March 15th, 2015 - I'm Clearing A Path To Ascend To The Wookey Jack

Good afternoon!  The Meista here today pairing "Clearing The Path To Ascend" by Eugene, Oregon doom metal trio YOB and a Wookey Jack from Firestone Walker Brewing Company!
 
Album Info:

• Artist: YOB
• Title: "Clearing The Path To Ascend"
• Recorded: Summer 2014
• Release date: September 4th, 2014 (7th studio album by YOB)
• Record company: Neurot Recordings
• Personnel: Travis Foster (drums), Aaron Rieseberg (bass), and Mike Scheidt (guitar and vocals)
• Musical style: Doom metal/stoner rock with elements of death metal and progressive rock
• Sound: Heavily influenced by doom metal bands like Black Sabbath, Cathedral, Electric Wizard, and Sleep along with more progressive influences like King Crimson and Tool, YOB's "Clearing The Path To Ascend" is a powerhouse doom album filled with crushing heaviness that is utterly devastating! 
• Major themes: Death, desolation, awareness, seeking truth, etc.
• Tracks:

1. "In Our Blood"
2. "Nothing To Win"
3. "Unmask The Spectre"
4. "Marrow"

    Brew Info:

• Brewery: Firestone Walker Brewing Company (Paso Robles, California)
• Website: http://www.firestonewalker.com/
• Brew: Wookey Jack (part of the Proprietor's Reserve series)
• Style: American Black Ale / Black IPA / Cascadian Dark Ale
• Serving: 22 ounce bottle
• ABV: 8.3%
• IBUs: 80
• Ingredients: Pale Malt, Malted Rye, Dash of Cara-Rye, Midnight Wheat from Briess, De-Bittered Black Malt (Weyermann - Germany/Patagonia malting - Chile), Dash of Wookey dust, and German Magnum (bittering) hops, Citra hops, and Amarillo hops (for flavor/aroma and double dry-hopped).
• Pour: Opaque ink black with a rich mocha head that leaves chunky lacing throughout.
• Nose: As their website states, the Wookey Jack "offers true hop aroma to rival most IPAs, with pungent citrus and herbal hop nuances, a hint of peppery rye and earthiness on the nose."  There are aromas of pine resin, bitter herbs, bitter dark chocolate, coffee, and tangerine along with something a little more carnal. 
• Taste: The flavor is a blend of "roasty malt flavors with balanced hop bitterness and spicy rye".  There are notes of black tea, pine, orange, grapefruit, rye, coffee, and lemon grass.
• Mouthfeel: Medium to full-bodied, the Wookey Jack offers a "complex texture with a refined bittered finish".

Overall pairing: The intense and powerful flavor of the Wookey Jack is a perfect pairing for the doom metal monstrosity that is YOB's "Clearing The Path To Ascend"!  The blackness, bitterness, and overall complexity is the perfect ale companion to the crushing heaviness of YOB!!

Cheers!!