April 10th, 2020 - Carrying Fire For Delmar

Hello and happy Friday!  Your drinking pal the Meista here today getting the weekend of right with a pairing of Robert Plant's brilliant album, "Carry Fire" and a very tasty Delmar Imperial Stout from TF Brewing!

Album Info:

• Artist: Robert Plant
• Title: "Carry Fire"
• Recorded: 2017 at The Attic Studio in Bristol; The Bee Barn in Bala; Billy Fuller's Home Studio in Bristol; Black Earth Studios in Bath; Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire, England; Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales
• Release date: October 13th, 2017 (11th solo studio album by Robert Plant)
• Record company: Nonesuch Records / Warner Bros.
• Production: Robert Plant
• Album cover art: Mads Perch
• Personnel: Robert Plant (vocals) with The Sensational Space Shifters: Justin Adams (guitars), John Baggott (keyboards), Billy Fuller (bass guitar), Dave Smith (drums), and Liam "Skin" Tyson (guitars)
• Additional musicians: Redi Hasa (cello), Chrissie Hynde (vocals on "Bluebirds Over The Mountain"), and Seth Lakeman (viola and fiddle)
• Musical style: Americana, folk rock, blues rock, with Eastern influence
• Sound: Timeless, organic, and warm, the sound on "Carry Fire" is wonderfully engaging.  It is a richly textured pageantry of  heart-felt, honest tracks that conjure a sense of agelessness. 
• Major themes: Life, death, relationships, love, knowledge, truth, honesty, spirituality, mysticism, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "The May Queen"
2. "New World..."
3. "Season's Song"
4. "Dance With You Tonight"
5. "Carving Up The World Again... A Wall And Not A Fence"
6. "A Way With Words"
7. "Carry Fire"
8. "Bones Of Saints"
9. "Keep It Hid"
10. "Bluebirds Over The Mountain"
11. "Heaven Sent"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: TF Brewing (Salt Lake City, Utah) 
• Website: https://www.tfbrewing.com/
• Brew: Delmar Imperial Stout
• Style: Imperial Stout
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 11.5%
• Pour: The Delmar pours a very black (ink black) with a huge, billowing, creamy light mocha head with great retention and lots of sticky, intricate lacing.
• Nose: The nose is earthy, chocolaty, rich, and malty.  There are aromas of freshly ground dark roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate, cocoa, heavily roasted malts, cream, light bourbon, and burnt toffee.
• Taste: The taste is characterized by rich, earthy, malty, slightly boozy flavors.  There are big notes of baker's dark chocolate, espresso, molasses, hearty dark breads, caramel, burnt toffee, and a hint of booze.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel is thick, creamy, and velvety with a very dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The rich, malty, and inviting aromas and flavors of TF's Delmar Imperial Stout is perfect for the richly textured, folksy depth, complexities, and beauty found on Robert Plant's fantastic "Carry Fire"!  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!