December 14th, 2022 - The Isolation Of The Bauernhaus

 

Good evening rockers, rollers, and craft beer fans, and happy Wednesday!  The Meista here tonight with a pairing of Toto's fantastic 5th album, "Isolation" and a tasty and crisp Bauernhaus Pilsner from T.F. Brewing Company!

Album Info:

• Artist: Toto
• Title: "Isolation"
• Recorded: 1984
• Release date: October 18th, 1984 (5th studio album by Toto)
• Record company: Columbia Records / Legacy Records
• Production: Toto
• Album cover art: Robert Kopecky (illustration) and Bill Murphy (art direction and design)
• Personnel: Fergie Frederiksen (lead and backing vocals), Steve Lukather (guitars, backing vocals, and lead vocals on "How Does It Feel"), David Paich (keyboards, orchestral arrangements, backing vocals, and lead vocals on "Stranger In Town" and "Holyanna"), Jeff Porcaro (drums and percussion), Mike Porcaro (bass guitar), and Steve Porcaro (keyboards and electronic sounds)
• Additional musicians: Lenny Castro (congas and percussion), Mike Cotten (additional synthesizers), Chuck Findley (trumpet), Jerry Hey (trumpet and horn arrangements), James Newton Howard (orchestral arrangements and conductor), Tom Kelly (backing vocals), Bobby Kimball (backing vocals), Gene Morford (backing vocals), Richard Page (backing vocals), Marty Paich (conductor), Joe Porcaro (percussion), Tom Scott (saxophone), and The London Symphony Orchestra
• Musical style: Pop rock, hard rock with elements of R&B
• Sound: An insanely underrated album, the sound on "Tambu" is wonderfully bluesy, richly textured, and simply put... brilliant!  Lukather's guitar work alone is worth every penny!
• Major themes: Relationships, love, lust, life, danger, loss, isolation, rebellion, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Carmen"
2. "Lion"
3. "Stranger In Town"
4. "Angel Don't Cry"
5. "How Does It Feel"
6. "Endless"
7. "Isolation"
8. "Mr. Friendly"
9. "Change Of Heart"
10. "Holyanna"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: T.F. Brewing (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.tfbrewing.com/ 
• Brew: Bauernhaus Pilsner
• Style: German-style Foeder-aged Pilsner 
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• Ingredients: Czech Saaz and Hallertau Mittlefreu hops and Spelt malts, and aged in Missouri White Oak Foeders
• Pour: The Bauernhaus Pilsner pours a clear, golden yellow with a frothy and billow 1+ finger, bright white head with great retention and lots of sticky, sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is grainy, toasty, biscuity, grassy, woody, and slightly fruity.  There are aromas of toasted bread, herbal hops, wildflowers, light apple, and cedar.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Bauernhaus Pilsner is characterized by grainy, herbal, and grassy flavors. There are notes of fresh bread, cereal grains, crackery biscuit, grassy and herbal hops, light cedar, and light eucalyptus.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Bauernhaus Pilsner is smooth and crisp with a dry, clean finish with low bitterness. 

Overall pairing: T.F.'s Bauernhaus Pilsner is a crisp, very drinkable and flavorful ale... a good companion to the punchy approach and overall musical prowess of Toto!  Those bready notes go great with the intricate guitar work and bass work, while the grassy and herbal hops and light bitterness go great with the more aggressive passages! 

Cheers!!