April 18th, 2024 - Cruising the Sonic Highways of Taste Master with a Triple Dry Hopped Hazy IPA in Hand

 

Hello and happy Thursday rockers and hopheads!  I was recently a guest on the Taste Masters podcast, where we chatted about this page, Brews and Tunes, as well as beers, music, and life in general.  During the show, David Jimenez, the host of Taste Masters and head brewer of Kiitos Brewing Company talked about one of his favorite albums, "Sonic Highways" by the Foo Fighters and how it is kind of a theme album for his podcast.  As such, today I'm pairing the kick-ass "Sonic Highways" by Foo Fighters and a tasty Triple Dry Hopped Hazy IPA from Kiitos Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!  This pairing is dedicated to David Jimenez... cheers brother!! 

Album Info:

• Artist: Foo Fighters
• Title: "Sonic Highways"
• Recorded: September 2013 through July 2014 at Electrical Audio in Chicago, Illinois, Inner Ear Studios in Arlington County, Virginia, Southern Ground Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, Studio 6A in Austin, Texas, Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California. Preservation Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana, Robert Lang Studios in Seattle, Washington, and The Magic Shop in New York City, New York
• Release date: November 10th, 2014 (8th studio album by the Foo Fighters)
• Record company: Roswell Records / RCA
• Production: Butch Vig and Foo Fighters
• Album cover art: Stephan Martiniere (illustration) and Morning Breath, Inc. (art direction and design) 
• Personnel: Dave Grohl (lead vocals, backing vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, cymbals, and EBow on "Subterranean"), Taylor Hawkins (drums and backing vocals), Nate Mendel (bass), Chris Shiflett (lead guitar and backing vocals), and Pat Smear (rhythm and lead guitar)
• Additional musicians: Mark Braud (trumpet on "In the Clear"), Zac Brown ("devil pickin'" and backing vocals on "Congregation"), Gary Clark, Jr. (lead guitar on "What Did I Do? / God As My Witness"), Charlie Gabriel (clarinet on "In The Clear"), Ben Gibbard (backing vocals on "Subterranean"), Chris Goss (backing vocals on "Outside"), Drew Hester (percussion on "Congregation" and tambourine on "What Did I Do? / God As My Witness" and "I Am A River"), Ben Jaffe (tuba on "In the Clear"), Rami Jaffee (clavinet, organ, Mellotron, piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, and backing vocals on "In The Clear" and "space keys" on "I Am A River"), Ronell Johnson (tuba and backing vocals on "In The Clear"), Barrett Jones (EBow on "Subterranean"), Freddie Lonzo (trombone on "In the Clear"), Los Angeles Youth Orchestra (strings on "I Am A River"), Clint Maedgen (saxophone and backing vocals on "In the Clear"), Rick Nielsen (baritone guitar on "Something From Nothing"), Jim Rota (backing vocals on "In the Clear"), Peter Stahl (backing vocals on "The Feast and the Famine"), Skeeter Thompson (backing vocals on "The Feast and the Famine"), Tony Visconti (string arrangement on "I Am a River"), Joe Walsh (lead guitar on "Outside"), and Kristeen Young (backing vocals on "I Am A River")
• Music style: Hard rock, rock and roll, alternative rock, post grunge, power pop with elements of R&B, the blues, and Americana
• Sound: Richly textured, upbeat, and fun as hell, "Sonic Highways" is a testament to the talent, drive, depth, and musical prowess of the mighty Foo Fighters.  Of the album, Grohol stated: "This album is instantly recognizable as a Foo Fighters record, but there's something deeper and more musical to it.  I think that these cities and these people influenced us to stretch out and explore new territory, without losing our ‘sound’."
• Major themes: Introspection, life, music, passion, rebellion, love, friendship, distance, journeys, etc.
• Notes: Grohl traveled to eight different cities across the United States to conduct interviews with musicians, recording engineers, record producers, and other industry luminaries, discussing each city's musical history, which he used as inspiration for the songs' lyrics, musical themes, and overall sound.  The band traveled to the eight cities to record each song with guest musicians from those cities.
• Tracks: 

1. "Something For Nothing"
2. "The Feast And The Famine"
3. "Congregation"
4. "What Did I Do? / God As My Witness"
5. "Outside"
6. "In The Clear"
7. "Subterranean"
8. "I Am A River"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Kiitos Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://kiitosbrewing.com/
• Brew: Triple Dry Hopped Hazy IPA
• Style: New England India Pale Ale (NEIPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0% 
• Pour: The Triple Dry Hopped Hazy IPA pours a very cloudy, bright orange-yellow with a creamy, 2+finger white head with great retention and lots of soapy lacing throughout.
• Nose: The nose is earthy, dank, fruity, and slightly sweet.  There are aromas of orange juice, orange zest, tangerine, freshly cut pineapple, pine resin, grapefruit rind, flowery soap, crackery malt, and light caramel.
• Taste: The taste of the Triple Dry Hopped Hazy IPA is fruity, citrusy, and herbal.  There are notes of orange juice, grapefruit juice, tangerine, pineapple, peach, mango, light melon, light pine, floral and grassy hops, and light caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Triple Dry Hopped Hazy IPA is crisp, sharp, and piney with a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The hop-forward, very refreshing, and crushability of the Kiitos Triple Dry Hopped Hazy IPA is perfect for the rock and roll punch of the mighty Foo Fighters!  Those bright, fruity flavors go great with the fiery guitars while the hop notes and malty backbone go great with the themes, honesty, and overall feel of the songs!

Make sure to check out Taste Masters here: https://tastemastersdrink.com/

Kippis!!  HAILS!

*Photo of the Kiitos Triple Dry Hopped Hazy IPA by Mikey from the Utah Beer Blog