January 13th, 2017 - It May Be A Farewell To Kings, But Not To The Imperials

Good evening rockers and hop-heads!  Your crazy drinkin' buddy the Meista here tonight pairing the classic brilliance of "A Farewell To Kings" by the mighty Rush and an Imperial IPA from Green Flash Brewing Company!  Hells yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Rush
• Title: "A Farewell To Kings"
• Recorded: June 1977 at Rockfield Studios in South Wales
• Release date: September 1st, 1977 (5th studio album by Rush)
• Record company: Anthem / Mercury
• Production: Rush and Terry Brown
• Album cover art: Hugh Syme
• Personnel: Geddy Lee (vocals, bass and twelve-string guitar, Minimoog, and bass pedal synthesizers), Alex Lifeson (electric and acoustic six- and twelve-string guitars, classical guitar, and bass pedal synthesizers), and Neil Peart (drums, orchestra bells, wind chimes, bell tree, vibraslap, triangle, tubular bells, and temple blocks)
• Musical style: Hard rock, progressive rock
• Sound: "A Farwell To Kings" is a blend of superb musicianship, exception songwriting, and artistic integrity.  This is without a doubt one of my all-time favorite albums... it is pure genius!!
• Major themes: With songs about space travel, politics, and mythology, themes on "A Farwell To Kings" include the pursuit of knowledge, self-realization, corruption, hope, threats to freedom, art, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "A Farewell To Kings"
2. "Xanadu"
3. "Closer To The Heart"
4. "Cinderella Man"
5. "Madrigal"
6. "Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Green Flash Brewing Company (San Diego, California)
• Website: www.greenflashbrew.com
• Brew: Imperial IPA
• Style: Imperial India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 9.0%
• IBUs: 101
• Ingredients: Nugget and Summit hops
• Pour: Very cloudy golden-copper hue with a frothy and creamy, off-white, massive 2+ finger head that displays great sustain and layered, intricate, and bubbly lacing.
• Nose: Dank, earthy, fruity, juicy, and malty, the nose of Green Flash's Imperial IPA is characterized by big aromas of evergreens (pine resin), herbs, lemongrass, grapefruit rind, pineapple, mango, orange juice, and hints of soft caramel.
• Taste: The taste is bittersweet, hoppy, earthy, citrusy, and herbal.  There are big notes of pine, tropical fruit (pineapple, mango, and melon ), citrus (pink grapefruit, tangerine, and ), and more subtle notes of bready malt and soft caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is sticky, but smooth with a dry and bitter/peppery finish.

Overall pairing: Those punchy, bitter, and complex flavors of the brew compliment the brilliance and depth of the album perfectly!!  I love big Imperial IPAs and "A Farwell To Kings" brings me unlimited amounts of joy!

Cheers!!