April 29th, 2023 - The Gravity Of My Moon Trips

 

Hello rockers, rollers, and craft brew fans!!  Happy Saturday!  The Meista here today pairing a tasty Moon Trips NE-Style Hazy IPA from the fine folks at Revision Brewing Company and the wonderful "Gravity" album by a favorite of mine, NWOBHM legends Praying Mantis!  Hells yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Praying Mantis
• Title: "Gravity"
• Recorded: 2018 at various studios in England and the Netherlands
• Release date: May 11th, 2018 (10th studio album by Praying Mantis)
• Record company: Frontiers Music
• Production: Andy Burgess and Tino Troy
• Album cover art: Rodney Matthews
• Personnel: Andy Burgess (guitars, keyboards, and backing vocals), John "Jaycee" Cuijpers (lead and backing vocals), Hans in’t Zandt (drums and percussion), Chris Troy (bass, keyboards, and lead and backing vocals), Tino Troy (guitars, keyboards, and backing vocals)
• Guest musician: Jean-Pierre Kerkhofs (piano)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal
• Sound: A wonderful rich and intricately textured album, at times it is soft and warm, and at times angry, aggressive, and decisive.  There are elements of metal, progressive rock, and AOR all tightly and masterfully woven into a fantastically engrossing and heavy tapestry!
• Major themes: Life, death, music, rock and roll, knowledge, the past, loss, hope, good vs. evil, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "Keep It Alive"
2. "Mantis Anthem"
3. "Time Can Heal"
4. "39 Years"
5. "Gravity"
6. "Ghosts Of The Past"
7. "Destiny In Motion"
8. "The Last Summer"
9. "Foreign Affair"
10. "Shadow Of Love"
11. ""Final Destination"
12. 
    

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Revision Brewing Company (Sparks, Nevada)
• Website: https://revisionbrewing.com/
• Brew: Moon Trips NE-Style Hazy India Pale Ale
• Style: New England-Style Hazy India Pale Ale (NEIPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 6.7%
• IBUs: 38
• Ingredients: Oats, barley, and Motueka™, Mosaic®, Cashmere, and Centennial hops
• Pour: The Moon Trips pours a very cloudy golden-yellow with a frothy, bright white, 1-finger head with good retention and lots of sudsy, sticky lacing.
• Nose: The nose is very citrusy, fruity, and floral.  There are aromas of mango, tangerine, passion fruit, lime, lemon zest, light pineapple, herbal tea, wildflowers, and sweet caramel/toffee.
• Taste: Hop-forward, the taste of the Moon Trips is citrusy, fruity, bright, and malty.  There are notes of tangerine, passion fruit, orange juice, lime, pink grapefruit juice, mango, pineapple, guava, a hint of pine, sweet tea, and sweet caramel/toffee.  
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp and very juicy, yet creamy and smooth with a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The Revision Moon Trips NE-Style Hazy IPA is a complex, hoppy, bold, and aggressive brew... the perfect mate to the beautifully crafted brilliance that is Praying Mantis's "Gravity"!  The sweeter flavors go great with the lyrics and themes, while the hoppy punch goes great with the more aggressive elements of the album.

And if you haven't done so already, check out my interview with vocalist John "Jaycee" Cuijpers (https://youtu.be/kV9hG_Pdes8) and guitarist Tino Troy (https://youtu.be/sf7ZBkI3foI)!

Cheers!!