August 6th, 2017 - Beavo Is Slang For...

Good afternoon!  The Meista here today pairing a collaborative brew today, the West Side Beavo from Firestone Walker Brewing Company and Beavertown Brewery and Def Leppard's overlooked 1996 album "Slang"!

Album Info:

• Artist: Def Leppard
• Title: "Slang"
• Recorded: 1994 through 1995 in Marbella, Spain and January through February 1996 at Bow Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland
• Release date: May 14th, 1996 (6th studio album by Def Leppard)
• Record company: Mercury Records
• Production: Pete Woodroffe and Def Leppard
• Album cover art: Jeff Murray (art direction) and Jager di Paola (design)
• Personnel: Rick Allen (drums and percussion), Vivian Campbell (electric guitars, acoustic guitars, dulcimer, and backing vocals), Phil Collen (electric guitars, acoustic guitars, mandolin, and backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals, and additional guitar and bass on "Pearl of Euphoria"), and Rick Savage (bass, acoustic guitars, synth bass, and backing vocals)
• Additional musicians: Gloria Flores (vocals on "Slang"), Ram Narayan (sarangi on "Turn to Dust"), Craig Pruess (string and percussion arranging and conducting on "Turn To Dust"), Av Singh (dohl on "Turn To Dust"), Shyam Vatish (sarangi on "Turn To Dust"), Pete Woodroffe (piano on "Blood Runs Cold" and keyboard strings on "Where Does Love Go When It Dies"), and Gavyn Wright (string leader on "Turn To Dust")
• Musical style: Alternative rock/metal; post-grunge; power pop
• Sound: With less production and a more organic approach to songwriting and records, "Slang" is more melancholy, warmer, and more interesting than their previous overproduced album "Adrenalize" and marks a big change in the band's sound.  
• Major themes: Honesty, love, loss, heartbreak, lust, desire, life, relationships, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Truth?"
2. "Turn To Dust"
3. "Slang"
4. "All I Want Is Everything"
5. "Work It Out"
6. "Breathe A Sigh"
7. "Deliver Me"
8. "Gift Of Flesh"
9. "Blood Runs Cold"
10. "Where Does Love Go When It Dies"
11. "Pearl Of Euphoria"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Company (Paso Robles, California) / Beavertown Brewery (London, England)
• Website: http://www.firestonebeer.com/ and http://www.beavertownbrewery.co.uk/
• Brew: West Side Beavo
• Style: India Pale Lager
• Serving: 12 ounce can
• ABV: 6.5% 
• Ingredients: "Hops from the Pacific Northwest and the United Kingdom, most notably Jester hops"   
• Pour: The West Side Beavo pours a clear, golden-yellow hue with a huge billowy and foamy 2+ finger white head with great retention and lots of sticky, spider web lacing.
• Nose: The nose is a grassy, floral, crackery, and slightly spicy.  There are aromas of Pilsner, saltines, crackery biscuit, summer grass, light citrus, and light pepper.
• Taste: The taste of the Beavo follows the nose with lots of crackery, hoppy, biscuity flavors.  There are notes of fresh green hops, light pine, light citrus, crackery malt, and light honey.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied with good carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp, with a clean, dry finish.

Overall pairing: The very drinkable and easy-going characteristics of the West Side Beavo is great for kicking back on a hot and sunny Sunday afternoon in August whilst bobbing your head to the grooves of Def Leppard's "Slang"!

Cheers!!