October 18th, 2016 - Pumpkicking It In The No Mean City

Good evening rockers, rollers, ale drinkers, ghouls, and witches!  The Meista here tonight with a seasonal pairing for ya to get you in the mood for All Hallow's Eve... a Pumpkick from New Belgium Brewing Company and Nazareth's "No Mean City"!

Album Info:

• Artist: Nazareth
• Title: "No Mean City"
• Recorded: 1978
• Release date: January 1979 (10th studio album by Nazareth) (1969-04-16)
• Record company: A&M Records
• Production: Manny Charlton
• Album cover art: Rodney Matthews
• Personnel: Pete Agnew (bass guitar and backing vocals), Manny Charlton (guitars), Zal Cleminson (guitars), Dan McCafferty (lead vocals), and Darrell Sweet (drums)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy blues rock
• Sound: Marked by McCafferty wonderfully unique, soulful, scratchy, and deep growling voice, the amazing dual guitar work of Charlton and Cleminson, and the thunderous rhythm attack of Agnew and Sweet, "No Mean City" is probably Nazareth's heaviest albums of the 1970s!  This is classic Nazareth with a crunchy edge!  
• Major themes: With songs about groupies, rock and roll, a love affair broken up by the music business, and city life, the themes on "No Mean City" include power, love, lust, desire, loss, hope, the blues, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Just To Get Into It"
2. "May The Sunshine"
3. "Simple Solution, Parts 1 & 2"
4. "Star"
5. "Claim To Fame"
6. "Whatever You Want Babe"
7. "What's In It For Me"
8. "No Mean City Parts 1 & 2"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: New Belgium Brewing Company (Fort Collins, Colorado)
• Website: newbelgium.com    
• Brew: Pumpkick
• Style: Pumpkin Ale
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 6.0%
• IBUs: 18
• Ingredients: Ale yeast, Pale, Munich, and Caramel malts, and Nugget hops with
  pumpkin juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cranberries, and lemongrass
• Pour: It pours a hazy, effervescent golden-orange amber with a half-finger off-white head that dissipates quickly, leaving a thin ring and trace lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, spicy, malty, and bready.  There are aromas of fresh pumpkin, cider, mulling spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and clove), vanilla bean, pumpkin bread, raisins, cranberry juice, and just a hint of grassy hops.
• Taste: The taste of the Pumpkick is like the nose, lots of fruity juiciness, malty sweetness, and big spices.  There are notes of pumpkin pie, cider, vanilla, orange zest, tart cranberry juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and clove.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, refreshing, a bit punchy, and very spicy with a peppery, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The spicy, pumpkiny, punchy, and tart flavors of the Pumpkick from New Belgium Brewing Company are great for the straight-forward, rock and roll goodness found on the very underrated "No Mean City" by Scottish rockers Nazareth!  Those biting spices are great for McCafferty's gritty vocals, while the sweet malt and pumpkin notes are great for the rich harmonies, hooks, and grooves!

Cheers and hails!!  And happy Halloween!!