March 30th, 2020 - I May Not Still Be The Bees Knees And I May Be Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll, But I'm Still Too Young To Die!

Good evening!  The Meista here tonight with the wife rocking out to the wonderful and very underrated "Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll: Too Young To Die!" by Jethro Tull and a Bees Knees Honey Wheat Ale from Roosters Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Jethro Tull
• Title: "Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll: Too Young To Die!"
• Recorded: November 1975 through January 1976
• Release date: April 23rd, 1976 (9th studio album by Jethro Tull) 
• Record company: Chrysalis
• Production: Ian Anderson
• Album cover art: Michael Farrell and David Gibbons
• Personnel: Ian Anderson (lead vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, harmonica, and additional electric guitar and percussion), Barriemore Barlow (drums and percussion), Martin Barre (electric guitars), John Evan (piano and keyboards), and John Glascock (bass guitar and backing vocals)
• Additional musicians: Angela Allen (backing vocals), Dee Palmer (saxophone, piano, and orchestral arrangements), and Maddy Prior (backing vocals)
• Musical style: Progressive rock, hard rock, pop rock, folk rock, blues rock
• Sound: Returning to the more straightforward, yet still progressive rock sound found on their early '70s albums, with "Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll: Too Young To Die!", Jethro Tull further established their importance as a thoughtful, sarcastic, humorous, and incredibly talented band!
• Major themes: A concept album about an ageing rocker by the name of Ray Lomas, themes on the album include ageing, rock and roll, loneliness, depression, changing musical trends, rebellion,  resilience, change, etc.  Of the title track, Ian Anderson recently stated: "it’s a kind of anthemic cheering-on of people who stick to their cultural roots. It’s not political. It was written to describe a person who is an old rocker (or biker) and he was wed to that way when I suppose he was an aspiring teenager and a young adult on a motorcycle and in a black leather jacket and he dreamed of being Marlon Brando and James Dean. It was about a culture, about people who have their clothes, their music, and their way of celebrating life on the open road. It’s kind of triumphal in the sense that you have someone who says, 'Yeah, what the hell. I know what I like. This is me.'”
• Tracks:   

1. "Quizz Kid"
2. "Crazed Institution"
3. "Salamander"
4. "Taxi Grab"
5. "From A Dead Beat To An Old Greaser"
6. "Bad-Eyed And Loveless"
7. "Big Dipper"
8. "Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll: Too Young To Die!"
9. "Pied Piper"
10. "The Chequered Flag: Dead Or Alive"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Roosters Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: http://www.roostersbrewingco.com/
• Brew: Bees Knees Honey Wheat Ale
• Style:  American Wheat Ale
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0% 
• Ingredients: Malted White Wheat and clover honey
• Pour: The Bees Knees pours a hazy, golden ochre hue with an  eggshell-white, half-finger, frothy head with good retention and soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is bready, doughy, earthy, and sweet.  There are aromas of clove honey, toasted bread, lemon zest, and light caramel. 
• Taste: The taste of the Bees Knees is sweet, bready, toasty, and malty.  There are notes of crackery biscuit, freshly baked wheat bread, sweet and earthy honey, hints of lemon, and light caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp and sweet with a dry, clean, slightly sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The crushable, very drinkable tastiness of Bees Knees Honey Wheat Ale is perfect for a Friday afternoon of rocking out to the insanely unique and brilliant music of Jethro Tull!  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!