September 15th, 2019 - Sunday's Best Of Mountain Jam

Hello and happy Sunday!  The Meista here today pairing "The Best Of Mountain" by the incredible Mountain and a very tasty Mountain Jam Vol. 4 Hazy IPA from Roadhouse Brewing Company!  

Album Info:

• Artist: Mountain
• Title: "The Best Of Mountain"
• Recorded: 1970 through 1971 at The Record Plant in New York City, New York
• Release date: February 1973 (1st compilation album by Mountain)
• Record company: Columbia Records / Windfall Music Enterprises Incorporated
• Production: Felix Pappalardi
• Personnel: Steve Knight (organ and handbells), Corky Laing (drums and percussion), Felix Pappalardi (bass, rhythm guitar, piano, and vocals), and Leslie West (lead guitar and lead vocals)
• Album cover art: Ed Lee (art direction)
• Musical style: Hard rock, heavy blues, rock and roll
• Sound: Heavy, chunky, swinging grooves created by the brilliance and power of West's grinding guitar work and gravelly voice, Laing's smokin' and jazzy drum work, and Pappalardi's thunderous bass.  Mountain defines early 1970s swampy, heavy blues hard rock!
• Major themes: Love, life, desire, hope, rock and roll, relationships, loss, the blues, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "Never In My Life"
2. "Taunta (Sammy's Tune)"
3. "Nantucket Sleighride (To Owen Coffin)"
4. "Roll Over Beethoven" (Chuck Berry cover)
5. "For Yasgur's Farm"
6. "The Animal Trainer And The Toad"
7. "Mississippi Queen"
8. "King's Chorale"
9. "Boys In The Band"
10. "Don't Look Around"
11. "Theme For An Imaginary Western" (Jack Bruce cover)
12. "Crossroader"

  

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Roadhouse Brewing Company
• Website: http://roadhousebrewery.com/
• Brew: Mountain Jam Vol. 4 Hazy IPA
• Style: New England India Pale Ale (NEIPA)
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 6.2%
• Pour: The Mountain Jam Vol. 4 Hazy IPA pours a very hazy golden-yellow with a frothy 1-finger, eggshell white head that dissipates slowly to the edges, leaving sticky spider web lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by citrus, tropical fruits, light grains, and a little sweetness.  There are aromas of freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh strawberries, strawberry jam, kiwi, grapefruit, pineapple, tangerine, and mango along with a light, bready backbone and hints of caramel.
• Taste: The Mountain Jam's flavor is characterized by slightly bitter hops, orange juice, strawberries, kiwis, tangerine, grapefruit, mango, pineapple, sweet caramel malts, and some bitter citrus peel in the finish.  
• Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with good carbonation, the Mountain Jam Vol. 4 Hazy IPA is crisp, smooth, and refreshing with a slightly bitter bite in the finish.

Overall pairing: The main reason I thought these two went well together is the refreshing, yet smooth and hoppy profile of the beer and the fast-paced rockin' prowess of Mountain's playing.  There's lot of bright guitar work along with more aggressive bits... perfect for the citrusy and bitter, yet very drinkable flavors of the Mountain Jam Vol. 4 Hazy IPA!

Cheers!!