January 6th, 2023 - The Wit Of The Gallery Minstrels

 

Hello and happy Friday rockers, rollers, and craft beer freaks!  Your drinking buddy the Meista here on this fine day getting the weekend off to the right start with a pairing of a tasty Belgian Wit from Bewilder Brewing Company and the wonderful "Minstrel In The Gallery", the 8th album by the amazing Jethro Tull!

Album Info: 

• Artist: Jethro Tull
• Title: "Minstrel In The Gallery"
• Recorded: May through June 1975 at Maison Rouge Mobile Studio in Monte Carlo, Monaco
• Release date: September 5th, 1975 (8th studio album by Jethro Tull) 
• Record company: Chrysalis
• Production: Ian Anderson
• Album cover art: Joseph Nash
• Personnel: Ian Anderson (vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute), Barriemore Barlow (drums and percussion), Martin Barre (electric guitars), John Evan (piano and organ) and Jeffery Hammond (bass guitar and string bass)
• Additional musicians: Rita Eddowes (violin), Elizabeth Edwards (violin), Patrick Halling (violin), Dee Palmer (orchestral arrangements), Bridget Procter (violin), and Katharine Tullborn (cello)
• Musical style: Progressive rock, hard rock, and folk rock with elements of pre-Elizabethan English music
• Sound: Rather progressive, the songs on "Minstrel In The Gallery" explore a variety of musical themes, time signature changes, and tempo shifts.  With the album, Jethro Tull further established their importance as a thoughtful, sarcastic, humorous, and incredibly talented band with this album. 
• Major themes: Introspective, cynical, emotive, themes on the album include life, death, Norse mythology, lust, loss, isolation, sorrow, music, performance, society, etc.  Of the album's lyrics, Ian Anderson described it as "like everything else, you mix a bit of personal stuff with a bit of fantasy."
• Tracks: 

1. "Minstrel In The Gallery"
2. "Cold Wind To Valhalla"
3. "Black Satin Dancer"
4. "Requiem"
5. "One White Duck / 010 = Nothing At All"
6. "Baker St. Muse"
• "Pig-Me And The Whore"
• "Nice Little Tune"
• "Crash-Barrier Waltzer"
• "Mother England Reverie"
7. "Grace"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Bewilder Brewing Company (Salt Lake City, Utah)
• Website: https://bewilderbrewing.com/
• Brew: Belgian Wit
• Style: Belgian-style Witbier
• Serving: 16 ounce can
• ABV: 5.0%
• IBUs: 13 
• Ingredients: Flaked (rolled) Oats, Wheat, and Grains of Paradise along with tangerine peel, coriander, orange peel.
• Pour: The Belgian Wit pours a hazy, bright yellow hue with lots of effervescence and a very thin, bright white head that dissipates quickly.
• Nose: The nose is citrusy, spicy, and grainy.  There are aromas of orange, tangerine, and lemon peel, coriander, light clove and nutmeg, soft banana, a hint of pink bubblegum, cracked wheat, and crackery biscuit.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Belgian Wit is a well-balanced blend of spices, citrus fruits, and lighter grains.  There are notes of crackery biscuit, toasted wheat bread orange peel, tangerine, lemon rind, coriander, light clove, and soft banana.
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium-bodied and well-carbonated, the mouthfeel is crisp and smooth with a very dry, slightly spicy finish. 

Overall pairing: The easy drinking, yet complex and delicious Bewilder Wit is a and makes for a nice companion to the wonderfully complex and engaging music of Jethro Tull's classic "Minstrel In The Gallery"!  'Nuff said! 

Cheers!