February 24th, 2024 - Keeping it Alive with a Duvel Tripel Hop Citra

 

Hello rockers, rollers, and craft brew fans!!  Happy Saturday!  The Meista here today pairing a tasty Duvel Tripel Hop Citra from the fine folks at Duvel Moortgat Brewery and the wonderful live album, "Keep It Alive" by a favorite of mine, NWOBHM legends Praying Mantis!  Hells yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Praying Mantis
• Title: "Keep It Alive"
• Recorded: April 28, 2018 at the Frontiers Rock Festival V at the Live Music Club Trezzo in Milan, Italy
• Release date: December 6th, 2019 (3rd live album by Praying Mantis)
• Record company: King Record Company / Frontiers Music SRL
• Production: Andy Burgess and Tino Troy
• Album cover art: Roberto Villani (photography)
• 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)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy metal
• Sound: A wonderful rich and intricately textured live 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: Good vs. evil, rock and roll, dreams, valor, the passing of time, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "Captured City"
2. "Panic In The Streets"
3. "Highway"
4. "Believable"
5. "Keep It Alive"
6. "Mantis Anthem"
7. "Dream On"
8. "Fight For Your Honor"
9. "Time Slipping Away"
10. "Children Of The Earth"
11. "Praying Mantis"
12. 
    

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Duvel Moortgat Brewery (Breendonk, Belgium)
• Website: https://www.duvelmoortgat.com/
• Brew: Duvel Tripel Hop Citra
• Style: Belgian Blonde India Pale Ale (IPA) 
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 9.5%
• IBUs: 40
• Ingredients: Saaz-Saaz, Styrian Golding, and Citra hops
• Pour: The Duvel Tripel Hop Citra pours a somewhat cloudy golden yellow hue with a very frothy, bright white, soft and fluffy 2+ finger head with good retention and lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrusy, fruity, yeasty, floral, grainy, and slightly boozy notes.  There are aromas of Belgian yeast, orange peel and pith, grapefruit rind, lemon zest, lime, light pear or apple juice, a hint of cloves, wildflowers, sourdough bread, bright grains, and a hint of honey.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Duvel Tripel Hop Citra is citrusy, fruity, slightly spicy, and malty.  There are notes of tangerine, lemon zest, orange zest, grapefruit juice, Belgian spices, Belgian yeast, light apple, pear, a hint of booze, and light clover honey. 
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is very crisp, hoppy, and exceptionally smooth with a dry, slightly bitter and boozy finish.

Overall pairing: The Duvel Tripel Hop Citra is a complex, hoppy, bold, and aggressive brew... the perfect mate to the beautifully crafted brilliance that is Praying Mantis's "Keep It Alive"!  The sweeter flavors go great with the soaring guitars, Jaycee's wonderful vocals, and 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 interviews with Praying Mantis vocalist John "Jaycee" Cuijpers (https://youtu.be/kV9hG_Pdes8) and guitarist Tino Troy (https://youtu.be/sf7ZBkI3foI) from a while back!

Cheers!!  Rock on!!