January 26th, 2015 - Brighton Sleighride

Good evening!  The Meista here tonight pairing "Nantucket Sleighride" by Mountain and a Brighton Revolver IPA from Uinta Brewing Company!  This pairing goes out to drummer Corky Laing... happy birthday and cheers Mr. Laing!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Mountain
• Title: "Nantucket Sleighride"
• Recorded: Late 1970 at The Record Plant in New York City
• Release date: January 1971
• Record company: Windfall (U.S.) / Island (U.K.)
• Personnel: Steve Knight (organ and handbells), Corky Laing (drums and percussion), Felix Pappalardi (bass, rhythm guitar, piano, and vocals), and Leslie West (lead guitar and lead vocals)
• Album cover art: Gail Collins Pappalardi
• Musical style: Hard rock/heavy blues
• Sound: Heavy, chunky, swinging groove created by the brilliance and power of West's grinding guitar work and gravelly voice, Laing's smokin' and jazzy drum work, and Pappalardi's thunderous bass.
• Major themes: Whaling, shipwrecks, murder, rock and roll, touring, love and loss, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "Don't Look Around"
2. "Taunta (Sammy's Tune)"
3. "Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin)"
4. "You Can't Get Away!"
5. "Tired Angels (To J.M.H.)"
6. "The Animal Trainer And The Toad"
7. "My Lady"
8. "Travellin' In The Dark (To E.M.P.)"
9. "The Great Train Robbery"
10. "Travellin' In The Dark (To E.M.P.)" (Live)

  Brew Info:

• Brewery: Uinta Brewing Company
• Website: http://www.uintabrewing.com/
• Brew: Brighton Revolver IPA
• Style: Session India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 4.0%
• Pour: Slightly hazy orange-amber with a frothy 1.5 finger head that dissipates slowly to the edges, leaving sticky spider web lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrus, tropical fruits, grains, and spices.  There are aromas of grapefruit, pineapple, tangerine, and mango along with a light, bready backbone and hints of herbal spices.
• Taste: The Brighton's flavor is characterized by slightly bitter hops, grapefruit, sweet caramel malts, and some bitter citrus peel in the finish.
• Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with good carbonation, the Brighton Revolver IPA is crisp, smooth, and refreshing with a slightly bitter bite in the finish.
• Note: The Brighton Revolver IPA is a brew made by Uinta Brewing Company specifically for Brighton Ski Resort here in Utah.  The idea behind the beer (and the name) is that it is a rotating hop profile ale throughout the ski season.

Overall pairing: So I partly paired this brew and album for the ski resort/Sleighride imagery (although the song "Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin)" is about something else entirely).  But the main reason I thought these two went well together is the refreshing and hoppy profile of the beer and the fast-paced rockin' prowess of Mountain's playing.  There's lot of bright guitar work along with more aggressive bits... perfect for the citrusy and bitter, yet very drinkable flavors of the Brighton Revolver IPA

Cheers!!