October 6th, 2023 - Your Soul... An Extraterrestrial UFO

 

Hello and happy Friday rockers, rollers, and hop heads!  Today, I present to you an epic pairing from beyond the stars!  The Meista here pairing the very amazing "Extraterrestrial Live" album by the mighty Blue Öyster Cult (BÖC) and a tasty and juicy Your Soul, A UFO Double Dry Hopped Double India Pale Ale from the fine folks at Illuminated Brew Works!!  

Album Info:

• Artist: Blue Öyster Cult
• Title: "Extraterrestrial Live"
• Recorded: 1980 through 1981 at various venues during the "Black & Blue" and "Fire Of Unkown Origin" US tours
• Release date: April 19th, 1982 (3rd live album by BÖC)
• Record company: Columbia Records
• Production: Sandy Pearlman and George Geranios
• Album cover art: Greg Scott 
• Personnel: Eric Bloom (vocals, stun guitar, and keyboards), Albert Bouchard (drums), Joe Bouchard (bass guitar and vocals), Rick Downey (drums), Allen Lanier (keyboards and guitars), and Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (lead guitars and vocals), 
• Guest musician: Robby Krieger (guitar on "Roadhouse Blues")
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal, pop rock
• Sound: Hard rockin' and wonderfully diverse, this album presents some of their very best tracks recorded live.  The performances are powerful and highlight the band's wonderful talent in a live setting... great hooks, melodies, harmonies, and solos.  Every track is complex, yet engaging, and fun as hell!
• Major themes: Life, death, music, violence, secrets, lust, vengeance, evil, the occult, fantasy, sci-fi, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Dominance And Submission"
2. "Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll"
3. "Dr. Music"
4. "The Red And The Black"
5. "Joan Crawford"
6. "Burnin' For You"
7. "Roadhouse Blues" (The Doors cover)
8. "Black Blade"
9. "Hot Rails To Hell"
10. "Godzilla"
11. "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars"
12. "E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence"
13. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Illuminated Brew Works (Chicago, Illinois)
• Website: https://www.ibw-chicago.com/
• Brew: Your Soul, A UFO Double Dry Hopped Double India Pale Ale 
• Style: Double India Pale Ale (DIPA) / Imperial IPA
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 7.77%
• Ingredients: Motueka, Hallertau Blanc & Luminosa hops 
• Pour: The Your Soul, A UFO pours the color of a fresh squeezed orange juice, the very hazy brew displays a frothy and creamy, bright white, 2+ finger head with great retention and lots of sticky, sudsy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a nice balance of big, citrusy, and tropical aromatic punch with sweeter malts, there are notes of orange juice, candied orange peel, grapefruit, tangerine, stone fruit (peach and apricot), lime peel, mango, guava, and sweet caramel/toffee. 
• Taste: With loads of juicy citrus and tropical fruit flavors, the Your Soul, A UFO is characterized by notes of orange juice, tangerine, pink grapefruit juice, mango, papaya, guava, peach, berry, hints of white wine, and a well-balanced and semi-sweet malt backbone. 
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, juicy, yet smooth and creamy with a dry, slightly sweet and boozy finish.

Overall pairing: The citrusy and juicy, yet dangerously crushable the Your Soul, A UFO Double Dry Hopped Double India Pale Ale is perfect for the rockin' heavy rock punch of BÖC's brilliant "Extraterrestrial Live"!  Those fruity flavors coupled with the sweet and citrusy notes go great with Buck's electrifying guitar work, and the power of the bass and drums!  'Nuff said!

And if you haven't done so already, check out my interview with former BÖC member, Albert Bouchard here: https://youtu.be/iSjthzODqRo

Cheers and hails!!