December 4th, 2020 - Going Bananas, Going Coconuts (With A Little Guava)

 

Hello and happy Friday rockers, rollers, and craft brew lovers!  Your drinking buddy the Meista rocking out today to Deep Purple's "Bananas" and a crisp and tart Coconut Guava Berliner Weisse from TF Brewing Company!  

Album Info:

• Artist: Deep Purple
• Title: "Bananas"
• Recorded: January through February 2003 at Royaltone Studios in Burbank, California 
• Release date: August 25th, 2003 (17th studio album by Deep Purple)
• Record company: EMI 
• Production: Michael Bradford
• Album cover art: Ioannis (design and layout) and Bruce Payne (photographer) 
• Personnel: Don Airey (organ and keyboards), Ian Gillan (vocals), Roger Glover (bass), Steve Morse (guitars), and Ian Paice (drums)
• Additional musicians: Michael Bradford (guitar on "Walk On"), Paul Buckmaster (strings arrangement and cello on "Haunted"), and Beth Hart (backing vocals on "Haunted") 
• Musical style: Hard rock, rock and roll, progressive rock with elements of blues rock and reggae
• Sound: Blending progressive bombast and complexity with loose and playful rockers, "Bananas" is is an underrated gem!  Sure, it isn't as heavy and daring as earlier albums, but it is wonderfully textured and still packs a punch!  Airey has the chops and inventiveness to prove he is a fitting successor to the legendary Jon Lord.  
• Major themes: loss, etc.
• Tracks:   

1. "House Of Pain"
2. "Sun Goes Down"
3. "Haunted"
4. "Razzle Dazzle"
5. "Silver Tongue"
6. "Walk On"
7. "Picture Of Innocence"
8. "I Got Your Number"
9. "Never A Word"
10. "Bananas"
11. "Doing It Tonight"
12. "Contact Lost"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: TF Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://www.tfbrewing.com/
• Brew: Coconut Guava Berliner Weisse 
• Style: Berliner Weisse 
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 4.2%
• Pour: The Coconut Guava Berliner Weisse pours a very hazy pale pear yellow with a frothy, bright white 1+ finger head that dissipates to a thin ring with light, soapy lacing.
• Nose: The nose is fruity, nutty, and tart.  There are big aromas of freshly chopped coconut along with more subtle aromas of guava juice, light mango, lemon juice, lemon zest, light pineapple, and an ever so slight hint of mint.
• Taste: The taste of the Coconut Guava Berliner Weisse is a wonderfully balanced blend of fruity, nutty, and sour flavors.  There are notes of fresh coconut, sweet and juicy guava, lemon juice, plum, tonic water, a hint of fresh mint, a hint of sea salt, and very subtle white bread and graham cracker malt flavors. 
• Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with well-carbonation, the mouthfeel is very crisp, fizzy, and sharp with a dry, tart finish.

Overall pairing: The fruity, nutty, and refreshingly tart flavors of TF Brewing's Coconut Guava Berliner Weisse are a great companion to the rock and roll goodness that is Deep Purple's "Bananas"!  Those big coconut notes really work well with the rock and roll punch that is the mighty Deep Purple!  'Nuff said!

Cheers!!