riddle Master"
6. "The Ram"
7. "The Veils Of Negative Existence"
8. "Dreams Of Eschaton/Epilogue"
9. "Flaming Metal System" (bonus track)

Brew Info:

• Brewery: SaltFire Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.saltfirebrewing.com/
• Brew: A Series Of Singularities: Vic Secret Single Hop IPA
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)  
• Serving: 16 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.9%
• Ingredients: Vic Secret hops
• Pour: The Vic Secret Single Hop IPA pours a slightly hazy and very effervescent golden yellow with a creamy and frothy 2-finger, bright white head with good retention and sudsy, intricate lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a blend of mellow, vegetal, grassy, minerally, and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of summer grass, hay, mineral water, and just a hint of wild flowers. 
• Taste: The taste of the Vic Secret Single Hop IPA is bitter, herbal, minerally, and grainy.  There are notes of pine resin, fresh herbs, grapefruit rind, pale malt, sourdough bread, and Saltines.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Vic Secret Single Hop IPA is somewhat sharp and slightly astringent initially, but also fairly smooth with a bitter, dry finish.
• Notes: The beauty of a single hop IPA is that you get to really explore the qualities and characteristics of that one hop.  And SaltFire purposely goes fairly light on the malts so the hop really shines through!

Overall pairing: SaltFire's Vic Secret Single Hop IPA is a biting, punchy, and bitter IPA... perfect for the wonderful hard rock musical explosion of Manilla Road's amazing and complex "Crystal Logic"!  Those bitter notes go great with Shelton's unique vocals and dark lyrics!

Cheers!!  Rock on!!