March 28th, 2018 - Unmasked And Coming In Hop!

Hello there rockers!  The Meista here pairing a Coming In Hop Wheat India Pale Ale from Talisman Brewing Company and "Unmasked" from Kiss!

Album Info:

• Artist: Kiss
• Title: "Unmasked"
• Recorded: January through March 1980 at the Record Plant Studios in New York City, New York
• Release date: May 20th, 1980 (8th studio album by Kiss)
• Record company: Casablanca Records
• Production: Vini Poncia
• Album cover art: Victor Stabin
• Personnel: Peter Criss (credited on drums, but he didn't play on the album), Anton Fig (uncredited drums), Ace Frehley (lead guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals, bass guitar on "Talk to Me", "Two Sides of the Coin", and "Torpedo Girl"), Gene Simmons (bass guitar, vocals, rhythm guitar on "You're All That I Want"), and Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar, vocals, lead guitar on "Shandi", bass and guitar solo on "Tomorrow" and "Easy As It Seems", and guitar solo on "Is That You?")
• Additional musicians: Tom Harper (bass guitar on "Shandi"), Holly Knight (keyboards on "Shandi"), Bob Kulick (lead guitar on "Naked City"), and Vini Poncia (keyboards, percussion, and backing vocals)
• Musical style: Hard rock, power pop with elements of New Wave
• Sound: Lyrically, "Unmasked" is a bit silly, but musically, it is an overlooked gem!  With influence from the New Wave movement and the Rolling Stones, this was Kiss's poppiest album to date at the time.  With songs like "What Makes The World Go 'Round" and "She's So European", you can hear how the musical landscape had changed and influenced Kiss.  Some of these tracks sound almost more like the Cars than Kiss, but still come in as great rockin' songs!  "Talk To Me" simply rocks!
• Major themes: Love, desire, lust, loss, power, money, deception, etc.
• Tracks:  
1. "Is That You?"
2. "Shandi"
3. "Talk To Me"
4. "Naked City"
5. "What Makes The World Go 'Round"
6. "Tomorrow"
7. "Two Sides Of The Coin"
8. "She's So European"
9. "Easy As It Seems"
10. "Torpedo Girl"
11. "You're All I Want"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Talisman Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: https://www.talismanbrewingco.com/
• Brew: Coming In Hop Wheat India Pale Ale
• Style: American Session India Pale Ale (IPA)
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 4.0% 
• IBUs: 50
• Pour: The Coming In Hop pours a hazy golden-yellow hue with thin, foamy white head with good sustain and spotty, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrus, earthy, tropical, and herbal scents.  There are aromas of pine resin, grapefruit rind, light pineapple, minerals, tea, and light grain.
• Taste: The taste of the Coming In Hop follows the nose with notes of pine, grapefruit, lemon zest, mineral water, light tea, wheat, and light caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium in body with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel is crisp, smooth, and refreshing with a dry, slightly bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The Coming In Hop is a fun, very drinkable session IPA... great for the poppy rock and roll goodness on "Unmasked" by Kiss!  This brew and this album is perfect for kicking back on a warm, sunny Spring day and rocking out!

Cheers!!  Rock on!!