Good afternoon and happy Tuesday rockers and craft beer freaks!! The Meista here today rocking out to a pairing of the legendary 4th album by hard rock gods Led Zeppelin with a delicious brand-new brew from the great folks at UTOG Brewing Company, the IV Barrel-Aged Anniversary Ale, which was made in celebration of their 4th anniversary!! Hell yeah!! Congratulations my friends!!
Album Info:
- Artist: Led Zeppelin
- Title: untitled, but commonly referred to as "Led Zeppelin IV" (sometime called "Runes" due to the 4 symbols that represent the band members)
- Recorded: November 1970 through May 1971 at various locations (mostly at Victorian house Headley Grange and Island Records in Basing Street Studios, London)
- Release date: November 8th, 1971 (4th studio album by Led Zeppelin)
- Record company: Atlantic Records
- Production: Jimmy Page and Peter Grant
- Album cover art: Graphreaks (design coordination). Of the album cover, Robert Plant explained, "It represented the change in the balance which was going on. There was the old countryman and the blocks of flats being knocked down. It was just a way of saying that we should look after the earth, not rape and pillage it. The cover was supposed to be something that was for other people to savour rather than for me to actually spell everything out, which would make the whole thing rather disappointing on that level of your own personal adventure into the music."
- Personnel: John "Bonzo" Bonham (drums), John Paul Jones (bass guitar, electric piano, mellotron, mandolin on "Going to California", recorders, EMS VCS 3, and acoustic guitar on "The Battle of Evermore"), Jimmy Page (electric and acoustic guitars, and mandolin on "The Battle of Evermore"), and Robert Plant (lead and overdubbed backing vocals, tambourine, and harmonica on "When the Levee Breaks")
- Additional musicians: Sandy Denny (vocals on "The Battle of Evermore") and Ian Stewart (piano on "Rock & Roll")
- Musical style: Hard rock, blues rock, heavy metal with elements of folk, and rock and roll
- Sound: I won't insult your intelligence by even attempting to describe the monster sound on this album. As "overplayed" as some might say, it definitely stands the test of time and definitely is a masterpiece, a masterpiece in songwriting, performance/execution, and in production!
- Major themes: There's a lot going on here, but major themes include rock and roll, love, lust, desire, loss, war, etc.
- Notes: Interesting fact, there actually is a 5th rune symbol on the album that represents guest vocalist Sandy Denny.
- Tracks:
- "Black Dog"
- "Rock & Roll"
- "The Battle Of Evermore"
- "Stairway To Heaven"
- "Misty Mountain Hop"
- "Four Sticks"
- "Going To California"
- "When The Levee Breaks"
Brew Info:
- Brewery: UTOG Brewing Company (Ogden, Utah) in collaboration with Ogden’s Own Distillery (Ogden, Utah)
- Website: https://www.utogbrewing.com/
- Brew: IV Barrel-Aged Anniversary Ale
- Style: Black rye India Pale Ale (IPA) aged in rye whiskey barrels
- Serving: 16 ounce can
- ABV: 10.6%
- IBUs: 87
- Ingredients: Amarillo and Citra hops with rye
- Pour: The IV Barrel-Aged Anniversary Ale pours an opaque, deep, dark brown (almost ink black) with a creamy and firm, 2-finger, light mocha head with great retention and lots of sticky and intricate spider web lacing.
- Nose: The nose is malty, herbal, boozy, slightly citrusy, and spicy. There are aromas of freshly baked rye bread, dark roasted malts, walnuts, light coffee, strong tea, grapefruit rind, tangerine, orange peel, vanilla bean, dark chocolate, soft caramel, oak, rye whiskey, and black pepper.
- Taste: The taste of the IV Barrel-Aged Anniversary Ale is malty, peppery, herbal, citrusy, and boozy. There are notes of dark roasted malts, rye bread, dark and milk chocolate, vanilla, cream, orange peel, black tea, bitter herbs, robust bourbon, and sweet toffee.
- Mouthfeel: Full-bodied and moderately carbonated, the mouthfeel is velvety smooth, thick, sticky, spicy, and creamy with a boozy, peppery, slightly bitter, dry finish.
Overall pairing: Commercially and critically speaking, "Led Zeppelin IV" is one of the greatest rock albums of all time! As such, it deserves nothing less than a bold and delicious brew... like the wonderful IV Barrel-Aged Anniversary Ale from one of my favorite breweries, UTOG Brewing Company right here in my hometown! Those hearty, balanced, boozy, and well-crafted flavors are perfect for the incredible musical journey that is the one and only "Led Zeppelin IV"!!
Cheers and hails!! Keep on rockin' my friends!!
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