November 7th, 2020 - Wildflowers, Experimental India Pale Ale, & All The Rest

Good afternoon!  Your drinkin' pal the Meista here today pairing a 2020 Experimental India Pale Ale from Upslope Brewing Company and "Wildflowers & All The Rest" from the late, great Tom Petty! 

Album Info: 

• Artist: Tom Petty
• Title: "Wildflowers & All The Rest"
• Recorded: July 20th, 1992 through April 29th, 1994 at Sound City and Ocean Way Recording in Los Angeles, California
• Original release date: November 1st, 1994 / re-leased as box set in 2020 with "All The Rest" (2nd studio solo album by Tom Petty)
• Record company: Warner Bros. Records 
• Production: Rick Rubin, Tom Petty, and Mike Campbell
• Album cover art: Martyn Atkins
• Personnel: Tom Petty (12-string guitar, 6-string guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, harmonica, piano, Hammond organ, and lead and backing vocals)
• Additional musicians: Mike Campbell (6-string guitar, 12-string guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, bass guitar, harpsichord, and coral sitar), Lenny Castro (percussion), Howie Epstein (backing vocals, bass guitar on "You Wreck Me", "Honey Bee", and "Cabin Down Below"), Steve Ferrone (drums on all tracks except "To Find A Friend"), Brandon Fields (saxophone on "House In The Woods"), Greg Herbig (saxophone on "House In The Woods"), Jim Horn (saxophone on "House In The Woods"), Kim Hutchcroft (saxophone on "House In The Woods"), Phil Jones (percussion on "You Wreck Me" and "Cabin Down Below"), Michael Kamen (orchestra conductor), John Pierce (bass guitar on "Hard On Me"), Marty Rifkin (pedal steel guitar on "House In The Woods"), Ringo Starr (drums on "To Find A Friend"), Benmont Tench (harmonium, piano, Hammond organ, mellotron, orchestron, and zenon), and Carl Wilson (backing vocals on "Honey Bee")
• Musical style: Rock, pop, heartland/folk rock, the blues
• Sound: Characterized by upbeat rhythms, honest and heartfelt lyrics, and Tom's unique voice, the sound on "Wildflowers & All The Rest" is pure Tom Petty... such a joy to hear!
• Major themes: Life, relationships, love, loss, the blues, music, nature, etc. 
• Tracks:   

1. "Wildflowers"
2. "You Don't Know How It Feels"
3. "Time To Move On"
4. "You Wreck Me"
5. "It's Good To Be King"
6. "Only A Broken Heart"
7. "Honey Bee"
8. "Don't Fade On Me"
9. "Hard On Me"
10. "Cabin Down Below"
11. "To Find A Friend"
12. "A Higher Place"
13. "House In The Woods"
14. "Crawling Back To You"
15. "Wake Up Time"
16. "Something Could Happen"
17. "Leave Virginia Alone"
18. "Climb That Hill Blues"
19. "Confusion Wheel"
20. "California"
21. "Harry Green"
22. "Hope You Never"
23. "Somewhere Under Heaven"
24. "Climb That Hill"
25. "Hung Up And Overdue"

 Brew Info:

• Brewery: Upslope Brewing Company (Boulder, Colorado)
• Website: https://www.upslopebrewing.com/
• Brew: 2020 Experimental India Pale Ale
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 6.5% 
• IBUs: 54
• Ingredients: Nelson Sauvin, Strata, and Sabro hops, with Orange Blossom Honey 
• Pour: The 2020 Experimental India Pale Ale pours a hazy, bright golden yellow hue with a frothy, 1-finger, white head with good sustain and lots of intricate lacing throughout.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by lots of citrus, tropical fruit, floral, and sweet honey notes.  There are aromas of clementine, tangerine, mango, white grape, wild flowers, honey, and light caramel.
• Taste: The taste is citrusy, sweet, earthy, and malty.  There are notes of orange, pink grapefruit, tangerine, mango, light grape juice, herbal tea, sweet honey, and caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Experimental India Pale Ale is very crisp and juicy with a semi-dry and slightly bitter, but clean finish.

Overall pairing: The 2020 Experimental India Pale Ale from Upslope Brewing Company is very hop-forward, drinkable, crisp, sweet, and juicy brew that goes down easy... perfect for the beautifully textured and heartfelt tracks on "Wildflowers & All The Rest"!  'Nuff Said!  

Cheers!!  Rock on!!