August 26th, 2016 - Missing Elves And Absent Lovers

Good evening!  The Meista here tonight pairing a Missing Elf Double Bock from Rinkuškiai and "Absent Lovers: Live In Montreal 1984" by King Crimson!!

Album Info:

• Artist: King Crimson
• Title: "Absent Lovers: Live In Montreal 1984"
• Recorded: July 11th, 1984 at the Spectrum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  Release date: June 23rd, 1998 (1969-04-16)
• Record company: Discipline Global Mobile
• Production: Robert Fripp and David Singleton
• Album cover art: P. J. Crook
• Personnel: Adrian Belew (guitar, drums, lead vocals), Bill Bruford (drums, electronic drums, and percussion), Robert Fripp (guitar and guitar synthesizer), and Tony Levin (bass guitar, Chapman Stick, synthesizer, and backing vocals)
• Musical style: Progressive rock, art rock, experimental electronic rock
• Sound: Complex, chaotic, and ethereal, the sound of King Crimson in the mid 1980s was very experimental, electronic, and a blend of cacophony and soundscapes.  They incorporate strange time signatures and beats along with beat poetry and wonderful lyricism.  And the musicianship is unparalleled!
• Major themes: Love, desire, relationships, human interaction, the industrial age, experimentation, and life.
• Tracks:   

1. "Entry Of The Crims"
2. "Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Pt. III"
3. "Thela Hun Ginjeet"
4. "Red"
5. "Matte Kudasai"
6. "Industry"
7. "Dig Me"
8. "Three Of A Perfect Pair"
9. "Indiscipline"
10. "Sartori In Tangier"
11. "Frame By Frame"
12. "Man With An Open Heart"
13. "Waiting Man"
14. "Sleepless"
15. "Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Pt. II"
16. "Discipline"
17. "Heartbeat"
18. "Elephant Talk"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Rinkuškiai (Biržai, Lithuania)
• Website: www.rinkuskiai.lt  
• Brew: Missing Elf Double Bock
• Style: Doppelbock 
• Serving: 16.9 ounce bottle
• ABV: 9.5%
• Pour: It pours a clear, deep golden hue with lots of effervescence and a frothy, 2-finger eggshell head with good sustain and trace lacing. 
• Nose: The nose is grainy, spicy, and fruity.  There are aromas of white grape juice, apple, pear, soft banana, butterscotch, light spices, and sweet and grainy malts.
• Taste: The taste is a blend fruit juice, spices, booze, sweet malt, and crackery grains.  There are notes of pear syrup, apple cider, grain alcohol, cereal grains, honey, soft caramel, and light butterscotch.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and well carbonated, the mouthfeel of the Missing Elf is crisp, slightly sharp, sticky, yet smooth with a slightly bitter, but fairly clean finish.

Overall pairing: The rather powerful and punchy initial flavor and aroma of the Missing Elf Double Bock from Rinkuškiai makes for an interesting bed fellow to the highly experimental, yet perfectly executed and complex sound found on King Crimson's "Absent Lovers: Live In Montreal 1984"!  The blend of the fruit and grain flavors works well with the overall feel of the album, while the sharp booziness works well with the darker and "more of the weird stuff"!

Cheers!!