January 24th, 2021 - I'm Craving WT4 And MD.45

 

Hello hop-heads, rockers, thrashers, and punks!  The Meista here pairing a WT4 from The Shop Beer Co. in collaboration with the Wandering Tortoise!  Hell yeah!  A big thank you to Todd G. for this delicious brew... cheers buddy!!

Album Info:

• Artist: MD.45
• Title: "The Craving"
• Recorded: 1996 at Vintage Recorders in Phoenix, Arizona and at Fat Planet Studio "A" in Van Nuys, California 
• Release date: July 23rd, 1996 (1st and only full-length studio album by MD.45
• Record company: Slab Records / Capitol Records
• Production: Dave Mustaine 
• Album cover art: Dave McRobb 
• Personnel: Jimmy DeGrasso (drums and percussion), Kelly Lemieux (bass), Dave Mustaine (guitars), Lee Ving (vocals and harmonica) 
• Musical style: Thrash metal, heavy metal, punk rock
• Sound: Combining elements of thrash metal and punk rock, MD.45 was a side project for Mustaine (Megadeth) and Ving (Fear).  The sound on "The Craving" is indicative of that classic Megadeth sound... especially with Mustaine's guitar tone and fiery riffs, but with the almost bluesy punk vocal style of Ving.  As with all of his projects, DeGrasso is a powerhouse of a drummer and Lemieux does a great job laying down a heavy bass foundation!  I really, really wish they would have done a follow-up album!
• Major themes: Society, politics, the record industry, hatred, anger, rebellion, rock and roll, etc.
• Tracks:  
1. "Hell's Motel"
2. "Day The Music Died"
3. "Fight Hate"
4. "Designer Behavior"
5. "The Creed"
6. "My Town"
7. "Voices"
8. "Nothing Is Something"
9. "Hearts Will Bleed"
10. "No Pain"
11. "Road Man"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: The Shop Beer Co. (Tempe, Arizona) in collaboration with the Wandering Tortoise (Phoenix, Arizona)
• Website: https://www.theshop.beer/ 
• Brew: WT4 Hazy IPA
• Style: New England India Pale Ale (NEIPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 6.5% 
• Ingredients: Galaxy, Idaho 7, Calypso hops
• Pour: The WT4 pours a very hazy, bright yellow-gold hue with a frothy, 2+ finger, bright white head with great retention and lots of intricate, sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, tropical, floral, and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of grapefruit rind, tangerine, pineapple, mango, wild flowers, a hint of pine resin, and soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste follows the nose with lots of citrusy, fruity, and floral hop flavors.  There are notes of pink grapefruit, orange, tangerine, lemon zest, mango, grassy hops, sweet biscuit, caramel, and a little pine as well.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the WT4 is rather crisp, juicy, and smooth with a dry, fairly clean finish.
• Notes: The WT4 was brewed in celebration of the Wandering Tortoise's 4th anniversary this past year.

Overall pairing: The juicy, crisp citrus punch of the WT4 Hazy IPA go great with the punky/thrashing tracks on MD.45's "The Craving"!  The bright hops are a great companion to Mustaine's fiery guitar tone while the sweeter fruit and malt notes go great with Ving's vocals.   'Nuff said!  

Cheers!!