January 15th, 2023 - IV & VII XXV XVII

 

Hello and happy Sunday my rocking and beer drinking friends!  The Meista here with another pairing for ya!  This one is with Toto's quintessential album "IV" and a dangerously tasty VII XXV XVII Wheatwine Ale from the fine folks at Level Crossing Brewing Company!  Hells yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Toto
• Title: "IV"
• Recorded: October 1981 through January 1982 at Sunset Sound and Record One in Los Angeles, California, Hogg Manor in Sherwood Oaks, California, and Abbey Road in London, England
• Release date: March 26th, 1982 (4th studio album by Toto)
• Record company: Columbia Records
• Production: Toto
• Album cover art: Steve Porcaro (concept) and Joe Spencer (artwork)
• Personnel: David Hungate (bass and guitars), Bobby Kimball (lead and backing vocals), Steve Lukather (guitars, piano, and lead and backing vocals), David Paich (keyboards, orchestral arrangements, and lead and backing vocals), Jeff Porcaro (drums and percussion), and Steve Porcaro (keyboards, and lead and backing vocals)
• Additional musicians: Lenny Castro (congas and percussion), Ralph Dyck (synthesizers), Gary Grant (trumpet), Jerry Hey (trumpet and horn arrangements), Jim Horn (saxophone), Tom Kelly (backing vocals), Roger Linn (synthesizer programming), James Newton Howard (orchestral arrangements), Marty Paich (orchestral arrangements), Jimmy Pankow (trombone), Joe Porcaro (percussion, xylophone, timpani, and marimba), Mike Porcaro (cello), Timothy B. Schmidt (backing vocals), Tom Scott (saxophone), Jon Smith (saxophone), and the Martyn Ford Orchestra (strings)
• Musical style: Progressive rock, hard rock, pop rock, funk rock, R&B
• Sound: What can be said that hasn't already about this wonderful album?  It defined not only the band, but a generation!  It swings, it rocks, it's funky, it's just plain fun as hell!
• Major themes: Love, loss, relationships, courage, desire, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "Rosanna"
2. "Make Believe"
3. "I Won't Hold You Back"
4. "Good For You"
5. "It's A Feeling"
6. "Afraid Of Love"
7. "Lovers In The Night"
8. "We Made It"
9. "Waiting For Your Love"
10. "Africa"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Level Crossing Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.levelcrossingbrewing.com/
• Brew: VII XXV XVII Wheatwine Ale
• Style: American wheat wine
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 10.5%
• Pour: The VII XXV XVII Wheatwine Ale pours a slightly hazy, copper-amber with a billowy, off-white head with great retention and soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by sweet, malty, fruity, and hoppy aromas.  There are notes of cracked wheat, lemon zest, dark fruits (raisins, figs, and dates), sweet caramel/toffee, and butterscotch.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the VII XXV XVII Wheatwine Ale is a blend of sweet and resinous flavors.  There are notes of caramel, sweet malt, herbal tea, lemon juice and zest, orange pith, lemon drops candy, bitter hops, dark fruits, and a bit of an alcohol burn in the finish.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is somewhat syrupy with a dry, bitter, and boozy finish.

Overall pairing: The Level Crossing VII XXV XVII Wheatwine Ale is wonderfully complex and bold with a hearty backbone and loads of intense flavors that go great with the pop rock sensibilities of Toto's classic "IV" album!  Those sweeter flavors go well with the soaring guitars of Lukather, Kimbal's vocals, and the bass riffs while the boozy bite is right in line with the intense drumming of Porcaro, and the bitterness is great with lyrical content!

Cheers!!