August 26th, 2016 - Smash Hits For The Porter By The Founder

Happy Friday my friends!  The Meista here to get the weekend started off right with a pairing of "Smash Hits" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience and a Founders Porter from Founders Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: The Jimi Hendrix Experience
• Title: "Smash Hits"
• Recorded: October 1966 through May 1968 at various studios
  Release date: April 16th, 1969 (1st greatest hits album released by the Jimi Hendrix Experience and the only one released during Hendrix's lifetime) (1969-04-16)
• Record company: Reprise Records
• Production: Chas Chandler and Jimi Hendrix
• Album cover art: Ed Thrasher
• Personnel: Jimi Hendrix (guitars, piano, bass, and lead vocals), Mitch Mitchell (drums and backing vocals), and Noel Redding (bass and backing vocals)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy blues, R&B, psychedelic rock, rock and roll
• Sound: It's Jimi Hendrix!  In a word... BRILLIANT!!
• Major themes: Love, loss, heartbreak, deception, insanity, lust, life, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Purple Haze"
2. "Fire"
3. "The Wind Cries Mary"
4. "Can You See Me"
5. "Hey Joe"
6. "All Along The Watchtower"
7. "Stone Free"
8. "Crosstown Traffic"
9. "Manic Depression"
10. "Remember"
11. "Red House"
12. "Foxey Lady"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Founders Brewing Company (Grand Rapids, Michigan)
• Website: www.foundersbrewing.com  
• Brew: Founders Porter
• Style: American Porter
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.5%
• IBUs: 45
• Pour: It pours a solid ink black with a thin, creamy mocha head that leaves a very thin ring and virtually no lacing.
• Nose: The nose is malty, earthy, sweet, and chocolatey.  There are bold aromas of dark chocolate, sweet caramel, hazelnut, light cream, and roasted coffee beans, and an ever so slight hint of booze.
• Taste: The taste is like the nose... bold, earthy, sweet, and chocolatey.  There are big notes of roasted malts, roasted nuts, bittersweet baker's chocolate, milk chocolate, creamy caramel, roasted toffee, coffee, and light hints of marshmallow, bourbon, and liquid smoke.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel is thick, velvety, and slightly bitter with a very dry and earthy finish.

Overall pairing: Those rich, deep chocolate and coffee tones are perfect for the soulful depth of the hit tracks by the Jimi Hendrix Experience!  The complex aromas and flavors seem to have been brewed specifically for a listening session with this album!  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!