October 21st, 2021 - Hop Vs. Hop Vs. PJ

 

Good evening!  The Meista here tonight pairing Pearl Jam's "Vs." album (which is 28 years old this week!) and a Hop Vs. Hop Fresh Hopped Double India Pale Ale from Proper Brewing Company for ya! 

Album Info:

• Artist: Pearl Jam
• Title: "Vs."
• Recorded: March through May 1993 at The Site in Nicasio, California and Potatohead Studio in Seattle, Washington
• Release date: October 19th, 1993 (2nd album by Pearl Jam)
• Record company: Epic Records
• Production: Brendan O'Brien and Pearl Jam
• Album cover art: Joel Zimmerman (art direction) and Ames (artwork and black-and-white photography)
• Personnel: Dave Abbruzzese (drums), Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (vocals and rhythm guitar on "Rearviewmirror" and "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town")
• Musical style: Grunge, hard rock, post-punk
• Sound: With a looser and rawer sound than on the previous album, "Ten", Pearl Jam's "Vs." is more aggressive, more honest, and more powerful.  Of the album's sound, Gossard once said, "We got our heavyosity out on that record."  This is their best album in my opinion.  It is richly textured, very full, intriguing, and masterfully produced.
• Major themes: With lyrics examining personal, social, and political subject matter, themes include child abuse, the American gun culture, racism, relationships, loss, and indifference.
• Tracks:   

1. "Go"
2. "Animal"
3. "Daughter"
4. "Glorified G"
5. "Dissident"
6. "W.M.A."
7. "Blood"
8. "Rearviewmirror"
9. "Rat"
10. "Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town"
11. "Leash"
12. "Indifference"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Proper Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: http://www.properbrewingco.com/ 
• Brew: Hop Vs. Hop Fresh Hopped Double India Pale Ale
• Style: Double India Pale Ale (DIPA) 
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 8.0%
• IBUs: 80
• Ingredients: Fresh Strata hops, Proximity Base malt, Maris Otter malt, Caramalt, and London III yeast
• Pour: The Hop Vs. Hop pours a very cloudy, deep copper hue with a frothy, 2+ finger, off-white head with sticky and intricately layered and sustained lacing.
• Nose: The nose is chalk full of earthy and dank notes and biscuity malt.  There are hop-forward aromas of grapefruit rind, tangerine, light pine resin, white pepper, crackery biscuit, and light caramel.
• Taste: The taste is piney, floral, malty, and crackery.  There are notes of grapefruit, light pine, herbal tea, sourdough bread, and soft caramel.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied with moderate carbonation, the mouthfeel of the Hop Vs. Hop is crisp, juicy, slightly thick with a dry and bitter finish.

Overall pairing: The compelling nature of Proper's Hop Vs. Hop is perfect for the uniquely aggressive sound of Pearl Jam's "Vs."!  There are complexities in both the brew and the album that are very difficult to pin down... true originals, but with an essence of things that came before... brilliant!

Cheers!!