March 26th, 2023 - Grand Adventures In Utopia

 

Hello and happy Sunday my friends!  The Meista here today with a pairing of the wonderful "Adventures In Utopia" by Utopia and a crisp and tasty Moab The Grand Imperial Pilsner from Moab Brewery!  

Album Info:

• Artist: Utopia
• Title: "Adventures In Utopia"
• Recorded: 1979 at Utopia Sound Studios
• Release date: December 27th, 1979 (4th studio album by Utopia)
• Record company: Bearsville Records
• Production: Todd Rundgren and Utopia 
• Album cover art: Bob Lampel (photography), Jamison Goodman (photography), and Todd Rundgren (concept and design)
• Personnel: Roger Powell (keyboards, trumpet, and lead and backing vocals), Todd Rundgren (electric guitars, and lead and backing vocals), Kasim Sulton (bass, electric piano, and lead and backing vocals), and Willie Wilco (drums, and lead and backing vocals)
• Musical style: Progressive rock, pop/rock with hints of disco and new wave
• Sound: With a unique and interesting blend of progressive rock, pop, new wave, and disco, with "Adventures In Utopia", the Rundgren led Utopia created a sonic journey that is both compelling and entertaining.  There are many great hooks, melodies, and passages.
• Major themes: Life, relationships, journeys, utopia, freedom, etc.
• Notes: According to Todd Rundgren, the "Adventures In Utopia" album was intended to be a soundtrack for a television show the band was going to produce.  However, they never got around to writing the show.
• Tracks:  

1. "The Road To Utopia"
2. "You Make Me Crazy"
3. "Second Nature"
4. "Set Me Free"
5. "Caravan"
6. "Last Of The New Wave Riders"
7. "Shot In The Dark"
8. "The Very Last Time"
9. "Love Alone"
10. "Rock Love"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Moab Brewery (Moab, Utah)
• Website: http://www.themoabbrewery.com/
• Brew: Moab The Grand Imperial Pilsner 
• Style: American-style Imperial Pilsner
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 8.0%
• IBUs: 30
• Ingredients: Pilsen malts and Enigma hops
• Pour: The Moab The Grand pours a clear, golden-yellow with a half-finger, bright white, bubbly head with good retention and sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is grainy, grassy, slightly fruity, and slightly boozy.  There are aromas of crackery biscuit, cracked wheat, freshly cut hay, summer grass, light lemon zest, light apple, a hint of booze, and a touch of honey.
• Taste: The taste of the Moab The Grand follows the nose with lots of grainy, grassy, and slightly fruity flavors.  There are notes of doughy sourdough bread, Pilsner malt, grassy hops, lemon zest, a hint of apple, light booze in the finish, and a hint of honey.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with good carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Moab The Grand is very crisp and smooth with a dry, clean finish.

Overall pairing: The Moab The Grand is a bold and complex, yet very crushable brew... great to pair with the progressive rock and roll stylings of the wonderfully unique and underrated Utopia!  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!