October 11th, 2014 - The Headless Stout!

Good afternoon rivet heads and stout heads!  The Meista here with another kick-ass, rockin' pairing for you and yours... today I'm pairing "The Headless Children" (2011 Re-release Edition) by W.A.S.P. and a Double Stout Black Ale from Green Flash Brewing Company!!  Hell yeahs!!

Now I realize I just paired a W.A.S.P. album yesterday, but I love this band and have been on a big W.A.S.P. kick as of late.  (In fact, I've got two of their albums interchangeably spinning in my car right now!)  Released in April of 1989, "The Headless Children" is the 4th studio album by heavy metal bad boys W.A.S.P.  It was the first album to feature Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali and was the last studio album to feature guitarist Chris Holmes until he briefly rejoined the band in 1997 for the album "Kill Fuck Die" (yesterday's pairing: http://brewsandtunes.blogspot.com/2014/10/october-10th-2014-killing-ing-and-dying.html).  The release of "The Headless Children" marked a huge shift in style for the band, more lyrically than musically.  The rather juvenile sexual themes of Blackie Lawless' lyrics from the previous 3 albums were replaced with songs with a much darker social-political focus... which is also reflected on the album's cover art.  Quite possibly my favorite album by the band, several of the all-time best W.A.S.P. tracks are included on this album: "The Heretic (The Lost Child)", the title track, "Mean Man", "Rebel In The F.D.G.", "For Whom The Bell Tolls", "War Cry", and 2 classic hard rock classic covers (also of darker themes): "The Real Me" by the Who and "Locomotive Breathe" by Jethro Tull.  Personnel on the album include: Blackie Lawless – lead vocals, rhythm guitars, production; Chris Holmes – lead guitars; Ken Hensley (of Uriah Heep fame) – keyboards; Frankie Banali – drums, percussion; and Johnny Rod – bass, background vocals.

Okay, so the Double Stout Black Ale from Green Flash Brewing Company isn't really "headless", but I think the richness, complexity, and "darkness" of this ale works great with the dark utter brilliance of  "The Headless Children"!  The Double Stout pours an almost completely jet black hue with a dark mocha head that dissipates into a thin ring with good retention and sticky lacing.  The nose is a big blast of espresso, bittersweet dark chocolate, earthy soil, oak, and a hint of vanilla.  Full-bodied with low carbonation, the mouthfeel is dry, chewy, smooth, and creamy with a little bite in the back from the 45 IBUs.  The taste is beautifully rich, complex, and chocolaty.  There are notes of rich dark coffee, toasted malts, sweet toffee, vanilla bean, cocoa, dark chocolate, and a hint of bourbon from the 8.8% ABV, which becomes more prevalent as the beer warms.

Cheers... hails!!  Keep it craft and keep it metal my friends!!