November 30th, 2018 - The Desaturating Gingerbread Seven

Hello and happy Friday!  The Meista here today pairing "Desaturating Seven" by the Primus and a Limited Release Exclusive Beer: Gingerbread Imperial Stout from Talisman Brewing Company!  This pairing is dedicated to my sweet, amazing, and wonderful wife!  Cheers baby!!

Album Info:

• Artist: Primus
• Title: "The Desaturating Seven"
• Recorded: 2017 in Rancho Relaxo, California
• Release date: September 29th, 2017 (9th studio album by Primus)
• Record company: ATO Records / Prawn Song Records
• Production: Les Claypool
• Album cover art: Ul de Rico
• Personnel: Tim "Herb" Alexander (drums and percussion), Les Claypool (bass guitar, upright bass, and vocals), Larry LaLonde (acoustic and electric guitars)
• Additional musicians: Justin Chancellor (narration on "The Valley")
• Musical style: Progressive rock, art rock, experimental rock
• Sound: With influence from classic proggers King Crimson, "Meddle" era Pink Floyd, and a little Rush, the sound on "The Desaturating Seven" is more progressive, a bit more mellow, and slower than on previous Primus albums, but with that signature eccentricity they are known for.  It is trippy, atmospheric, sometimes silly, a bit creepy, and masterfully written, executed, and produced!  
• Major themes: "The Desaturating Seven" is a concept album based on the children's book The Rainbow Goblins, written by Italian author of children's books, Ul de Rico about color-eating/stealing goblins.  Themes on the album include: Greed, evil, fear, power, mythology, beauty, hope, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "The Valley"
2. "The Seven"
3. "The Trek"
4. "The Scheme"
5. "The Dream"
6. "The Storm"
7. "The Ends?"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Talisman Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah)
• Website: https://www.talismanbrewingco.com/home
• Brew: Limited Release Exclusive Beer: Gingerbread Imperial Stout
• Style: Imperial Stout aged for 8 months in whiskey barrels from Sugar House Distillery
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 12%
• Pour: The Gingerbread Imperial Stout pours an almost ink black with a creamy, frothy, and firm 1+ finger mocha head with great sustain and lots of sticky and intricate lacing.
• Nose: The nose is boozy, earthy, roasty, chocolaty, spicy, sweet, and slightly astringent.  There are big aromas of bourbon, gingerbread, cinnamon, dark chocolate, dark roasted coffee, burnt toffee, oak, loam, and a hint of soy sauce.
• Taste: The taste of the Gingerbread Imperial Stout follows the nose with lots of boozy, earthy, chocolaty, and spicy character.  There are notes of bittersweet dark chocolate, gingerbread, cinnamon, nutmeg, toffee, dark roasted coffee, and lots of rich bourbon.  
• Mouthfeel: Full-bodied with minimal carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Gingerbread Stout is thick, sticky, smooth, and creamy, but with a good boozy bite and a dry finish.

Overall pairing: The Talisman Gingerbread Imperial Stout is a sipper... it is a very big, bold, tasty, and bombastic brew, perfect for the complex and intricate workings of Primus' "The Desaturating Seven"!  Those meaty, funky basslines of Claypool seem to have been written expressly to groove with the heaviness of the Gingerbread Imperial Stout!  And the gingerbread flavor and aroma is great for the children story themes!

    

Cheers!!