December 27th, 2014 - Saison De Pell

Good evening kiddies!  Your pal the Meista here pairing a Saison De Chetco from Base Camp Brewing Company and "Shadow Zone" by Axel Rudi Pell!

Album Info:

• Artist: Axel Rudi Pell
• Title: "Shadow Zone"
• Release date: April 29, 2002 (9th studio album)
• Record company: SPV
• Personnel: Axel Rudi Pell - guitars, Ferdy Doernberg - keyboards, Johnny Gioeli - vocals, Volker Krawczak - bass, and Mike Terrana - drums 
• Major themes: Lots of good old fashioned sword and sorcery fantasy themes along with searching for truth and knowledge.
• Musical style: Melodic power metal in the vein of 1980s power metal.
• Sound: Crunchy, high-energy, and soaring guitar work with neo-classical leanings along with heavy duty riffs and melodies.
• Tracks:

1. "Curse Of The Chains (Intro)"
2. "Edge Of The World"
3. "Coming Home"
4. "Live For The King"
5. "All The Rest Of My Life"
6. "Follow The Sign"
7. "Time Of The Truth"
8. "Heartbreaker"
9. "Saint Of Fools"
10. "Under The Gun"

 Brew Info:

• Brewery: Base Camp Brewing Company
• Website: http://basecampbrewingco.com/
• Brew: Saison De Chetco
• Style: Saison/Farmhouse Ale
• Serving: 22 ounce aluminum bottle
• ABV: 6.6%
• Pour: Very cloudy pear-colored gold with a thin off-white head that dissipates quickly leaving only trace lacing.
• Nose: Lots of sweet fruit ester, wheat, yeast, and vanilla aromas.  There are notes of Nilla Wafers, soft banana, coconut, citrus, Belgian yeast, and a touch of nutmeg.  There's a little bit of farmhouse horse blanket funk as well.
• Taste: Complex and interesting, the Saison De Chetco has big notes of vanilla bean, soft banana, coconut, lime, and hints of nutmeg.
• Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation, it is fairly smooth, but with some slight tartness in the back.
• Finish: Slightly tart and dry.

Overall pairing: The intricate and complex, yet accessible and pleasing flavors of the Saison De Chetco are the perfect compliment to the powerful, semi-symphonic, and compelling work of Axel Rudi Pell and his band!

À votre santé!  Prost!