Hello artisan brew lovers and power rockers! Time to raise your glasses and your fists! The Meista here with another kick-ass, metal and beer pairing for you... Ashes Of Ares self-titled, debut album and an Accumulation White India Pale Ale (IPA) Winter Seasonal from New Belgium Brewing Company!
The Accumulation White IPA Winter Seasonal from New Belgium Brewing Company is an American-style IPA coming in at 6.2% ABV. It pours a hazy, very bright, very light straw gold, which is rather uncharacteristic for an IPA. The head is thin, but leaves some nice lacing. The nose is very piney... very, very piney and earthy... like taking in a deep breath while walking through a Colorado forest. The flavor is a culmination of fruity citrus and bitter herbs. There are big notes of grapefruit, lemon, orange, tangerine, and black tea. Those orange and tangerine flavors become more prevalent as the beer warms. Brewed with an abundance of Mosaic and Amarillo hops, a good layer of bitterness follows the citrus flavors. Crisp and refreshing, the mouthfeel is almost metallic in sharpness. The finish is very dry, very crisp, very clean. For a beer of such complexity, depth, and sharp crispness, you need an album of equal if not greater power...
Take two ex-Iced Earth members (vocalist Matt Barlow and bassist/guitarist Freddie Vidales) and one ex-Nevermore member (drummer Van Williams), add killer riffs, exceptional musicianship, compelling and thoughtful lyrics, explosive vocals, and you've got yourself one bad-assed album... "Ashes Of Ares"!! The self-titled Ashes Of Ares album was released on September 6th, 2013. Vidales takes on both guitar and bass parts with precision, ferocity, and power metal intensity! Williams takes his kit to task, whipping it into submission! Although the band is outstanding... (fantastic really!), the highlight of this album for me is having Matt Barlow back in the spotlight. In terms of vocal range and sheer power, I put Barlow in league with Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford, and Ronnie James Dio... the guy is a monster! Songs like "The Messenger," "Move The Chains," "Punishment," "This Is My Hell," "Dead Man's Plight," "Chalice Of Man," and "The One-Eyed King" are aggressive, driving, complex, and inspiring... definitive power metal!! I picked up this wonderful album from the Heavy Metal Shop (www.heavymetalshop.com) yesterday... and you should too! If you are a fan of Iced Earth, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Dio, and the like, then do yourself a HUGE favor and check out Ashes Of Ares!! Ashes To Ares self-titled debut album is available now through Nuclear Blast Records. Learn more about Ashes Of Ares at http://ashesofares.com/Main.html and check out their video for the excellent "This Is My Hell" here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lruVaOJcC0s!
Check out the Accumulation White IPA Winter Seasonal and all the other great brews from the wind-powered, employee owned New Belgium Brewing Company at www.newbelgium.com!
HAILS!!!
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