March 15th, 2013 - A Muddy Porter Or You Gonna Need My Help Drinkin' That Rogue?

Something smooth and slow to send you off to bed tonight from the Meista.  I'm closing this evening with a pairing of Muddy Waters' 1964 album "Folk Singer" and a Rogue Ales Mocha Porter.

The fourth, full-length album released by McKinley Morganfield (better known as Muddy Waters) on Chess Records, "Folk Singer" is a wonderfully rich and heartfelt album... in fact, it is pure genius in my humble opinion.  Apart from the uptempo cover of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" and "Short Dress Woman" by J.T. Brown, Waters' "Folk Singer" is a slower, acoustic outing for this blues legend.  The lyrics are raw, heartfelt, and honest.  The musicianship is inspired and absolute perfection...  just check out this lineup: Muddy Waters (vocals/guitar), Buddy Guy (guitar), Sammy Lawhorn (guitar), Willie Dixon (bass), Otis Spann (harmonica/piano), Clifton James (drums), and J.T. Brown (tenor sax/clarinet), among others.  That's blues royalty right there for ya folks!  With songs like opener "My Home Is In The Delta," the slow moaning "Long Distance," the bitter "Cold Weather Blues," the very sexy "Big Leg Woman," the honest "Feel Like Going Home," the powerful "My John The Conquerer Root," the mellow "Country Boy," and finale, "Put Me In Your Lay Away," Muddy Waters quite simply slays the listener.  If you have any love for the blues and you don't own this album, GO GET IT!!

There are some decent porters out there, there are some good porters out there, and there some exceptional porters... the Rogue Mocha Porter fits into that latter category.  Silky smooth, rich and chocolaty, and like slow molasses, this porter is liquid blues.  It pours almost ink black with a frothy, tan head that leaves the glass coated in doily lacing.  The nose is rich soil, Irish whiskey, and oak.  Full-bodied with mellow carbonation, the mouthfeel is like drinking the Mighty Mississippi.  The flavor is porter perfection... notes of bitter-sweet dark chocolate, black coffee, subtle notes of liquid smoke, baked bread, and very slight sweet fruit abound.  Thick and velvety, this one is a great sipper and goes down nice and slow... so very right for losing yourself in the heartfelt despair and bluesy beauty of Muddy's voice and his  12-bar finger picking. 

A good night to you friends... sleep well.  More pairings for you soon... and we've got some real heavy shit coming your way (both in the brews and the tunes)!  :)