July 8th, 2021 - Tales From The Forests Of Unicorn Farts?!

 

Good evening!  The Meista is here tonight pairing "Tales From The Emerald Sword Saga", a compilation album by Italian symphonic power metal band Rhapsody and a Sour Me Unicorn Farts from DuClaw Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Rhapsody
• Title: "Tales From The Emerald Sword Saga"
• Recorded: April 1997 through January 2002 at multiple studios
• Release date: March 1, 2004
• Record company: Limb Music
• Production: Sascha Paeth, Miro, and  Michael Rodenberg
• Album cover art: Eric Philippe
• Personnel: Daniele Carbonera (drums), Alex Holzwarth (drums), Fabio Lione (lead vocals), Alessandro Lotta (bass), Sascha Paeth (bass, acoustic guitars, and mandolin) Alex Staropoli (keyboards), Luca Turilli (guitars)
• Musical style: Symphonic power metal, folk metal 
• Sound: Bombastic, cinematic, and intricate, the music of Rhapsody is a powerful and symphonic assault.  Lione's vocals are a wonderful soaring range as is Turilli's amazing guitar acrobatics!  And Staropoli's keyboards are both richly baroque and fantastically modern!  And the drumming is machine-gun fire explosiveness!
• Major themes: Fantasy themes and stories revolving around sword and sorcery, mythical beasts, valiant warriors, the battle of good and evil, power and might, and the bard's tale.
• Notes: "Tales From The Emerald Sword Saga" is a compilation album with tracks from the band's first 6 albums: "Legendary Tales", "Emerald Sword", "Symphony Of Enchanted Lands", "Dawn Of Victory", "Rain Of A Thousand Flames," and "Power Of The Dragonflame".
• Tracks:   

1. "Warrior Of Ice"
2. "Rage Of The Winter (Symphonic Version)"
3. "Forest Of Unicorns"
4. "Land Of Immortals (Remake)"
5. "Emerald Sword"
6. "Wisdom Of The Kings"
7. "Wings Of Destiny"
8. "Riding The Winds Of Eternity (Edit)"
9. "Dawn Of Victory"
10. "Holy Thunderforce (Remix)"
11. "Village Of Dwarves"
12. "Rain Of A Thousand Flames"
13. "Knightrider Of Doom"
14. "March Of The Swordmaster"
15. "Power Of The Dragonflame"
16. "Lamento Eroico"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: DuClaw Brewing Company ()
• Website: https://duclaw.com/ 
• Brew: Sour Me Unicorn Farts
• Style: American Wild Ale / Glittered Sour Ale
• Serving: 16 ounce can 
• ABV: 5.5%
• IBUs: 10
• Ingredients: Tettnang hops and Pilsner, Light Wheat, and Torrified Wheat malts 
• Pour: The Sour Me Unicorn Farts pours a bright golden-orange with sparkly swirls of edible glitter with a thin, bright white head that dissipates quickly leaving only a thin ring and only trace lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by fruity sweetness and lemony tartness.  There are aromas of citrusy zest along with fresh cherries, tangerine, and lime zest with a little barnyard funk and .
• Taste: The taste of the Sour Me Unicorn Farts is tart and sweet with a character.  There are notes of lemon juice, pomegranate, tart cherry juice, tangerine, lime juice, Fruity Pebbles cereal, and a hint of malty caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp and tart with a dry, but lingering sour finish.

Overall pairing: The wonderfully tart and sweet Sour Me Unicorn Farts makes for a great companion to the fantastically bombastic symphonic power that is Rhapsody's "Tales From The Emerald Sword Saga"!  The interesting aromas and tastes found in the Sour Me Unicorn Farts work really well with the rich tapestry that Rhapsody weaves!

Salute!