November 23rd, 2023 - Books with Maps to Colossal Claude's Whereabouts

 

Hello and happy Thanksgiving craft beer freaks and my metal and hard rock brethren!  The Meista here today with another killer pairing for ya... I'm pairing The Fae's kickass "Books With Maps, Vol. I: A Midsummer Night" and a bold and punchy Colossal Claude Imperial India Pale Ale from Rogue Ales!  Hell yeah!

Album Info: 

• Artist: The Fae
• Title: "Books With Maps, Vol. I: A Midsummer Night"
• Recorded: 2022
• Release date: August 26th, 2022 (1st full-length studio album by The Fae)
• Record company: Glory or Death Records
• Production: Jeff Potts and Nico Staub
• Album cover art: Ian Moersen 
• Personnel: Emma Calle (drums), Jeff Potts (guitars, keyboards, organ, and lead and backing vocals), and Nico Staub (bass, organ, percussion, additional guitars, and backing vocals)
• Guest musicians: Nathan Baglyos (vocals on "Der Erlkönig"), Joe Cambra (backing vocals), Oskar Karst (trumpet and flute), and Ben Mottsman (piano on "Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to…)")
• Musical style: Hard rock, folk rock, stoner rock
• Sound: Blending straight-forward traditional hard rock (with influence from Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Queen, etc.) with folk rock elements, and neo-classical metal, the sound on "Books With Maps, Vol. I: A Midsummer Night" is richly textured, '70s style, rockin' goodness!  Potts' guitars soar over a thundering tapestry of heavy hitting rhythms!
• Major themes: Mythology, fantasy, paganism, magic, rock, life, joy, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Satyrs & Scherzos (Quaerendo Invenietis)"
2. "Faerie Rock"
3. "A Corner of Avalon"
4. "Alguien Más en Quien Confiar"
5. "A Song for Severian"
6. "Der Erlkönig"
7. "Death on Two Legs (Dedicated to…)"
8. "The Singer and the Seven, pts. 1 & 2"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Rogue Ales
• Website: http://www.rogue.com/
• Brew: Colossal Claude Imperial India Pale Ale
• Style: Imperial India Pale Ale (IIPA)
• Serving: 19 ounce can
• ABV: 8.2%
• IBUs: 75 
• Ingredients: Superior Pills, 2-Row, Wheat, Oats, and C-15 malts with, Cascade, Chinook, Belma™, Eureka, Strata™ hops, and Pacman yeast 
• Pour: The Colossal Claude Imperial India Pale Ale pours a hazy, golden yellow hue with a frothy, half-finger, eggshell white head with great sustain and lot of layered and intricate soapy lacing throughout.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by lots of tropical fruit and citrus aromas along with bold malty notes.  There are big aromas of melon, orange peel, tangerine, grapefruit rind, mango, pineapple, barley, and sweet caramel.
• Taste: The taste of the Colossal Claude Imperial India Pale Ale follows the nose with lots of citrus and tropical fruit flavors along with sweet malts and hints of booze.  There are notes of juicy cantaloupe, orange juice and pith, tangerine, pink grapefruit juice, hints of mango, herbal tea, a hint of vanilla, barley, biscuit, and sweet caramel/toffee.
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the Colossal Claude Imperial India Pale Ale is crisp, smooth, and refreshing, yet hearty with a slightly bitter and dry finish.

Overall pairing: Rogue's Colossal Claude Imperial India Pale Ale's bold and intricate flavors and aromas go so great with the complex yet rocking good time of The Fae's killer full-length album, "Books With Maps, Vol. I: A Midsummer Night"!  The fiery and soaring guitar work of Potts shines even brighter with the sweeter notes of the brew, while that heavy duty malt backbone is great for the thunderous drumming and intricate bass work!

And make sure to check out my interview with Jeff Potts here: https://youtu.be/W4s_RXLMIqo 

Cheers and hails!!