January 10th, 2020 - Bidding A Sad Farewell To A King... With The Help Of A Big Bad Baptist

It is with a heavy heart that I post this pairing today... the classic brilliance of "A Farewell To Kings" by the mighty Rush and a Big Bad Baptist Hazelnut Vanilla Latte from Epic Brewing Company.  This pairing is of course dedicated to the memory of the amazing Neil Peart... rest in power Professor!

Album Info:

• Artist: Rush
• Title: "A Farewell To Kings"
• Recorded: June 1977 at Rockfield Studios in South Wales
• Release date: September 1st, 1977 (5th studio album by Rush)
• Record company: Anthem / Mercury
• Production: Rush and Terry Brown
• Album cover art: Hugh Syme
• Personnel: Geddy Lee (vocals, bass and twelve-string guitar, Minimoog, and bass pedal synthesizers), Alex Lifeson (electric and acoustic six- and twelve-string guitars, classical guitar, and bass pedal synthesizers), and Neil Peart (drums, orchestra bells, wind chimes, bell tree, vibraslap, triangle, tubular bells, and temple blocks)
• Musical style: Hard rock, progressive rock
• Sound: "A Farwell To Kings" is a blend of superb musicianship, exceptional songwriting, and artistic integrity.  This is without a doubt one of my all-time favorite albums... it is pure genius!!  "Xanadu" man... wow, freakin' "Xanadu"!!  
• Major themes: With songs about space travel and black holes, politics, and mythology, themes on "A Farwell To Kings" include the pursuit of knowledge, self-realization, corruption, hope, compassion, threats to freedom, artistry, creativity, journeys into the unknown, life, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "A Farewell To Kings"
2. "Xanadu"
3. "Closer To The Heart"
4. "Cinderella Man"
5. "Madrigal"
6. "Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Epic Brewing Company (Denver, Colorado)
• Website: https://www.epicbrewing.com/
• Brew: Big Bad Baptist Hazelnut Vanilla Latte
• Style: Imperial Stout
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 10.1%
• Pour: The Big Bad Baptist Hazelnut Vanilla Latte pours an opaque deep, dense dark chocolate brown (almost a coal black) with a firm, foamy, and creamy 1-finger, dark mocha head with great sustain and intricate and sticky lacing throughout.
• Nose: The nose is very aromatic... earthy, boozy, slightly sweet, and very chocolatey.  There are notes of semi-sweet dark chocolate, dark roasted coffee, roasted malts, oak, molasses, light licorice, tobacco, bourbon, vanilla bean, fresh cream, a hint of soy sauce, and burnt toffee.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste is characterized by rich and boozy bourbon, silky vanilla, crème Brule, baker's dark chocolate, milk chocolate, cocoa, molasses, toffee, fresh cream, roasted malt, marshmallow, and espresso.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with very low carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Big Bad Baptist Hazelnut Vanilla Latte is thick, chewy, creamy, and velvety with a boozy, very dry, and slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: Those bold, earthy, rich, bitter, and complex flavors of the wonderfully delicious Big Bad Baptist Hazelnut Vanilla Latte compliment the brilliance and depth of this legendary album!  I love big Imperial Stouts and "A Farwell To Kings" brings me unlimited amounts of joy!  And the two together?   Perfection!  The brew is also much needed with the news of Mr. Peart's untimely passing.

Peace.