September 1st, 2017 - In Cahoots With By-Tor And The Snow Dog

Good evening and happy Friday... of a long weekend!  The Meista here tonight rocking out to Rush's amazing "Fly By Night" with a Cahoots Flanders Style Red Ale from Uinta Brewing Company!  Hell yeah!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Rush
• Title: "Fly By Night"
• Recorded: September through December 1974 at Toronto Sound Studios in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Release date: February 15th, 1975 (2nd studio album by Rush)
• Record company: Anthem Records / Mercury Records
• Production: Rush and Terry Brown
• Album cover art: Eraldo Carugati
• Personnel: Geddy Lee (bass, classical guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Alex Lifeson (electric and acoustic guitars), and Neil Peart (drums and percussion)
• Musical style: Hard rock, proto metal, progressive rock
• Sound: "Fly By Night" is the first Rush album to feature drummer Neil Peart (and one of my all-time favorite albums).  Along with taking the helm as drummer, Peart also took over the writing of lyrics for the band, which would lead Rush to adopt a far more literary and socially focused approach as opposed to the more Led Zeppelin influenced, hard rock lyrics of their debut album.  "Fly By Night" is one of Rush's faster paced, more rocking albums.  Geddy Lee's bass work and vocals on this album are wonderful... bass work is intricate, driving, and heavy as hell... vocals are otherworldly and high as shit!  Alex Lifeson's guitar work is an attack of sonic acrobatics... rich, complex, and oh so tasty! (Just listen to that tone in "In The End"!!)  And Peart's drumming is vibrant, youthful, and simply brilliant!  (Just listen to the drum roll toward the end of "Anthem"!)  Oh, sooooo, soooo good!!
• Major themes: Songs like "By-Tor & the Snow Dog" and "Rivendell" delve into the realm of fantasy while "Anthem" features lyrics inspired by Ayn Rand's book of the same name.  The title track is an autobiographical song about Peart's experience in moving to London from Canada (briefly) before he joined Rush.  "Best I Can" is simply about rocking and rolling and the pursuit of personal excellence.  "Making Memories" delves into the importance of living each and every moment to its fullest.  And "In The End" (a favorite of mine) explores honesty and love... without sentimentality.
• Tracks:   

1. "Anthem"
2. "Best I Can"
3. "Beneath, Between & Behind"
4. "By-Tor & the Snow Dog"
5. "Fly By Night"
6. "Making Memories"
7. "Rivendell"
8. "In The End"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Uinta Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.uintabrewing.com/
• Brew: Cahoots Flanders Style Red Ale
• Style: Flanders Oud Bruin
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 8.0% 
• IBUs: 25
• Ingredients: Brewed with rich caramel malt (Special B, CaraMunich), Vanguard hops, and fermented with a blend of wild yeast and bacteria.  Aged in port barrels for 18 months.
• Pour: The Cahoots Flanders Style Red Ale pours a deep mahogany red with a half-finger, frothy, off-white head that dissipates to a thin, but sustained ring and film with good lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, tart, and a little funky.  There are aromas of plum juice, port wine, oak, black cherry juice, apple cider vinegar, a light barnyard funk, and light caramel.
• Taste: The taste of the Cahoots Flanders Style Red Ale is like the nose... lots of big dark fruit (plum, raisin, and black cherry), sour notes (lemon juice and apple cider vinegar), port wine, light oak, and light toffee/caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel is very tart, very crisp, and slightly funky, with a dry, lip-puckering finish.

Overall pairing: The complex, tart, and sweet aromas and flavors of Uinta's wonderful Cahoots Flanders Style Red Ale is the perfect brew for a hot summer night whilst rocking out to one of the greats... Rush's brilliant "Fly By Night!  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!  All hail Rush!!