May 4th, 2014 - Look... Naked People! Or Going For The 21st Birthday Suit

One more for ya today from the Meista my friends... I'm pairing a 21st Anniversary Birthday Suit Sour Farmhouse Ale from Uinta Brewing Company and "Going For The One" by Yes!

Released July 7th, 1977 (7-7-77), "Going For The One" is the 8th studio album by the English progressive rock band Yes.  The album would mark the return of Rick Wakeman (Polymoog and Minimoog synthesizers, church organ, piano, production, choral arrangement) after Patrick Moraz abruptly left the band due to "artistic differences".  The rest of the band members for this album would be made up of Jon Anderson (vocals and harp), Steve Howe (acoustic and electric guitars, pedal steel guitar, and backing vocals), Chris Squire (bass guitar and vocals), Alan White (drums and tuned percussion).  One of the band's more commercially successful albums, "Going For The One" includes 5 epic and endearing tracks: "Going For The One", "Turn Of The Century", "Parallels", "Wondrous Stories", and "Awaken".  (The final 2 tracks are among my favorite Yes songs.)  Unlike previous conceptual works, this album has no real obvious unifying themes or concepts, apart from a more celebratory approach.  Musically, it is as close to prog-rock perfection as you can get.  Howe's guitar work alone is mind-blowing. 

For those of you that have been reading this silly blog for a while now know, I like to pair Belgian-style brews with progressive rock albums.  They just seem to fit.  So true to form, in pairing "Going For The One", I went with a Farmhouse Ale (sometimes referred to as an American Wild Ale or a simply just a Sour).  the Crooked Line 21st Anniversary Birthday Suit from Uinta Brewing Company is a big, bold, sour ale with lots of refreshing character and tart bite... perfect for the   It pours a very cloudy straw-gold with a frothy and fizzy head that dissipates quickly leaving no lacing.  The nose is somewhat vinous, tart, spicy, with hints of grains and malts.  There are aromas of funky horse blanket, wheat husk, wild yeast, lemon zest, and subtle spices.  Light bodied, but highly carbonated, the mouthfeel is sharp, tart, fizzy, and biting, yet wholly refreshing and dry.  Like a Saison, but funkier, the flavor is very sour with only hints of the Munich malts and fresh grains.  As you can guess, there are very bold and prevalent notes of fresh squeezed tart lemons, Chardonnay, sour grapes, and a subtle grain backbone. The finish is dry with a nice lemony kiss... pucker up buttercup!

Cheers!!