December 10th, 2020 - Rock On And RyeOn Mikey!!

 

Hey there rockers, rollers, and craft beer lovers!  The Meista here boogieing down with a pairing of Humble Pie's kick-ass and classic "Rock On" and a RyeOn Mikey Rye Pale Ale from Fisher Brewing Company!  As the beer is a celebration of the Utah Beer Blog*, this pairing goes out to the ultimate beer blogging man himself, Mikey Riedel... cheers my brother!!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Humble Pie
• Title: "Rock On"
• Recorded: January 1971 at Olympic Studios, London, England
  Release date: March 1971 (4th studio album by Humble Pie)
• Record company: A&M
• Production: Glyn Johns and Humble Pie
• Album cover art: John Kelly
• Personnel: B.J. Cole (pedal steel guitar), Peter Frampton (guitar, vocals, and keyboards), Steve Marriott (guitar, vocals, keyboards, harmonica), Greg Ridley (bass, guitar, and vocals), Jerry Shirley (drums and piano)
• Additional musicians: Bobby Keyes (saxophone), Alexis Korner (vocals), and The Soul Sisters (backing vocals)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy blues rock with elements of R&B, soul, and honky tonk
• Sound: Raw, ballsy, raunchy, heavy, and bold, "Rock On" by Humble Pie is a monster of an album!  The guitar work alone on "Stone Cold Fever" will melt your face!  Combine that with Marriott's amazing vocals, the swinging drums of Shirley, and the soulful backing vocals... man this album just grooves!  And of course, Frampton lays down some killer licks and vocals on "Shine On"!
• Major themes: Rock and roll, drinking, life, rebellion, sex, lust, love, loss, booze, hard-living, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Shine On"
2. "Sour Grain"
3. "79th And Sunset"
4. "Stone Cold Fever"
5. "Rollin' Stone"
6. "A Song For Jenny"
7. "The Light"
8. "Big George"
9. "Strange Days"
10. "Red Neck Jump"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Fisher Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.fisherbeer.com//
• Brew: RyeOn Mikey
• Style: Rye Pale Ale 
• Serving: 32 ounce crowler can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Pour: The RyeOn Mikey pours a deep golden-bronze amber with a creamy, 2-finger off-white head with good retention and lots of sticky, intricate spider web lacing.
• Nose: The nose is hoppy, dank, spicy, and malty.  There are notes of doughy rye bread, black pepper, pine resin, cedar, a hint of onion, light lemon zest, a hint of burnt toffee, and toasty malts.
• Taste: The taste follows the nose with lots of hoppy, malty, spicy, and earthy flavors.  There are big notes of peppery rye, pine, light onion, black tea, and bitter herbs with more subtle notes of crackery biscuit, freshly baked rye bread, and just a hint of burnt toffee.   
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp and spicy with a dry, bitter finish.

Overall pairing:  The bold rockin' power of Humble Pie's amazing "Rock On" deserves nothing less than a big, bold, punchy, and complex brew... and the Rye On, Mikey has just the right depth and spicy hop punch to make an afternoon/evening of rockin' with Marriott and the boys just about perfect! 

*From Fisher's Facebook page: "For the past 15 years, Mikey Riedel, author of the @utahbeerblog, has studiously and soberly spent each and every Thursday scouring Zion's breweries for the latest batches of brew. What he finds then ends up on his website's 'New Beer Friday' column. Riedel's rye sense of humor and positive attitude are always welcome at Fisher. To honor Riedel's 15-year birthday, he asked us to collaborate with him on a Rye Pale Ale. The result, RyeOn Mikey, is a true West-Coast style pale; bitter and highly aromatic with a punch of pine and spice. We even ran the wort over 15 pounds of Amarillo hop flowers on the way to the fermenter, which gives the beer a depth that few pale ales possess. Grab some of this beer and toast to another 15 years of Utah beer news from Mikey, who says he's had flat luck monetizing his preferred brand of news, but that it keeps him in beer. A portion of all sales from this beer will be donated to the @utahfoodbank. Cheers to 15 years Mikey!"

Cheers!!  Rock on!!