July 14th, 2019 - A Magical Mystery Tour With The Walrus... "Goo Goo G'joob"

"And now for something completely different..."  Hello friends!  The Meista here today pairing The Walrus Imperial IPA from Roadhouse Brewing Company and "Magical Mystery Tour" by The Beatles!  This pairing goes out to my friends Sonia and Jason... thanks for another delicious beer guys... cheers!

Album Info:

• Artist: The Beatles
• Title: "Magical Mystery Tour" double EP
• Recorded: April 25th through November 7th, 1967 at EMI Studios, Olympic Sound Studios, and Chappell Sound Studios in London, England
• Release date: November 27th, 1967 (9th studio album by The Beatles)
• Record company: Capitol Records
• Production: Sir George Martin
• Album cover art: John Van Hamersveld
• Personnel: George Harrison ( lead, slide, and acoustic, guitars, Hammond organ, swarmandal, violin, harmonica, and backing and harmony vocals), John Lennon (rhythm and acoustic guitars; acoustic and electric pianos, mellotron, Hammond organ, clavioline, harpsichord, banjo, harmonica, Jew's harp, and lead, backing, and harmony vocals), Paul McCartney (acoustic and bass guitar, piano, mellotron, harmonium, recorder and penny whistle, and lead, backing, and harmony vocals), and Ringo Starr (drums, percussion, and backing vocals)
• Additional musicians: Neil Aspinall (percussion), Leo Birnbaum (viola), Eric Bowie (violin), Frank Clarke (double bass), Roy Copestake (trumpet), Jack Ellory (flute), Ralph Elman (violin), Jack Emblow (accordion), Ken Essex (viola), Mal Evens (percussion), Eldon Fox (cello), Jack Greene (violin), Peter Halling (cello), Jack Holmes (violin), Don Honeywill (saxophone), Elgar Howarth (trumpet), John Jezzard (violin), Brian Martin (cello), George Martin (piano), David Mason (trumpet and piccolo trumpet), Andrew McGee (violin), Morris Miller (horn), Dick Morgan (English horn), Rex Morris (saxophone), Jack Richards (violin), Lionel Ross (cello), Jack Rothstein (violin), Neil Sanders (horn), Sidney Sax (violin), Henry Spain (horn), Louis Stevens (violin), Christopher Taylor (flute), Richard Taylor (flute), Tony Turnstall (horn), Evan Watkins (horn), Terry Weil (cello), John Wilbraham (trumpet), Mike Winfield (English horn), and Stanley Woods (trumpet)
• Backing vocal choir on "All You Need Is Love": Jane Asher, Eric Clapton, Hunter Davies, Marianne Faithful, Pattie Boyd Harrison, Mick Jagger, Gary Leeds, Mike McCartney, Keith Moon, Graham and Rose Eccles Nash, Keith Richards, and Maureen Starkey
• Musical style: Rock and roll, pop, folk rock, blues rock, psychedelic rock, avant-garde rock
• Sound: I wouldn't even know where to start... this album is musical joy!  It is simply wonderful from beginning to end and is very much a definitive album of my childhood and adulthood!  In a word, BRILLIANT!
• Major themes: A concept album of sorts, themes include adventure, magic, drugs, love, music, life, joy, etc.
• Notes: The first side of "Magical Mystery Tour" is the soundtrack to the television special of the same name.  The second side of the album consists of various singles that had never been released in an album format.  The Beatles were actually not very happy about this, as they thought the songs should stand alone as singles, especially because they had nothing to do with the television special.  In a 1968 interview, John Lennon stated: "It's not an album, you see. It turned into an album over here, but it was just the music from the film."
• Tracks:   

1. "Magical Mystery Tour"
2. "The Fool On The Hill"
3. "Flying"
4. "Blue Jay Way"
5. "Your Mother Should Know"
6. "I Am The Walrus"
7. "Hello, Goodbye"
8. "Strawberry Fields Forever"
9. "Penny Lane"
10. "Baby, You're A Rich Man"
11. "All You Need Is Love"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Roadhouse Brewing Company (Jackson Hole, Wyoming)
• Website: http://roadhousebrewery.com/
• Brew: The Walrus Imperial IPA
• Style: Imperial India Pale Ale (IIPA) / Double IPA (DIPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 8.3%
• Ingredients: IIPA brewed with peaches and tangerines
• Pour: The Walrus pours a bright, hazy golden-yellow with a foamy 1-finger, bright white head with good retention and lots of sticky, intricate lacing
• Nose: The nose is fruity (citrus, stone, and tropical), yet dank with more subtle malt sweetness.  There are aromas of grapefruit rind, tangerine, peach, mango, pineapple, honeydew melon, very light onion, black tea, and soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste of The Walrus is characterized by tropical fruit, citrus, stone fruit, and malty flavors.  There are notes of pineapple, tangerine, peach, pink grapefruit, mango, herbal tea, light pepper, and light toffee/caramel.    
• Mouthfeel: Full to medium in body with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of The Walrus is very crisp and juicy, yet somewhat thick and sticky with a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The Walrus Imperial IPA from Roadhouse Brewing Company is very bold, yet drinkable, very crisp, very bright, and very delicious brew... perfect for kicking back with The Beatles on a lazy, hot Sunday afternoon!

Cheers!!