April 8th, 2020 - Hopslammed By Permanent Waves

Good evening!  The Meista here with another rockin' craft ale and music pairing for you my friends.  Tonight I'm going with one of my all-time favorite albums, "Permanent Waves" by Rush and a Hopslam Ale from Bell's Brewery!  This pairing goes out to my friends Jason and Sonia... thanks for the beer!!  Cheers buddies!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Rush
• Title: "Permanent Waves"
• Recorded: September through October 1979 at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec, Canada
• Release date: January 1st, 1980 (7th studio album by Rush)
• Record company: Anthem Records
• Production: Rush and Terry Brown
• Album cover art: Hugh Syme
• Personnel: Geddy Lee (vocals, bass guitar,Oberheim polyphonic synthesizer, Minimoog synthesizer, Taurus pedal synthesizer, and Oberheim OB-1 synthesizer), Alex Lifeson (electric and acoustic six- and twelve-string guitars, and Taurus pedals), and Neil Peart (drums, timpani, timbales, orchestra bells, tubular bells, wind chimes, bell tree, triangle, and crotales)
• Additional musicians: Hugh Syme (piano)
• Musical style: Progressive rock/metal, hard rock... with a touch of reggae
• Sound: Musically, "Permanent Waves" is a significant departure from their earlier work.  Gone are the epic conceptual pieces.  Instead, Rush focused on a more radio-friendly style with accessible hooks and melodies, but at the same time not losing their artistic integrity.  The album also found Rush experimenting more with reggae beats and electronics.  For me, "Permanent Waves" is simply brilliant... every track is a perfect gem in itself!
• Major themes: Music, freedom, knowledge, honesty, life, science, culture, energy, etc.  Bassist, keyboardist, vocalist Geddy Lee was stated that the album's title refers to "a theory that was going [within the band] about, like, culture waves; and there was a night when Neil [Peart] said that a big album was like a permanent wave and I told him, 'that's our title.'"
• Notes: With two of their biggest hit songs ("The Spirit Of Radio" and "Freewill"), the album was the first for the band to break the top 5 in the U.S.  It was also the band's 5th gold (eventually platinum) album.
• Tracks:   

1. "Spirit Of The Radio"
2.  "Freewill"
3. "Jacob's Ladder"
4. "Entre Nous"
5. "Different Strings"
6. "Natural Science"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Bell's Brewery (Kalamazoo, Michigan)
• Website: http://www.bellsbeer.com/
• Brew: Hopslam IPA
• Style: Double India Pale Ale (DIPA) / Imperial IPA (IIPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 10.0%
• Pour: The  pours a slightly hazy, golden-orange hue with a creamy, 1-finger, bright white head with great sustain and sticky, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, earthy, floral, herbal, and sweet.  There are notes of grapefruit rind, orange peel, tangerine, light pine resin, wild flowers, herbal tea, sweet biscuit, toffee, and sweet honey.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste is characterized by citrusy, malty, and sweet flavors. There are notes of orange, tangerine, pink grapefruit juice, grassy hops, black tea, light pine, toasted bread, and honey.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Hopslam IPA is crisp, yet chewy with a slightly sweet, dry finish with lingering bitterness.

Overall pairing: Those bold, citrusy, sweet, bitter, and complex flavors of the Hopslam IPA compliment the brilliance and depth of Rush perfectly!  

Cheers!