February 10th, 2023 - Reveling In Time In Amsterdam With My Blondie

 

My wife enjoying a Blondie at Brouwerij ' t IJ in Amsterdam last month.

Hello and happy Friday craft beer freaks and rockin' time travelers!  The Meista here today pairing the brilliant "Revel In Time", the latest album by Arjen A. Lucassen's Star One and a delightfully delicious Blondie from the fine folks at Brouwerij ' t IJ in Amsterdam!  Hell yeah!

Album Info:

• Artist: Arjen A. Lucassen's Star One
• Title: "Revel In Time"
• Recorded: 2021 at The Electric Castle in the Netherlands as well as Sandlane Recording Facilities, Bardo Studios, MasterLink Productions, Studioforz, and Stable Studios
• Release date: February 18th, 2022 (3rd studio album by Star One)
• Record company: Inside Out Music
• Production: Arjen Anthony Lucassen
• Album cover art: Jef Bertels (artwork) and Mattias Norén (logo)
• Personnel: Arjen Anthony Lucassen (guitars, bass, synthesizers, and vocals) and Ed Warby (drums)
• Guest musicians: Russel Allen (lead vocals), Michael Andersson (lead vocals), Marcela Bovio (lead and backing vocals), John Jaycee Cuijpers (lead and backing vocals), Alessandro Del Vecchio (lead vocals and keyboards), Hellscore (choir), Joel Hoekstra (lead guitar), Floor Jansen (lead and backing vocals), Irene Jansen (lead and backing vocals), Ross Jennings (lead and backing vocals),  Jens Johansson (keyboards), Roy Khan (lead vocals), Tony Martin (lead vocals), Michael Mills (lead vocals), Michael Romeo (lead guitar), Will Shaw (lead and backing vocals), Marcel Singer (guitars), Brittney Slayes (lead and backing vocals), Timo Somers (lead guitar), Jeff Scott Soto (lead vocals), Dan Swanö (lead vocals), Ron Bumblefoot Thal (lead guitar), Joe Lynn Turner (lead vocals), Steve Vai (lead guitar), Joost van den Broek (Hammond organ), Erik van Ittersum (Solina strings), Adrian Vandenberg (lead guitar), Wilmer Waarbroek (lead vocals), Damian Wilson (lead vocals), and Brandon Yeagley (lead vocals)
• Musical style: Progressive metal, progressive rock, space metal, heavy metal
• Sound: Complex, inventive, imaginative, and totally rocking, "Revel In Time" is another amazing collection of songs and performances that captures not only the brilliance of Lucassen's songwriting, but the vigor and intensity of these performers!
• Major themes: A concept album of sorts about time and time travel, subject matter on the album is taken from various science fiction and fantasy movies and television shows.  Specific song themes include fate, space travel, time travel, time loops, manipulation, life and death, aliens, violence, fear, adventure, survival, etc.
• Tracks: 

1. "Fate Of Man"
2. "28 Days (Till The End Of Time"
3. "Prescient"
4. "Back From The Past"
5. "Revel In Time"
6. "The Year Of '41"
7. "Bridge Of Life"
8. "Today Is Yesterday"
9. "A Hand On The Clock"
10. "Beyond The Edge Of It All"
11. "Lost Children Of The Universe"

Brew Info:

• Brewery: Brouwerij ' t IJ (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
• Website: https://www.brouwerijhetij.nl/
• Brew: Blondie
• Style: Belgian Golden Ale
• Serving: 12 ounce bottle
• ABV: 5.8%
• Ingredients: Barley, wheat, and oats, and IJ yeast
• Pour: The Blondie pours a slightly cloudy golden orange hue with a frothy and thin, bright white head that dissipates fairly quickly leaving only trace lacing.
• Nose: The nose is characterized by bready, malty, and sweet notes.  There are aromas of freshly baked bread, toasted oats, biscuit, a hint of lemon zest, light honey, and soft caramel.
• Taste: Following the nose, the taste of the Blondie is malty and somewhat sweet.  There are notes of toasted wheat bread, creamy oats, sweet biscuit, light honey, and caramel/toffee. 
• Mouthfeel: Light to medium -bodied and delightfully refreshing, the mouthfeel is crisp and exceptionally smooth with a clean, yet slightly sweet finish.

Overall pairing: The delicious, bright, and invitingly tasty aromas and flavors of the Brouwerij ' t IJ Blondie are perfect for the complex, yet heavy-duty rockin' metal of Arjen A. Lucassen's Star One "Revel In Time" album!  Those bright flavors go so very well with soaring guitars and soaring vocal performances... and make for a far better space travelling companion than Tang!

Cheers!!  Gezondheid!!