November 12th, 2020 - A Degrading And Prickly Mobius Trip

 

Hey there rockers and craft beer freaks!  Your pal the Meista here pairing Jerry Cantrell's sophomore solo album, "Degradation Trip" and a deliciously tart and juicy Mobius Trip Prickly Pear from the fine folks at SaltFire Brewing Company!  

Album Info:

• Artist: Jerry Cantrell 
• Title: "Degradation Trip"
• Recorded: 2000 at A&M Studios in Hollywood, California, Master Control in Burbank, California, and Music Grinder Studios in West Hollywood, California
• Release date: June 18th, 2002 (2nd solo studio album by Jerry Cantrell)
• Record company: Roadrunner Records 
• Production: Jerry Cantrell and Jeff Tomei 
• Album cover art: Team Switzerland (Pascal Brun and Comenius Röthlisberger) 
• Personnel: Jerry Cantrell (vocals and lead and rhythm guitars) with Mike Bordin (drums), Chris DeGarmo (additional guitar on "Anger Rising"), Walter Earl (percussion), and Robert Trujillo (bass guitar)
• Musical style: Alternative metal/rock, grunge rock with elements of doom metal 
• Sound: With aggressive and moody guitar work, unorthodox time signatures and rhythms, and darkly poetic lyrics, "Degradation Trip" is more akin to his work with Alice In Chains than it is with his previous solo work.  Rather than wallow in self-pity, Cantrell utilizes his feelings of loss, depression, anger, and seclusion as a catalyst and channels these emotions into some really superb and sublime guitar riffs!  Bordin and Trujillo help create a wonderfully emotional and dark atmosphere as well.
• Major themes: Isolation, death, loss, drug abuse, troubled relationships, sadness, pain, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "Psychotic Break"
2. "Bargain Basement Howard Hughes"
3. "Anger Rising"
4. "Angel Eyes"
5. "Solitude"
6. "Mother's Spinning In Her Grave (Glass Dick Jones)"
7. "Hellbound"
8. "Give It A Name"
9. "Castaway"
10. "She Was My Girl"
11. "Chemical Tribe"
12. "Spiderbite"
13. "Locked On"
14. "Gone"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: SaltFire Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.saltfirebrewing.com/
• Brew: Mobius Trip Prickly Pear
• Style: Fruited Sour / Wild Golden Ale Solera
• Serving: 16 ounce bottle
• ABV: 8.0%
• Pour: The Mobius Trip Prickly Pear pours a hazy, yet bright ruby red with a very, very thin, white head that dissipates very quickly, leaving no lacing.
• Nose: The nose is sweet, tart, floral, and fruity.  There are aromas of prickly pear, raspberry, tart pie cherries, lemon juice and zest, wild flowers, honey, and oak.
• Taste: The taste of the Mobius Trip Prickly Pear is a refreshing blend of fruity, sour, and sweet flavors, which really hide that 8.0% ABV well.  There are notes of prickly pear, raspberry, lemon juice, fruit punch, Chardonnay, and light honey.  
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp, fizzy, juicy, and tart with a dry, lip-puckering finish.

Overall pairing: The SaltFire Mobius Trip Prickly Pear is bright, balanced, tart, juicy brew that goes down easy, making it a great foil to the melodic darkness that is Cantrell's emotional and honest "Degradation Trip"!  Those extra tart notes also go really well with the bitterness in the lyrics, while the sweet notes go great with the depth and beauty of Cantrell's guitar work. 

Cheers!!