January 26th, 2014 - Levitating Whales And Leeches... or ... A Red Stone Fang

Good evening!  The Meista here with another killer metal and craft beer pairing for you my friends!  Tonight I'm pairing Red Fang's "Whales And Leeches" with a Levitation Ale from Stone Brewing Company!  This one goes out to my metal brother-in-arms, Jerm (who gave me both the album and the beer!)... cheers buddy!!

Stone's Levitation Ale is an American Amber / Red Ale, but laced with the hop-forward character Stone is known for in their brews.  The Levitation Ale pours a deep reddish-brown amber with a half-finger beige head with good retention and trace lacing.  The nose is a nice mix of malty sweetness and citrusy hops.  There are aromas of tangerine, grapefruit, and lemon along with caramel.  There's also a hint of almost soapy pine.  Light to medium bodied, the mouthfeel is crisp and clean.  The flavor is barley/roasted malt forward with a good balance of bitter hops.  There are notes of hearty bread, walnut, and slight smokiness.  This is balanced by citrus and juniper notes.  Like all Stone brews, the Levitation is big on flavor and depth.  Unlike most Stone brews, the Levitation is a lighter beer, coming in at only 4.4% ABV... although it tastes quite a bit bigger.  It is kinda like a sessionable Arrogant Bastard.

And speaking of big flavor, "Whales And Leeches" is the 3rd full-length studio album by Portland "stoner rock" metal band Red Fang and was released in 2013.  In the vein of bands like Mastodon, Queens Of The Stone Age, and High On Fire, Red Fang's "Whales And Leeches" is sludgy, straight-ahead rockin' goodness!  Songs like "DOEN", "Blood Like To Cream", "No Hope", "Voices Of The Dead", "Dawn Rising", "Failure", "1516", and "Every Little Twist" are honest, heavy, head-bobbing rockers wonderfully executed by the Red Fang boys!   I was surprised to see some lukewarm reviews of this album from music critics and even some fans.  For me, "Whales And Leeches" is another great production of musical integrity, depth, and heaviness from a great band that I look forward to listening to for years to come!

Cheers!!