November 27th, 2015 - 7 Wishes Of 7 Hops

Good afternoon!  The Meista here pairing Night Ranger's 3rd album "7 Wishes" and a Rogue Farms 7 Hop IPA from Rogue Ales!

Album Info:

• Artist: Night Ranger
• Title: "7 Wishes"
• Recorded: early 1985
  Release date: May 20th, 1985 (3rd album by Night Ranger)
• Record company: MCA
• Production: Pat Glasser
• Album cover art: Jim Shea (photography) and Stan Watts (illustrator)
• Personnel: Jack Blades (bass and lead vocals), Alan Fitzgerald (keyboards, synthesizers, piano, and backing vocals), Brad Gillis (lead and rhythm guitars), Kelly Keagy (drums, percussion, and lead vocals), and Jeff Watson (lead and rhythm guitars)
• Guest musicians: Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Kevin Charles, David Sykes, and Fishdog (backing vocals on "Night Machine")
• Musical style: Hard rock, rock and roll, power pop
• Sound: Characterized by scorching guitar solos, catchy hooks, driving rhythms, and great harmonies, Night Ranger's "7 Wishes" is fun, rockin', masterfully crafted rock album.  Blades' and Keagy's smooth, yet emotional and honest vocal performances are enhanced by the musical precision of the band and the hard rockin' melodies!
• Major themes: Love, loss, betrayal, lust, sex, pain, hope, rock and roll, etc.
• Tracks:  

1. "Seven Wishes"
2. "Faces"
3. "Four In The Morning"
4. "I Need A Woman"
5. "Sentimental Street"
6. "This Boy Needs To Rock"
7. "I Will Follow You"
8. "Interstate Love Affair"
9. "Night Machine"
10. "Goodbye"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Rogue Ales (Newport, Oregon)
• Website: http://www.rogue.com/
• Brew: 7 Hop IPA
• Style: American India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 8.02%
• IBUs: 90
• Ingredients: Rogue Farms Dare, Risk, Maier, and Dare R-3 Malts along with 7 varieties of Rogue Farms hops (including: Liberty™, Newport™, Revolution™, Rebel™, Independent™, Freedom™, and Alluvial™), and Pacman Yeast, and Free Range Coastal Water
• Pour: It pours a very hazy copper-honey-gold with a big, sudsy head that displays foamy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is marked by aromas of citrus, herbs, pine, and sweet malts.  There are scents of lemon, black tea, mellow pine resin, and sweet toffee.  Medium to full bodied, the mouthfeel is slick, somewhat sticky, bitter, and even a little creamy.
• Taste: The flavor is characterized by a complex blend of bitter and grassy hops, sweet and bready malts, and spicy herbs.  There are big notes of bitter black tea infused with freshly squeezed lemon, herbs (sage, basil, rosemary, etc.), a hint of radish or onion, and whispers of caramel and/or toffee sweetness.  It finishes with an earthy and peppery bitter bite.  
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied, the mouthfeel is slick, somewhat sticky, bitter, and even a little creamy with a dry, bitter finish.

Overall pairing:  Like "7 Wishes" the Rogue Farms 7 Hop IPA is a well-balanced, engaging, and wonderfully concocted work of rockin' precision!  Those big, juicy hop flavors go great with the fiery guitar work of Gillis and Watson while the bready, sweeter malt notes go great with the powerful vocal performances of Blades and Keagy.

Cheers!!   Rock on!!